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diff --git a/old/61349-h/61349-h.htm b/old/61349-h/61349-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 4b75170..0000000 --- a/old/61349-h/61349-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14785 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Frank Merriwell, Jr., in Arizona, - by Burt L. 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Standish - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Frank Merriwell, Jr., in Arizona - or Clearing a Rival's Record - -Author: Burt L. Standish - -Release Date: February 9, 2020 [EBook #61349] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRANK MERRIWELL, JR., IN ARIZONA *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<hr class="divider" /> - -<h1>Frank Merriwell, Jr., in Arizona<br /> -<span class="p06">OR</span><br /> -<span>CLEARING A RIVAL’S RECORD</span></h1> - - - - -<div class="hidehand"> -<hr class="divider2" /> -<div class="figcenter width400"> -<img src="images/cover2.jpg" width="400" height="602" alt="Cover" /> -</div> -</div> - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> - -<h2><a name="contents" id="contents"></a>CONTENTS</h2> - -<table summary="Contents"> -<tr> -<th class="tdr">CHAPTER</th> -<th class="tdl"> </th> -<th class="tdr2">PAGE</th> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">I.</td> -<td class="tdl">A Slave of the Needle</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#i">5</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">II.</td> -<td class="tdl">Making a “Raise” </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#ii">12</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">III.</td> -<td class="tdl">A Drugged Conscience </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#iii">19</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">IV.</td> -<td class="tdl">Blunt Takes the Warpath </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#iv">26</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> V.</td> -<td class="tdl">A Surprise at the Gulch </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#v">33</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> VI.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Revolver Shot </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#vi">40</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> VII.</td> -<td class="tdl">A Blind Chase </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#vii">47</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> VIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">Blunt’s Warning </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#viii">54</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> IX.</td> -<td class="tdl">Accident or Treachery? </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#ix">61</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> X.</td> -<td class="tdl">Desperate Work </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#x">68</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XI.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Saving Grace </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xi">75</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XII.</td> -<td class="tdl">Blunt’s “Surprise” </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xii">80</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Race for Single Paddles </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xiii">84</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XIV.</td> -<td class="tdl">An Enemy’s Appeal </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xiv">90</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XV.</td> -<td class="tdl">Taking a Chance </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xv">96</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XVI.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Yellow Streak </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xvi">103</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XVII.</td> -<td class="tdl">A Cry in the Night </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xvii">110</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XVIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">Tracking Trouble </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xviii">117</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XIX.</td> -<td class="tdl">Missing Bullion </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xix">124</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XX.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Finger of Suspicion</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xx">131</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXI.</td> -<td class="tdl">Blind Luck</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxi">138</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXII.</td> -<td class="tdl">A Slight Mistake </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxii">145</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Solution Tank </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxiii">152</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XXIV.</td> -<td class="tdl">Merriwell’s Faith </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxiv">157</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXV.</td> -<td class="tdl">“Warming Up” </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxv">161</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXVI.</td> -<td class="tdl">A Challenge </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxvi">168</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXVII.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Line-up </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxvii">175</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXVIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">Lenning Yields To Persuasion </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxviii">180</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXIX.</td> -<td class="tdl">Plain English </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxix">187</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXX.</td> -<td class="tdl">Getting the Nine in Shape </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxx">194</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXXI.</td> -<td class="tdl">Hatching a Plot </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxxi">201</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXXII.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Day of the Game </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxxii">208</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXXIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">Poor Support </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxxiii">215</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXXIV.</td> -<td class="tdl">Worse—and More of It </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxxiv">222</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXXV.</td> -<td class="tdl">Won in the Ninth </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxxv">228</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXXVI.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Plot that Failed </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxxvi">233</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXXVII.</td> -<td class="tdl">Woo Sing and the Pig </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxxvi">236</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXXVIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">A Good Word for Lenning </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxxviii">243</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2">XXXIX.</td> -<td class="tdl">Startling News </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xxxix">249</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XL.</td> -<td class="tdl">Another Blow </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xl">256</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XLI.</td> -<td class="tdl">A Dark Outlook for Lenning </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xli">263</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XLII.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Mysterious Message </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xlii">270</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XLIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">Playing in Hard Luck </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xliii">277</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XLIV.</td> -<td class="tdl">A Fruitless Vigil </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xliv">284</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XLV.</td> -<td class="tdl">Rising Hopes </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xlv">291</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XLVI.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Runaway Ore Car </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xlvi">298</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XLVII.</td> -<td class="tdl">The Yellow Streak Gone </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xlvii">305</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr2"> XLVIII.</td> -<td class="tdl">Conclusion </td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#xlviii">310</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> - -<p class="center p180">Frank Merriwell, Jr., in Arizona<br /> -<span class="p06">OR</span><br /> -<small>CLEARING A RIVAL’S RECORD</small></p> - -<p class="center p120 mt3"><small>By</small><br /> -BURT L. STANDISH</p> - -<p class="center">Author of the famous Merriwell Stories.</p> - -<div class="figcenter width120"> -<img src="images/colophon.png" width="120" height="154" alt="Colophon" /> -</div> - -<p class="center p120 mt3">STREET & SMITH CORPORATION<br /> -<span class="p06">PUBLISHERS</span><br /> -79–89 Seventh Avenue, New York</p> - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> -<div class="box"> -<p class="center">Copyright, 1912<br /> -By STREET & SMITH</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="center">Frank Merriwell, Jr., in Arizona</p> -</div> - -<p class="center">All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign -languages, including the Scandinavian.</p> - -<p class="center">Printed in the U. S. A.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">5</a></span> -</div> - -<p class="center p180">FRANK MERRIWELL, JUNIOR, IN ARIZONA.</p> - -<hr class="divider2" /> - -<h2><a name="i" id="i"></a>CHAPTER I.<br /> -<span>A SLAVE OF THE NEEDLE.</span></h2> - - -<p>“Buck up, Shoup! What ails you, anyhow?”</p> - -<p>“I’m all in, Len. I d-don’t believe I can take another -step. You see, I—I——”</p> - -<p>The words faded into a groan, and the tottering youth -slumped to his knees, then pitched forward and sprawled -out limply in the sandy trail.</p> - -<p>There were two of them, and they had been tramping -wearily through a defile known as Bitter-root Cañon. The -stage trail leading from Ophir, Arizona, to Gold Hill, -followed the cañon, and the two lads had been taking -this trail.</p> - -<p>The trail was white with dust, churned up by the -wheels and hoofs that had passed over it. It wound -interminably along the cañon’s bed, twisting back and -forth through patches of greasewood and mesquite, now -hugging one wall and now the other, and again skirting -the edge of some brackish pool.</p> - -<p>A stream flowed through the cañon, although no one -not familiar with such mysterious streams would have -guessed it. Like a good many Arizona rivers, the water -flowed under the surface, appearing only here and there -where bedrock forced it upward.</p> - -<p>The lad who had yielded to exhaustion and had fallen -must have been nineteen or twenty years of age. He -was well dressed, although his clothes were dusty and in -disorder. His hair was of a tow color, his eyes a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">6</a></span> -washed-out blue, and his face was hueless—startlingly -white and waxlike.</p> - -<p>The other boy was a year or two younger than his -companion, with a dark, sinister face and shifty eyes. -They had walked southward from Gold Hill for many -miles, and while the younger lad was an athlete and ordinarily -in good physical condition, yet a few days of -reckless living had sapped his endurance. He was almost -as exhausted as his companion.</p> - -<p>“Here’s a go!” muttered the younger lad, looking -down grimly at the unconscious, deathlike face of his -friend in the trail. “Shoup hasn’t the backbone of a -jellyfish. I’ve got to do something for him, but what?”</p> - -<p>The boy looked around him and discovered that Shoup -had fallen only a few yards from the edge of a pool. The -sight of water suggested the means for reviving the fainting -lad, and, with considerable difficulty, the other -dragged him to the pool’s edge. Wetting a handkerchief -in the pool, he bathed the pallid face. In a few moments -Shoup drew a deep breath and opened his eyes.</p> - -<p>“You’re pretty near a wreck, Shoup,” said the boy -called Len crossly. “How do you think we’re ever going -to get to the gulch if you can’t walk four or five miles -without crumpling up in the trail?”</p> - -<p>“I was trying to save the dope,” was Shoup’s answer, -in a weak voice. “I haven’t got much of it, and no money -to buy any more.”</p> - -<p>“Cut that out,” the other growled angrily. “The -more of that stuff you use, the more you have to use. -It’s making you ‘dippy’ as blazes; not only that, but it -eats up your muscle and ruins your nerves. Why don’t -you quit?”</p> - -<p>“Can’t quit. My old man used it, and my grandfather -used it. The hankering for the stuff was born<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">7</a></span> -in me. What’s bred in the bone, Lenning, is bound to -come out in the flesh. No use fighting against the craving. -Here, help me to sit up.”</p> - -<p>Lenning put his hands under Shoup’s shoulders and -lifted him to a sitting posture, twisting him about so he -could lean his back against a bowlder. With fingers -that trembled from weakness, Shoup pushed up his left -sleeve.</p> - -<p>The skin of his arm was white as marble, and dotted -with little, black, specklike marks. Reaching into an -inside pocket of his coat, Shoup drew out a small, worn -morocco case.</p> - -<p>“Bound to squirt a little more of that poison into your -veins, eh?” asked Lenning disgustedly.</p> - -<p>As he put the question, he produced a box of cigarettes, -lighted one, tossed away the burned match and dropped -the box into his pocket. A sneering smile crossed -Shoup’s face.</p> - -<p>“What’s the difference, Len,” he queried, “whether -you inhale the poison or take it my way? It brings us -both to the same place, in the end.”</p> - -<p>“Splash! Cigarettes aren’t as bad as all that. Anyhow, -when I’m in training I cut ’em out. You’re never in -training and you never cut out that dope. If you can’t -get it just when you want it, your strength is snuffed -out like a fool candle. How long do you think you’ll -last, going on as you are now, eh?”</p> - -<p>“That’s the least of my worries,” was the placid retort.</p> - -<p>With his shaking right hand, Shoup pressed the needle-like -point of a small “hypoderm” into the flesh of his -left arm. An instant his quivering finger toyed with the -tiny piston, then drove it “home.” With a long sigh -of relief, he sank back.</p> - -<p>“I’ll feel like a king pretty soon,” said he, speaking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">8</a></span> -with his eyes half closed. “You haven’t a notion how it -gingers a fellow up. Say,” and the eyes opened wide, -“why don’t you try it yourself?”</p> - -<p>“Not on your life!” returned the other, in a sort of -horror. “The sight of you, with one foot in the grave -on account of that stuff, is enough for me.”</p> - -<p>“Go on,” urged Shoup, his faded eyes brightening wonderfully. -“Try for yourself and see how it puts fire into -your veins, and peace and happiness into your heart. -Jove! Already I’m beginning to feel as though I could -run a hundred miles, and be as fresh at the end of the -run as when I started.”</p> - -<p>Lenning stared at Shoup curiously.</p> - -<p>“That’s the way you <em>feel</em>, but your system is all shot -to pieces and you’d drop before you’d gone half a mile,” -commented Lenning.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you want to forget your troubles, old man?” -coaxed Shoup. “This is a sure cure for the blues.”</p> - -<p>“No!” almost shouted Lenning, springing to his feet. -“Try to push that thing into my face again and I’ll grab -it and throw it into the water. You say you inherited -an appetite for the stuff; well, I inherited a few things, -myself, and I reckon they’re enough to stagger under -without taking on any of <em>your</em> failings.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe you’ll come to it, some time,” laughed Shoup.</p> - -<p>He was, by now, an entirely different person from -the Shoup of a few minutes before. His eyes gleamed, -and while his face remained colorless and of a dead, -waxen white, strength ran surging through him, and his -nerves steadied. It was the influence of the drug, of -course, and when that failed his condition would be more -pitiful than ever. Lenning, shivering at the spectacle -presented by his companion, turned moodily and looked -down into the pool.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">9</a></span> -Shoup put away his morocco case. Getting up, he -stepped to Lenning’s side and laid a hand on his shoulder.</p> - -<p>“I’m a horrible example, eh?” he breathed. “All right. -You’re a good deal of an example, too. You’re a cast-off; -a week ago your uncle gave you a thousand dollars and -kicked you out of the house. Where’s the thousand -now, Lenning? ‘Rooly’ and faro have swallowed it up.” -He laughed jeeringly.</p> - -<p>Lenning whirled on him, red with anger.</p> - -<p>“And who helped me lose the thousand?” he cried. -“It was you! You might have the grace, seems to me, -to shut up about the loss of that money. We’ve neither -of us got a <a name="sou1" id="sou1"></a><ins title="Original has 'soo'">sou</ins>; but, if we can get to the gulch beyond -Dolliver’s, maybe I can borrow enough to get us out of -this country for good.”</p> - -<p>“Who’s at the gulch?”</p> - -<p>“A few friends of mine—at least, they used to be -friends. They’re members of the Gold Hill Athletic -Club, and they’re camping there.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think you’re going to get money—not altogether,” -said Shoup. “There’s something else on your -mind, too. What is it, Len?”</p> - -<p>“Tell you later,” muttered Lenning.</p> - -<p>“Look here: The bunch of fellows at the camp in the -gulch are having Merriwell over for a boating competition—canoe -race, or something like that. You’ve got -a grudge against Merriwell and you’d like to saw it off -with him. Am I right?”</p> - -<p>An astounded look crossed Lenning’s face. He turned -his bewildered eyes on his friend.</p> - -<p>“How the deuce did you guess that?” he inquired -breathlessly.</p> - -<p>“The dope clears the brain wonderfully, Len,” grinned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">10</a></span> -Shoup. “It all came to me, just now. Sort of second -sight, I reckon. Am I right?”</p> - -<p>“Well, what if you are?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing, but this: I’m with you. What reason have -I to love Merriwell? No more than you. If we square -the score, suppose we do it together.”</p> - -<p>Lenning stared gloomily at Shoup, then turned on his -heel and started off down the cañon. “Come on,” he -called, “we’d better keep a-plugging.”</p> - -<p>Shoup made after him, his step buoyant, his spirits as -light as his step. He was paying for every hour of that -stimulated, fictitious strength with a year of his life. But -his thoughts did not—dared not—take account of the -future. It was the immediate present that concerned -him.</p> - -<p>“You can’t get away from these family traits, Len,” -said Shoup, as they made their way southward.</p> - -<p>“There’s a mighty tough prospect ahead of me,” -growled Lenning, “if that’s the case.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it is the case.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not taking your word for it. Nobody would -take your word for anything, Billy. You’re a wreck -of a man—just a burned-out hulk of what you ought to -be. That’s the way with you slaves of the needle.”</p> - -<p>“What are you, Jode?” gibed the other. “While -you’re throwing it into me, you’d better think about yourself.”</p> - -<p>“I’m no dope fiend,” snarled Jode Lenning. “I’ve got -a will left, and when I get good and ready I can turn -a leaf and be different.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got a picture of you ‘turning a leaf,’” laughed -Shoup sarcastically. “You’ll have to show me. You’re -not turning a leaf by going after Merriwell, are you?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">11</a></span> -Lenning did not answer. Something, ahead of them -in the trail, caught his attention, just then, and brought -him to a dead stop.</p> - -<p>“Thunder!” he exclaimed, “there’s a stage. Something’s -gone wrong with it. Where’s the team and the -driver? Wonder if they’ve had a break-down?”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">12</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="ii" id="ii"></a>CHAPTER II.<br /> -<span>MAKING A “RAISE.”</span></h2> - - -<p>The stage that carried passengers and luggage between -the two towns of Ophir and Gold Hill was a mountain -wagon with a canopy top. This wagon, minus the horses -and driver, was at a rest in the trail.</p> - -<p>A woman, dressed in black and with a gray shawl -over her shoulders, was sitting on the seat immediately -behind the one reserved for the driver. Back of her, -in the rear of the wagon box, was a shabby little hide-covered -trunk.</p> - -<p>This woman, apparently, was the only passenger. The -two lads stared in the woman’s direction and continued -to wonder regarding what had happened to the stage.</p> - -<p>“Some accident, sure,” said Shoup. “The driver must -have taken the team and gone after help.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon that’s the how of it,” returned Lenning.</p> - -<p>“Now,” his companion went on, “if we had money, -Len, we could ride in that rig as far as Ophir; and then, -if we had some more money, we could hire horses in -Ophir and get to the gulch in that way.”</p> - -<p>“If we had money,” came grimly from Lenning, “we -wouldn’t go to the gulch at all.”</p> - -<p>“Wouldn’t we?” queried Shoup. “You say we’re -going there to make a ‘touch,’ and won’t admit that your -wish to play even with Merriwell has anything to do -with it. But I know making a raise is only about half -of our work at the gulch.”</p> - -<p>“Well, let it go at that,” said the other, with a shade -of annoyance. “No use standing here chinning when -we ought to be moving on.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">13</a></span> -They started forward again. As they drew nearer -the stage they soon discovered what had happened.</p> - -<p>One of the rear wheels was broken beyond repair. -The wheel had struck a bowlder and had been dished. Rim -and tire were lying on the ground, covered with half -the spokes. The rest of the spokes were sticking in the -hub.</p> - -<p>The woman on the front seat watched the lads as they -approached. They could see that she was little and old -and wore spectacles. A lock of snow-white hair dropped -below the brim of a hat, which was evidently homemade. -Her dress was clearly her best black alpaca, and had -probably been her best for many years. The old face -slowly lighted up as the young men drew near.</p> - -<p>Both boys lifted their hats when they had come close. -“You’ve had an accident, ma’am?” asked Lenning.</p> - -<p>“Well, goodness me, I should say so!” was the answer. -“I’ve been sitting here for an hour, seems like, while the -driver’s gone with the horses to get a new wheel, or -something else to patch up the wagon, so we can get on -to Ophir. Do you boys live hereabouts?”</p> - -<p>“Gold Hill,” said Lenning briefly.</p> - -<p>“It’s been pretty lonesome, sitting here all alone, and -I don’t feel real spry, either. You see, I haven’t been -long out of a hospital, and this is quite a trip for a woman, -old as I am. But I like this country—always did. I’ll -feel a heap better, I know, after I’ve been here a spell. -Going far?”</p> - -<p>“Ophir.”</p> - -<p>“Dear me! Why don’t you ride when the weather’s -so warm? I’ve come from up North,” she continued, -without waiting for a reply, “and it’s real brisk November -weather, up there. Here in southern Arizona, though, -winter isn’t winter at all, is it? Years ago, when I lived<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">14</a></span> -in these parts, I’ve seen the thermometer at eighty, in -the shade, on Christmas day. That wasn’t much like -Christmas. Terrible dusty, don’t you think?”</p> - -<p>She had an old-fashioned hand reticule on her lap, and -just here she opened it to take out a handkerchief. As -<a name="she" id="she"></a><ins title="Original has 'the'">she</ins> drew out the little square of linen, a roll of bills, with -a yellowback on the outside, came with it. She grabbed -the money before it could fall, and pushed it back where -it belonged. Then she dabbed at her face with the handkerchief.</p> - -<p>Shoup drew a quick breath as he caught sight of the -money. There was an evil, greedy gleam in his eyes as -they continued to fix themselves on the hand reticule.</p> - -<p>Lenning’s eyes also filled with longing at sight of the -roll of bills. He compressed his lips tightly, however, -and turned his head away.</p> - -<p>“Sorry we can’t stay with you, ma’am,” said he, “and -keep you company until the driver gets back, but we’re in -a hurry. Good-by. Come on, Billy.”</p> - -<p>Shoup smiled at the old lady and again lifted his hat -as he followed Lenning along the trail. The old lady -shook out her handkerchief at them and called a good-by -in a thin, high voice.</p> - -<p>“Confound the luck!” grumbled Lenning, after a bend -in the trail had hidden the stage from sight, “I’m tired -enough to drop. If we could only make a raise this side -of the gulch, we could get to where we’re going a heap -easier than hoofing it.”</p> - -<p>“You’re right, we could!” agreed Shoup. “You’d go -on to the camp in the gulch, would you,” he added mockingly, -“if we had money?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I would,” was the almost savage response. -“You’re fishing around to find out what I’m really up to, -and now you’re getting it flat; I want to even up with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">15</a></span> -Frank Merriwell. He’s raised Cain with me, and you -know it. What business has he got, sticking his nose -into my affairs? He’s due to get what a buttinsky ought -to get—and I’m the one that is going to hand it to him. -Watch my smoke!”</p> - -<p>“Hooray!” chuckled Shoup softly.</p> - -<p>“You can help, if you want to,” went on Lenning, fairly -ablaze with his fancied wrongs now that Shoup had -nagged him into starting on them, “but, by thunder, -you’ve got to keep your head clear and not make a -monkey out of yourself—or me.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think I’ll do that, Jode,” purred Shoup; “I -guess you’ll be tickled to death to have some one helping -you before you’re done with Merriwell. He’s a good way -from being an easy proposition. Do you think you can -bank on your friends in the gulch?”</p> - -<p>“Why should they turn against me?”</p> - -<p>“Pretty nearly all your friends have given you the -cold shoulder, I notice, since your uncle pulled the pin -on you.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t believe that all of them will kick me when -I’m down,” said Lenning gloomily. “I’ve done a heap -for that Gold Hill crowd. I used to have plenty of -money, and whenever they wanted any all they had to -do was to ask me for it. A whole lot of them owe me -what they’ve borrowed, too. It’s only right they should -pay that back, anyhow.”</p> - -<p>“My experience is,” said Shoup, “that a fellow will -always have plenty of friends when he’s got the spondulix -and can pass it out freely; but when the mazuma -gives out, and the barrel can’t be tapped any more, then -he can’t find a friend with a microscope.”</p> - -<p>“Friends like that are no friends at all.”</p> - -<p>“They’re all like that.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">16</a></span> -“Merriwell’s friends are not, and I don’t see why -I can’t have a few friends just as loyal as his.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Len,” grinned Shoup, “you’re not Merriwell.”</p> - -<p>“I’m as good as he is!” flared Lenning.</p> - -<p>“Not at some things.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t have a dad who was the world’s champion -all-round athlete, and that’s one place where he gets -the best of me. It’s Merriwell’s father’s reputation that -makes young Merriwell what he is. Take that from -him and there’s nothing left.”</p> - -<p>“Easy, easy! You’re shy a few chips, Jode. Young -Merriwell stands on his own feet, and the biggest handicap -he has is the way people expect big things of him -because his father did big things. Although I hate Merriwell -as much as you do, yet I’ve got a whole lot of -respect for him. Now——”</p> - -<p>Shoup came to a halt, one hand on the outside of his -breast pocket. A blank look crossed his pallid face.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” asked Lenning, halting.</p> - -<p>“My dope case is gone!” was the answer. “I must -have dropped it along the trail somewhere.”</p> - -<p>“Let it go, Billy! Now’s as good a time as ever to cut -away from the dope. Buck up and use your will power. -Try and be a——”</p> - -<p>“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” cut in -the other angrily. “I’d die if I had to get along without -that. Will you go back with me and help me find it?”</p> - -<p>“I will—nit. I’m pretty nearly fagged. If you’re -bound to have that stuff, go back and hunt it up yourself. -I’ll wait for you here.”</p> - -<p>A look as of satisfaction crossed Shoup’s face.</p> - -<p>“I’ll be as quick as I can,” he said, and turned back -and was soon out of sight behind the chaparral.</p> - -<p>Moodily Jode Lenning found a place where he could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">17</a></span> -be fairly comfortable, and sat down. Every muscle in -his body was aching. A few weeks before he would -not have minded a jaunt like the one he and Shoup was -taking, but now it told on him fearfully.</p> - -<p>He knew the reason. His wits were keen enough to -assure him that reckless living for only a few days had -sapped the strength and endurance which he had been -garnering for months.</p> - -<p>He had been foolish, worse than foolish. But that -couldn’t be helped, and there was no use crying over -spilt milk.</p> - -<p>The one object he had in life, just then, was squaring -accounts with Frank Merriwell. Merriwell was always -in the pink of condition—he made it a point to keep himself -so.</p> - -<p>“I’m all shot to pieces,” growled Lenning, “and I’ve -got to go up against this paragon who never side-steps -his training and settle a big score with him. Will he be -too much for me? He will, sure, unless I can get at -him in some underhand way. That’s the idea!” he -finished.</p> - -<p>Then, for an hour, he tried to think of some “underhand -way” in which he could make young Merriwell -feel the full force of his vengeance. Lenning was unscrupulous, -to a certain extent, and his association with -Shoup was well calculated to make him more so; nevertheless, -Lenning had some shreds of character and self-respect -left, although they formed a very imperfect -foundation on which to build for better things.</p> - -<p>While Lenning was still busy with his thoughts, Billy -Shoup came briskly back along the trail. Lenning started -up as he drew close, and stared at the triumphant look -on his waxlike face.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">18</a></span> -“I reckon you found what you were looking for,” -said he.</p> - -<p>“You can bet a blue stack I did,” was the answer. “It -wasn’t the dope case, either, Len.”</p> - -<p>“Not that?” queried the startled Len. “What was it, -then?”</p> - -<p>Shoup proudly drew from his pocket something which -he held toward Lenning in the palm of his hand. It -was a roll of bills with a “yellowback” on the outside.</p> - -<p>“Made a raise,” he chuckled. “Transferred this from -the old lady’s hand bag to my pocket. Ain’t I the cute -boy, all right?”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">19</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="iii" id="iii"></a>CHAPTER III.<br /> -<span>A DRUGGED CONSCIENCE.</span></h2> - - -<p>With revulsion plainly marked in his face, Jode Lenning -leaped back from the outstretched hand and the -roll of bills as he would from a coiled rattlesnake.</p> - -<p>“Squeamish, eh?” jeered Shoup, his eyes two points -of light and boring into Lenning’s brain. “You’ve got -a lot of cause, after the way you’ve acted, to get on your -high horse with me.”</p> - -<p>“You’re a plain thief!” gasped Lenning.</p> - -<p>“Very plain,” sneered the other; “you’re worse, Lenning, -only it’s not so plain.”</p> - -<p>Lenning jumped at Shoup with clenched fists.</p> - -<p>“What do you mean by that sort of talk?” he demanded -chokingly.</p> - -<p>“Don’t think you can scare me, Jode. You can’t. If -you want a tussle, don’t think for a minute that you’d -have the easy end of it. I know you better than anybody -else does—better even than your fool of an uncle, -who let you pull the wool over his eyes for so long. -You’re a coward. When you saw the money in that -old woman’s hand bag, you wanted it just as much as I -did, only you didn’t have the nerve to take it. Well, I -had the nerve; and I was so clever about it that she’ll -never know it’s gone until she wants to pay a bill. Now -get a grip on yourself and don’t act like a blooming -idiot.”</p> - -<p>Lenning shivered slightly. The gleaming eyes of his -companion were still boring into his brain, and somehow -they robbed him of all desire to resent with his fists the -hard words Shoup had spoken.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">20</a></span> -“It seems to me as though, if you’re bound to steal, -you could pick out some one else for a victim,” Lenning -grumbled. “That poor old woman—I can see her face -now, with that lock of gray hair falling down from -under that rusty old hat and—and—oh, it makes me sick -just to think of it!”</p> - -<p>He turned away in gloomy protest. Shoup laughed.</p> - -<p>“Fine!” said he. “I didn’t know, Jode, that there was -so much maudlin sentiment wrapped up in you. How do -you know the old lady is so poor, eh? You can’t always -judge from appearances. The biggest miser I ever -knew—an old curmudgeon that looked like a tramp, -had more than a hundred thousand in the bank. There’s -two hundred in this roll, and it will stake us until luck -begins coming our way.”</p> - -<p>The first shock of disgust had passed and Lenning -began to take a little interest in his friend’s recent -achievement.</p> - -<p>“You didn’t lose that morocco case at all, eh?” he -asked.</p> - -<p>“Not at all; that was merely an excuse for me to go -back to the stage and pull off my little play.”</p> - -<p>“Suppose I had gone with you to help hunt for the -case?”</p> - -<p>“I was pretty sure you wouldn’t.”</p> - -<p>“Well, how did you manage it?”</p> - -<p>“Easy. The old lady was still on the front seat, and -when she saw me coming she brightened up a lot. She -wanted to know why I was coming back, and I told her -that I had lost something in the trail and had come back -to look for it. The hand bag lay on the seat beside her. -I leaned over the side of the wagon, and began to talk. -I called her attention to the wall of the cañon, pointing -out a queer formation of the rocks, with my left hand,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">21</a></span> -and, with my right, opening the bag and taking out the -money. She never suspected a thing. It was about the -easiest job I ever pulled off.”</p> - -<p>The shameless steps which he had followed in committing -the robbery were recited by Shoup without a -shadow of feeling or regret; on the contrary, there was -a boasting note in his voice, as though he had accomplished -something of which he was proud.</p> - -<p>“You’re—you’re a coyote!” muttered Lenning.</p> - -<p>“I’m a fox, Jode,” laughed Shoup, “and a slick one, -believe me. You couldn’t have turned a trick like that -without bungling.”</p> - -<p>“I’d as soon think of stealing pennies out of a blind -man’s cup. That dope has killed your conscience. I -don’t believe you have a heart in you—when you’re under -the influence of that fiendish stuff.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, cut that out!” grunted Shoup. “We’ve made a -raise and we’re going to use the money. We need it—you -know we need it. Come on. We’ll see how quick we -can get into Ophir and out again. We’ll hire horses -and ride to the gulch. It won’t do for us to stay long -in the town.”</p> - -<p>They started again, Lenning dragging along, moodily -thoughtful. His thoughts, whatever they were, must -have been far from pleasant. Shoup, abnormally keen -while under the spell of the slow poison, seemed to know -what his companion was thinking about.</p> - -<p>“You’re asking yourself, Jode,” said he jestingly, -“how you ever happened to fall so low as to be a friend -of mine. You were pretty well down yourself before -we got into each other’s company this last time. While -you’re thinking what a conscienceless wretch I am, let -your mind circle about yourself. What have you got -to be proud of?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">22</a></span> -“Nothing,” snarled Jode.</p> - -<p>“That is correct. If we can pick our bone with Merriwell, -we’ll both feel a whole lot better; when that’s finished, -we’ll clear out of this country and make a long -jump to Frisco. That’s the town! We can do big things -there.”</p> - -<p>“What sort of things?” queried Lenning suspiciously.</p> - -<p>“Oh, something safe and profitable. I’m well acquainted, -and the friends I have are the kind who’ll help -a fellow when he’s down. They’ll take you in on my -say-so, and, if you prove loyal to them, you’ll find that -they will prove loyal to you, in fair weather or foul. -We——”</p> - -<p>Lenning cut into Shoup’s remarks with a sharp exclamation. -“Duck!” he exclaimed; “get into the brush—quick!”</p> - -<p>At this same moment, Lenning suited his action to the -word and dove pell-mell into the chaparral beside the -trail. Without understanding the reason for this sudden -move, Shoup did likewise. The next moment, he heard -a tramp of horses’ hoofs in the trail. Riders were coming, -and Lenning had been crafty enough to understand -that it was not well, after the robbery, for them to be -seen in that part of the cañon.</p> - -<p>Shoup chuckled. This meant, as he looked at it, that -Lenning had accepted the situation and was eager to help -his companion avoid the consequences.</p> - -<p>Three horses came along at a gallop. Two of the -horses had a wagon harness upon them. One of these -animals was ridden by a flannel-shirted man, who was -probably the stage driver. The third animal was a saddle -horse, and was ridden by a young fellow with snapping -black eyes and in cowboy rig. One horse in the stage -team carried a wagon wheel lashed to its back.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">23</a></span> -The horses and their riders flashed by the thicket -where Lenning and Shoup lay concealed, and were -quickly out of sight and hearing. Lenning crawled -slowly back into the trail.</p> - -<p>“If we hadn’t been quick,” said he, as Shoup joined -him, “they’d have seen us.”</p> - -<p>“But they didn’t,” answered Shoup, “so it’s nothing -to worry over. What’s the cowboy along for?”</p> - -<p>“Give it up. The cowboy was Barzy Blunt, of the -Bar Z Ranch. Ever heard of him?”</p> - -<p>“No, but there are several cowboys I never heard of, -Jode. How has this fellow Blunt ever distinguished -himself?”</p> - -<p>“Well, when Merriwell first came to Ophir, Blunt got -a grouch at him. Blunt is a cowboy athlete, but never -had any special training. He thought Merriwell was -a conceited Easterner, and made up his mind he’d take -a few falls out of him. He tried it.”</p> - -<p>“And made a failure, eh?”</p> - -<p>“How did you know Blunt failed?”</p> - -<p>“Guessed it. It takes a pretty good athlete to beat -Merriwell at any sort of sport. But go on.”</p> - -<p>“As you say, Blunt failed. Time after time he tried -to best Merriwell, but was always beaten out. At last -they became friends. There’s an old professor with -Merriwell and his pals. They found him holed away -in the Picketpost Mountains, holding down a gold ‘prospect.’ -Merriwell helped the professor save the ‘prospect,’ -and by and by it turned out that the man who had taken -Blunt to raise had a grubstake interest in the professor’s -claim. The man was dead, but his widow came in for -the good thing. The syndicate that has the big gold mine -in Ophir, I understand, have paid, or are going to pay, -fifty thousand for the mine. That will put Barzy Blunt<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">24</a></span> -on Easy Street, for everybody says half the purchase -price will come to him when the widow is done with it.”</p> - -<p>“Some fellows certainly have a habit of dropping into -a good thing,” murmured Shoup.</p> - -<p>“It wasn’t a habit with Blunt. He had about as hard -a time getting along as any fellow you ever saw.”</p> - -<p>“So he and Merriwell were enemies, and now they’re -friends?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Look out, Jode!” joked Shoup. “Maybe Merriwell -will win you over before you have a chance to settle -accounts with him.”</p> - -<p>“No danger,” grunted Lenning. “Merriwell hasn’t -any more use for me than I have for him. Merriwell -wouldn’t wipe his feet on me, I reckon, and you can -bet your last <a name="sou2" id="sou2"></a><ins title="Original has 'soo'">sou</ins> I wouldn’t give him a chance to try. -He knows the sort of father I had, and that I’m headed -wrong as a birthright, and will go wrong in spite of fate.”</p> - -<p>“What a fellow inherits he can’t get away from,” declared -Shoup. “Merriwell, it seems, understands that. -When you know a thing’s true, what’s the use of trying -to buck against it? We’re all born with a handicap of -some sort in the race of life; we’ve got to win by doing -the thing that comes easiest.”</p> - -<p>This was the logic of a drugged conscience, of a fellow -who was not himself at the very moment he brought -up the argument. For a lad like Jode Lenning, already -started on the downhill road, such a fellow was a dangerous -companion.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know whether you’ve got the right of that, -or not,” said Lenning, “but I hope you haven’t. There -are times when I want to turn over a leaf and be different—and -never a time more than right now, since my uncle -has kicked me out; but——” He hesitated.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">25</a></span> -“But you want to hand Merriwell a testimonial of your -kind regards before the leaf is turned, eh?” grinned -Shoup.</p> - -<p>“I’ll show him,” snapped Lenning, “that he had no business -butting into my affairs.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll both show him, Len. I can be of more help -to you than you think. We’ll get horses in Ophir and -ride for the gulch. After we’re through with our work -there, we’ll clear out of this part of the country and pull -off some big things.”</p> - -<p>“I wish to thunder,” said Lenning, “that I could look -into the future and see just what is going to happen.”</p> - -<p>Had he been able to do that, Jode Lenning would probably -have received the surprise of his life.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">26</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="iv" id="iv"></a>CHAPTER IV.<br /> -<span>BLUNT TAKES THE WARPATH.</span></h2> - - -<p>Frank and his chums, Owen Clancy and Billy Ballard, -sat on the front veranda of the Ophir House and -saw a horseman come pounding along the road. The -rider was a cowboy—that much could be seen at a glance. -Cowboys were no novelty in the streets of Ophir, and -this one secured attention mainly because he was pointing -for the hotel.</p> - -<p>Gracefully he dashed at the veranda steps, just as -though he intended to gallop into the hotel; then, deftly -whirling his horse, he came to a halt broadside on to the -three lads who were watching him over the veranda rail. -So suddenly did the cowboy stop, that his horse sat down -and slid to a standstill in a flurry of dust.</p> - -<p>“Whoop!” cried the admiring Clancy to the master -horseman, “say, old man, you’re all to the mustard.”</p> - -<p>“Shucks!” grinned the cowboy, “stoppin’ in a horse’s -length from full gallop ain’t nothing to what old Hot -Shot can do. This here little cayuse can ride up the -side of a house, with me on his back, and then turn -a summerset off’n the ridge pole. Fact. Which is the -hombray that totes the label of Merriwell?”</p> - -<p>“I’m the hombre,” laughed Merry.</p> - -<p>The cowboy drew back in his saddle and peered at -him through half-closed eyes.</p> - -<p>“Is that all there is of ye?” he inquired. “From what -I’ve heard, I reckoned ye was about ten feet high an’ -went chuggin’ around like a steam engine. My notions -was kinder hazy, more’n like. Since I was a kid, my -favor-ite hero has allers been that dad o’ yourn. I allow,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">27</a></span> -that pullin’ off athletic stunts comes mighty easy for you, -arter the way you was brung up. Here’s a paper talk -I was asked to kerry in an’ pass over to ye.”</p> - -<p>The cowboy jerked a letter from the breast of his -shirt, flipped it toward Merriwell, then rattled his spurs -and bore on with a husky “Adios!” Frank had caught -the missive deftly, and he now sat staring glumly after -the disappearing rider.</p> - -<p>“Come out of it, Chip,” said Ballard. “Just open -that paper talk and let’s hear what it says.”</p> - -<p>“That cowboy thinks athletics come easy for me because -dad made such a record,” muttered Frank. “I -wish to thunder people would understand that such -things can’t be handed down in a fellow’s family, like -silver spoons, and the grandfather’s clock, and the old -homestead.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t fret about anything that cowboy said,” returned -Clancy. “He also had a notion that you were -ten feet high, and went snorting around like a locomotive. -His ideas don’t seem to be reliable, anyhow. -What’s in the letter, Chip?”</p> - -<p>Frank tore open the envelope and drew out the inclosed -sheet. His face brightened as he read the letter.</p> - -<p>“Here’s news, fellows,” said he; “listen.” And he -read aloud:</p> - -<p>“‘I’ll bet something handsome you’ll be surprised when -you get this and find out some of us Gold Hill fellows -are back at the old camp in the gulch. We’re here for -a week, and we want you and Reddy, and Pink to come -out and see us to-morrow. Hotch and I challenge you -for a canoe race, or a swimming match, or any other old -thing that’s in the line of sport and excitement. We -hear that you’re soon to leave Arizona, and we can’t -let you go without having a visit with you. Of course,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">28</a></span> -we don’t expect to beat you at anything—you were born -with the athletic virus in your veins and all sports are -second nature to you—but give us a chance to do our -best against you, anyway. Come on, and stay as long -as you can.’</p> - -<p>“And that,” Frank added, with the shadow of a frown -crossing his face, “is signed by Bleeker, the Gold Hill -chap we’re pretty well acquainted with.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a bully letter!” Clancy declared. “What’s more, -it hits me about where I live. Staying holed up in this -hotel for the rest of the time we’re in Arizona doesn’t -appeal to me a little bit. We’ll go, of course?”</p> - -<p>“No studies for a couple of days, Chip!” put in Ballard, -repressing his exultation. “Mrs. Boorland will -reach Ophir to-day, and then she and the professor will -be busy selling out their mine to the syndicate. The -prof told us, you remember, that he regretted the break -in our studies, but that he expected to make it up as -soon as the mine is out of the way. Let’s pile in and -enjoy ourselves. What?”</p> - -<p>“Did you absorb what Bleek says about all sports being -second nature to me?” fretted Merry, staring gloomily at -that particular passage in the letter. “Say, I wonder if -anybody gives me credit for doing anything in my own -right? I’ve put in some pretty hard licks trying to -make a sprinter, a pitcher, and a few other things out -of myself, and yet there’s an impression around that dad’s -responsible for it all. It’s a thundering big handicap, -and I’m getting tired of it. I don’t care a picayune what -a fellow inherits, he has to stand on his own feet, and -it’s what he does himself that makes or breaks him.”</p> - -<p>Merriwell was getting rather warm on the subject—too -warm, he suddenly realized, and put the clamps -on himself.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">29</a></span> -“Of course,” he went on, “I’m mighty lucky in having -a father in the champion class. He has been mighty -good to me, and his advice has been the biggest kind -of a help, but he has only pointed the way, and it was -left to me whether I made good or not. It’s the most -foolish thing in the world, strikes me, to think a fellow -is worthy or worthless simply because his father was one -or the other. Now——”</p> - -<p>Merriwell paused. The stage from Gold Hill, several -hours late, was lumbering up the main street of Ophir. -He had been watching it moodily while he talked; and -then, abruptly, his moodiness vanished and he jumped -to his feet.</p> - -<p>“By Jove!” he exclaimed, in pleased surprise. “As -sure as shooting, fellows, there’s Barzy Blunt!”</p> - -<p>There was no doubt about it. Barzy Blunt, on horseback, -was riding along at the side of the stage; and, on -a seat of the stage, was a little old lady with spectacles, -and a shawl over her shoulders.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Barzy!” Frank called, leaning out over the -veranda railing and waving his hand. “Wasn’t expecting -to see you. How are you, old man?”</p> - -<p>“How’s the ranch, Barze?” shouted Clancy.</p> - -<p>“Good old Barzy!” chirped Ballard. “You’re a wonder, -all right. Whoever had a notion you’d be turning -up in Ophir this afternoon?”</p> - -<p>The stage had halted in front of the hotel, and Blunt -had swung down from his saddle and rushed to the side -of the vehicle. He waved a joyous greeting to the lads -on the veranda, and then very carefully helped the old -lady to alight. Pophagan, proprietor of the hotel, came -briskly out, followed by the Chinaman who acted as -porter.</p> - -<p>“Glad to see ye, Blunt,” said Pophagan. “An’ this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">30</a></span> -here is Mrs. Hilt Boorland, ain’t it? It’s been a heap o’ -years since I’ve seen Mrs. Boorland. Howdy, mum? -Feelin’ well, I hope? I been savin’ a good room for you. -I’ll take the grip, and the chink, I reckon, can manage -the trunk. Come right in whenever you’re ready. Have -a break-down, Andy?” he called to the stage driver. -“You’re a long time behind schedule.”</p> - -<p>The roustabout shouldered the little, hide-bound trunk -and trotted into the hotel with it. Pophagan, already up -the steps, was swinging a scarred and battered satchel. -Blunt, still very carefully, was helping the old lady mount -to the veranda. Merry ran down and lent his assistance. -Andy, settling back in his seat and picking up -the reins, was sputtering about the broken wheel and -the delay. He drove on, still sputtering, bound for the -post office, where he was to leave the mail bags.</p> - -<p>“Merriwell,” said Blunt, after his charge had safely -reached the veranda, “this is Mrs. Boorland. Mam,” -and he turned to the old lady, “this is Frank Merriwell, -and Owen Clancy, and Billy Ballard. I reckon,” and -he laughed softly, “that you’re not exactly strangers to -each other.”</p> - -<p>“Deary me!” exclaimed the little old lady, very -much flustered. “Why, the letters Barzy wrote to me -at the hospital were just full of things about you boys.” -She got up and put her trembling arms about Merriwell. -“You don’t mind an old woman showing her affection -for you, do you? Seems like you were one of my boys, -same as Barzy. You did a lot for Barzy, you and your -friends, Frank Merriwell. I just wish I had the last -letter he wrote me! If you could see the fine things he -said about you, you’d know you’d never lack for a friend -so long as Barzy’s alive.”</p> - -<p>She turned from Frank to Owen.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">31</a></span> -“And here’s Mr. Clancy,” she went on, “and Mr. Ballard! -Goodness sakes, I am just as pleased as I can be. -We’d have got here a lot sooner if the wheel hadn’t -broken, ’way off in the cañon. I had to wait in the stage -while the driver came on to get another wheel. Well, it -was lonesome, but I didn’t mind. Two young fellows -came along on foot, and they kind of cheered me up, only -they didn’t stay long. Now, Barzy,” and Mrs. Boorland -turned supplicatingly to the cowboy, “don’t you go and -think hard about those two young fellows. I don’t -believe they had a thing to do with it, not a thing. I -just pulled out my handkerchief, and the roll came with -it—and that’s how it was lost.”</p> - -<p>“Never mind, mam,” said Blunt, allowing a smile to -chase away the hard look that had come over his face, -“you’re not as strong as you might be, and I’m going to -take you into the house and make you comfortable.”</p> - -<p>“I hope I’ll see a lot of you boys while I’m here,” Mrs. -Boorland said, clinging with both hands to Blunt’s arm. -“I’ll be here for quite a little while, I reckon. Friends -of Barzy’s are always friends of mine, and mighty good -friends, too.”</p> - -<p>She and the cowboy vanished inside the hotel.</p> - -<p>“So that’s Mrs. Boorland!” murmured Ballard. “She’s -a nice old lady and I’m glad she’s got a wad of money -coming to her.”</p> - -<p>“Same here,” spoke up Clancy. “It was a lucky thing -for Blunt that, when he was a homeless kid, a woman -like Mrs. Boorland took him in and made a home for -him.”</p> - -<p>“And Blunt, ever since Mr. Boorland died,” said -Merry, “has been paying back the debt. While Mrs. -Boorland was in the hospital, he sent about all his wages -to her, and even sold his favorite riding horse to me so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">32</a></span> -he could send more when he found his wages weren’t -enough. Well, I don’t blame him at all. I’d do the -same for an old lady like that.”</p> - -<p>A few moments later Blunt came back to the veranda. -There was an angry frown on his face as he dropped -into a chair near Merriwell.</p> - -<p>“What’s biting you, Barzy?” Frank inquired.</p> - -<p>“A whole lot, pard,” Blunt answered. “I’ve danced -the medicine and am going on the warpath. Do you -know a fellow with a white face, washed-out eyes, and -tow hair?”</p> - -<p>“Well, slightly,” Merriwell answered, with a grim -smile. “He was brought on from some place unknown -by Jode Lenning to coach the Gold Hill football squad. -But he and Jode have both got their walking papers, -and where they are now is more than I know.”</p> - -<p>“They were in the cañon this afternoon,” scowled -Blunt. “Mrs. Boorland saw them there. They were on -foot and walking this way, but they stopped to talk for -a spell. After they left and went down the cañon, this -white-faced skunk came back. He talked some more, -and when he went away for good, Mrs. Boorland found -that two hundred in bills was missing from her hand -bag.”</p> - -<p>“Great Scott!” muttered Clancy. “Billy Shoup is up -to his old tricks.”</p> - -<p>“He must have had his nerve with him to steal from -an old woman!” exclaimed Ballard contemptuously.</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet a row of ’dobies that Lenning was in on the -deal as much as Shoup,” said Blunt darkly, “only he was -too much of a coward to pull off the robbery. I’m going -on the warpath and get that money back—and with interest. -You hear me!”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">33</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="v" id="v"></a>CHAPTER V.<br /> -<span>A SURPRISE AT THE GULCH.</span></h2> - - -<p>“Don’t be in a rush with your suspicions, Barzy,” Merriwell -advised. “Accusing a man of robbing an old lady -like Mrs. Boorland is pretty serious business. From -what I heard her say to you, she thinks she may have lost -the money.”</p> - -<p>“Not on your life, she doesn’t think that!” returned -Blunt. “That’s her way—always trying to screen everybody. -She didn’t lose the money. It was stolen from -the hand bag, and Shoup and Lenning are the ones that -did it. I’m going after them, and I’ll get the money -and wring their necks into the bargain. I can’t remember -when anything has happened that has worked -me up like this.”</p> - -<p>Blunt was a cowboy, and, as Frank knew very well, -inclined to be rough and reckless whenever he thought -he was dealing with guilt or injustice. If he found -Shoup and Lenning and recovered the money, there -was no doubt but that he would attempt to give them -a lesson they’d long remember.</p> - -<p>“When are you going to start on this warpath of -yours, Blunt?” Merriwell asked.</p> - -<p>“Right now, just as quick as I can do it. I’ve told -mam that I had to go back to the ranch, but that was -only to ease her mind. Instead of loping for the Bar Z -I’m going to hunt the trail of Shoup and Lenning, and -run it out. If I don’t they’ll be apt to have all that -money spent. I know their caliber, all right. For the -last week they’ve been gambling in Gold Hill, I’ve heard,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">34</a></span> -getting rid of the thousand Colonel Hawtrey gave Lenning -when he kicked the fellow out of his house.”</p> - -<p>“I guess,” said Frank, “that I’ll go with you, Barzy.”</p> - -<p>The sloe-black eyes of the cowboy softened a little, -then flamed.</p> - -<p>“No, you won’t, Chip!” he declared. “This is my -business and you’ll keep out of it. I know what’s on -your mind. You think there are two of them, and -that they’ll be one too many for me.” He flung back his -head and laughed derisively. “Why,” he finished, -“they’re both cowards from the ground up. They’ll be -scared to death just at the sight of me. I can handle -’em.”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to go along, anyhow,” insisted Frank. “A -little excitement wouldn’t come amiss, just now. We’re -going to leave Arizona pretty soon, and we’d like to keep -keyed up with something or other until we go.”</p> - -<p>“That’s you!” grinned Blunt, “but you can’t drive such -palaver down my throat. You’re afraid I’ll get into -trouble, and you’re making excuses to go along, but this -is a single-handed expedition, and I’m going to see it -through all by my lonesome. Mam is feeling pretty -chipper, and she won’t need me for a while. It isn’t that -I wouldn’t be glad of your company, Chip, but I just -want to nail these fellows myself, and do it good and -proper. You’re a crack hand at everything—get it from -your dad, of course—but Barzy Blunt is pretty good at -a thing like this. <i lang="es" xml:lang="es">Buenos!</i>”</p> - -<p>Merry had not another word to say. He watched -Blunt run down the steps, pull the reins over his saddle-horn, -and spring to the back of his horse. A moment -later he had vanished in the direction of the cañon trail.</p> - -<p>“That’s three times in one afternoon,” grumbled Merry.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">35</a></span> -“And the last time it comes from Blunt, who ought to -know better.”</p> - -<p>“Chip’s hearing funny noises, Pink,” remarked Clancy -to Ballard. “What do you suppose has got into him? -He’s breaking out in an unexpected place.”</p> - -<p>“Three times!” mused Ballard. “What has happened -three times, Chip? Maybe I’m thick, but I can’t follow -you.”</p> - -<p>“Blunt said that I’m a crack hand at everything, which -is coming it rather strong, and that I get it from my dad, -<em>of course</em>. Everybody has suddenly begun throwing that -handicap at me.”</p> - -<p>“Not much of a handicap,” said the red-headed chap. -“If my governor was the best all-round athlete in the -country, I’d be tickled to death over it.”</p> - -<p>“You’re not getting me right, Clan,” returned Merry -earnestly. “I’m proud of dad, but the things he has done -he did himself, and against a whole lot of discouraging -circumstances at the outset. I want to make the same -sort of a record, see? But how can I when everybody -insists that what dad has done makes my imitation easy? -If a fellow goes wrong because his father went wrong, -he’s a pretty poor stick; and if he goes right just because -his father went right, what credit is it to him? Anyhow, -there’s nothing in that theory. If a fellow wins or loses, -it’s his own doing—<em>his own</em>, mind you.”</p> - -<p>Frank was nettled. It was unusual for him to show -his feelings so plainly, but he was human, and there were -a few things that struck pretty hard at his self-restraint.</p> - -<p>“I’m glad you didn’t run off with Blunt,” said Ballard, -after a moment, “for that would have knocked our -trip to the gulch in the head. We’re going?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Frank nodded. “Early in the morning we’ll -ride for the gulch.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">36</a></span> -“Hooray!” jubilated Clancy. “What you need, Chip, -is a little outdoor exercise—a little of the summer ozone -which we’re getting, in this part of the country, in the -middle of November. Let’s make the most of it. When -we leave southern Arizona, we’ll probably land somewhere -in the ice and snow.”</p> - -<p>The boys saw little of Mrs. Boorland until evening. -At supper, she came down from her room and Frank -introduced her to Professor Borrodaile, who was tutoring -the three lads, getting his health back in the splendid -climate, and incidentally waiting to claim the half of -fifty thousand dollars, which he and Mrs. Boorland were -to receive for the mining claim.</p> - -<p>The more the lads saw of the little old lady the more -they liked her. It was plain that she was all wrapped -up in Barzy Blunt; and that, when she got through -with her half of the fifty thousand, it would be passed -on to Barzy. Nor would this be long, Merriwell thought, -as he saw how frail and worn she was through years of -misfortune.</p> - -<p>Frank and his chums were in bed early, that night, -and next morning they were up and on the road to the -gulch before either Mrs. Boorland or the professor was -stirring.</p> - -<p>It was a crisp, bright morning. The air, pure and -clean from the wide deserts, acted like a tonic. Ballard, -in spite of himself, burst into song, and Clancy had a -time of it smothering the ragtime airs that Ballard insisted -on trying to sing.</p> - -<p>The trail was wide and fine for the fifteen miles that -lay between Ophir and Dolliver’s. Dolliver, the ranchman, -was well known to the boys.</p> - -<p>“What d’you reckon,” he asked of the boys, as they -halted to water their mounts, “Lenning and that white-faced<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">37</a></span> -feller trailin’ along with him is doin’ in these -parts?”</p> - -<p>The boys were startled.</p> - -<p>“Do you mean to say they’ve been around here, Dolliver?” -Frank asked.</p> - -<p>“That’s what,” was the reply. “They was here late -yesterday arternoon, ridin’ a couple o’ hosses. The -white-faced feller had a roll of bills enough to choke a -dog. They’re up to somethin’ crooked, I’ll bet you.”</p> - -<p>“Which way did they go when they left here?”</p> - -<p>“Quién sabe?” answered Dolliver. “They jest went, -an’ I didn’t see ’em when they shacked away.”</p> - -<p>“You know Barzy Blunt?” went on Frank, casting a -look at his chums that kept them silent.</p> - -<p>“Well, I reckon. I’ve knowed Barzy ever since he -was gopher-high.”</p> - -<p>“Did you see him yesterday afternoon?”</p> - -<p>“Nary I didn’t. He ain’t around in these parts. If -he was, ye can gamble he wouldn’t pass without sayin’ -how-de-do to Dolliver.”</p> - -<p>At Dolliver’s, the boys turned from the wide trail -and started into Mohave Cañon. Here the road narrowed, -and angled back and forth until the mouth of -the gulch was reached, and the riders turned to follow -the dammed-up waters that sparkled in the late forenoon’s -sun.</p> - -<p>“I’ve a hunch,” Frank remarked, “that Blunt will get -into trouble with Lenning and Shoup.”</p> - -<p>“Chances are, Chip,” cried Clancy, “Blunt will never -find them. They’re a foxy pair, and if they really stole -that money, then they’ll be mighty careful to keep out of -sight.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe Shoup didn’t take the money, after all,” suggested -Ballard.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">38</a></span> -“He’s a thief, Pink,” said Frank, “and I wouldn’t put -it past him. The fellow’s not in his right mind for very -much of the time.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so. Do you think Lenning would stand for -thieving of that sort on Shoup’s part?”</p> - -<p>“Sure he would,” asserted Clancy. “That cub would -stand for anything that didn’t call for any particular -nerve on his part. He’s as crooked as Shoup; or, if -he isn’t, he’ll be as crooked as Shoup before he’s been -with him very long.”</p> - -<p>“They say Lenning’s father was wild, and was killed -in a brawl somewhere in Alaska,” remarked Ballard. “I -suppose we couldn’t expect much better things of Lenning.”</p> - -<p>“There you go, Pink!” exclaimed Merry. “What Lenning’s -father did isn’t any excuse for Lenning.”</p> - -<p>“Right!” laughed Ballard. “Lenning’s handicap is -a bit different from yours, Chip, but I spoke before I -thought.”</p> - -<p>The walls of the gulch widened out, and as the boys -rode along the border of the pent-up waters, they came -presently into view of three white tents, pitched on a -strip of clean, sandy beach.</p> - -<p>Dinner was being made ready. A fire had been started, -and the campers could be seen moving about, each doing -his allotted part of the work.</p> - -<p>Half a dozen canoes were drawn up on the sand, a -little way from the tent, and off shore a float was -anchored for the use of swimmers. It was a pleasant -scene for the three lads, just a little tired from their long -morning’s ride.</p> - -<p>A moment after the travelers sighted the camp, the -campers sighted them. Instantly all work among the -tents came to a standstill.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">39</a></span> -“Here’s the Merriwell crowd!” whooped one of the -Gold Hill fellows.</p> - -<p>“Good old Merry!”</p> - -<p>“Just in time for grub pile!”</p> - -<p>A rush was made for the newcomers, and they were -dragged from their horses, pounded on the back, and -punched in the ribs with all the delight and good feeling -imaginable.</p> - -<p>Hotchkiss, another lad whom Frank and his chums -knew pretty well, took charge of the three horses, and -led them away to be picketed with the rest of the live -stock. Bleeker, who seemed to be in charge of the camping -party, led the visitors into the camp and showed them -their quarters.</p> - -<p>“We’re all mighty glad you’ve come,” said Bleeker -heartily. “We’re going to have great times while you’re -here. Didn’t see anything of Lenning and Shoup on the -road, did you?”</p> - -<p>“Lenning and Shoup?” returned Merriwell, startled. -“No, we didn’t see them, but we hear they were at Dolliver’s -late yesterday. Have they been here?”</p> - -<p>“They were here last night, and I ordered them out of -camp. Nearly had a fight getting them to go, but we got -rid of them. Last night, though, one of our canoes was -stolen. Of course,” he finished, “it’s not much of a guess -who took it. Shoup’s a thief, and Lenning isn’t much -better. We’ll get that canoe back, though, you can bet -on that.”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">40</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="vi" id="vi"></a>CHAPTER VI.<br /> -<span>THE REVOLVER SHOT.</span></h2> - - -<p>“Why the deuce did Lenning and Shoup come in this -direction?” asked Ballard, in a puzzled tone. “If they’d -done anything crooked on the trail from Ophir to Gold -Hill, they would be getting away from company instead -of hunting for it.”</p> - -<p>“It looks as though Blunt was barking up the wrong -tree,” put in Clancy. “He had a revolver in his belt, -under his coat, when he came out of the hotel, and started -on the warpath, Chip. Didn’t see that, did you?”</p> - -<p>“Is that straight, Clan?” Merry demanded, staring at -his chum with grave concern.</p> - -<p>“Straight as a die.”</p> - -<p>“I didn’t see it,” said Ballard.</p> - -<p>“Well, I did. His coat flew back as he climbed into -the saddle, and for just a second I saw the gun.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you say something about it before?” -asked Frank sharply.</p> - -<p>“It would only have got you all stirred up, Chip, without -doing any good. You ought to know Barzy Blunt by -this time, I should think.”</p> - -<p>They were inside the tent where the three visitors -were to have their sleeping quarters. Merry, Clancy, -and Ballard had flung themselves down on a pile of -blankets. Bleeker had started to leave, but the conversation -of Frank and his chums filled him with sudden interest, -and he turned back.</p> - -<p>“What are you chinning about?” he asked. “If Blunt -had a gun, it isn’t the first time he has gone ‘heeled,’ by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">41</a></span> -a long chalk. A cowboy, as a rule, knows how to shoot. -I’ve heard that Blunt is particularly good on the trigger. -What are you stewing about, Chip?”</p> - -<p>“First,” said Merriwell, “I wish you’d tell me what -excuse Lenning and Shoup gave for coming here—that -is, if they gave any.”</p> - -<p>“Lenning was after money.”</p> - -<p>“Money? How did he expect to get money here?”</p> - -<p>“Why, he claimed that some of the fellows in camp -owed him money they had borrowed. I reckon he was -right about it, but none of us brought any coin to speak -of out here. So those who owed Lenning couldn’t pay -him back if they wanted to. You know what a hold -Lenning had on Colonel Hawtrey before the colonel -cast him adrift. Lenning was always well supplied with -funds. He was generally a tightwad, too, but he’d loosen -up now and then, just to get some of the boys in debt -to him, so he could boss them around. It must seem -kind of queer to Lenning to be ‘strapped’ and have to -go around collecting on the I O Us.”</p> - -<p>“Queer, he was so hard pressed,” mused Frank, “when, -if our suspicions are correct, he and Shoup should have -been flush.”</p> - -<p>“What are your suspicions?”</p> - -<p>Frank told about Mrs. Boorland’s loss on the trail from -Gold Hill, and how Barzy Blunt had “gone on the warpath” -to recover the money. Bleeker gave a long whistle.</p> - -<p>“Blunt is sure a crazy cowboy when he gets his mad -up,” said he, “but he’s not so crazy as to use a gun on -anybody. He might make a grand-stand play with it, -but that’s as far as he’d go. He’s right, I think. Shoup -took the bank roll, and Lenning must have known about -it. Jode Lenning is going to the dogs as fast as he can.”</p> - -<p>“If those fellows got the money,” queried Merriwell,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">42</a></span> -“why in thunder were they here, trying to get some -more?”</p> - -<p>“Probably two hundred wasn’t enough.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t forget, Chip,” spoke up Ballard, “what Dolliver -said. He told us, you know, that Shoup flashed a roll -‘big enough to choke a dog.’”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” said Frank. “They certainly had -money, and yet they came here and made a play for -more. I’ll be hanged if I can understand it.”</p> - -<p>“The Gold Hill crowd was camped right in this place, -a couple of weeks ago,” went on Bleeker, “and Jode got -mad at Hotch and me and made us leave the camp. I’m -on top myself, just now, and am back in the athletic club, -and have been elected to Jode’s place as captain of the -football team. It did me good to turn on the skunk and -order him off, just as he had done to me. He was backward -about going, too, and said he and Shoup would -have to have something to eat. We gave them some provisions, -and then drove them away. They made their -threats that they’d get even with us, and, as I said, last -night, one of our canoes was stolen. That’s how they -got even, I reckon. This is the only stretch of water -in this section, where a canoe can be used, so if we hunt -long enough we’re bound to get back our lost property.”</p> - -<p>“Lenning is getting pretty mild in the way he settles -his scores,” remarked Ballard. “When he’s worked up, -he can be rather desperate.”</p> - -<p>“I’m betting,” said Bleeker, “that with Shoup to nag -him on, he’ll go farther than he ever went before. That -Shoup is a hard case.”</p> - -<p>“Only thing in the way of that theory,” chimed in -Clancy, “is that Lenning lacks nerve. He’s got a white -feather in every pocket, and he shows it every time any -one gives him a chance.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">43</a></span> -“I wouldn’t come down too hard on Jode Lenning,” -suggested Merriwell. “Dad has told me, a good many -times, that he never saw a fellow so tough there wasn’t -some good in him.”</p> - -<p>“Lenning’s the exception,” declared Bleeker. “He’s -a schemer, through and through, and he’d be out-and-out -bad if he had the courage.”</p> - -<p>Frank shook his head. “Lenning has had a hard -lesson,” said he, “and maybe he’ll show you Gold Hill -fellows, some day, that he has profited by it.”</p> - -<p>Bleeker laughed incredulously.</p> - -<p>“Chip,” he declared, “your heart’s running away with -your head. Lenning’s lawlessness was born in him.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, splash!” grunted Merry. “That sort of talk -makes me tired. A man’s born with the same chance -every one else has to make something out of himself. If -he goes wrong, he can’t sneak behind his pedigree and -whine about it; and if he does anything worth while, why, -he’s entitled to the credit.”</p> - -<p>“Gee,” grinned Bleeker, “I reckon I’ve started something. -Let’s change the subject. What are Blunt’s -chances for overhauling Lenning and Bleeker?”</p> - -<p>“Not very good—if we can get at those fellows first,” -said Frank.</p> - -<p>“Going on the warpath yourself, Chip?” inquired Ballard.</p> - -<p>“Right after dinner. If Lenning and Shoup have Mrs. -Boorland’s money, and if they’re anywhere in the vicinity -of this gulch, we ought to be able to find them and get -back that two hundred. Blunt is probably on the wrong -trail, and we may be the means of saving him a little -trouble. While we’re looking for the money, Bleek,” he -added, “you can come along and hunt for the canoe.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll go <a name="with" id="with"></a><ins title="Original omitted 'with'">with</ins> -you, Chip,” answered Bleeker heartily. “But<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">44</a></span> -we’re not going to waste all the afternoon on Lenning -and Shoup. We’re going to have a canoe race around -the Point, before sundown. I’m anxious to take a fall -out of you on the water. From here to the broken pine -around the Point is half a mile. I’ll pick a fellow to -paddle with me, and you can take either Pink or Red. -I’ve got a notion, old chap, that we Gold Hillers can show -you a trick or two with the paddles.”</p> - -<p>“I hope you can, Bleek,” laughed Merriwell. “We -haven’t touched a paddle since we were up in the Wyoming -country.”</p> - -<p>“And that seems like a year ago,” sighed Clancy. “Say, -I’m just honing for a paddle! Are you going to take -Pink or Little Reddy, Chip?”</p> - -<p>“We’ll settle that later,” said Frank.</p> - -<p>“Go on!” cried Ballard, with mock indignation. “I -can paddle circles all around Clancy.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a joke,” said Clancy. “You’re too lazy to -paddle circles around anybody.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not too lazy to knock a chip off your shoulder, you -red-headed chump!”</p> - -<p>“Yah!” taunted Clancy, hunting around for a chip. -“Chips are scarce,” he added finally, picking a pebble -out of the sand. “How’ll this do?”</p> - -<p>The pebble went flying from Clancy’s shoulder, and -the two chums laughed and came together. While they -were kicking and rolling among the blankets, a voice -from outside announced “grub pile.”</p> - -<p>“If you fellows would rather fight than eat,” said Merriwell, -“stay right here and keep it up. Come on, Bleek, -I’m hungry enough to eat a pair of boots.”</p> - -<p>It was a fish dinner the campers had that day, and a -good one. Half an hour before the fish was served, they -had been swimming up and down the gulch. From the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">45</a></span> -water to the frying pan was a quick shift—and the -quicker the shift the better, when it comes to fish.</p> - -<p>There were ten Gold Hillers in camp, and the coming -of Frank and his chums brought the total number up to -a baker’s dozen. The ten from Gold Hill all belonged -to the athletic club, and were a splendid lot of fellows. -They were hungry, too, for the morning had been full -of exercise.</p> - -<p>“Pass the spuds, there, Hotch!” “Trying to hog all -the canned oleo, Ming?” “A little more of the planked -shad, if you please!” “Where’s my fork?” “Confound -it, Bleek, the first thing you know the company will find -out we didn’t have forks enough to go around, and that -we’re using one between us.” “If you can’t be real polite, -then for Heaven’s sake be as polite as you can.” “I’ve -got a bone in my throat!” wailed Hotchkiss. “Hit him -on the back,” said Bleeker; “everybody hit Hotch on the -back.”</p> - -<p>Everybody took a slam at Hotchkiss, and when they -got through with him he had been pounded to a frazzle—but -he had got rid of the bone.</p> - -<p>“That’ll do!” he cried. “I’m no punching bag—let -up.”</p> - -<p>“Where’s the bone?” asked Bleeker severely.</p> - -<p>“Gone! It’s not bothering me half so much, now, as -you fellows are.”</p> - -<p>“Prove it’s gone.”</p> - -<p>“How?”</p> - -<p>“Sing. Go on, Hotch.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve eaten too much—I can’t sing.”</p> - -<p>“Try it!” clamored the others.</p> - -<p>“Shucks,” deprecated Hotch, “I’ve got a voice like a -foghorn. But here goes.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">46</a></span> -He threw back his head and went at it.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="verse"> -<div class="line">“I once knew a girl in the year of eighty-nine—</div> -<div class="line">A handsome young thing by the name of Emmaline—</div> -<div class="line">I never could persuade her for to leave me be,</div> -<div class="line">And she went and she took and she married me-e-e!”</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>A chorus of groans greeted Hotchkiss’ attempt.</p> - -<p>“That’s a ranch song, Hotch,” said Bleeker sternly, -“and it is not in good taste. Try again. We——”</p> - -<p>But Hotchkiss did not get a chance to try again. -Bleeker’s words were cut short by the clear, yet distant, -note of a firearm.</p> - -<p>The fun stopped as though by magic. All the boys -cast startled glances at each other.</p> - -<p>“That may be the fellows who stole our canoe!” cried -Hotch, jumping to his feet. “Come on, fellows! Here’s -a chance to nail ’em!”</p> - -<p>He started up the gulch bank at a run, Bleeker and -Merriwell tight at his heels.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">47</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="vii" id="vii"></a>CHAPTER VII.<br /> -<span>A BLIND CHASE.</span></h2> - - -<p>The lads were somewhat confused as to the direction -from which the report had come. They were all agreed -on one point, however, and that was that the shot had -been fired on their side of the gulch. From there on, -their ideas of the right direction varied widely. Clustered -together on the crest of the long slope of the gulch -bank, they held a hurried consultation, to decide what -their next move should be.</p> - -<p>“I’m sure,” said Bleeker, “that the sound came from -the northwest.”</p> - -<p>“Northeast, Bleek,” asserted Hotchkiss.</p> - -<p>“Directly north,” a chap named Lenaway declared, with -equal conviction.</p> - -<p>“What do you think, Merriwell?” asked Bleeker.</p> - -<p>“It’s hard to tell,” Frank answered. “If we’d been -listening for the shot, and trying to locate it, we might -have got the direction tolerably close; but the sound came -when we weren’t expecting anything of the kind, so that -the way we ought to go is more or less of a guess. I’m -inclined to think you’re right, though, Bleek.”</p> - -<p>“Pick out a couple to go with you, Hotch,” said -Bleeker, “and go northeast. You do the same, Len, and -go north. Merry and I will go over towards the cañon.”</p> - -<p>Frank turned and gave Clancy and Ballard a significant -look.</p> - -<p>“You go with Hotch, Clan,” said he, “and Pink, you -go with Lenaway.”</p> - -<p>Clancy and Ballard understood Merriwell’s reason for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">48</a></span> -this move. If the party led by Hotchkiss, or the one led -by Lenaway, succeeded in finding Lenning and Shoup, -then there would be some one along to make an attempt -to secure Mrs. Boorland’s lost money. So far, of the -Gold Hillers, only Bleeker knew of the money that had -been stolen on the trail from Gold Hill to Ophir.</p> - -<p>“This matter is settled, then,” said Bleeker. “The rest -of you boys go back to camp. We don’t want to leave -the camp to take care of itself and lose any more canoes. -Come on, Chip.”</p> - -<p>The party divided, the three detachments of searchers -starting off hurriedly in as many different directions, -while several of the lads went back down the slope to -the camp.</p> - -<p>Merriwell and Bleeker took a northwest course among -low, rocky hills. They traveled rapidly, keeping their -ears open for another report, which might serve further -as a guide.</p> - -<p>“That was a revolver shot,” asserted Bleeker, as they -hurried on, “but it may have been farther away than we -think. In this clear, still air a report will carry a long -distance.”</p> - -<p>“Did Lenning or Shoup have any weapons, Bleeker?” -asked Frank, in a worried tone.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think so; at least I didn’t see any when I sent -them away from the camp, last night. If they had had -any guns, they might have tried to use them then and -make a bluff.”</p> - -<p>“Probably,” said Frank, with a feeling of relief. “It’s -possible, too, that some one besides Blunt was doing that -shooting. There may be others in this vicinity, don’t -you think?”</p> - -<p>“Sure thing, but it’s hardly likely. I don’t believe -there’s a soul nearer our camp than Dolliver’s.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">49</a></span> -“Some cowboy might be riding down Mohave Cañon -from the Fiddleback Ranch.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; but I don’t know what he’d find to shoot at. -Cowboys don’t carry revolvers all the time, like they used -to; and, if a Fiddleback man was going to town, he certainly -wouldn’t pack a six-shooter. But that couldn’t -have been Blunt doing the shooting. He wasn’t on the -track of Lenning and Shoup, at last accounts.”</p> - -<p>“Blunt has had plenty of time to pick up the trail. He’s -a determined chap when he sets out to do anything.”</p> - -<p>“Hotch jumped at the conclusion that Lenning and -Shoup were doing the shooting. But if they didn’t have -anything to shoot with, Hotch, of course, is wrong. Whoever -pulled the trigger was easily satisfied. Only one -shot was fired.”</p> - -<p>Just at that moment, Merriwell glimpsed something -a few yards to the right of him. It was an object that -lay on the ground and gleamed brightly in the sun. -Swerving to one side, he picked the object up.</p> - -<p>“What have you found, pard?” called Bleeker.</p> - -<p>“An empty sardine tin,” Frank reported.</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” said Bleeker, coming up and peering -at the flat can with its ragged flap. “It’s bright and new, -and hasn’t lain where you found it for very long. We -gave Lenning and Shoup a couple of tins of sardines, -and I reckon they must have camped somewhere near -this place last night.”</p> - -<p>The lads examined the ground in the vicinity with -some care. They found a thicket of mesquite, which had -been trampled by horses—and Bleeker’s theory that Lenning -and Shoup had spent the night in that place was all -but proved.</p> - -<p>“I reckon they stayed here,” said Bleeker. “Their horses -could browse on the mesquite beans, and it wouldn’t have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">50</a></span> -been much of a hardship for Lenning and Shoup to sleep -in the open. But why did they do it, when they could -just as well have returned to Dolliver’s?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps they were afraid to go to Dolliver’s; that -is, if they really took Mrs. Boorland’s money.”</p> - -<p>“They’re hanging out in the hills for some purpose, -that’s plain,” mused Bleeker. “We might as well keep on, -Chip, and see what we can find.”</p> - -<p>The gulch and the cañon formed a right angle, and the -course the two lads were taking was carrying them nearer -and nearer the deeper and narrower defile. The hills -among which they traveled were low, but there were -many of them, and they kept to the valleys between. Now -and then, either Merriwell or Bleeker would climb one -of the uplifts and take a look at the country around them. -They could see nothing of the fellows they were trying -to find.</p> - -<p>“We ought to have brought our horses,” grumbled -Bleeker. “If we hadn’t started in such a rush we’d have -thought of that. Lenning and Shoup have mounts, and -if they see us first they’ll get away and we can’t stop -them.”</p> - -<p>“It’s too late to think of our horses now,” returned -Frank. “Why do you suppose they stole your canoe, last -night?” he queried. “If they have horses, what use -would they find for a canoe?”</p> - -<p>“Well, they might have taken that seventy-five dollar -boat just to get even with us for not letting them stay -in the camp.” Bleeker came to a halt. “We’ve come -twice as far as that revolver shot would carry,” he went -on, “and it’s a cinch we’ve had our trouble for our pains. -Suppose we give up, and go back?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think we’re going to have any luck,” was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">51</a></span> -Merry’s answer, “so there’s nothing for us to do but to -return to camp. But that shot is bothering me a lot,” -he added, sitting down on a convenient bowlder.</p> - -<p>“I’m puzzled a heap, myself,” said Bleeker, hunting -a seat and dropping down on it disgustedly. “I reckon, -after all, we’d better make up our minds that some prospector -took a chance shot at a coyote. That’s as good -a guess as any, Chip. It’s fair to suppose that Barzy -Blunt is all at sea, and hasn’t a notion where to look -for Shoup and Lenning. So he couldn’t have done the -shooting. Shoup and Lenning are out of it, because -they hadn’t a gun. We’ve taken this little trip through -the hills all for nothing.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got a hunch you’re wrong, Bleek, yet I can’t -say where you’re wrong, or why.”</p> - -<p>“My nerves must be in a fearful state when I get so -worked up over the report of a revolver. I wouldn’t -have thought anything about it if Shoup and Lenning -hadn’t been in our vicinity, and if they hadn’t taken our -canoe, and if you hadn’t told me what you did about Mrs. -Boorland’s money, and about Blunt going on the warpath.”</p> - -<p>“Well, let’s give it up as a bad job and mosey back to -the camp. I’d like to keep Blunt from finding those two -fellows, for he might do something a whole lot worse than -just losing the two hundred dollars. I guess, though, -that Shoup and Lenning are foxy enough to keep away -from Blunt.”</p> - -<p>“Our best bet is to look for the canoe. That must be -along the river, somewhere. If we can find that, we -may be able to lie low and get track of the thieves who -made off with it. I had already planned that move -for this afternoon. Why not begin at the mouth of the -gulch, Chip, and work our way back to the camp? It<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">52</a></span> -wouldn’t take more than an hour or two to beat up every -thicket where the canoe could be hidden.”</p> - -<p>“Come on, Bleek, and we’ll try it.”</p> - -<p>They had hardly started before Merriwell came to -a quick halt, and dropped his hand on Bleeker’s arm.</p> - -<p>“Listen!” he said.</p> - -<p>They bent their heads, and what Merriwell had heard -came to the ears of each of them distinctly. It was the -sound of galloping hoofs.</p> - -<p>“That’s a horse, all right,” murmured Bleeker excitedly. -“From the sound, the animal is heading this way.”</p> - -<p>“One horse,” said Frank. “Wait till I climb this hill -and see if I can locate the animal.”</p> - -<p>He hurried to the top of the low hill on his left, and -stared in the direction from which the hoofbeats were -coming. To the south, perhaps a hundred feet away, was -a long ridge. Well to the east of the point where he was -making his observations, he could see the head of a horseman -bobbing up and down as the animal he rode lifted -and dropped in a slow gallop. The rider was heading -west, following the other side of the ridge.</p> - -<p>A quick survey of the ground showed Frank that the -valley which he and Bleeker were following pierced the -ridge, and, if they made good time, they could get to -that part of the ridge ahead of the rider. Thus, if the -rider did not change his course, they might be able to -intercept him. Frank bounded down the hillside and -started southward at a run.</p> - -<p>“Hustle, Bleek,” he called. “There’s a fellow coming -on a horse, and if we hurry we can head him off.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the stuff!” answered Bleeker, getting into motion. -“What sort of a looking fellow is he?”</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t see anything but the top of his hat. There’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">53</a></span> -a ridge in the way, and he’s galloping along on the other -side.”</p> - -<p>The valley crooked in a half circle around the base of -another hill, and Merry and Bleeker raced through it -and came to the point where the ridge was broken. The -thump of hoofs was growing louder and louder.</p> - -<p>“He’s pretty near,” whispered Bleeker.</p> - -<p>“He’s right on us,” Merriwell flung back, and jumped -out from among the rocks.</p> - -<p>He came within one of being trampled by the galloping -hoofs, for he leaped almost under the horse’s nose. The -animal snorted and reared back, while an exclamation of -surprise came from its rider.</p> - -<p>As soon as Frank could get his bearings, he gave a yell -of surprise himself. The rider, as it proved, was none -other than Barzy Blunt!</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">54</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="viii" id="viii"></a>CHAPTER VIII.<br /> -<span>BLUNT’S WARNING.</span></h2> - - -<p>“What are you trying to do, pard?” called the cowboy. -“Trying to scare a fellow to death?”</p> - -<p>“Suffering side winders!” exclaimed Bleeker. “Blamed -if it isn’t Blunt.”</p> - -<p>“What appears to be the trouble?” asked Blunt.</p> - -<p>“We’re trailing down a revolver shot, Barzy,” said -Merriwell. “We thought Lenning and Shoup might be -mixed up with it, somehow.”</p> - -<p>“They were,” was the grim response. “I caught sight -of them, but they were too quick for me. When I called -on them to halt, they didn’t pay any <a name="attention" id="attention"></a><ins title="Original has 'atention'">attention</ins>; so I turned -loose with a shot just to show ’em I meant business.”</p> - -<p>“Did you hit either of them?” Frank inquired, with -a good deal of concern.</p> - -<p>“What do you take me for, Chip?” said Blunt. “I’m -careless a whole lot, and there are times when I’m a -pretty rough proposition, but I’m not plumb locoed. I -wasn’t trying to hit either of those junipers—but I came -mighty close to Shoup. You can bet your scalp lock -that he heard the sing of the bullet.”</p> - -<p>“They got away?”</p> - -<p>“They did, with ground to spare.”</p> - -<p>Blunt crooked a knee around his saddle horn and took -up a comfortable position on his horse.</p> - -<p>“How did you get on the track of those fellows, -Blunt?” Frank went on.</p> - -<p>“By a happenchance. When I rode away from the -hotel, yesterday afternoon, I traveled the cañon trail<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">55</a></span> -toward Gold Hill. Met Schuster, one of our boys. He -had been to the Hill for a couple of days, and was on -his way back to the ranch. It was Schuster put me wise, -Chip. He had heard a few things about Lenning and -Shoup in town. You want to look out for yourself.”</p> - -<p>“I do?” asked Frank. “Why?”</p> - -<p>“Schuster heard that Lenning and Shoup are after -your scalp. They want to balance accounts with you. -I reckon you know what that means to a couple of fellows -like they are.”</p> - -<p>“Lenning and Shoup have all they can do to look out -for themselves,” Chip laughingly said, “and I don’t think -they’ll have any time to bother with me. Schuster probably -didn’t get the thing straight, anyhow. When you -overhear talk like that, Barzy, it is pretty apt to be -gammon.”</p> - -<p>“This is how straight Schuster got it,” returned Blunt. -“Listen: Along at the same time Schuster heard that, -he also heard that Lenning and Shoup know you and -your chums were to be invited to spend a few days with -the Gold Hillers in the gulch. Lenning opined that the -gulch would be a good place to make his play. Did he -and Shoup come out to your camp?” Blunt asked, turning -to Bleeker.</p> - -<p>“That’s what they did,” said Bleeker.</p> - -<p>“Then Schuster wasn’t very wide of his trail on that -part of it, was he? It was the information I got from -him that brought me to Mohave Cañon early this morning. -I didn’t stop at Dolliver’s, but drilled past his shack -like a streak. Been knocking around the hills all day, -and it was less than an hour ago when I got a glimpse -of the skunks I’m after. Of course, I knew the Gold -Hillers wouldn’t let them stay in the camp; and I was -just as sure they’d hang around here, because they’re<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">56</a></span> -looking for a chance at you, Merriwell, and they won’t -pull their freight till they get it.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not going to lose any sleep or miss any fun waiting -for the blow to fall,” Merriwell laughed. “Come on -over to the camp, Blunt. There’s a canoe race on for this -afternoon and I’d like to have you help me out with a -paddle.”</p> - -<p>“Business first, pard,” answered Blunt. “I’m going to -find Shoup and Lenning, get back that stolen money, and -then run them out of this part of the range before they -have a chance to lay hands on you.”</p> - -<p>“Have you had anything to eat to-day?”</p> - -<p>“This morning. At noon, I pulled up my belt a notch. -To-night, if I’ve done what I’ve laid out to do, I’ll drop -in at your camp for a little chuck. If I’m still shy on -my plans, then I’ll shack over to Dolliver’s for grub -pile.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll get my horse and help you hunt for those fellows.”</p> - -<p>“I feel the same as I did at the hotel yesterday,” demurred -Blunt. “This is my job, and I want every one -else to keep hands off.”</p> - -<p>“Where are you going now?”</p> - -<p>“I’m going it blind, but I know that if I comb the hills -close enough Shoup and Lenning can’t dodge me.”</p> - -<p>Blunt straightened in his saddle.</p> - -<p>“If those fellows are really after me, Barzy,” said -Frank, “you’ll do better to go with us to the camp, and -put in your time waiting and keeping your eyes skinned.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got a different notion. You’re the one that’s got -to keep his eyes skinned. See you later.”</p> - -<p>With that, Blunt rattled his spurs and galloped on along -the side of the ridge.</p> - -<p>“I can see with half an eye what he’s up to,” declared -Bleeker.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">57</a></span> -“What?”</p> - -<p>“Why, he thinks he’s saving you a little trouble by keeping -Shoup and Lenning on the run. If they know he’s -after them and it’s a cinch they do after that shooting—they -won’t have any chance to make things lively for you, -Chip. They’ll have their hands full taking care of themselves.”</p> - -<p>Bleeker laughed. He broke into merriment suddenly, -convulsed with some idea that had come to him on the -spur of the moment.</p> - -<p>“What’s the joke, Bleek?” asked the wondering Merriwell.</p> - -<p>“Why, it’s the complete change of front Barzy has -made in the last few weeks. He was as hot at you, for -a spell, as Lenning is now; but, right at this minute, he’d -fight for you till he dropped. It’s plumb humorous—to -any one that knows Barzy Blunt. You must be a wizard -to change an enemy into a friend, like that.”</p> - -<p>“Everybody said that Blunt was rantankerous, and that -his disposition was born in him and couldn’t be changed,” -said Frank, “but I knew better. That cowboy is one of -the finest fellows that ever breathed. All you have to -do to make sure of that is to see the way he takes care -of Mrs. Boorland. Come on, Bleek, if we’re going to -hunt for that canoe.”</p> - -<p>Bleeker cocked his eyes at the sun.</p> - -<p>“I reckon we’ll let the canoe go, for now,” he answered. -“Since we’ve seen and talked with Blunt, I’ve made up -my mind that the canoe, wherever it is, is safe enough -for the present. Shoup and Lenning have probably hidden -it away in the bushes, and Blunt will keep them so -busy that they won’t be able to go near it. How long are -you and Clancy and Ballard going to stay with us?”</p> - -<p>“We had two days for fun and frivolity when we left<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">58</a></span> -Ophir. That means, Bleek, that we’ve got to start back -to-morrow afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“I thought your stay might be limited, and if we have -any good times at all we’ve got to start them. So we’ll -let the old canoe go, get back to camp and start the races. -It’s a shame you can’t be with us longer. What’s the -particular rush?”</p> - -<p>“The prof is busy selling his mining claim, and he -figures that it will take two days. When the two days -are over, we’ve got to grind at our studies and make up -for the time we’ve lost.”</p> - -<p>“I see. Knowledge comes at an awful price, eh? -Well, let’s get back and put the canoes into the water.”</p> - -<p>It was three o’clock before they regained the camp. -The other search parties had already arrived. They had -seen nothing of Shoup or Lenning.</p> - -<p>Merriwell and Bleeker reported their own discoveries, -but held back the warning Blunt had delivered. Merry -had asked Bleeker to say nothing about that. He considered -the idea as altogether foolish, and not worth recounting. -Bleeker, on his part, although he may have -credited Lenning and Shoup with sinister designs against -Frank, undoubtedly thought that the two fugitives would -have too much to think about to have any spare time for -plots.</p> - -<p>The idea of the races had been received by the whole -camp with enthusiasm. Shoup and Lenning and the lost -canoe were temporarily forgotten in the prospect of the -afternoon’s sport.</p> - -<p>It was settled that there were to be three competing -canoes. Bleeker and Hotchkiss were to man one, Merry -and Clancy another, and Lenaway and a chap named Orr -were booked for the third.</p> - -<p>Arizona being a dry country, there was not the chance<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">59</a></span> -for water sports that was enjoyed by States more favored -by Mr. Jupiter Pluvius. Had miners, in the olden times, -not thrown a dam across the mouth of the gulch, the -gulch would have been like the cañon, with only a knee-deep -pool here and there throughout its entire length. -The dam, however, had created a reservoir some three -miles long, fed by clear mountain springs. It was the -only place in that part of the State where the twin sports -of bathing and boating could be indulged in.</p> - -<p>“The course, fellows,” announced Bleeker, “is one that -was marked out by the late-lamented Lenning, when he -was king bee in the Gold Hill crowd. Look up the -gulch, will you? See Apache Point, over there?”</p> - -<p>Frank and Clancy followed Bleeker’s pointing finger -with their eyes. A little more than a quarter of a mile -away, the left-hand bank of the gulch rose into a sheer -wall, some fifty feet high, with the water laving its base. -The stream narrowed at the foot of Apache Point, so -that there was room for no more than three canoes to -pass it abreast of each other.</p> - -<p>“Around the Point,” Bleeker went on, “the gulch banks -widen out again, and this stretch of slack-water navigation -widens with it. A quarter of a mile up the other -side of the Point, on the left-hand bank, is a white flag. -The course is around the bend, to the white flag and back -again to the camp. We Gold Hillers know all about it, -Merriwell, and if you and Clancy want to paddle over it -before the race, we’ll wait for you.”</p> - -<p>“Any snags in the course?” asked Frank. “Any obstacles -we’ll have to look out for?”</p> - -<p>“The whole course is as clean as a whistle. The only -thing to remember is to hug the foot of the cliff when -you go round the Point. The lead boat gets the pole, -of course,” he laughed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">60</a></span> -“I don’t think we’ll have to go over it, Bleek, before -we race. We’re ready, now.”</p> - -<p>“Then pick out your canoe and get ready.”</p> - -<p>There was really no choice in the canoes, and Merry -and Clancy selected one at random and got their paddles. -Bleeker, Hotchkiss, Lenaway and Orr ducked into a tent -and got out of their clothes and into bathing trunks. -Frank and his red-headed chum had only to step out of -their ordinary garments, for as underclothes they wore -gymnasium togs.</p> - -<p>Launching their canoe, they got into it and waited for -the others to make ready and for the word to start.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">61</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="ix" id="ix"></a>CHAPTER IX.<br /> -<span>ACCIDENT OR TREACHERY?</span></h2> - - -<p>“What’s on to follow this race, Chip?” asked Clancy, -while they were waiting.</p> - -<p>“A half mile for single paddles,” Merry answered.</p> - -<p>“That will give Pink a chance, if there are canoes -enough to go round.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t fret about Pink,” called that worthy from the -bank, happening to overhear the talk between his chums. -“I’m going to run along the bank and root for the heroes -of Farnham Hall. I invented canoes, and naturally I’m -a better paddler than Red, but I can put more heart into -you from the shore than I could with a paddle.”</p> - -<p>Clancy slapped the water with his paddle and threw a -small shower over Ballard.</p> - -<p>“You invented the long bow, too, you old chump,” -laughed Clancy, “and you’re a champion hand at pulling -it. Come on in, the water’s fine.”</p> - -<p>Ballard had leaped out of the way of the shower, and -was sputtering about his wet clothes.</p> - -<p>“You’ll get all you want of the water if I’m any -prophet, you red-headed false alarm!” he shouted. “For -half a cent I’d wade out there and swamp you.”</p> - -<p>“Somebody got a nickel?” sang out Clancy. “Throw -it to Pink and let him keep the change.”</p> - -<p>At just this point, the other canoes glided out into the -water, taking up their positions on each side of Merry -and Clancy.</p> - -<p>“All ready?” cried a fellow named Dart, who was acting -as starter, as the canoes lined up.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">62</a></span> -“All ready!” came the chorus from the racers.</p> - -<p>“Then, go!”</p> - -<p>Splash went the paddles, and the light, graceful water -craft jumped ahead like restless thoroughbreds. Before -they had gone twenty feet, Merry realized that in Bleeker -and Hotchkiss he and Clancy had foemen worthy of their -mettle. The lads in the other craft were working hard, -but were left behind almost from the start. By an unlucky -move they overturned their canoe before the Point -was reached, and the last Frank saw of them on the first -lap they were swimming for the bank, towing their water-logged -craft.</p> - -<p>Clancy was in the stern, and he was doing the steering -in masterly fashion. Frank, wielding his paddle with -grace and power, knelt at the bow.</p> - -<p>“Steady, Clan!” he called. “Don’t use up all your -ginger at the beginning!”</p> - -<p>“Steady it is,” answered Clancy.</p> - -<p>Bleeker and Hotchkiss were working like Trojans. Foot -by foot they drew ahead of the other canoe.</p> - -<p>“Dig, you Farnham Hall fellows!” bellowed Ballard -from the bank. “What do you think this is—a picnic -excursion? Dig, I tell you! If you’re last at the finish, -don’t you ever speak to me again.”</p> - -<p>“Come on, you Bleek!” shouted the Gold Hillers.</p> - -<p>“Come on, Hotch!”</p> - -<p>“Keep it up, Gold Hill! You’ve got ’em beaten.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you Bleeker! We’re slow at football, but I reckon -we’re there with the goods on the water.”</p> - -<p>“It isn’t Jode Lenning you’re up against now, Merriwell!”</p> - -<p>All this rooting on the part of the Gold Hill fellows -did not in the least disturb Merriwell or Clancy. They -were paddling like clockwork, but were saving their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">63</a></span> -energies for the last lap. After the white flag was met -and turned, they’d begin to show what they were made of.</p> - -<p>The main thing was to keep a clear head and steady -nerves while the competing canoe was moving away from -them. And in this certainly Merriwell and Clancy were -put to a severe test.</p> - -<p>Before the Point was reached, the stern of the other -canoe was even with Merry’s position in the bow of his -own craft. Bleeker had the inside, and he went so -close to the perpendicular wall of the cliff that his paddle -touched the base of the rocks. He looked over at Merry.</p> - -<p>“Come on, old man!” he called.</p> - -<p>“Not yet, Bleek,” Merry answered, with a laugh. “We -want you to get farther ahead first.”</p> - -<p>“Much obliged! Now watch us.”</p> - -<p>Merry and Clancy had to go farther in getting around -the Point than Bleeker and Hotch, for they were forced -farther away from the cliff. Inasmuch as the gulch -curved at the Point, the rival canoe was offered an advantage, -similar to that which comes to a pole horse -on the oval of a race track. When once more on a -straightaway, Bleeker and Hotch were leading by a full -canoe length.</p> - -<p>The boys on the bank had not been able to get around -the Point, so some of them, including Ballard, crossed -to the opposite shore in the other canoes.</p> - -<p>“What’s the trouble with you chumps?” shouted Ballard. -“Don’t you know the other boat’s ahead? Buckle -in—paddle like you used to. Do better than that, Red, -or I’ll swim out there and take your place.”</p> - -<p>“You got ’em, Bleek!” cried the Gold Hillers frantically. -“Keep a-coming!”</p> - -<p>“Here’s where the chip off the old block gets a setback!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">64</a></span> -I reckon Merry’s dad was better with a baseball -than he was with a paddle!”</p> - -<p>In the excitement of the moment some ill-considered -words were roared across the water. This remark, by -a Gold Hill partisan, was probably excusable, in the -circumstances, but it struck a spark from Merry’s temper.</p> - -<p>It opened up the old, tantalizing question of heredity—the -very thing which Merriwell had called a “handicap.” -His father could pitch better than he could paddle, could -he? If that was the case, then by winning that contest -he might prove that what he had learned about canoes -had come to him in his own right.</p> - -<p>“Good old Merry!” cried one of the Gold Hill crowd, -by way of tempering the unwise rooting of his camp-mate. -“You’re the stuff! Never say die is your slogan—and -that’s all that came down to you from the champion -in Bloomfield.”</p> - -<p>A thrill raced along Frank’s nerves. At the risk of -giving the competitors a still longer lead, he looked -shoreward to locate the chap who had called those electrifying -words.</p> - -<p>“Pink is a peach of a rooter—I don’t think,” grumbled -Clancy.</p> - -<p>“Never mind, Pink,” laughed Frank, his momentary -flash of temper passing, “he’s trying to spur us across -the finish line instead of giving us a pull. Ah! There’s -the flag, Clan!”</p> - -<p>A bit of white fluttered on the left-hand bank. Bleeker -and Hotchkiss had already made the turn and were coming -down.</p> - -<p>“We’ll be at the finish to welcome you fellows!” jubilated -Hotch.</p> - -<p>“Maybe you’ll do better in the singles,” shouted Bleeker. -“It’s hardly fair, anyway. You haven’t gripped a paddle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">65</a></span> -for a long time, while we’ve been at it every day for a -week.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t fret about that, Bleek,” grinned Clancy.</p> - -<p>He could grin, but nevertheless he was worried. He -and Merry had a lot of strength to draw on, but could -they be sure that Bleeker and Hotchkiss had not a lot -of power in reserve? The next few minutes would tell -the tale.</p> - -<p>The canoe came around, and headed away on the final -stretch. Bleeker and Hotchkiss, the silver spray sparkling -under the strong dip of their paddles, were all of five -canoe lengths in the lead.</p> - -<p>“Now, Clancy!” cried Merriwell. “We must get the -inside track around the Point! Let yourself out, old -man!”</p> - -<p>Then and there the <a name="Farnham" id="Farnham"></a><ins title="Original has 'Farnum'">Farnham</ins> Hall lads began doing -their prettiest. They bent to their work in a way that -was beautiful to see, and the strength they had been nursing -for just that moment expended itself in a wonderful -burst of speed.</p> - -<p>“Now you’re coming!” screeched Ballard. “Keep that -up, Chip, and you’ll pass the other canoe and leave it out -of sight!”</p> - -<p>“Don’t lose your nerve, Bleek!” shouted the Gold Hillers. -“Crack your backs! Pull, I tell you! For the honor -of Gold Hill, you junipers! For the love of Mike, don’t -let this chance get away from you!”</p> - -<p>“Gold Hill winners, hump, you sinners!”</p> - -<p>It was evident to Frank, however, that Bleeker and -Hotchkiss had put the best of their energy into the first -half of the race. The wise precaution of husbanding -their muscle for the wind-up had not appealed to them. -They had wanted a good lead at the start-off—and were -probably hoping that the lead could not be overcome.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">66</a></span> -Yard by yard Merry and Clancy overhauled the canoe -ahead. Every thrust of the paddles, sturdy and strong -and swift, carried the rear craft forward for a gain. -Halfway to the point the canoes were side by side.</p> - -<p>Bleeker and Hotchkiss had no breath nor inclination -for joshing. Their faces were white and set, and their -arms knotted at the biceps with the strain they put upon -their dipping blades. Every nerve was stretched to the -breaking point.</p> - -<p>It was a good race, a splendid race. No matter which -canoe won, the joy of those fleeting moments as they came -down the homestretch would be happily remembered by -victor and vanquished.</p> - -<p>Bleeker and Hotchkiss must have realized how their opponents -had been playing the game. They had played -it squarely, too, and had calmly watched their rivals lead -in the first half of the race. Now, at last, Bleeker and -his canoe mate understood that they were facing a -crisis, and that only heartbreaking work could save the -day.</p> - -<p>They labored so well, for a considerable distance, the -canoes continued to remain side by side.</p> - -<p>“Want us to wait for you, Bleek?” called Clancy.</p> - -<p>Bleeker had other uses for his breath, however, than -wasting it on replies to the red-headed fellow in the other -craft.</p> - -<p>“Once more, Clan!” cried Merriwell. “Hug the cliff—we’ve -got to!”</p> - -<p>Half a dozen sweeps of the paddles and Merry and -Clancy were leading. A few more sweeps, and Clancy -sent their craft across the bows of their rivals.</p> - -<p>They were on the inside now, those Farnham Hall -boys, and paddling like fiends. A few moments more and -they were under the shadow of the Point.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">67</a></span> -And then—something happened. Was it accident, or -was it design? Intent on their work, none of those in the -two canoes could tell; nor could the frantic lads on -shore.</p> - -<p>Clancy heard a crash and roar above him. A glance -aloft showed a bowlder dropping downward from the top -of the Point. To Clancy, it looked as big as a house, -and in a flash he knew it must strike the canoe.</p> - -<p>The red-headed chap’s heart jumped into his throat. -For a heartbeat he sat powerless, stunned by what he -saw. Then he roused up suddenly, with a yell:</p> - -<p>“<em>Jump, Merry! Jump for your life!</em>”</p> - -<p>On the instant, Clancy dropped his paddle and went -overboard. His frantic plunge overturned the canoe, and -Merry was in the water almost as soon as his chum.</p> - -<p>The falling bowlder just grazed the overturned canoe, -splashed into the waves and sent up a geyser of foaming -spray.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">68</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="x" id="x"></a>CHAPTER X.<br /> -<span>DESPERATE WORK.</span></h2> - - -<p>Merry, as well as Clancy, had heard the rush and roar -of the bowlder. But Merry was not in a position to see it, -and his first intimation of the real cause of the trouble -came with Clancy’s jump, the sweeping of the canoe, -and the splash of the bowlder in the water.</p> - -<p>Bleeker and Hotchkiss, no less than the lads on the -shore, were thunder-struck. The second canoe was far -enough away to be out of danger, although it bobbed perilously -in the swash of the waves.</p> - -<p>The huge rock had dropped so unexpectedly, and had -missed Merriwell and Clancy so narrowly, that all who -watched it were paralyzed for a space. Then, when the -first shock had worn away, a wild turmoil of voices went -up from the bank and from the other canoe.</p> - -<p>“A rock was loosened and dropped from the cliff!” -called some one huskily.</p> - -<p>“A bowlder was never known to drop from the Point!” -protested another.</p> - -<p>“An accident, that’s all!” asserted a third. “How could -it have been anything else?”</p> - -<p>Ballard, pale as death, was launching a canoe to the -other bank. Dart and another lad crowded in with him.</p> - -<p>The seething waters had quieted about the foot of the -cliff, and Bleeker and Hotch were paddling close to Merriwell -and Clancy, who were swimming to get around -the Point.</p> - -<p>“Are you all right, fellows?” Bleeker asked in a shaking -voice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">69</a></span> -“I am,” answered Merry. “How about you, Clan?”</p> - -<p>“Physically, I’m all to the good, but mentally I’m -badly disabled,” Clancy answered. “A fine course you -laid out for us, Bleek,” he added.</p> - -<p>“It’s Jode Lenning’s course,” said Bleeker. “I’ve been -here a good many times, during the last six years, and I -never knew a rock to fall from the cliff before. I can’t -understand it.”</p> - -<p>“It was an accident, Bleek,” said Frank, “and the -bowlder missed us. A miss, you know, is as good as a -mile. Better have somebody look after the canoe.”</p> - -<p>“The fellows in one of the other canoes are towing it -in,” said Hotch.</p> - -<p>Merry and Clancy, reaching the sloping bank below the -Point, walked up out of the water. Both were still a -little dazed by the recent mishap.</p> - -<p>Ballard, all a-tremble from the shock, landed and hurried -to the side of his chums.</p> - -<p>“You got out of that by the skin of your teeth,” said -he. “Thunder! I thought you were gone, for sure. That -bowlder wasn’t more than a second coming down, but it -seemed to me like a year before it hit the water.”</p> - -<p>“It must have been an accident,” commented Dart.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Bleeker, and threw a significant look at -Merriwell.</p> - -<p>Bleeker had had a little time in which to collect his -thoughts, and he was doing some reasoning, with Blunt’s -warning for a background.</p> - -<p>“I agree with Dart,” spoke up Merriwell. “I don’t -see how it could have been anything but an accident.”</p> - -<p>“I do,” muttered Bleeker darkly. “Some of you fellows -get up on top of the Point. Hustle! See if you -can find any one there. If you lose too much time, -there isn’t a chance.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">70</a></span> -Ballard led the rush up the steep slope, taking the -roundabout way necessary for gaining the crest of the -cliff. Several of the wondering lads followed Ballard. -They were hardly started on their climb when a canoe -from the opposite shore came nosing to the bank. It -held two of the campers. As they arose, they got a bit -of a glimpse of the water on the other side of the Point.</p> - -<p>“Look!” one of them cried. “There’s our other canoe—and -Lenning and Shoup!”</p> - -<p>Owing to the bend in the river, nothing could be seen -from the bank where Merry and the rest were standing. -Merry, the instant he heard the shouted warning, started -for the water’s edge and flung himself into the craft -which Bleeker and Hotchkiss had used for the race.</p> - -<p>“Come on, Clan!” Frank called. “Here’s something -we’ve got to look into—and we must be quick about it.”</p> - -<p>Clancy jumped for the canoe as though touched by a -live wire. Through his befogged brain an inkling of his -chum’s purpose had drifted.</p> - -<p>In almost less time than it takes to tell it, the canoe -was racing across the water, Merry in the bow and Clancy -in the stern. Other canoes followed, for a feeling that -something more of a portentous nature was about to -happen ran through every lad’s nerves.</p> - -<p>When well into the river, Frank could look ahead, as -the vista opened out above the Point, and see the stolen -canoe, with the two thieves aboard. Shoup was in the -stern and Lenning at the bow. Both were using their -paddles like mad, evidently trying to get across to the -other bank.</p> - -<p>“Get busy, Clan!” called Merriwell quietly, but compellingly. -“I think we can overhaul those fellows before -they land.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll have to go some, if we do,” was the answer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">71</a></span> -“I guess we’ve shown that we can do that, all right.”</p> - -<p>Shoup, taking a survey over his shoulder, saw that he -and Lenning were pursued. He spoke to Lenning, and -both bent fiercely to their paddling.</p> - -<p>They were awkward at the work, and the canoe zigzagged -back and forth. But, in spite of the poor paddling, -it looked as though the two might reach the bank -before Merriwell and Clancy could get to them.</p> - -<p>“Great guns!” cried Clancy, as an idea suddenly burst -on his mind.</p> - -<p>“What’s to pay, Clan?” asked Merry, keeping his keen, -calculating eyes straight ahead.</p> - -<p>“I’ve just thought of something, Chip. Those two -hounds are trying to get away—they were on top of the -Point—they dropped that rock down on us! By thunder, -what do you think of that!”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t say that until I had some proof,” counselled -Merriwell. “Shut up, Clan, and dig in! We’ve -got to if we get close enough to lay hands on them.”</p> - -<p>Clancy smothered his desire for further talk and put -all his vim into his paddle. He and Merry were gaining -on the other craft, but nevertheless it seemed a foregone -conclusion that Shoup and Lenning would reach shore -before they could be stopped.</p> - -<p>And then, just when the chase appeared most hopeless, -Lenning’s paddle snapped. A shout of anger came -from Shoup. He followed it by an act as surprising to -those who looked on as it was desperate in its nature.</p> - -<p>Rising to his feet, his own paddle in his hands, Shoup -stepped forward and brought the paddle down viciously -on the head of his companion. Lenning, who was still -in a kneeling posture, pitched forward over the side of -the frail craft and <a name="disappeared" id="disappeared"></a><ins title="Original has 'disapeared'">disappeared</ins> beneath the surface of the -water. The canoe went gunwale under as he fell, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">72</a></span> -at the same moment, Shoup jumped and began swimming -for the bank.</p> - -<p>One astounding event after another was happening -that afternoon, and this last tragic incident held the onlookers -spellbound for a moment.</p> - -<p>The first thought that drifted through each spectator’s -mind must have been this: Why had Shoup dealt Lenning -that blow? Was it anger because the paddle had broken? -Or was there some other motive back of it?</p> - -<p>Merriwell was first to recover his wits.</p> - -<p>“Some of you fellows get ashore and try and head off -Shoup!” he called. “I’ll see what I can do for Lenning. -Quick with your paddle, Clan,” he added to his chum.</p> - -<p>Lenning, stunned by the blow, had not reappeared at -the surface of the water. And he might never reappear -alive unless something was done for him at once.</p> - -<p>These thoughts darted through Merriwell’s mind as he -and Clancy drove the canoe onward to the place where -the unfortunate youth had gone down. In less than -a minute the craft was over the spot, and Merry had -taken a long, clean dive into the river.</p> - -<p>Ballard and Dart, and a few more were watching the -progress of events from the top of the cliff. Bleeker -and Hotch had more interest in Merriwell’s work than -in trying to halt Shoup, and stood by in their canoe to -be of what assistance they could. Clancy, hoping to be -of some aid to his chum in effecting a rescue, had likewise -taken to the water.</p> - -<p>At such a time as that, bygones were bygones. Merriwell -forgot all his old differences with Lenning—forgot -also that Lenning might have been the one who had -rolled the bowlder off the cliff—and plunged to the fellow’s -relief just as he would have hastened to the aid -of any one else in distress.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">73</a></span> -“That’s Chip Merriwell for you,” muttered Bleeker, -kneeling and peering into the watery depths from the -side of the canoe.</p> - -<p>“Excitement is crowding us pretty hard this afternoon,” -said Hotchkiss. “I’m fair dazed with it all. Why -in Sam Hill did Shoup pound Lenning on the head with -that paddle? I thought they were pards.”</p> - -<p>“They were; but Shoup’s a dope fiend, and a fellow like -that isn’t responsible for what he does. I suppose he was -mad because Lenning’s paddle broke in his hands. Lenning -couldn’t help that, and Shoup——”</p> - -<p>Merry and Clancy had been under water for what -seemed an inordinately long period. At that instant, -however, they came to the surface—and between them -was the white, dripping face of Jode Lenning.</p> - -<p>“Bully for you, Merriwell!” shouted Bleeker enthusiastically. -“Can we help with the canoe?”</p> - -<p>“We’ll get him ashore,” sputtered Merry, shaking his -head to get the water out of his eyes. “He’s unconscious -and won’t make any trouble. How are you making -it, Clan?” he asked of his chum.</p> - -<p>“Well enough,” answered Clancy, blowing like a porpoise. -“Let’s get solid ground under us as soon as we -can, though. This is no easy job.”</p> - -<p>Steadily, but surely, the two chums made their way -shoreward. Fortunately, the bank was but a little distance -away, and it was not long before they had dragged -the limp form of Lenning high and dry on the sand.</p> - -<p>While Merriwell and Clancy sprawled out in the sun -to get their breath, Bleeker and Hotchkiss, and a few -more of the campers, worked over Lenning. The lad -was not in very bad shape, and the efforts at resuscitation -speedily met with success.</p> - -<p>“It was your quickness, Merriwell,” declared Bleeker,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">74</a></span> -“that saved the fellow. If he had been under water a -minute or two longer, it would have been all day with -him.”</p> - -<p>“He’s all right,” said Frank diffidently, “and that’s -the main thing. Has he opened his eyes yet?”</p> - -<p>“He’s opening them now.”</p> - -<p>Frank got up and walked to Lenning’s side. “How -do you feel, Jode?” he inquired, staring down into his -bewildered eyes.</p> - -<p>Lenning shivered, and closed his eyes again.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">75</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xi" id="xi"></a>CHAPTER XI.<br /> -<span>THE SAVING GRACE.</span></h2> - - -<p>For several minutes Jode Lenning continued to lie on -the warm sand. He could not have been very comfortable, -for his hat was gone and his clothes were soaking -wet. Bleeker had removed his coat in order to work -over him to better advantage, and Hotch now took the -garment and wrung it out. But if Lenning was not -comfortable, he was at least getting his strength back -and beginning to feel more like himself.</p> - -<p>When he next opened his eyes, he sat up suddenly -and looked out over the shimmering expanse of water. -His lips twitched with some passing emotion, and he -finally withdrew his gaze and fixed it upon Bleeker.</p> - -<p>“Did Shoup hit me over the head with his paddle?” -he asked, in a low, colorless voice.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” was the answer.</p> - -<p>“Merriwell and Clancy pulled me out of the water?”</p> - -<p>“That was the way of it.”</p> - -<p>“Where’s Shoup now?”</p> - -<p>“Suffering horn toads!” gasped Bleeker. “Say, I had -clean forgotten about that fellow. What became of -him? Anybody know?”</p> - -<p>“I can tell you,” one of the lads spoke up. “Two or -three of us hustled ashore to try and head him off, but -he was too quick for us. There were a couple of horses, -hitched in the chaparral, and Shoup took one of them and -got away.”</p> - -<p>A baleful glitter shone in Lenning’s shifty eyes.</p> - -<p>“He tried to do me up,” Lenning muttered.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">76</a></span> -“Why?” asked Bleeker. “I thought you and he were -pards.”</p> - -<p>“You never can tell what a pard like Shoup is going -to do. But I gave him cause to have it in for me. Help -me up, Bleeker. I’m not going to ask much of you, nor -bother you very long. Five minutes will do the trick.”</p> - -<p>Bleeker reached down and took Lenning’s hand. The -lad was weak, as yet, for it would be some time before -he recovered entirely from his recent ordeal.</p> - -<p>“Let’s go to the place where Shoup got the horse,” -went on Lenning. “I want the rest of you to come, too, -especially Merriwell.”</p> - -<p>Those who had followed Shoup to the chaparral placed -themselves in the lead. Bleeker and Hotch followed, -with Lenning between them.</p> - -<p>Less than twenty yards up the slope of the bank the -strange party came to the edge of the chaparral.</p> - -<p>“Pick up that stone there,” said Lenning, pointing.</p> - -<p>A stone about the size of a man’s two fists was indicated. -Clancy stooped and removed the stone. As he -did so, he gave vent to a low whistle, and exclamations -of astonishment came from others clustered around him.</p> - -<p>A roll of bills had been brought into view by the removal -of the stone—a large roll with a yellowback on -the outside.</p> - -<p>“You take the money, Merriwell,” said Lenning, “and -give it to Blunt. It’s the roll Shoup stole from Mrs. -Boorland. I didn’t know the old lady was Mrs. Boorland -until I found Blunt was after us. Shoup did the -stealing, and he did it without my knowledge or consent. -Maybe you fellows won’t believe that, but it’s a fact. I -reckon I’ve come pretty low, but I couldn’t stand for what -Shoup did. All the money’s there but twenty dollars.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">77</a></span> -Shoup used that to buy a supply of dope in Ophir and to -hire a couple of horses.”</p> - -<p>Lenning paused. He was getting stronger, and he -drew away from Bleeker and Hotchkiss.</p> - -<p>“I took that money from Shoup last night, while he -was asleep,” Lenning went on. “We brought our horses -over here before daylight, and hid them in the chaparral. -When we did that, I sneaked around and got the roll -under that stone, and Shoup didn’t see me. I intended -to let Blunt know, in some way, where the money was. -That’s something else you can believe or not, just as you -please, but it’s the truth.</p> - -<p>“There was merry blazes to pay when Shoup found -the money was gone out of his pocket. He accused me -of taking it, and I admitted it. He threatened me, and -even threw me down and went through my clothes to -see if he couldn’t find it. Blunt made things so interesting -for us that Shoup didn’t have any time to keep nagging -at me. When we tried to get across the river to -the horses, directly after that bowlder dropped from the -cliff, Shoup found his chance to hand me a rap over the -head. You saw him do it; and now I’ve explained why -he had it in for me.</p> - -<p>“Of course,” and Lenning’s glance wandered to Merriwell, -“you fellows can take me to Ophir and put me in -the lockup on a charge of highway robbery. The question -is, are you going to do it? I’ve tried to do the right -thing, and now it’s up to you either to let me go or hand -me over to the law. Which is it to be?”</p> - -<p>“Get his horse for him,” said Merriwell, “and let him -go. He’s had a hard enough time of it, and the way -Shoup treated him proves that his story is straight.”</p> - -<p>Lenning, most unexpectedly, had done a good deed, -and it was the saving grace of that act which led many<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">78</a></span> -of the boys to agree with Merriwell. The horse was led -out of the bushes, and Lenning, with some <a name="difficulty" id="difficulty"></a><ins title="Original has 'diffiiculty'">difficulty</ins>, -climbed into the saddle.</p> - -<p>“Where are you going?” Merriwell asked.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” was the answer, “and I’m not caring -a whole lot.”</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you buck up, Lenning, and try to be different?”</p> - -<p>Lenning studied Merriwell for a moment with moody -eyes.</p> - -<p>“What’s the use?” he asked, at last. “I’m down and out. -I’ve been a fool, but that doesn’t count any in my favor. -When a fellow makes his bed, he’s got to lie in it.”</p> - -<p>“If it doesn’t suit him he can get up and make it over.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve always been at the top of the heap, Merriwell, -so it’s easy for you to give advice. Try to be the under -dog once, and maybe you’ll change your mind about -what a fellow can or can’t do.”</p> - -<p>Without another word, Lenning turned the horse’s -head up the slope. Hatless as he was, and with his wet -clothing clinging to his limbs, he was a melancholy figure -as he rode to the top of the bank and then vanished from -the gaze of the lads below.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll be hanged!” exclaimed Bleeker. “I’m -struck all of a heap, no two ways about that. To think -that Jode Lenning should make a play of that kind! He -hasn’t a <a name="sou3" id="sou3"></a><ins title="Original has 'soo'">sou</ins> -in his <a name="jeans" id="jeans"></a><ins title="Original has 'jeens'">jeans</ins>, and yet he took that roll from -Shoup and was doing what he could to get it back into -the hands of Blunt. Well, well!”</p> - -<p>“It only goes to prove,” chuckled Merriwell, “that lawlessness -wasn’t born in Lenning, and that he can make -a pretty decent sort of a fellow out of himself if he tries.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon,” said Bleeker thoughtfully, “that all of us -are handicapped in one way or another.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">79</a></span> -“We are,” agreed Frank, “but it’s our own doing.”</p> - -<p>“That so, Chip?” put in Clancy.</p> - -<p>Merriwell stared at him for an instant, then caught -his drift and nodded emphatically.</p> - -<p>“Yes, that’s so, Clan, and I’m not backing away from -that statement because I’ve got a little handicap of my -own. Who won that race, anyhow, Bleeker?” he finished, -with a grin.</p> - -<p>“You and Clancy did,” was the prompt reply.</p> - -<p>“We can try it over again to-morrow forenoon, if you -say so.”</p> - -<p>“Not much! Single paddles are trumps, to-morrow -forenoon, and I’ll see if we Gold Hillers can’t have a -little luck. Now let’s get back to camp.”</p> - -<p>A return was quickly made to the other shore; and, -while Merry and Clancy were in their tent, giving all the -news to Ballard, and, at the same time, getting into their -clothes, Barzy Blunt stuck his head in at the flap.</p> - -<p>“Somebody beat me to it,” he remarked. “Call that -a fair shake, Chip?”</p> - -<p>There was a laugh in Blunt’s voice, so the lads knew -his words were not to be taken seriously.</p> - -<p>“Where were you while all the trouble was going -on?” demanded Frank.</p> - -<p>“I was a heap nearer the scene of trouble than you -imagine. I’ve found out something, too, that will probably -change your opinion of Jode Lenning.”</p> - -<p>“Come in, then,” said Merry, “and bat it up to us. -We’re getting sort of hardened to surprises, so I guess -we can stand this one.”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">80</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xii" id="xii"></a>CHAPTER XII.<br /> -<span>BLUNT’S “SURPRISE.”</span></h2> - - -<p>The cowboy pushed his way into the tent and sat down -beside Ballard on a pile of blankets.</p> - -<p>“First off,” said he, “let me ask you if you’re satisfied -Schuster gave me a straight tip when I met him on the -way back from Gold Hill?”</p> - -<p>“Why, yes,” Frank answered, “Schuster had a pretty -good line on the situation, all except that ‘getting even’ -part.”</p> - -<p>Blunt screwed up his black eyes and gave Merriwell -a keen sizing.</p> - -<p>“What do you think about that bowlder that dropped -from the cliff?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Accident,” said Frank briefly.</p> - -<p>“Well, holy smoke!” grunted the cowboy, in disgust. -“Is that what you really think, Chip?”</p> - -<p>“It is, Barzy.”</p> - -<p>Blunt removed his hat and ran his fingers through -his long, jet-black hair.</p> - -<p>“You’re a little shy in your headpiece,” he remarked. -“Either that or else you’ve got a fool notion about not -wanting to go on record with what you really think. -Some of the lads outside kind of told me the way you -were leaning, and how you’d been cracking Jode Lenning -up as something of a man, in spite of his shortcomings. -What Schuster said Lenning and Shoup had up their -<a name="sleeves" id="sleeves"></a><ins title="Original has 'sleves'">sleeves</ins> for you, Chip, worried me a heap. I got to thinking -more of keeping the three of you apart than I had -thought about recovering the money. Pretty soon after<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">81</a></span> -I left you and Bleeker in the hills, I tied up my horse and -started to skirmishing in some difficult places on foot.</p> - -<p>“First thing I knew I was in the brush on top of the -Point. The canoe race was going on below, and I could -hear the yells pretty near as plain as though I had been -down in the bottom of the gulch. Shoup and Lenning -were skulking back of the cliff’s edge. They had a rock -poised on the brink. Lenning was waiting to push it over, -while Shoup was looking down, ready to give the signal -at the right time.</p> - -<p>“It was a few minutes before I got on to what they -might be up to. Just as it rushed over me, and I started -to get busy with the coyotes, Shoup gave the signal and -Lenning pushed the rock over. Then both of them took -to their heels. I was right after ’em, but they pulled a -canoe out of the bushes when they got near the water, -and slid beyond my reach.</p> - -<p>“I started back toward the place where I had left my -horse, but stopped again when I got a glimpse of the river -and saw you and Clancy chasing the other canoe. I -saw the rest of what happened, too, including the bat -Shoup gave Lenning on the head, and the way you and -Clancy went to the rescue. I reckon that was fine, considering -all that those skunks had tried to do to you, but, -pard, it was a whole lot more than I’d have done in your -place.”</p> - -<p>“No, it wasn’t,” said Merriwell decidedly.</p> - -<p>“No? Seems like you’re putting me in your own class. -Chip, and you know as well as I do that I don’t belong -there. Well, we’ll let that pass. I went for my horse -with my thoughts and feelings sort of scrambled, so that -I didn’t know how I really felt. I sort of forgot about -the stolen money, and about everything else, but the way -those two sneaks pushed the bowlder down on you, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">82</a></span> -the way you went into the drink to save the fellow that -did the most of it. Finally I got into my saddle and rode -for this camp, where I was told how you believed that -bowlder business was an accident, and that Lenning had -done the square thing with the money. Then I was -at sixes and sevens again. I didn’t want to jolt you with -the truth about Lenning, and yet I couldn’t see how you -were so dense as not to figure it out for yourself. Now, -Chip, I come to you as an eyewitness, and you’re getting -the facts. Schuster had it pretty straight, didn’t he?”</p> - -<p>“Surest thing you know, Barzy,” Frank answered. -“Here’s the money,” he added, passing over the roll. “It’s -all there but twenty dollars. Shoup spent that in Ophir.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad enough to get hands on it, even if it is a -twenty short. Mam is coming in for quite a wad of coin, -on account of that mine deal, so maybe she wouldn’t have -missed this so much as she might. It was the way Shoup -took it, more than anything else, that got me all worked -up. Now, Chip, tell me this: What’s your opinion about -Lenning?”</p> - -<p>“It was the best thing that ever happened to him when -Colonel Hawtrey kicked him out,” said Merriwell. -“There’s good stuff in Lenning and he’s going to prove it -a good many times—just as he proved it this afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“Bosh!” said Bleeker, thrusting his head into the tent, -“you’re dippy on that point, Chip.”</p> - -<p>“Wait and see, Bleek.”</p> - -<p>“Supper’s ready—that’s what I looked in to tell you. -Place for you, Blunt. Going back to Ophir to-night?”</p> - -<p>“I hear there’s a race on to-morrow forenoon,” returned -Blunt, “and I’d sort of made up my mind to hang -around and take a hand in it.”</p> - -<p>“Good for you!” cried Merriwell.</p> - -<p>“But,” the cowboy went on, with an odd gleam in his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">83</a></span> -black eyes, “I don’t want any more bowlders tumbling -from Apache Point if I’m to be in one of the canoes.”</p> - -<p>“Now that Shoup and Lenning have cleared out,” cried -Clancy, “I’ll guarantee there won’t be any more rocks rolling -down the cliff. Come on and let’s eat.”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">84</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xiii" id="xiii"></a>CHAPTER XIII.<br /> -<span>THE RACE FOR SINGLE PADDLES.</span></h2> - - -<p>“Get a move on, Bleek! Ginger up, pard, ginger up!”</p> - -<p>“Good work, Merry! That’s the way to show ’em -your heels!”</p> - -<p>“Dig, old scout! Why don’t you <em>dig</em>?”</p> - -<p>“Plenty of chance, yet, Bleek; don’t lose your nerve!”</p> - -<p>“Chance? Why, Bleeker hasn’t a look-in—not with -Chip Merriwell paddling like that! Merry’s coming down -the stretch like a scared coyote making for home and -mother. Hoop-a-la!”</p> - -<p>There were five canoes in that race for single paddles. -There had been seven, but two had fouled each other and -come to grief less than a hundred yards from the starting -point. Barzy Blunt and Hotchkiss, of Gold Hill, were the -unlucky ones. As soon as they had gained the shore they -joined the rooters who were running along the bank. A -ducking had not dampened their ardor in the least, and -Blunt and Hotch pranced along in their bathing trunks, -cheering and encouraging the rest of the racers.</p> - -<p>It was late in the forenoon. The bright Arizona sun -trailed its beams over the waters of the gulch, gilding -each little ripple as it danced about the charging canoes. -The only shadow on the stream was at the place where -the gentle slopes of the gulch banks were shouldered -aside by the steep bluff known as Apache Point.</p> - -<p>Above the Point, and around the turn in the gulch, -was a white flag. The start of the canoe race had been -from this flag. The “elbow” at the foot of the Point was -to be rounded by the racers, and the finish line was opposite -the white tents of the Gold Hill campers.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">85</a></span> -Apart from Blunt and Hotchkiss, the contesting paddlers -were young Merriwell, his chums, Owen Clancy and -Billy Ballard, Bleeker, a leader in the Gold Hill Athletic -Club, and Lenaway, another member of the club.</p> - -<p>Merriwell, Clancy, and Ballard, crouching in the sterns -of their frail craft, had worked easily but steadily from -the start. They knew from experience that swiftness in -the get-away and a wild expenditure of energy at the beginning -caused the loss of many a race—not only on the -water but on the cinder track, as well. It is the fellow -who carefully and judiciously nurses his powers for a -spurt on the home stretch that makes the best showing, -when all’s said and done.</p> - -<p>The length of the course to be covered in this canoe -race was about half a mile. A hundred yards from the -starting point, Frank and his chums were some distance -behind. Bleeker led, and almost neck and neck with him -were Hotchkiss and the cowboy, Barzy Blunt. Lenaway’s -canoe filled in the widening gap between the leaders -and the Farnham Hall lads in the rear.</p> - -<p>Blunt had more strength than skill, and it was his -<a name="awkwardness" id="awkwardness"></a><ins title="Original has 'awkardness'">awkwardness</ins> that caused the crash with Hotchkiss. The -violence of the impact caused both canoes to roll over -and fill. With these two contestants out of the way, the -race began rapidly narrowing down.</p> - -<p>One by one the canoes rounded the foot of the Point, -hugging the steep wall closely. Bleeker led the procession, -Lenaway followed, and then came Merry, Clancy, -and Ballard in the order named.</p> - -<p>The instant Merriwell’s canoe shot away from the -Point, however, he could be seen to buckle to his work -in masterly style. First he overhauled Lenaway, and -then passed him with comparative ease.</p> - -<p>Lenaway, realizing that the race undoubtedly lay between<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">86</a></span> -Merriwell and Bleeker, strove to take what honors -he could away from Clancy and Ballard. Halfway between -the Point and the finish line, Ballard snapped his -paddle.</p> - -<p>“How’s that for luck?” he shouted ruefully, as Clancy -and Lenaway dashed on prow to prow. “Go it, Reddy! -It’s up to you and Chip, now, to show these Gold Hillers -what we can do.”</p> - -<p>Bleeker, a prime fellow and trained to the minute, realized -that he had the fight of his life on his hands if he -was to win against Merriwell. He made swift demand -upon all his reserve strength, and his muscles answered -superbly. But the strain of the contest was telling upon -him—mainly because he had worked too hard on the first -half of the course.</p> - -<p>Merriwell was creeping up on the other canoe, slowly -yet steadily and relentlessly. And the remarkable part -of his work was that the tension of those exciting moments -was not evident in a single move he made. With -easy, almost careless, grace he dipped his blade, and his -light craft plunged onward like a well-trained thoroughbred. -It was evident to all that Merriwell was a “stayer,” -and that Bleeker had about shot his bolt.</p> - -<p>Frank was somewhat surprised at Bleeker, for on the -preceding day he and Clancy had given the Gold Hill lads -an object lesson in husbanding resources for the home -stretch and not being too free with them at the beginning. -Bleeker should have profited by that experience.</p> - -<p>Little by little Merry drew up abreast of Bleeker. The -latter’s face was set and there was a strained look about -it which proved how hard he was driving himself.</p> - -<p>When Frank nosed on into the lead, a roar went up -from the bank. Blunt was rooting for Merry, and cheering -with all his range ardor and enthusiasm. The cowboy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">87</a></span> -had a whole-souled admiration for the Eastern lad, -and believed that no one of his age or inches could beat -him at any sport.</p> - -<p>“Whoop!” he bellowed, jumping around on the bank -in his drenched and abbreviated costume. “Keep your -eye on my pard, will you? Throw up your hands, Bleek! -It’s as good as over.”</p> - -<p>“Never say die, Bleek!” shouted a Gold Hiller across -the water. “Keep at it, old man! Come ahead, come -ahead!”</p> - -<p>Bleeker was fighting gamely. He was not the lad to -quit because the tide of battle was running against him. -By an effort as remarkable as it was unexpected, he -dug down into an underlying stratum of power and -hurled his canoe onward until it was again nose to nose -with Merriwell’s.</p> - -<p>Frank’s admiration for his plucky rival was great. To -win over such a true sportsman would be a victory -to be highly prized.</p> - -<p>And Frank was doing his best. If Bleeker’s sudden -access of strength held out, Frank might be only second -at the swimming float where the race was to end.</p> - -<p>“Go to it, Chip!” yelled a voice which had not been -heard before in all that riot of noise from the river bank. -“You’re generally first at the last of it, mainly because -you never get rattled by being last at the beginning. -Now’s the time to make your showing!”</p> - -<p>A thrill shot through Merriwell as he heard that particular -voice. He was wondering a little, too, as to how -the owner of that voice happened to be at the Gold Hill -camp. Just then, however, he had no attention to spare -from his immediate work.</p> - -<p>Bleeker’s spurt did not last. He had been too prodigal -of his strength. His canoe began dropping off, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">88</a></span> -Merriwell came abreast of the float half a length in the -lead.</p> - -<p>“Hoop-a-la!” shouted Barzy Blunt, cutting a few cowboy -capers on the bank. “What did I tell you, eh? Hurrah -for Chip—a chip of the old block if there ever was -one.”</p> - -<p>Ballard, working his way to the shore with what was -left of his paddle, likewise exulted in his chum’s victory. -Clancy, reaching the float just ahead of Lenaway, joined -in the cheering.</p> - -<p>Bleeker, although breathless with his efforts, managed -to get his canoe alongside Merriwell’s.</p> - -<p>“Put it there, Chip,” he laughed, reaching out his -hand. “You gave me the finest bit of fun I’ve had in -many a day.”</p> - -<p>Merriwell clasped the hand heartily.</p> - -<p>“It was anybody’s race for a while, Bleek,” he answered. -“If we had it to do over again, more than likely -you’d trim me.”</p> - -<p>“Not so you could notice it, old man. You’re a stayer -from Stayerville, and I take off my hat to you as the better -man.”</p> - -<p>It was to be noticed that the cheering over Merry’s -victory was general, and the Gold Hill boys joined in it -quite as heartily as did Frank’s chums and his cowboy -friend. As Merry brought his canoe to the bank and -hopped ashore, he was greeted by the lad whose voice -he had heard so unexpectedly while the canoes were bearing -down on the float.</p> - -<p>“Up to your old tricks, eh, Chip?” laughed this youth. -“If I had known what was on for this morning, I’d have -tried to get here earlier.”</p> - -<p>“Hannibal Bradlaugh, by Jove!” cried Merry, taking -a grip on the hand that was pushed out to him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">89</a></span> -Ever since Merry had come to southern Arizona he -had known the son of the president of the Ophir Athletic -Club. The clubs at Ophir and Gold Hill were rivals—bitter -rivals, at one time, but now, in a great measure, -owing to Merriwell’s efforts, all the bitterness was a thing -of the past.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Brad!” called Bleeker, pushing forward to take -the hand Merriwell had released. “The last of that performance -was the best part of it, so you didn’t miss a -whole lot by getting here late. If you’ve come to stay -for a while, we’ll give you a chance to take a hand in -some of these water sports.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not going to have my scalp dangling at any Gold -Hill belt,” Brad laughed, “and that’s what would happen -if I got hold of a paddle and tried to do anything. Anyhow, -I didn’t come to stay for more than a few minutes. -I’m after Chip. He’s wanted in Ophir.”</p> - -<p>“News from Bloomfield?” Frank asked, lifting his -eyes quickly.</p> - -<p>“No, nothing from Bloomfield. I’m sorry as blazes -to cut short your stay here——”</p> - -<p>“We were going back to Ophir this afternoon, anyhow,” -Merry cut in, “so that part of it is all right. Pink, Clan, -and I promised the professor solemnly we’d get back -to town this evening. He’d be after us if we didn’t go, -for that’s the sort of a prof he is. What’s up, Brad? -From your looks I should say it was serious business.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, not so blamed serious. Step over this way a -minute, will you?”</p> - -<p>Bradlaugh drew Merriwell to one side and began talking -to him in low, earnest tones. As Merry listened, -an expression of thoughtful concern could be seen to -cross his face.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">90</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xiv" id="xiv"></a>CHAPTER XIV.<br /> -<span>AN ENEMY’S APPEAL.</span></h2> - - -<p>“You saved a fellow’s life here yesterday, didn’t you, -Chip?” Brad asked.</p> - -<p>“Clancy and I pulled Jode Lenning out of the water,” -Frank answered.</p> - -<p>“That’s about the way I’d expect you to tell it. Well, -Lenning has asked for a job at the Ophir mine. He -hasn’t much left in the way of reputation, and when the -super asked my father what to do, pop told him to let -Lenning hunt a berth somewhere else. Lenning came -straight to pop’s office from the mine. He told pop -that he knew he hadn’t done right, but that he had cut -loose from his rowdy friends, had turned over a new -leaf, and was going to make something of himself. Pop -thought that was a pretty good thing to do, and told him -so, but couldn’t give him any encouragement. The company -had made it a rule not to hire anybody who couldn’t -give a clean bill as to character. Lenning wanted to know -if somebody couldn’t be responsible for him, and pop -answered that it all depended on who the ‘somebody’ -was. The next minute pop was almost knocked off his -feet.”</p> - -<p>Brad paused. “Who hit him?” asked Merry, with -a twinkle in his dark eyes.</p> - -<p>“Lenning,” said Brad promptly. “He hit pop with -a few words that almost took his breath. ‘Chip Merriwell -will be responsible for me,’ is what he said. Do you -wonder that the governor was floored?”</p> - -<p>Frank did not. In fact, Frank was almost floored -himself.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">91</a></span> -“Pop told Lenning that he’d have to talk with you,” -Brad went on, “and Lenning wanted him to get you to -Ophir as soon as possible. Well, it wasn’t exactly that -that brought me after you, Chip. Pop telephoned to -Colonel Hawtrey, Lenning’s uncle, in Gold Hill, and the -colonel’s coming to Ophir himself to see about it. We -all know that Colonel Hawtrey hates Lenning like poison, -and, while I can’t understand why you want to help a -fellow who has done you so much dirt as Lenning has, -all the same I thought I’d hustle out here and tell you -about Hawtrey. If you want to help Lenning, you’ll -have to see pop before the colonel gets to Ophir. I -rushed to Dolliver’s in the automobile, and came on up -the cañon on foot. If you want to go back with me, -it won’t take us long to get to the car.”</p> - -<p>Merriwell was in a quandary. At first, a blunt refusal -to do anything for Lenning was on his lips. Something -held it back.</p> - -<p>“It’s up to you, Chip,” said Brad. “What are you -going to do? You stand pretty high with pop. I’ll bet -a good deal that one word from you would get the job -for Lenning—providing you get busy before the colonel -reaches Ophir. It’s your own business, and I’m only -butting in to help you do what you want to do.”</p> - -<p>“I know that, Brad,” Merry answered. “I can’t tell -you what I want to do, offhand. I’ve got to think it -over.”</p> - -<p>“You haven’t much time.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll have to take time to get into my clothes. Dinner’s -about ready, too, and there won’t be much more delay -if we eat in camp. After that, Brad, I’ll tell you what -I’m going to do.”</p> - -<p>“All right, old man,” assented Brad, and turned away<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">92</a></span> -to shake hands with Clancy, Ballard, and a few other -fellows with whom he was acquainted.</p> - -<p>Merriwell was still in a quandary as he went to one -of the tents and began getting out of his wet bathing -suit and into his other clothes. Jode Lenning had appealed -to him for help, and such a move was so unlike -Lenning that Merry thought there must be something -crooked back of it. On the other hand, Lenning might -really be trying to turn over a new leaf, and, if that was -the case, Frank was the last one in the world to hold -back when a word from him to Mr. Bradlaugh would -help set an enemy in the right road.</p> - -<p>Jode Lenning and his half brother, Ellis Darrel, had -lived with their uncle, Colonel Hawtrey, in Gold Hill. -Lenning had gone wrong, but he had managed cleverly -to pull the wool over his uncle’s eyes for a year or more. -Merriwell had befriended Darrel, and, in so doing, had -earned the enmity of Lenning. The latter had done a -number of treacherous things—ugly, underhand deeds, -some of which had only failed of accomplishing desperate -ends by a narrow margin—and when the colonel finally -had his eyes opened to the truth, he cast the scheming, -unscrupulous nephew adrift.</p> - -<p>Was Lenning trying honestly to turn over a new leaf? -This was the question Merriwell was turning over in his -mind. If he was, then he deserved and ought to have -Merriwell’s help.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, Merriwell could not forget the past. Lenning -had been sly, and treacherous, and cowardly. His -whole nature could not be changed in twenty-four hours, -and to be responsible for his honesty at the mine would -perhaps prove dangerous business.</p> - -<p>The only square thing Merriwell had ever known Lenning -to do was in taking that stolen money of Mrs. Boorland’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">93</a></span> -from Shoup and returning it to Barzy Blunt. If -the principle of right and justice had swerved Lenning, -then certainly he was trying to put himself on a proper -footing and deserved encouragement.</p> - -<p>While Frank was considering the question that had -been so suddenly put up to him, Blunt, Clancy, and Ballard -came into the tent to dress and make ready for dinner. -They were curious to learn what errand had brought -Brad to the gulch; and Frank, after a little reflection, -told them.</p> - -<p>“Crawling side winders!” muttered Blunt, his face -flushed with indignation and anger. “That juniper’s -the limit! Think of him calling on Chip for help when -it hasn’t been a day since he tried to smash Chip and -Clancy with that bowlder! How’s that for nerve, pards?”</p> - -<p>“Nerve is his long suit,” grunted Ballard. “Now that -he’s out with Shoup, he’s trying to curry favor with Chip.”</p> - -<p>“And of course Chip will give him the cold shoulder,” -put in Clancy, with an air of conviction. “He’d be foolish -to tangle up with Lenning in any way.”</p> - -<p>“Suppose Lenning is trying to square away and do -the right thing?” queried Merriwell.</p> - -<p>“That’s a bluff,” asserted Blunt. “Lenning is more -kinds of a crook than I know how to tell about. It’s -a cinch he wants to get in at the mine so he can pull off -some scheme or other that he’s been hatching. He’s -a master hand at schemes.”</p> - -<p>“He’s up against a tough proposition,” went on Merriwell, -“and if he’s trying to be square I don’t want to turn -him down.”</p> - -<p>“If you’re fool enough to help him, Merriwell,” growled -Blunt, “you’ll get yourself in trouble. Mark what I -say.”</p> - -<p>“Give Chip credit for having a little horse sense,” said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">94</a></span> -Ballard. “Brad makes me tired. What the deuce did he -want to come out here for? He might have known Chip -wouldn’t have anything to do with Lenning’s affairs.”</p> - -<p>“The trouble with Brad is, he never stops to reason a -thing out,” observed Clancy. “He means all right, and -I’ll bet he thought he was doing Chip a bigger favor than -he was Lenning.”</p> - -<p>“His own uncle ought to know him pretty well,” continued -Ballard. “Let him handle Lenning.”</p> - -<p>“I’m going in with Brad, anyhow,” said Merry, his -face set and a resolute gleam in his eyes. “You fellows -can follow along with the horses and pick up my mount -at Dolliver’s.”</p> - -<p>“What are you going in for?” demanded Ballard suspiciously.</p> - -<p>“I want to get deeper into this business,” was the reply. -“It won’t do any harm for me to have a talk with Mr. -Bradlaugh.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe not,” said Blunt, “but I’ll gamble my spurs -it won’t do you any good, either. Lenning’s a cur, and -he’s proved it.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the use of jumping on a fellow when he’s -down, Barzy?”</p> - -<p>“It amounts to the same,” was the fierce retort, “as -putting your heel on the head of a rattler before it can -strike. Chip,” and his voice grew intensely earnest, “I -don’t want you to do anything you’ll be sorry for.”</p> - -<p>Merriwell laughed and thumped the cowboy on the -back.</p> - -<p>“Why, you crazy chump,” said he, “what do you take -me for? There’s the call for grub pile. Come on and -let’s eat.”</p> - -<p>Following dinner, Frank caught up his horse, put on -the riding gear, and then mounted and took up Brad<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">95</a></span> -behind him. All the Gold Hillers were sorry to see Merriwell -go, but he and his chums had only come out to -the gulch for overnight, and in two short days they had -managed to crowd a lot of sport and excitement.</p> - -<p>“Hope we’ll see you again before you leave Arizona, -Chip,” said Bleeker, who was last to grip Merriwell’s -hand. “You’re a true sportsman, and it was an honor -to compete with you—even if we did get left. Adios, and -good luck!”</p> - -<p>“So long, fellows!” called Frank, waving his hand.</p> - -<p>“We’ll be along later, Chip,” sang out Clancy.</p> - -<p>At a word, Frank’s horse broke into a gallop along -the gulch trail. The white tents faded slowly into the -background and the cheers of the Gold Hillers grew -fainter and fainter in Frank’s ears until they died out -altogether.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">96</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xv" id="xv"></a>CHAPTER XV.<br /> -<span>TAKING A CHANCE.</span></h2> - - -<p>Borak, the black horse Merriwell had bought of Barzy -Blunt several weeks before, was a fast traveler, and it -was not many minutes until he had deposited his two -riders at Dolliver’s ranch, at the mouth of the cañon. The -cañon trail was too rough and narrow for an automobile, -and so Brad had been compelled to leave the machine -at the rancher’s.</p> - -<p>Leaving Borak at the hitching pole in front of the -house, Merriwell and Brad took to the car and were soon -hitting it up on the road to Ophir. Half an hour after -leaving Dolliver’s they were drawing to a halt in front -of the mining company’s offices in the town.</p> - -<p>Mr. Bradlaugh was the Western representative of the -syndicate that owned the mine, and was in all matters -the court of last resort in questions dealing with mining, -milling, and cyaniding on the company’s premises.</p> - -<p>Merry and Brad, tumbling out of the machine and making -their way into the outer office of the general manager, -were told by the stenographer that Mr. Bradlaugh was -busy with a caller in his private room.</p> - -<p>“Who’s the caller?” queried Brad.</p> - -<p>“Colonel Hawtrey.”</p> - -<p>Brad drew a deep breath and turned to Merriwell.</p> - -<p>“He’s here ahead of us, Chip,” said he, “but, if you’ve -made up your mind as to what you’re going to do, I -reckon you can get in there and do your talking along -with the colonel. Wait a minute.”</p> - -<p>A mumble of voices came from beyond the door leading<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">97</a></span> -to the manager’s private office. Frank could distinguish -Mr. Bradlaugh’s voice, colorless and low-pitched, -and Colonel Hawtrey’s, loud and wrathful.</p> - -<p>Brad stepped to the door, tapped, and then opened -it and passed inside at a word from his father. A moment -later he looked out and beckoned to Merriwell.</p> - -<p>As Frank entered the room, Colonel Hawtrey got up -and took him by the hand.</p> - -<p>“Mighty glad to see you again, Merriwell,” said he, -“but I hope nothing Lenning has said has brought you -here.”</p> - -<p>“Hello, my boy,” smiled Mr. Bradlaugh, waving Merriwell -to a chair. “This looks like a plot, with Hannibal -at the bottom of it. You needn’t go, Han. You’ve got -Merriwell here, now stay and see the matter through.”</p> - -<p>Merry and Brad seated themselves.</p> - -<p>“I hear that Jode Lenning has asked for a job at the -mine,” remarked Frank, a little embarrassed to find himself -in danger of crossing the colonel’s will at such close -quarters.</p> - -<p>“That’s what has happened,” replied Mr. Bradlaugh. -“We need a watchman at the cyanide plant for night duty. -That’s the work Lenning applied for. It’s a responsible -position, and a man is needed badly and at once. The -superintendent, knowing Lenning’s character was not of -the best, referred the matter to me. It’s against our -policy to hire any one whose record is not clean, so I -turned Lenning down. Then he said that he thought you -would be responsible for him. I haven’t an idea that -you’re looking for such a protégé,” laughed the general -manager, “and your coming here is quite a surprise. I -called up the colonel, and he took the trouble to come -over. From what he says, I don’t believe we can consider -Lenning’s application at all.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">98</a></span> -“If you hire him, Bradlaugh,” said the colonel, “you’ll -do it without any recommendation from me. Lenning -is a graceless scamp. The company he keeps is the worst -imaginable. Why, in a week he ran through with a thousand -dollars, which I gave him to use in making something -of himself—squandered it at the gambling tables in Gold -Hill, with that rascal Shoup to help him. His latest -exploit is such as to make me blush to think that he is -my dead sister’s son. Highway robbery—with a poor, -old lady for the victim! By George, he ought to have -been arrested and put through for that.”</p> - -<p>“Colonel,” said Frank, “you haven’t all the facts connected -with that robbery. It was Shoup who stole the -money, and it was Lenning who took it away from him -and returned it to its rightful owner.”</p> - -<p>The colonel’s eyes narrowed.</p> - -<p>“Merriwell,” said he, with a trace of annoyance, “I -know more than you think. Lenning wanted to revenge -himself upon you for some fancied wrong, and that -was why he and Shoup went to the camp in the gulch. -Lenning took the money from his scoundrelly companion -and hid it away; then, aided by Shoup, he attempted to -roll a bowlder from Apache Point and smash the canoe -in which you and one of your friends were racing past -the foot of the cliff. His villainous attempts failed. He -and Shoup tried to clear out. As they crossed the river -in a stolen canoe, in order to reach their horses, Shoup -struck Lenning with a paddle. Shoup got away, and you -saved Lenning from drowning. He——”</p> - -<p>“Clancy and I pulled Lenning out of the water,” Frank -broke in. “Possibly he would have got out himself if -we had let him alone.”</p> - -<p>“Hardly,” came the crisp protest from the colonel. -“Lenning was stunned and unable to help himself. As<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">99</a></span> -soon as he revived, he took you to the place where he -had hidden the money. Why?”</p> - -<p>The colonel bored into Frank with his eyes as he put -the question.</p> - -<p>“Because he wanted to do the square thing,” answered -Merriwell, “and because he wouldn’t stand for any thieving -on the part of Shoup. Shoup was mad about it, and -that’s why he hit Lenning with the paddle.”</p> - -<p>“I’m surprised at you, Merriwell,” said Hawtrey. “That -wasn’t the reason at all. Lenning wanted all that money -for himself. When you got him out of the water, he—well, -he—well, he ‘worked you,’ to use a slang term. He -returned the money and told that yarn in order to keep -out of jail. Lenning is shrewd—you ought to know -that.”</p> - -<p>Colonel Hawtrey was bitter against his once-cherished -nephew. He was a stern man, and the fact that Lenning -was his sister’s son in no wise tempered his merciless -spirit.</p> - -<p>“I think you’re wrong, colonel,” said Merriwell quietly.</p> - -<p>For a few moments a silence dropped over those in the -office. Merriwell had been still in doubt as to what he -would do up to that very moment. The colonel’s relentless -attitude brought him to a conclusion in a flash. Merriwell -believed Lenning had returned the money because -he wanted to do the right thing, while the colonel professed -to believe that it was only a makeshift to save him -from arrest. At last, Colonel Hawtrey spoke, and it -was noticeable that his voice had softened.</p> - -<p>“You stand pretty high in my regard, my lad,” said -he to Merriwell, “and I recall the time when you believed -in Darrel and I did not. As events proved, I was an -unreasonable old fool and your judgment was correct. I -have you to thank for giving me back a nephew who is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">100</a></span> -in every way a credit to his family. But don’t make any -mistake about Jode Lenning. He’s a thorough-paced -villain, and there is not one redeeming feature in his case. -It is hard for me to sit here and talk in this way, but -Jode has made his own bed and must lie in it. He fooled -me for a long time, and I sincerely hope, Merriwell, that -you won’t let him deceive you.”</p> - -<p>“I believe he has squared around, colonel,” insisted -Frank, “and that he ought to be helped.”</p> - -<p>“There’s some black motive back of what he’s doing.”</p> - -<p>“The fact that he came to the Ophir and asked for a -job proves——”</p> - -<p>“You don’t know what it proves,” cut in Col Hawtrey -irascibly. “Lenning is deep. There is no guessing what -he has at the back of his head.”</p> - -<p>“I think he ought to have a chance.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t he take his thousand dollars, go away -somewhere where no one knows him and try to make a -man of himself? He had a chance then—a better chance -than he’ll ever get again—and he threw it away. He’s -tricky, and he’s not in earnest.”</p> - -<p>“He was training with Shoup when he squandered -that money, colonel,” urged Merriwell. “Now he and -Shoup have quarreled, and Lenning hasn’t his influence -to fight. If Mr. Bradlaugh will take Lenning on my say-so, -I’m here to ask him to let Lenning have that job as -night watchman.”</p> - -<p>“You’re making a rash move,” declared the colonel, -“and it is a move that will get you into trouble as sure -as fate.” He turned to Mr. Bradlaugh. “Don’t let Merriwell -do something he’ll be sorry for, Bradlaugh,” said he.</p> - -<p>There was a grim expression on the general manager’s -face. “How am I to help myself, colonel?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Help yourself? Why, you can refuse to put Lenning<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">101</a></span> -on your pay roll, in spite of what Merriwell says. That -is the best move you could make for all concerned.”</p> - -<p>Bradlaugh sat back in his chair, and, for a few minutes, -was deep in thought. At last he roused up to address -Colonel Hawtrey, once more.</p> - -<p>“You are under obligations to Merriwell, colonel,” said -he, “and so am I. He came to Ophir and immediately -identified himself with the affairs of the Ophir Athletic -Club, which, as you know, were in pretty bad shape. -He and his friends have brought a new spirit into the -club, and from being always on the losing side, now and -then we’re able to win. You remember how he coached -our football team, and steered the boys to victory?” The -colonel winced and a smile unfolded itself around Bradlaugh’s -lips. “No,” he went on, “I see you haven’t forgotten -that, colonel. Well, as president of the O. A. C., -I’m indebted to Merriwell. If he asks me to give Lenning -a chance, and will become personally responsible -for his actions, I can’t refuse. That’s flat.”</p> - -<p>“Merriwell is taking a long chance on Lenning,” -growled Colonel Hawtrey, “and I hate to see the boy -make such a mistake. I’m Lenning’s uncle, and it’s a -chance I wouldn’t think of taking myself.” He turned -to Frank. “Think it over,” he urged, “before you finally -make up your mind. Don’t forget that Jode has tried -several times to be tricky with you. He may be trying -it now.”</p> - -<p>“<a name="ive" id="ive"></a><ins title="Original has 'I’v'">I’ve</ins> got a hunch that he’s trying to be square, and not -to be tricky,” Merriwell answered. “And it’s a man’s -fight, colonel, for every one seems to be down on him. -He ought to be given a boost. If I’m willing to forget -the past and take a chance, you ought to be.”</p> - -<p>“I think, and you’ll pardon me for saying it, that my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">102</a></span> -judgment is too sound. What are you going to do, Bradlaugh?”</p> - -<p>“Lenning goes on duty at the cyanide plant to-night,” -said the general manager, “but he’s accepted solely and -provisionally as Merriwell’s protégé. I shall phone the -superintendent to that effect in a few minutes.”</p> - -<p>The colonel frowned and got to his feet. “I wash my -hands of the consequences,” said he, “but if Merriwell -gets into trouble on account of his rashness, I shall do -all I can to help him.”</p> - -<p>With that, Colonel Hawtrey strode out of the office, -very much wrought up over the result of his call on Mr. -Bradlaugh. As soon as he was gone, the general manager -left his chair and came around to take Merriwell’s hand.</p> - -<p>“This move of yours does you credit, Merriwell,” said -he, “and I’m backing your judgment against the colonel’s. -But—and please consider this a tip—keep track of Lenning -as well as you can. That’s all. Hannibal,” he -laughed, turning to his son, “you’re something of a -schemer yourself. Why didn’t you tell me you were -going after Chip?”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">103</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xvi" id="xvi"></a>CHAPTER XVI.<br /> -<span>THE YELLOW STREAK.</span></h2> - - -<p>An hour after Merry and Brad had left the office of -the general manager of the Ophir Mining Company, -Merry was sitting alone on the veranda of the Ophir -House, waiting for his chums to arrive from the camp -in the gulch. He was wondering, a little dubiously, -whether he had done right by setting his judgment -against the colonel’s in the matter of Jode Lenning.</p> - -<p>In matters of sentiment, and quite apart from ordinary -business, Merriwell knew that Colonel Hawtrey was far -from infallible. The colonel himself had mentioned the -fact that he had been wrong and Merriwell right in -affairs connected with Ellis Darrel. The same sort of -a “hunch” that had led Merry to befriend Darrel was now -spurring him on to help Lenning. If it was right in one -case, he felt in his bones it must be right in the other.</p> - -<p>And then, too, Lenning was absolutely friendless. In -this sorry plight, he had smothered his pride and appealed -for aid to a fellow whom he considered an enemy. This -touched Merry, as he might have expressed it, pretty -close “to where he lived.” Lenning had asked for help, -and Merry would have felt like a cur if he had turned him -down.</p> - -<p>The lad on the veranda was unable to find any fault -with himself for his generous action. He did not mix -any hard-headed logic in his reasoning, but considered -the affair almost entirely from the standpoint of doing -the right thing by a chap who was down and had every -man’s hand against him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">104</a></span> -“I say, Merriwell!”</p> - -<p>Frank started at the sound of the voice. Looking up, -he saw a lad leaning over the veranda rail not more than -a couple of yards away. His face was haggard, and his -clothes, although of good quality, were dusty and rumpled. -A pair of eyes, by nature of the shifty sort, were -fixed with some steadiness upon Merry’s face.</p> - -<p>“Oh, hello, Lenning,” said Frank, with a certain amount -of constraint in his voice and manner. “I thought you -were out at the mine.”</p> - -<p>“I was there,” came the answer, “until I heard a little -while ago that I was to have a job as night watchman, -and that I owed the job to you. That sent me to town. -Can you give me a little of your time? I—I’ve got something -I want to say to you.”</p> - -<p>“Sure! Come up here and take a chair. We’ll palaver -as long as you please.”</p> - -<p>“I’d rather not do my talking here. If you’re agreeable, -suppose we walk out along the road to the mine. I’ll -feel more like loosening up if I knew there’s no one -around to overhear.”</p> - -<p>“That suits me,” and Frank left the veranda and started -south with Lenning, through the ragged outskirts of the -town.</p> - -<p>Lenning did not travel the main street, but avoided it, -finally leading Frank out on the trail to the mine by a -roundabout course. A short mile lay between the settlement -and the Ophir “workings,” and Lenning did not -speak until the last house in the town had been left behind. -If he had much to say, Frank thought, he would -have to talk fast if he got through before they reached -the mine.</p> - -<p>But Lenning did not propose to walk while he was -easing his mind. He found a place at the trailside where<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">105</a></span> -they could sit down, and after they had made themselves -comfortable, he began:</p> - -<p>“I reckon you think I had a good deal of nerve to drag -you into this,” said he, “but I knew if you wouldn’t give -me a good word no one else would, and the jig would be -up. I’m obliged to you. I hadn’t a notion you’d help -me, but I took the only chance I had. You’ve acted -white, and I want you to know that I appreciate it and -that I’m going to make good—if it’s possible.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know why it isn’t possible,” said Merriwell, -“so long as you keep away from Shoup.”</p> - -<p>A scowl crossed the other’s haggard face. Instinctively -his hand went to the back of his head, where the paddle -had left its mark.</p> - -<p>“You can bet all you’re worth I’ll keep away from that -crazy dub. He had a lot to do with getting me into -trouble. The responsibility isn’t all his, by a long shot, -for I was born with an inclination to be crooked—and you -can’t get away from what’s bred in the bone.”</p> - -<p>“Who pounded that into you, Lenning? Was it -Shoup?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. He was always harping on that idea, -and maybe I got a little of it from him.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s the wrong idea, I don’t care where you -got it. Cut it out. Don’t hamper yourself with any such -foolishness. You’ve got a hard fight on your hands, and -if you go into it without any confidence in yourself, you’re -going to lose out.”</p> - -<p>Lenning stared at Merriwell blankly.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you believe that some traits are handed down -to a fellow?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“They may be handed down, but that’s no sign a fellow’s -got to let them get a strangle hold on him,” Frank -answered, with spirit. “Some fellows,” he added, “take<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">106</a></span> -all the credit if they make a show in the world; but, if -they go wrong, they put all the blame onto some one else. -You’re responsible for what you do, or don’t do. A -fellow’s a pup if he can’t take all the responsibility for -his own actions, or——”</p> - -<p>Frank broke off with a laugh.</p> - -<p>“Hang it!” he grunted, “I don’t know what license I’ve -got to preach. What I’ve said is the truth, though, so -we’ll let it pass and go on to something else.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to go on to anything else,” said Lenning, -“at least, not just yet. This is a mighty important -matter, to me. I’ve got a yellow streak—in some things, -I’m a plain coward—and I’ve sort of thought I came by it -naturally. My father——” he paused. “I suppose,” he -went on presently, a shamed look crossing his face, “that -you’ve heard how my father was killed in Alaska, years -ago, in a row?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve heard something about it; but you don’t have to -go into that, Lenning.”</p> - -<p>“I want you to know,” said Lenning, almost savagely, -“I want you to understand how that idea of Shoup’s has -been taking a hold on me. My father was killed while—while -he was trying to take another man’s bag of gold -dust.”</p> - -<p>“What has that got to do with you?” demanded Frank -sharply.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you think I come in for any of my father’s -failings? Most people think that way.”</p> - -<p>“Forget it. That kind of talk makes me sick. A -fellow ought to be man enough to stand on his own feet.”</p> - -<p>“You know I’m a coward. I rolled that rock off -Apache Point, and I hoped it would ‘get’ you—providing I -could skip out and you’d never know who it was loosened -the bowlder.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">107</a></span> -In spite of himself, Merry felt his whole nature shrink -from the fellow who was admitting such an act of treachery. -By an effort, however, he succeeded in getting the -whip hand of his feelings.</p> - -<p>“Then,” proceeded Lenning, “when Shoup knocked me -on the head with that paddle and you pulled me out on -dry land and kept me from drowning, I felt like a hound. -That’s why I tried to square things by giving up that -money.”</p> - -<p>“I thought you did that because Shoup had stolen it.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon I talked that way, but it wasn’t the truth. -I took the money from Shoup and thought I’d get away -with it. When you and Clancy saved me, and when I -knew that I was done with Shoup, I began thinking -about a job at the Ophir mine. I wondered if I could -be different—if I could get the respect of people, same as -you have done—and I thought maybe I’d try it. The -super wouldn’t have me, so I went to the general manager. -He wouldn’t have me, either, until you had asked him to -give me a chance.”</p> - -<p>Lenning swallowed hard and his voice shook as he went -on:</p> - -<p>“What you’ve done to-day, Merriwell, has done more -to make me see what an infernal cur I’ve been, and to -want to be different, than anything else that ever happened -to me. If I can keep that yellow streak from getting the -upper hand, I’ll make good at the mine.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve got to make good,” said Frank, “because I’ve -become responsible for you. What became of Shoup?”</p> - -<p>“He has left the country, I reckon. I haven’t seen -him since yesterday afternoon.” Lenning muttered a -fierce exclamation. “I wish he’d hang around for a spell -so I’d have a chance to get even with him.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a sentiment you’d better side-step. You’ll have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">108</a></span> -your hands too full straightening yourself out to get even -with anybody.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon you’re right; I’ve got a job on my hands if -ever a fellow had. But Shoup’s crazy, plain crazy. I’m -glad I’m rid of him. I—I guess that’s about all.” He -got up from the bowlder where he had been sitting. -“You’ve done more for me than my own uncle would do. -I’ll not forget it, Merriwell. You have less reason to -help me than the colonel had. I say you’ve acted white, -and you can bet I’m going to see to it that you never have -any reason to be sorry for it.”</p> - -<p>“Let it go at that, Lenning. I guess the best of us -make mistakes. You’re to be night watchman at the -cyanide plant?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. It’s a responsible place. I have to watch the -valves, regulate the flow of solution, and do a lot of -other things connected with the plant. They’re just -finishing a clean-up this afternoon, and will be running -the bullion into bars this evening. The gold will have -to be kept in the laboratory safe until morning—and I’ll -be a guard as well as night watchman. I’m beginning at -sixty a month.”</p> - -<p>It was odd to hear Jode Lenning talk of work, and of -getting “sixty a month.” When he was in favor with Colonel -Hawtrey, he had had no work to do worth mentioning, -and a liberal allowance had been given him for spending -money. Now he had to buckle down, and earn less -than his allowance had been, with his own hands.</p> - -<p>There was something vaguely disturbing to Merriwell -in that mention of the clean-up, and of the gold which -was to be put in the laboratory safe for the night, with -Lenning for guard. That bullion might prove a temptation, -right at the beginning of Lenning’s attempt to be -honest and to turn over a new leaf. Frank mentally<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">109</a></span> -resolved that he would visit the cyanide plant that night, -and stick around for a while to see how matters were -going.</p> - -<p>“Sixty a month is a whole lot of money,” Frank remarked.</p> - -<p>“It’s a whole lot when you make it yourself,” said -Lenning. “I reckon I’ll have to mosey back. The super -is going to show me the ropes before it’s time for me to -go on duty, and I was to report to him at four-thirty.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve got plenty of time,” said Frank.</p> - -<p>As he got up, he looked southward along the trail. A -cloud of dust was moving northward, and, while he -watched, three riders broke out of it—one of them trailing -a led horse with an empty saddle.</p> - -<p>“Blunt!” gasped Lenning, wild fear surging in the -word.</p> - -<p>He was right. One of the riders was Barzy Blunt, and -the others were Clancy and Ballard. Blunt was leading -Merry’s horse, Borak.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">110</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xvii" id="xvii"></a>CHAPTER XVII.<br /> -<span>A CRY IN THE NIGHT.</span></h2> - - -<p>Clancy, Ballard, and Blunt, on their way to town from -the gulch, came charging toward Merriwell and Lenning -at full gallop. They drew to a quick halt, very much -surprised at sight of Merry and his old enemy. Nor -were the newcomers pleasantly surprised, as they were -quick to make manifest.</p> - -<p>“Chip, or I’m an Indian!” exclaimed Ballard.</p> - -<p>“And I’m another Indian,” snorted Blunt, “if he isn’t -chin-chinning with one of the fellows who stole Mrs. -Boorland’s money!”</p> - -<p>Clancy had nothing to say, but he looked his violent -disapproval of his chum’s actions.</p> - -<p>“If that’s the way you fellows feel,” said Frank, temper -flashing in his eyes, “you can leave my horse here and -ride on.”</p> - -<p>That Lenning was in deadly fear of Blunt was plainly -to be seen. The cowboy had taken the trail of Lenning -and Shoup, immediately after Mrs. Boorland had been -robbed, and for a time he had crowded the pair pretty -hard. Lenning, evidently, was still in doubt as to the -cowboy’s intentions toward him. His haggard face went -white as chalk, and he crouched shivering away at the -trailside.</p> - -<p>“Don’t get excited,” sneered Blunt, leveling his cold -black eyes at the youth. “If Chip Merriwell has taken -you under his wing, I won’t lay a hand on you. How -about it, Chip?” he demanded, shifting his gaze to Frank.</p> - -<p>“I’ve helped Lenning get a job at the Ophir mine,” -Merry answered.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">111</a></span> -“That settles it,” grunted Blunt, tossing the reins of -Borak to Frank.</p> - -<p>Scowling blackly, the cowboy pulled down the brim of -his hat and set spurs to his horse. He had not a word -to say. Frank looked after him grimly, then laughed -a little, and vaulted into his own saddle.</p> - -<p>With the going of Blunt, Lenning revived considerably. -Straightening his shoulders, he stepped back to the trail. -Clancy and Ballard watched him with a gaze far from -friendly.</p> - -<p>“Good-by, Lenning,” Frank called from the saddle. “Do -your best, over there, and everything will come out all -right.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Merriwell,” Lenning answered. “If I -do come out all right you can bet I’ll know who to thank -for it.”</p> - -<p>He threw a defiant glance at Clancy and Ballard, a look -of gratitude at Merriwell, then turned on his heel and -started south. Slowly Frank put Borak in motion the -other way.</p> - -<p>Clancy and Ballard rode on either side of Merriwell, -and both preserved a glum silence. They were displeased, -but Merry had done what he thought was right, -and the attitude of his chums did not worry him.</p> - -<p>“Have you hooked up with that crook, Chip?” asked -Ballard, as they rode into town and headed for the -corral.</p> - -<p>“I’m trying to help a fellow who doesn’t seem to have -a friend in the world,” was the answer. “If that’s what -you call ‘hooking up’ with a crook, Pink, I guess you’ve -nicked it.”</p> - -<p>“It was a foolish move,” began Clancy, “and I didn’t -think——”</p> - -<p>“It’s my move, Clan,” interrupted Merry, “so you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">112</a></span> -needn’t sob your head off about it. Your fingers won’t -be burned if the move’s a bad one.”</p> - -<p>Nothing more was said, and the ride to the corral was -finished in an atmosphere that was not particularly pleasant -for anybody. When the horses had been taken care -of, and the three chums started on foot for the hotel, -Clancy’s loyalty to Merry got the better of his wrathful -feelings.</p> - -<p>“Oh, well, hang this Lenning business, anyhow!” he -exclaimed. “You never go very far wrong, Chip, and if -you think you’ve done right, why, that’s enough for me.”</p> - -<p>“Same here,” said Ballard, but rather gloomily. “Whenever -I think of Apache Point and that falling rock, I’m -mad enough to fight. You’re generous to a fault, but -it’s your own fault, and why the blazes should we take -it out on you? But it’s still my private <a name="opinion" id="opinion"></a><ins title="Original has 'oponion'">opinion</ins> that -Lenning’s a skunk.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not trying to change your opinion,” Merry -laughed, “so you needn’t get your back up if I want -to do a little reasoning for myself. Now, forget it.”</p> - -<p>They did forget it, and by the time they reached the -hotel they were laughing and jollying each other in their -usual fashion. Blunt was sitting on the veranda, when -they arrived, and his burst of indignation had also subsided.</p> - -<p>“You’re one too many for me, Chip,” he remarked, -shaking his head in a puzzled way, “but I’m not the one -to jump on you for making friends with a rattler. If -the varmint makes a strike at you, though, I reckon -I’ll show my hand quick.”</p> - -<p>What Frank had done for Lenning was no longer discussed. -The lads got together on the less dangerous and -more interesting ground of the canoe race in the gulch,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">113</a></span> -and talked it over until the hotel Chinaman came out -in front and pounded the supper gong.</p> - -<p>The evening meal out of the way, Barzy Blunt went -off to spend the evening with Mrs. Boorland, Clancy -and Ballard got into a game of checkers in the hotel office, -and Merry went upstairs to his room.</p> - -<p>Frank was pestering himself with the question of that -cyanide clean-up, and the gold in the laboratory safe -which Lenning was to guard. When he had first heard -of the clean-up and the gold, he had made up his mind -to stroll out to the Ophir workings during the evening, -and sort of reconnoiter the situation at the cyanide -plant. Later, he had decided that such an act would -be foolish, and would show his distrust of Lenning. Now -he was again wondering if he had not better go to the -mine.</p> - -<p>He recalled that he had told Mr. Bradlaugh that he -would be responsible for the way Lenning did his duty. -Suppose, on the first night of his work, Lenning should -yield to temptation and run off with a few bars of bullion? -Frank’s promise to the general manager would oblige -him to go down in his pocket and make good the mining -company’s loss.</p> - -<p>Frank could not believe that Lenning would do such -a thing. He believed that the fellow was honestly trying -to retrieve his good name. Reformation comes slow, -however, and is not secured at a single jump. Guarding -bullion was a pretty hard position in which to place a -fellow like Lenning, on the very first night of his work. -His newly formed resolution would be put to a hard test.</p> - -<p>Merriwell’s mind revolved around the subject until it -began to get on his nerves. At last he jumped up and -began pulling off his coat.</p> - -<p>“I’ll go batty over this if I don’t get it out of my mind<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">114</a></span> -somehow,” he muttered. “Maybe if I go to bed I can -sleep and forget it.”</p> - -<p>He began to unlace one of his shoes, paused, then laced -it up again.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe I could sleep, anyhow,” he grumbled. -“The quickest way to get this out of my system is to do -a little reconnoitering around that blooming cyanide -plant.”</p> - -<p>He looked at a tin clock which hung from a nail in the -wall. The hands indicated a quarter past nine.</p> - -<p>“I can get back here by eleven,” he thought, “and -have plenty of time to look around at the mine. Clancy -will wonder where I am, I suppose, but what he doesn’t -know hadn’t ought to trouble him. Here goes.”</p> - -<p>Clancy occupied the room with Merry, and, when he -came to bed, would, of course, note his chum’s absence. -It was possible that Frank might get back before Clancy -and Ballard broke away from the checkerboard; at any -rate, he would certainly be back very soon afterward.</p> - -<p>Owing to the hostile attitude of his chums toward -Lenning, Frank did not intend to tell them where he was -going. It would only open up a subject on which he -and they could not agree, but it would tend to show that -Frank had not the confidence in Lenning which he professed. -This would have been a false impression, and yet -it would have been difficult to explain the matter so -Clancy and Ballard could understand the real motive -which sent Frank to the mine. It was a whole lot better -to slip away quietly, and then slip back again, without -inviting questions or trying to explain.</p> - -<p>Frank went down the back stairs, then stole through -the dining room to the door that communicated with the -office. Clancy and Ballard were absorbed in their game.</p> - -<p>“Wow!” Clancy was saying, “here I go slap into your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">115</a></span> -king row, Pink! Why don’t you wake up and make this -game interesting for me?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll make it interesting enough, you red-headed chump, -before I’m done,” grinned Ballard.</p> - -<p>Frank turned back from the door and gumshoed his -way into the kitchen and then out at the rear of the hotel. -There was no moon, but the sky was clear and the stars -were bright. He had no difficulty in following almost -the identical course Lenning had led him over in the afternoon. -When he struck the trail beyond the town, the -thunderous roll of the stamps from the gold mill came -to him on the night wind. There were a hundred stamps -in the mill, and they raised a din like muffled thunder.</p> - -<p>There was a crispness in the cool air that ran through -Merry’s veins like a tonic. His step was light, and he -threw back his shoulders, sniffed the air delightedly, and -pushed on.</p> - -<p>The desert, with its shadowy clumps of greasewood, -stretched away into the dim distance on either side of the -trail. Now and then some bird fluttered in the brush, -or some skulking animal raced across the road, but there -was no other human being going or coming along the -trail at that hour.</p> - -<p>As Frank drew nearer the mine, the steady clamor -of the stamps grew in volume. At last, when he stood -on the slight rise overlooking the shaft house, the bunk -house, the mill, and the cyanide plant, the lad paused, -admiring the shadowy scene that lay stretched before -him.</p> - -<p>There were lights in the windows of the bunk house, but -they were dull gleams compared with the brightness that -shone through every crack and cranny of the great building -that housed the beating stamps. There was something -ghostlike in the scene, and the effect was heightened by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">116</a></span> -the steady moaning of the mill. An uncanny sensation -ruffled Frank’s nerves, but he smothered it with a laugh -and started down the slope.</p> - -<p>Suddenly he paused. He had heard something—something -like a smothered cry breaking through the low -growling of the stamps. What was it?</p> - -<p>He bent his head and listened intently. Two or three -minutes passed. The sound was not repeated, and he laid -it to his imagination, or to some prowling coyote off in -the hills.</p> - -<p>He had no sooner started on again, however, before -the muffled cry once more struck on his ears. This time -there was no mistake. It was a human voice that had -given the cry, and it seemed like a call for help.</p> - -<p>Locating the spot from which it apparently came, Frank -started at a run to investigate the cause. Before he -had taken a dozen steps he heard the cry more distinctly, -and felt positive that some one was in distress and calling -for aid.</p> - -<p>Sure of the location of it, by then, he darted into a -chaparral that lay directly in front of him.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">117</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xviii" id="xviii"></a>CHAPTER XVIII.<br /> -<span>TRACKING TROUBLE.</span></h2> - - -<p>Merriwell dashed into the chaparral like a whirlwind -and beat about in the bushes trying to discover where the -person was who needed help. His hunt was vain. Several -times he called aloud, from various parts of the -chaparral, but without getting any response.</p> - -<p>“This beats the deuce!” he muttered, at last, withdrawing -from the bushes and throwing a puzzled look -about him into the dark. “What the mischief is going -on? It can’t be that I imagined I heard a cry for help. -If I didn’t, why can’t I find somebody or something to -account for it?”</p> - -<p>He was greatly disturbed by his failure to locate the -source of that alarm. Finally he gave up, and started -to regain the road that led down the slope and in among -the mine buildings. Scarcely had he turned, however, -when that cry in the night once more smote upon his -ears.</p> - -<p>He whirled to an about face in a flash. “Where are -you?” he called.</p> - -<p>The cry was repeated, apparently coming from a mass -of shadow, to his left, and farther down the slope. He -plunged on into the gloom.</p> - -<p>“I’ll find out what’s back of this if it takes a leg,” he -declared to himself.</p> - -<p>The next moment he stumbled over some obstacle, and -fell forward. He threw out his hands instinctively to -ease his fall, but they came in contact with nothing more -substantial than thin air.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">118</a></span> -He dropped through space—not far, yet far enough to -give him quite a jolt when he landed on the hard rocks. -After a moment he scrambled to a sitting posture and -rubbed his bruised shins.</p> - -<p>On every side of him the gloom was thick. He could -look up, however, and see an oblong patch of sky, studded -with stars.</p> - -<p>“Thunder!” he exclaimed ruefully. “There’s an open -cut on the slope, and I’ve stumbled into it. That’s what -a fellow gets for tracking trouble over ground he doesn’t -know anything about. But that cry for help! It certainly -gets my goat.”</p> - -<p>He had lost his cap in his fall, and he groped around -in the dark until he found it. Then, getting to his feet, -he made his way to the steep bank and began climbing.</p> - -<p>An “open cut” is a gouge in the earth made for purposes -of exploration. Usually an “open cut” is dug or -blasted out in order to make sure of surface indications -of a vein, and sometimes it is made in the hunt for a vein -that has been lost.</p> - -<p>Yet it made little difference how or what that particular -open cut was there. The fact of most importance to -Merry was that he had fallen into it.</p> - -<p>His bruises were of small consequences; and many a -time he had landed from a pole vault with a harder jolt. -When a youngster keeps in the pink of physical condition, -a hard fall now and then is nothing to worry him.</p> - -<p>Presently Frank managed to paw and scramble his way -to the top of the steep bank; and there he perched, trying -to figure out what in blazes it was that had lured him into -the pitfall. He could make nothing of it, and at last -turned his attention to the buildings below him.</p> - -<p>That was not his first visit to the Ophir mine, by any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">119</a></span> -means. He was fairly familiar with the location of the -different buildings, and he knew that the cyanide plant -lay at a considerable distance to the left of the mill. It -surprised him, though, to discover that his wanderings -across the slope had brought him to a point directly opposite -the cyanide tanks.</p> - -<p>Cyanide of potassium, it may be explained, is one of -the two commercially valuable solvents of gold. This -cyanide eats up the gold and holds it in solution. For -that reason, the drug is used in treating refuse from a -stamp mill. In such refuse—technically known as “tailings”—there -is always present a small amount of yellow -metal which the quicksilver on the copper plates of the -mill fails to “catch.” If it were not for the cyanide, this -gold would prove a total loss.</p> - -<p>The tailings are thrown into tanks, arranged in rows -like a series of giant steps. From a large reservoir, high -above the rows of vats, the cyanide solution flows by -gravity into all the tanks below—entering at the bottom -and percolating through the tailings upward to the top, -where it flows off and into the row of tanks next below. -The solution takes up the gold as it flows, finally depositing -its burden of wealth on zinc shavings in what is called -the “zinc box.” From the zinc <a name="box" id="box"></a><ins title="Original has 'boz'">box</ins> the solution drops -down another step into a sump tank, and from there, at -stated intervals, it is pumped back into the reservoir.</p> - -<p>Merriwell was familiar with the cyanide plant at the -Ophir mine. He had been showed around by the super, -and the work had been explained to him. Consequently -he was able to recognize the plant from the open cut -the moment his eyes rested on the black bulk of the -tanks.</p> - -<p>For the present the tanks were out of commission. -A cyanide “clean-up” is a long and tedious operation,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">120</a></span> -and the work pauses for a longer or shorter period while -the work is going on.</p> - -<p>“I’ll slip down among the tanks and look for Lenning,” -Frank murmured. “After I talk with him a while, I’ll -return to the hotel and go to bed. If the bullion is locked -up in a safe, I guess he won’t have any trouble taking -care of it. Funny I didn’t think of that before. The -strong box here must be a regular teaser for a cracksman.”</p> - -<p>Carefully he gained his feet and descended the rough -slope to the tanks. At his left, as he stood by the end -of the upper tier of vats, was the laboratory building, -where the cyanide expert kept his store of the deadly -poison that stole the gold from the tailings, and where -he had his assay equipment, his furnaces, crucibles, et -cetera. The building was dark, and Frank, sure that -Lenning was not inside of it, but on duty around the -tanks, paid the structure no attention.</p> - -<p>Comparatively close to the mill, where the rumble of -the stamps drowned every other noise, to call for Lenning -was useless. Frank would have to plunge in among the -tanks and look for him. Scrambling over the tailings -piles that cluttered the ground, he began his search.</p> - -<p>Lenning was not in the vicinity of the first row, and -Frank dropped to the next tier. He wasn’t there, either. -In spite of the gloomy shadows cast by the big vats, the -lad was able to see with tolerable clearness. The third -and last row remained to be investigated, but here the -same ill luck rewarded Frank’s search. Lenning was -not in evidence around the tanks.</p> - -<p>Possibly, Frank thought, the new watchman might be -in the mill. Or, if he was not there, some of the night -shift might know where he could be found. Just as -Frank was turning to start for the mill, he saw a flash<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">121</a></span> -of light through one of the windows of the laboratory. -He halted and stared, a trifle bewildered.</p> - -<p>Not five minutes before he had looked at the laboratory, -and the windows had all been dark. How did it happen -that now there was a light in one of them?</p> - -<p>“Not much of a mystery about that,” he finally decided. -“Some one has gone into the place and lighted a lamp. -It may be Lenning; or, if not Lenning, then some one -who has been helping with the clean-up. I’ll——”</p> - -<p>The muttered words died on Frank’s lips. Under his -eyes, as he continued to watch the window, the light -winked out and again left the laboratory in darkness.</p> - -<p>“I guess that’s easily explained, too,” he presently decided. -“The fellow that lighted the lamp put it out again. -It was Lenning, of course. As I went hunting for him -among the tanks, he had to go to the laboratory for something. -That’s how I happened to miss him. He has got -what he wanted, and so he has put out the light and will -soon be coming back. I’ll wait here for him.”</p> - -<p>Frank kept his eyes fixed on the dark side of the laboratory -building, where he knew the door was located. Every -moment he expected Lenning to appear, walking toward -him out of the shadow of the laboratory wall. But the -seconds grew into minutes, and still Lenning did not come. -The waiting lad was forced to the conclusion that there -was something strange about all this.</p> - -<p>“If there’s anything wrong,” he thought, “I ought to -find the superintendent, and report. But how do I know -there is anything wrong? Maybe all I see is a part of the -night’s work, and if I went to the super he’d only have -the laugh on me. I’d better investigate a little before I -spread any news of trouble.”</p> - -<p>The roaring mill, with its glittering lights, suggested -quick help in the case of emergency. Frank had a vague<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">122</a></span> -notion that it would be well to go there and make some -inquiries before investigating the laboratory. But, if he -went to the mill, the fellow who had struck a light in the -laboratory would have time to come out and get away -unseen. If it was Lenning, then he would miss him, -and would have to begin his search all over.</p> - -<p>Another thought came to him, as he moved slowly -upon the laboratory, and Frank was surprised that it had -not occurred to him before. A night watchman, moving -about among those dark tanks, would certainly carry a -lantern. Frank had been stumbling blindly around the -tanks, hunting for Lenning, when, if he had considered -the matter thoroughly, he need only have looked for a -bobbing light.</p> - -<p>“I must be getting ‘dippy’ over this Lenning business,” -he reflected. “I’m making mysteries where there are only -commonplace, every-night events. Probably I’ll find Lenning -sitting in a chair in front of the laboratory, guarding -the bullion as comfortably as possible.”</p> - -<p>He moved on to the side of the laboratory with considerable -confidence. At one of the dark windows he -halted and peered into the interior of the structure. A -quick breath escaped his lips.</p> - -<p>What he saw, in the black gloom of the laboratory, was -a long, quivering shaft of light. It crossed the big -room, coming from a mass of shadow and trembling over -some object whose nature Frank was not able to determine. -But a thrill of apprehension ran through him.</p> - -<p>Surely that penciled gleam was from a bull’s-eye lantern! -An honest watchman never made use of such a -light—or, at least, no watchman whose duty kept him -around a lot of big cyanide tanks!</p> - -<p>With this for a starting point, Frank’s thoughts took -a dizzy and horrifying leap into a tangle of conjectures.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">123</a></span> -Perhaps Lenning was working at the safe! It might be -that he had asked for that job at the mine with the sole -idea of getting a chance at the bullion! And it was Frank -who had recommended the fellow to Mr. Bradlaugh!</p> - -<p>A sick feeling ran through the lad as he stood leaning -against the wall and looking into the laboratory. Then, -against these forbidding fancies, he marshaled all that -Lenning had said to him that afternoon—how he was -going to do the square thing, and that Merry would never -have cause to regret befriending him.</p> - -<p>It did not seem possible that——</p> - -<p>Frank’s reflections were suddenly interrupted. Above -the mutterings of the stamps, his keen ear caught a -crunch of sand behind him. Alarmed, he started to whirl -around; but, before he could turn, he was caught by the -shoulders and thrown violently sideways. As he fell, -his head crashed against the stone sill of the window, and -he remembered nothing more. Blank darkness rolled -over him, suddenly and completely.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">124</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xix" id="xix"></a>CHAPTER XIX.<br /> -<span>MISSING BULLION.</span></h2> - - -<p>Had Merriwell not been as tough as sole leather, that -ugly fall might have had serious consequences. As it -was, he was merely stunned, and in a minute or two he -was sitting up on the ground, rubbing the side of his head -and trying to guess what had happened.</p> - -<p>Although he could not remember it, yet at the moment -he was seized and thrown sideways, a startled cry had -escaped his lips. Ears accustomed to hearing sounds -through the clamor of the mill had caught that cry, and -Merriwell was conscious of a dark form hastening in his -direction.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter here?” demanded a voice, as the -form halted at Merriwell’s side. “That you, Lenning?”</p> - -<p>“No, Burke, it’s not Lenning,” Merry answered, recognizing -the man as the recently appointed superintendent -at the mine, “it’s Merriwell.”</p> - -<p>“Merriwell! What the blazes are you doing here, at -this time o’ night?”</p> - -<p>“Looking for Lenning.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he ought to be around the tanks somewhere.”</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t find him,” said Frank, and jumped to his -feet. He was dizzy for a moment and leaned back -against the wall of the building. “He wasn’t anywhere -around the tanks,” he went on, “and I started for the laboratory. -When I got this far I stopped and looked -through the window. Somebody grabbed me from behind, -all at once, and jammed my head against the window -sill. When I came to I was sitting up on the ground,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">125</a></span> -and you were hustling toward me. I haven’t the least -idea how long my wits were woolgathering, but it couldn’t -have been long.”</p> - -<p>“It wasn’t,” answered Burke, his voice showing his -concern. “You yelled, and I was prowling around and -happened to hear. I wasn’t more than a minute in getting -here.”</p> - -<p>“What the mischief is going on, Burke?”</p> - -<p>“Search me. Everything has been as quiet and peaceable -around these diggings as a Sunday-school picnic, right -up to now. You say you couldn’t find Lenning?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t suppose he was the one who came up behind -you and——”</p> - -<p>“Lenning? Great Scott, no! Why should he want -to slam me into the laboratory wall?”</p> - -<p>“He didn’t use to be a very warm friend of yours.”</p> - -<p>“I know, but things are different, now. You see, I’m -helping him to square away and——”</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes, I’m next to all that. He wouldn’t have -been taken on here, if it hadn’t been for you. I haven’t -much use for the fellow, though, even if you have. That’s -why I was strolling around the tanks when I ought to -have been ‘hitting the hay.’ Thought it was just as well -to keep an eye on Lenning for the first few nights. Say, -Merriwell,” and the super smothered a laugh as he spoke, -“is that why you’re out here to-night?”</p> - -<p>“You’re too darned keen, Burke,” laughed Merriwell. -“I heard you finished a cyanide clean-up, this afternoon, -and were to have some bullion in the laboratory safe for -overnight.”</p> - -<p>“That’s correct. Four ten-pound bars were locked in -the safe about eight o’clock.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Frank proceeded earnestly, “don’t think for a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">126</a></span> -minute that I’m not trusting Lenning. I just happened -around to have a talk with him during his first night on -duty.”</p> - -<p>“He wasn’t on duty. If he had been, you’d have found -him. How does that look—for a new hand?”</p> - -<p>“There’s some reason for it, I’ll bet.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said the super dryly, “there must be a reason; -but, whatever it is, it’s no credit to Lenning. Come on -and we’ll see if we can find him.”</p> - -<p>Burke walked hurriedly along the side of the laboratory -to the door, Frank following close at his heels. The -bruise on the side of Frank’s forehead was not serious -enough to bother him, and his head was as clear as a -bell. The consequences of the fall had spent themselves -on the first shock, and only the bruise remained to remind -him of his disagreeable experience.</p> - -<p>As his wits grew active, they picked up his interrupted -chain of reflections where they had been broken off. He -recalled the gleam of the bull’s-eye, and his suspicions of -Lenning. Although he wanted to believe the fellow innocent -of any treacherous work, yet his mysterious absence -was the strongest bit of circumstantial evidence -against him.</p> - -<p>“The door’s unlocked,” announced Burke, halting at -the entrance and drawing a long breath of relief, “and that -means that Lenning is probably inside. Queer, though, -that he hasn’t got a light.”</p> - -<p>He pushed open the door and was about to step into -the dark interior of the laboratory. Frank suddenly -reached out a restraining hand and gripped his arm.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be in a rush, Burke,” he warned. “When I -was looking through the window I saw the gleam of a -bull’s-eye lantern.”</p> - -<p>“Thunder!” cried Burke, alarmed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">127</a></span> -Shaking Frank’s hand from his sleeve, he flung himself -into the darkness of the big room. Frank, tremendously -excited, posted himself in the open door and watched -and waited.</p> - -<p>The ray from the lantern had vanished. That was a -disturbing fact in itself. Listening with all his ears, -Merry tried to follow the movements of the super by -the noise he made in moving around. This was difficult, -owing to the loud roaring of the stamps.</p> - -<p>At last, Burke struck a match. The glimmer moved a -few paces through the dark and then touched the wick -of a lamp. In a moment there was light, and the large, -brick-floored room slowly took form under Frank’s staring -eyes.</p> - -<p>The furnaces stood duskily out of the half gloom, -quartering-down tables, glass-inclosed assayer’s scales, a -pyramid of crucibles, a heap of charcoal, a huge safe in -a distant corner—Frank saw all these dimly. The lamp -stood on a table in the center of the room, with Burke’s -tall form reared upward beside it.</p> - -<p>“There doesn’t seem to be any one here but us,” said -the super, “although there are plenty of places where a -man could hide. Close the door, lock it on the inside, -and keep the key in your pocket. We’ll make a search -to see what we can find, if anything.”</p> - -<p>The key was in the lock. Frank followed the super’s -orders, and then went around helping him in his search.</p> - -<p>Burke, lamp in hand, peered here and there in every -place where a prowler would have a chance to conceal -himself. In a few minutes it became evident that the -lad and the super were the only ones in the laboratory.</p> - -<p>Burke moved to the corner where the safe stood, and -a shout of consternation burst from him. “Look there!” -he gasped, as Frank rushed to his side.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">128</a></span> -With a shaking finger the super was pointing to the -safe. The big door had been wrenched open, and broken -scraps of steel and iron lay in a clutter in front of it.</p> - -<p>“By Jove!” whispered Merry hoarsely. “There’s been -a robbery.”</p> - -<p>“I should say so,” ground out Burke. “There’ll be -merry blazes to pay, now. See this!”</p> - -<p>He bent over the wrecked door of the safe and pointed -out a rim of some soft substance that had been plastered -around the edge.</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” queried Frank.</p> - -<p>“Only a little evidence of how the safe was wrecked. -Soft soap and nitroglycerin did the work. The soap -was ridged around the edge of the door, and then the -explosive was poured in and touched off. I’ve heard -how such things are done. Hold the lamp a minute.”</p> - -<p>Frank took the light, and the super went down on his -knees and pushed head and shoulders into the safe. An -instant later he drew back.</p> - -<p>“Those four bars of bullion are gone,” he reported. “I -was positive of that, of course, before I looked, but now -there isn’t a shadow of a doubt. Yeggmen have cracked -the safe and made off with the bars. Here’s a go!” he -growled, starting to his feet and giving Frank a troubled -look. “When you saw the gleam of that bull’s-eye through -the window, the cracksman had just about finished the -job. One of them must have been outside, posted as a -lookout. He was the scoundrel who crept up behind you. -While you were stunned, the thieves got away with the -gold. Give me the key to the door, Merriwell, and stay -here a minute.”</p> - -<p>Burke snatched the key as Frank offered it to him, -dashed for the door, unlocked it, and flung it wide, then -plunged away into the night. The lad, left alone with his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">129</a></span> -reflections, put the lamp back on the table and dropped -down on a bench. What his thoughts were need not be -discussed, but they were sufficiently unpleasant.</p> - -<p>The superintendent had been gone only a short time -when Frank, through the open door of the laboratory, -saw half a dozen lanterns emerge from the stamp mill, -separate and go scurrying off into the night in as many -different directions. A little later, Burke returned.</p> - -<p>“I’ve started men out to beat up the camp,” he reported, -“and I’ve telephoned to Mr. Bradlaugh. He will -get hold of Hawkins, the deputy sheriff, and get him on -the trail as soon as possible. It’s a long chance, Merriwell, -whether we ever get back that missing bullion. Lenning -is pretty foxy.”</p> - -<p>“Lenning?” echoed Frank.</p> - -<p>“Sure. You know he is at the bottom of this robbery, -don’t you? All he wanted the job for was to be in a position -to get hold of that bullion.”</p> - -<p>“He’s not a cracksman, Burke!” protested Frank. “The -work here was done by a man who knew the business. -Don’t make any snap judgments on the spur of the moment. -Lenning was brought up by Colonel Hawtrey, and I -don’t think he ever had a chance to take lessons in cracking -safes. Give him the benefit of the doubt.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s look this business square in the eyes,” answered -Burke determinedly. “Lenning was at the bottom of it, -but he certainly had help. That was part of the scheme. -Some fellow who knew how acted as his confederate. -While Lenning was around the place, after the bullion -was locked up, it was easy for him to let his confederate -into the laboratory. Probably Lenning himself was the -lookout, while the confederate was tinkering with the safe. -The noise of the explosion was drowned in the roar from -the stamp mill. After all, Merriwell, it must have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">130</a></span> -been Lenning who grabbed you and shoved you against -the wall. You can consider that you got off pretty luckily, -I think.”</p> - -<p>“How much was that bullion worth?” queried Frank, -with a sinking heart.</p> - -<p>“It was base bullion—all this cyanide product, as we -turn it out, is a good way from being the pure stuff. -There were about six hundred ounces at, say, ten dollars -an ounce. Placer gold runs double that, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Six thousand dollars!” muttered Frank. “If Lenning -took the gold, and if we don’t get it back, I’m in for that -amount. Ouch! I wonder what dad will say when he -hears of this brilliant piece of work?”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<a name="move" id="move"></a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">131</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xx" id="xx"></a>CHAPTER XX.<br /> -<span>THE FINGER OF SUSPICION.</span></h2> - - -<p>Merriwell was very much out of sorts with himself. It -did not seem possible that Lenning could play such a -game and make it win. And yet, he was missing and the -bullion was missing. Lenning’s past record rose up -against him, and clinched the circumstantial evidence. -Nevertheless, a lingering doubt stirred itself far down in -Merriwell’s mind.</p> - -<p>“Chirk up, son!” said Burke, in a kindly tone. “I -don’t believe Mr. Bradlaugh will come down very hard -on you. You’ve made the biggest kind of a hit with the -general manager, and you can bet something handsome -he’ll let you off as easy as he can.”</p> - -<p>“Business is business,” Merry answered glumly. “I -put myself on record and became responsible for Lenning. -It was on my say-so alone that Lenning got the -job here. I’m not asking any favors from Mr. Bradlaugh, -but I’ll be dinged if I call on dad to fork over the -six thousand. I’ll go out and find a mine, or something, -and pay it all myself.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the spirit. Anyhow, don’t go looking for the -mine until we make sure the bullion can’t be recovered. -The thieves haven’t got very much the start of us, and -Hawkins is a regular terror when he cuts loose on the -track of a lawbreaker. Pin your faith to Hawkins, boy, -and hope for the best.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe,” said Frank, after a little hard thinking, “Lenning -isn’t mixed up in the robbery, after all.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t fool yourself about that. You’re not helping -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">132</a></span> -matters any by starting on the wrong track. Lenning is -gone. That’s the strongest point against him. How can -you get around that?”</p> - -<p>“He may have met with foul play——”</p> - -<p>Burke laughed scoffingly.</p> - -<p>“Nonsense! Everything points to the fact that he -engineered all the foul play himself.”</p> - -<p>“Wait a minute, Burke,” urged Merriwell. “When -I was coming to the mine, I heard something like a call -for help. It was a smothered sort of cry, just as though -some one was having a hard time using his voice.”</p> - -<p>Burke began to show some interest.</p> - -<p>“Where did you hear the cry?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Just as I started down the slope toward the mine. I -was in the trail, at the time, and it wasn’t until the cry -was repeated that I gave much attention to it. You see, -the stamps made so much noise that I couldn’t be sure. -After a while I thought I located the sound in a clump of -greasewood. I pounded around in the bushes but couldn’t -find any one. Just as I had given up and was starting -on again, I heard the shout once more. This time it was -still farther away from the trail, seemingly. I tried to -follow it, and tumbled head over heels into one of your -open cuts. It’s the cut just above the cyanide works. -After I got out of that hole, I came down to the tanks -and tried to find Lenning. Now, what did those cries -for help mean?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing,” answered Burke. “Some coyote was yelping -in the hills. The yelp of a prowling brute like that, -when it gets mixed with the noise of the stamps, gives -a queer impression sometimes.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Frank doubtfully, “maybe you are right, -Burke, but I don’t think so.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">133</a></span> -“If you really heard a cry,” was the skeptical rejoinder, -“why couldn’t you find the person that gave it?”</p> - -<p>“I may have missed him in the dark.”</p> - -<p>“That’s possible, too, but not probable.”</p> - -<p>“Another thing,” went on Merriwell, “I think Lenning -was honest in his intentions, and that he meant to do the -right thing here. He came to the hotel to see me, in the -afternoon, and we walked out on the trail a short distance -and had a talk. He wanted to thank me for helping him -get a job here. He said he was going to make good, and -that I’d never be sorry for what I’d done.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’s smooth,” said Burke. “If he hadn’t been, -how could he have pulled the wool over his smart old -uncle’s eyes for so long? He had an object in going to -town—and his object wasn’t to thank you for helping -him. That was merely a makeshift to cover his real -purpose.”</p> - -<p>“What do you think his real purpose was?”</p> - -<p>“That’s a poser. Maybe, though, he wanted to get -word to his confederate—to tell him that he’d got the -job, and that the work could be pulled off to-night.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a guess, Burke, and maybe a wild one.”</p> - -<p>“If it comes to that, Chip, we’re guessing about everything -except one thing—and that thing’s as plain as -print.”</p> - -<p>“What is that?”</p> - -<p>“Why, that Lenning is at the bottom of the whole -black business. It must have been Lenning. But we’re -wasting time here. I don’t know that we can do much, -but we can try. <a name="Suppose" id="Suppose"></a><ins title="Original has 'Supose'">Suppose</ins> we rummage around for clews?”</p> - -<p>They rummaged for half an hour, but all they discovered -was a blank. Just what sort of clews Burke -was looking for, Frank did not know, but he helped -the super paw around the laboratory, hoping against<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">134</a></span> -hope that something might turn up. In the midst of -their fruitless search, Mr. Bradlaugh and Hawkins, the -deputy sheriff, hurried into the building.</p> - -<p>“Here’s a fine kettle of fish, Burke!” cried the exasperated -general manager. “Mighty queer we can’t hang -onto our gold, after we get hold of it. Has Lenning -turned up?”</p> - -<p>“No,” said the super, “he has vanished, and the gold -has vanished. I reckon one explains the other.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon it does. Why,” and Mr. Bradlaugh’s -glance took stock of Merry for the first time, “how did -you get the news, Merriwell? And how did you beat -Hawkins and me to the mine.”</p> - -<p>“I was mixed up in the robbery,” Frank answered.</p> - -<p>Hawkins, a good friend of Frank’s, laughed at that.</p> - -<p>“How was it, son?” he inquired.</p> - -<p>Frank went over his experiences for the benefit of -Mr. Bradlaugh and the deputy sheriff.</p> - -<p>“Thought, mebby, you’d made a mistake in recommendin’ -Lenning, hey?” grinned Hawkins. “That why -you came out to the mine?”</p> - -<p>“No,” Frank answered, “I’ve got a lot of confidence in -Lenning. I didn’t think he’d do such a thing, and I’m -not positive he did it now.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t dodge the facts, my boy,” interposed Mr. Bradlaugh. -“I think it’s pretty plain, myself. Lenning’s -record is all against him.”</p> - -<p>“It must have been Lenning, Chip,” asserted Hawkins.</p> - -<p>Just as before, when Merry had stood up for Lenning -and asked Mr. Bradlaugh to give him a place, every one -was against the boy. His friendlessness was even more -evident than it had ever been.</p> - -<p>“If Lenning made off with the bullion,” said Frank,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">135</a></span> -“then I’m out six thousand dollars—in case Hawkins -fails to get it back.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll talk about that later,” said Mr. Bradlaugh significantly.</p> - -<p>“A bargain’s a bargain,” said Frank firmly. “You’ll -have to give me time, though, Mr. Bradlaugh. I’ve got -to do something to get hold of that six thousand myself. -That’s what it’s liable to cost me for taking a chance on -Lenning.”</p> - -<p>“Hold your bronks a spell, son,” put in Hawkins. -“Don’t forget that I’m on the job, or that I’d work harder -for you than I would for any one. I’ve said a number -o’ times that you’re the clear quill; and when I toot my -bazoo to that effect about any one, it’s a sure sign they’re -pretty solid with me. I want to tell you that I’ve laid -hold of this proposition with both hands, because Mr. -Bradlaugh told me Lenning was your protégé. I don’t -reckon you had much savvy when you tried to help the -coyote, but you acted accordin’ to your lights. When a -feller does that-a-way, he’s entitled to credit. Just -on your account, son, I exerted myself more’n common. -I managed to get hold of half a dozen men and hosses, -and they’re shacking off to lay for Lenning and his burglar -pal, between here and the border. That’s where -they’ll make for, I reckon—mostly they all do. Mexico’s -safer than the U. S., arter a job same as this. Don’t -be down in the mouth till Hawkins throws up his hands -and says there’s nothin’ doin’. It ’u’d tickle me plumb -out o’ my boots to get back that bullion for you.”</p> - -<p>There was no doubt of the deputy sheriff’s feelings in -the matter, and Frank felt grateful.</p> - -<p>“You’re a good friend, Mr. Hawkins,” said he. “If -I can help any, I wish you’d tell me how.”</p> - -<p>“You can help by goin’ to the Ophir House and turnin’<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">136</a></span> -in,” laughed the deputy. “Not much can be done at -night. With daybreak, though, you can climb a-straddle -of Borak and report to me for orders.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to go back to the hotel,” demurred -Frank. “I want to stay right around here, and be -Johnny-on-the-spot if anything turns up.”</p> - -<p>Hawkins and Mr. Bradlaugh went over to the safe -and gave it a critical examination.</p> - -<p>“Good job of safe blowin’,” declared the deputy. “Some -old hand did the business. Couldn’t have been Lenning.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell Burke,” said -Frank, grasping at this straw of hope and trying to swing -it in Lenning’s favor.</p> - -<p>“But,” went on Hawkins, “it’s not a one-man job. -There was two of ’em—mebby more. Lenning was one—he -must have been.”</p> - -<p>There was the same old positiveness in convicting -Lenning. Merry had heard that “it must have been Lenning” -several times. Yet, blindly, the youngster still -clung to the scrap of faith he still had in Lenning.</p> - -<p>“What have you done, Burke?” Hawkins inquired, -turning from his examination of the safe to face the -super.</p> - -<p>“I’ve sent half a dozen men from the mill to curry -the chaparral around the camp,” Burke answered. “I -don’t think they’ll discover anything, but it was about -all I could do.”</p> - -<p>Hawkins nodded his approval.</p> - -<p>“Any of ’em reported yet?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“No, not yet. They’ve been out for some time, though, -and I reckon it won’t be long before some of ’em come -straggling in.”</p> - -<p>The words were hardly out of Burke’s mouth before<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">137</a></span> -a couple of the mill men came running into the room with -their lanterns. They were jubilant, and the very appearance -of them caused those in the laboratory to feel a -thrill of hope.</p> - -<p>“Found something?” demanded Hawkins.</p> - -<p>“Bet we have,” answered one.</p> - -<p>“Lenning?”</p> - -<p>“Well, no; but we got hold of a couple of fellers, -and they’re comin’ this way. Wait till they come. I -reckon we’d better let ’em talk for themselves.”</p> - -<p>Then two more came into the room—and the sight of -them made Merriwell dizzy.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<a name="move2" id="move2"></a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">138</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxi" id="xxi"></a>CHAPTER XXI.<br /> -<span>BLIND LUCK.</span></h2> - - -<p>It was about eleven o’clock, and one hour past their -usual time for hunting their bunks, when Clancy and Ballard -pushed away from their checkerboard.</p> - -<p>“An even thing, Red,” said Ballard, with a good deal -of satisfaction, “and that’s the way I like to quit.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve kept me up for an hour longer than usual, -Pink,” yawned Clancy, “just to saw off even. If I -hadn’t given you the last three games, we wouldn’t have -got to bed to-night.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got a picture of you giving anybody a game,” -jeered Ballard. “You played for all there was in it, and -I merely demonstrated the fact that I’m as good as you -are.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, well,” murmured the red-headed youth, “if it -pleases you to think that, I’m agreeable. Wonder where -Chip is?”</p> - -<p>“In bed, of course, just where I’m going to be in a -brace of shakes. Come on.”</p> - -<p>They hustled upstairs, and Clancy stepped into the room -jointly occupied by himself and Merry. A call from -Clancy brought Ballard on the jump.</p> - -<p>“What do you think?” asked Clancy. “Chip, isn’t here. -Where the nation do you suppose he is?”</p> - -<p>“Ask me an easier one,” answered Ballard. “It isn’t -like him to skip out without telling us what he’s up to.”</p> - -<p>Clancy had an idea.</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet a plugged nickel against a chink wash ticket,” -said he, “that Chip’s absence has something to do with -Lenning.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">139</a></span> -“What has it to do with Lenning?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve dug up that much, Pink, and it’s up to you to -think out the rest. I’ve started something, now you finish -it.”</p> - -<p>“If I tried to finish everything you started,” snorted -Ballard, “I’d have my hands full. But I guess I can -fill in the gaps of this particular proposition, all right.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what’s the answer?”</p> - -<p>“Chip has gone out to the mine to bolster up Lenning’s -good resolutions. That would be like him, wouldn’t it? -Just remember, please, that we interrupted a confab Chip -and Lenning were having when we came in from the -gulch. More than likely Chip has gone to the cyanide -plant to wind up that conversation.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve hit it, old man,” beamed Clancy. “I know -as much as anybody, if I could only think of it, but that -gilt-edged theory certainly got past me. Look here, Pink. -Suppose we take a stroll out toward the mine, meet Chip, -and escort him back to the hotel?”</p> - -<p>“You’re on! But if Chip doesn’t happen to be at the -mine——”</p> - -<p>“Well, if we don’t find him, we’ll have a nice little -walk. And it’s a fine old night for a walk, Pink.”</p> - -<p>“If I’d known you’re as wide-awake as all that, Red,” -grumbled Pink, “I’d have had another game out of you.”</p> - -<p>“You would—not. If we don’t stir up a little excitement -during this stroll of ours, so I can get my mind off -checkers, I’ll be beating you in my sleep. Come on, if -you’re ready.”</p> - -<p>They descended the stairs, passed through the office, -and out at the front of the hotel. Then, turning south, -they traversed the length of the main street.</p> - -<p>Ophir was an orderly little place. A great many Easterners -had come to the town, in the employ of the syndicate<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">140</a></span> -that operated the mine, and they exerted an influence -in the settlement that was all on the side of law and -order.</p> - -<p>The street was quiet, and almost deserted. At the -end of it, Clancy and Ballard found themselves in the -trail that led directly to the Ophir “workings.” The -road stretched southward in a clear, whitish streak against -its background of dusky desert.</p> - -<p>“Chip has got me going in this Lenning affair,” confessed -Ballard, as they walked leisurely along the trail.</p> - -<p>“Same here, Pink,” said Clancy. “When Chip takes -the bit in his teeth you might as well stand back and let -him go.”</p> - -<p>“He never does that unless he’s mighty sure he’s on -the right track.”</p> - -<p>“Sure not, but one of these days he’s liable to run -full-tilt over the wrong course. Between you and me, -<a name="Pink" id="Pink"></a><ins title="Original has 'Ping'">Pink</ins>, I believe that’s what he’s doing now. Lenning had -a lot of nerve to refer Mr. Bradlaugh to Chip.”</p> - -<p>“That was the right move, though, if Lenning really -wanted help from Merry. Lenning was wise to that.”</p> - -<p>“I guess he’s wise to a lot of things that Merry will -never know anything about. Hang it all! I wish -Shoup had taken Lenning out of the country with him. -They’re a fine pair, those two, and one isn’t much better -than the other.”</p> - -<p>As the lads strolled on they kept an expectant watch -ahead. At any moment they believed Merriwell might -show up in the trail, traveling townward. But they -did not see him. The stamps were rumbling in the distance, -and as the noise grew in volume, Ballard halted -with a shiver.</p> - -<p>“There’s something about that moaning of the stamp<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">141</a></span> -mill, at the dead of night like this,” he remarked, “that -gives me the creeps.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t get scared, little Bright Eyes,” murmured -Clancy soothingly. “Remember, I’m along.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you go to blazes!” grunted Ballard. “If it was -a case of spooks, Red, you’re the last fellow I’d want for -company. Now——”</p> - -<p>Ballard had started on again. Then, suddenly biting -his words short, he halted once more.</p> - -<p>“What’s the trouble, Pink?” inquired Clancy. “See -anything in the bushes?”</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t see anything,” returned Ballard, “but my -ears are pretty good, and I’m hearing something.”</p> - -<p>“What?”</p> - -<p>“Listen yourself. Maybe it will break out again.”</p> - -<p>The lads were almost at the top of the rise where the -trail pitched downward into the mining camp. Consequently -they were so close to the stamp mill that its -racket interfered with the sounds they were listening for. -But the noise came again, and it was clear enough.</p> - -<p>“It’s the whinny of a horse,” said Clancy.</p> - -<p>“That’s how it struck me,” answered Ballard. “The -horse is in a thicket, over there on the left of the road. -What’s a horse there for, at this time of night?”</p> - -<p>“Probably it’s a stray horse, Pink. Horses break loose -occasionally, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” declared Ballard, “I’m going to find out -whether it’s a stray horse or not. If the animal’s loose, -we’ll lead it on to the mine. Chances are, that’s where -it came from.”</p> - -<p>“Lead on, old man. If trouble lurks in yonder thicket, -don’t forget that Clancy is ready to shoulder his share.”</p> - -<p>There wasn’t much trouble in the thicket, that is, not -so far as the lads could see. What they did find, however,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">142</a></span> -were a couple of horses, saddled, bridled, and hitched -to a white thorn bush. Here, certainly, was food for -reflection.</p> - -<p>“What do you know about this?” demanded Ballard.</p> - -<p>“There’s no law against a couple of riders leaving their -horses in a patch of scrub, Pink,” remarked Clancy.</p> - -<p>“It’s queer, anyhow. Where are the riders?”</p> - -<p>“Not being a mindreader, I’ll have to give that up. If -the riders are not here now, they’ll probably be around -before long. Horses are worth money, you know, and -they’re not left for good in any such way as this. Possibly——”</p> - -<p>“Sh-h-h!” cut in Ballard excitedly, grabbing his chum’s -arm, and dragging him back into the greasewood. -“They’re coming now,” he added, in a husky whisper, his -lips close to Clancy’s ear.</p> - -<p>According to Clancy’s matter-of-fact ideas, there was -not much sense in hiding from those two horsemen. But -Ballard had ideas of his own—and nerves that had been -somewhat ruffled by the uncanny booming of the stamps. -He had insisted on pulling Clancy down into the brush, -and Clancy was content to remain there.</p> - -<p>Two dark figures were crashing through the bushes, -tearing their way toward the horses, as fast as they could -go. Between them the men were carrying something. It -looked like a bag, and that the bag was heavy was proved -by the fact that it caused them a lot of trouble.</p> - -<p>The men did not exchange a word, but buckled in and -hustled as though their lives depended on it. It was dark -in the chaparral, and Clancy and Ballard could not see -the men very distinctly, but they had no difficulty in -following their movements.</p> - -<p>When the horses were reached the bag was dropped. -Each man leaped to an animal and tore loose the bridle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">143</a></span> -reins. One mounted. The other lifted up the bag and -attempted to throw it over the horse behind the mounted -man. The bag slipped and dropped again.</p> - -<p>The man on the horse swore softly. It was the first -sound either he or his companion had uttered.</p> - -<p>The fellow on the ground made another attempt, and, -this time, succeeded in getting the bag back of the saddle -cantle. Clancy and Ballard could see that it was heavily -weighted, and that the weight was divided in each end of -the bag, so that the contents held it to the horse’s back.</p> - -<p>Then the other man scrambled to get into his saddle, -and, in almost less time than it takes to tell it, both were -mounted and ready for flight.</p> - -<p>Just here Clancy yielded to a reckless impulse. Had -he thought twice about the matter, he would probably -have suppressed himself. But he was excited, and perhaps -not accountable for what he did.</p> - -<p>Starting up suddenly, he gave vent to a yell.</p> - -<p>“Hold up, you fellows!” he shouted. “What have you -got there?”</p> - -<p>His answer was a wild rattle of spurs and swish of -quirts.</p> - -<p>“Ride!” shouted one of the horsemen, in a voice that -was strangely familiar. “They’re laying for us!”</p> - -<p>The horses dashed out of the chaparral at frenzied -speed. Something fell heavily, and the lads knew it must -be the bag. It had been torn from the horse’s back by -the bushes, or had been dislodged by the horse’s wild -movements. Anyhow, the bag dropped—and the horsemen -did not pause to recover it. Their anxiety to get -away astounded Clancy and Ballard.</p> - -<p>“What did you want to butt in for, Red?” demanded -Ballard, watching the dim figures receding at breakneck -speed into the distant shadows.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">144</a></span> -“I don’t know,” answered Clancy. “I was curious, I -suppose. If I had it to do over again, I’d keep still. What -I said scared them, though, and that’s why they went on -without the bag. Let’s see what’s in the thing.”</p> - -<p>The boys stepped toward the heavily weighted bag and -Clancy began untying the cord at the top of it.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">145</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxii" id="xxii"></a>CHAPTER XXII.<br /> -<span>A SLIGHT MISTAKE.</span></h2> - - -<p>“Tell me what this is, Pink,” said Clancy, “and you -can have it.”</p> - -<p>The red-headed chap had pulled a short, thick bar from -the bag. The surface of the bar was rough, and plainly -it was of some sort of metal.</p> - -<p>Ballard took the bar and weighed it in his hands; then -he held it in one hand and rubbed the other hand over it.</p> - -<p>“Feels like a chunk of lead,” said he. “Weighs nine -or ten pounds, I should think. Wait till I strike a match -and get a better look at it.”</p> - -<p>The bar did not improve any upon being examined in -the flare of a match. It had a brown, dingy look, and -Ballard dropped it with an exclamation of disgust.</p> - -<p>“Anything else in the bag, Red?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Three more bars, just like that one,” was the reply.</p> - -<p>“I’d like to know why those fellows were taking so -much trouble with that stuff. Looked to me as though -they were running off with it.”</p> - -<p>“That’s an easy guess. They’re a couple of thieves, -Pink, and they’ve been stealing.”</p> - -<p>“Where have they been stealing?”</p> - -<p>“At the mine; there’s no other place handy where -there’s anything valuable. Thunder!” The exclamation -broke excitedly from Clancy, for at last the right idea -had dawned upon him. “Pink,” he cried, “this stuff is -bullion!”</p> - -<p>“Bullion?”</p> - -<p>“It’s a cinch. Those fellows were trying to get away -with it, and we happened around just in time to block<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">146</a></span> -proceedings. Say, old man, we’re starring ourselves to-night!”</p> - -<p>“I thought bullion was gold,” observed Ballard.</p> - -<p>“That’s what it is.”</p> - -<p>“Well, gold is yellow. Strikes me this bullion is off-color -a good deal.”</p> - -<p>“Probably it’s base bullion—gold mixed with other -kinds of metal.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you’re right, Red,” said Ballard, after a brief -period of thought. “Those two fellows stole the bullion -at the mine—and left their horses here while they were -doing it. We blundered on the horses, and then you cut -loose with a yell that scared them into thinking some one -from the Ophir Mine was ‘laying for them.’ They pulled -out in such a hurry they lost the bag, and didn’t dare -come back after it. It’s a case of blind luck. Now, let’s -carry the bag to the mine and get the reward.”</p> - -<p>Clancy dropped the one bar that had been brought out -for purposes of inspection back into the bag, and began -binding the cord around the open end.</p> - -<p>“Wasn’t there something familiar about the voice of -that robber, Pink?” asked Clancy. “Seems to me I have -heard it somewhere before.”</p> - -<p>“Come to think of it,” said Ballard, “the voice did have -a familiar ring. Where the deuce have I heard it?”</p> - -<p>Both lads racked their brains for a few moments. It -was Clancy who finally recalled the owner of the voice.</p> - -<p>“It was that pasty-faced Shoup!” he declared. “Lenning’s -particular crony, Billy Shoup.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right!” cried Ballard. “A job like this is about -what we might expect of Shoup. But who was -<a name="duplicate" id="duplicate"></a><ins title="Original has 'the the'">the</ins> -other fellow? It’s so dark in here I couldn’t see -much of either of them. The other fellow didn’t do any -talking, did he?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">147</a></span> -“No; neither of them wasted much time in talk. I -wonder,” and Clancy drew a quick breath, “if that second -fellow was Lenning?”</p> - -<p>“Why, no!” exclaimed the startled Ballard. “Lenning -is night watchman at the cyanide works.”</p> - -<p>“That doesn’t cut any ice. He might have got the job -as watchman just to make this robbery easier for him -and Shoup.”</p> - -<p>“Those two wouldn’t work together, Clan; that is, not -after what happened in the gulch.”</p> - -<p>“You wouldn’t think so, if they were any other fellows -than Shoup and Lenning. But you never can tell what -those chaps will do. They may have patched up their -differences, and got together for this piece of lawless -work.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps you’ve hit it off, Red, but I wouldn’t be sure -about it. Right now we’ve got to think of getting on to -the mine. If Shoup and that other fellow should make -up their minds to come back here and get the bag, you -and I would be in a fine row of stumps.”</p> - -<p>This was a point that hadn’t occurred to the lads until -that moment. It helped to spur them on toward the -mine with the bag of bullion. Each holding an end of -the sack, they made their way out of the chaparral and -back to the trail; then, looking behind them in the direction -taken by the two riders to make sure they were -not returning, they crossed the rise and started down -the slope beyond.</p> - -<p>At this point, three or four lanterns appeared at a little -distance, bobbing around like so many fireflies. The lights, -it soon became manifest, were converging toward a certain -place—and that place was the ground on which -Clancy and Ballard were standing.</p> - -<p>“There are some of the miners, now,” said Clancy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">148</a></span> -“They’re coming this way, too,” added Ballard. “Aiming -for us, Red, if I’m any prophet.”</p> - -<p>“Listen!” exclaimed Clancy.</p> - -<p>“Halt, there!” bellowed a voice, making itself heard -above the stamps. “Don’t try to run, or you’ll be sorry -for it.”</p> - -<p>“Just as though we could run with a load as heavy -as this!” said Clancy, in a disgusted tone. “What do -those miners take us for?”</p> - -<p>Four lanterns clustered close, drawing in upon the -two chums from four different directions.</p> - -<p>“Try to shoot,” threatened a voice, “and we’ll beat you -to it. You’re prisoners.”</p> - -<p>“We haven’t anything to shoot with,” called Ballard. -“And what do you mean by saying we’re prisoners?”</p> - -<p>“You know well enough.”</p> - -<p>Two of the men with lanterns jumped up on either -side of the boys, and each had his arm gripped by a -muscular hand.</p> - -<p>“Here’s the bag of loot, Sim!” exulted one of the -men.</p> - -<p>The man called Sim appeared to be the leader. He -was a bushy-bearded fellow in greasy overclothes, and -he held up his lantern to get a good look at the faces of -the boys.</p> - -<p>“What!” he roared. “Say, ain’t I seen you kids some’r’s -before?”</p> - -<p>“I guess you have, if you work at the Ophir Mine,” -replied Clancy. “We’re chums of Frank Merriwell’s.”</p> - -<p>“Well, sufferin’ Ike!” gasped Sim. “It can’t be that -you’ve been robbin’ the safe in the labr’tory.”</p> - -<p>“You think we’re the thieves that ran away with this -bullion?” gulped Ballard, horrified.</p> - -<p>“We was out lookin’ for the thieves,” apologized Sim,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">149</a></span> -“an’ we hopped onto you two with the bullion. What -was we to think?”</p> - -<p>“You’ve made a slight mistake, that’s all,” laughed -Clancy.</p> - -<p>“Where’d you git that bag of loot?”</p> - -<p>Both Clancy and Ballard took a hand in explaining that -part of it. The explanation was accepted at once, and -the jubilant miners had a good laugh over the mistake -they had made.</p> - -<p>“You’ve done a mighty big thing, you two,” declared -Sim. “Come on to the labr’tory with the boodle. Hank -and I will scoot on ahead an’ sort of ease off the tension -that’s prevailin’ in the vicinity of the cyanide works. Joe, -you and Lafe come along with Ballard and Clancy. Better -tote the bag for ’em, I reckon; they’ve purty nigh done -enough work for one night.”</p> - -<p>Sim and Hank rushed away with their lanterns. Joe -and Lafe relieved the two boys of the bag, and the four -made such good time toward the laboratory building that -they bid fair to reach it neck and neck with Sim and -Hank.</p> - -<p>As a matter of fact, Clancy and Ballard were only a -little way behind the two who had gone on ahead; and -when they stepped into the building, the first person -they saw was Merriwell. Frank was thunder-struck.</p> - -<p>“Howdy, Chip,” grinned Clancy.</p> - -<p>“Thought we’d find you here, old man,” added Ballard.</p> - -<p>“Great Scott!” murmured Frank. “What are you doing -here?”</p> - -<p>“A whole lot more than we expected to do when we -started out,” said Clancy. “You see, Chip, we just about -knew you had come to the mine for a talk with Lenning. -I had figured that out——”</p> - -<p>“With some help from me,” struck in Ballard forcibly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">150</a></span> -“Yes,” corrected Clancy, “with some help from Pink. -Having settled that in our minds, we started along the -trail to meet you and escort you back to the hotel. But, -instead of meeting you, we encountered some one else.”</p> - -<p>At this juncture, Joe and Lafe tramped in with the -bag and dropped it, with a thud, on the brick floor.</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” demanded Hawkins, pointing to the -bag.</p> - -<p>“That’s the bullion,” said Clancy, “four bars of it.”</p> - -<p>“We gathered it in on our way to the mine,” added -Ballard, “and came mighty near being gathered in ourselves -by a bunch of men with lanterns.”</p> - -<p>“Meanin’ us,” beamed Sim. “At first we took ’em for -the robbers.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Bradlaugh, dazed by the sudden trend of events, -pushed forward.</p> - -<p>“Do you mean to say, my lads,” he asked, “that you recovered -the stolen bullion on your way here from town?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” came from both Clancy and Ballard.</p> - -<p>“How in the world did you do it?” queried the perplexed -general manager.</p> - -<p>“It was a case of blind luck,” said Ballard, and, for -the second time, he and Clancy explained how they had -found the horses in the chaparral, and had later been -fortunate enough to recover the bag of bullion.</p> - -<p>“Well, of all the darn-fool plays I ever heard of,” -grunted Hawkins, “that takes the banner. Why, you boys -didn’t even know there’d been a robbery here.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t even know we’d got hold of bullion, at first,” -laughed Ballard, “and after looking at one of the bars -at that.”</p> - -<p>“It’s one of those things,” said the overjoyed Mr. Bradlaugh, -“which could happen about once in a thousand -times.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">151</a></span> -“Once in a million times,” declared Burke. “Merriwell, -you’re lucky to have two such fellows for pards.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what we’ve been trying to impress upon him for -a long time,” remarked Ballard plaintively. “Now I -guess he knows what a fine pair of star actors we are.”</p> - -<p>“You’re all to the mustard, both of you!” cried the -delighted Merriwell.</p> - -<p>“All that’s left for me to do, I suppose,” growled -Hawkins, “is to find Lenning and Shoup. This business -is being wound up in short order, Mr. Bradlaugh.”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">152</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxiii" id="xxiii"></a>CHAPTER XXIII.<br /> -<span>THE SOLUTION TANK.</span></h2> - - -<p>Hawkins’ remark reminded every one in the laboratory, -and particularly Merriwell, that Lenning was still to be -found and dealt with. Merriwell’s faith in Lenning was -growing. He had drawn certain inferences from the -story told by his chums which strengthened his trust in -his protégé.</p> - -<p>“I think, Hawkins,” said Frank, “that it’s pretty clear -now that Lenning wasn’t one of the robbers.”</p> - -<p>“What makes it clear?” demanded the deputy sheriff.</p> - -<p>Mr. Bradlaugh and Burke were opening the bag and -examining the bars of bullion. Frank’s statement and -Hawkins’ question claimed their attention, and they -straightened up and looked around.</p> - -<p>“Clancy and Ballard,” Merriwell replied, “recognized -the voice of Shoup. The other fellow didn’t speak, so -they were not able to recognize him by his voice. Now, -Lenning and Shoup are enemies. It would have been impossible -for them to work together.”</p> - -<p>“Shucks!” grunted the deputy. “They only pretended -to be enemies, sos’t Lenning could fool you into helping -him get a job here.”</p> - -<p>This was a most astounding theory. Furthermore, it -was so wildly improbable that Merry and his chums had -to laugh.</p> - -<p>“You don’t understand what happened between Lenning -and Shoup out at the camp in the gulch, Hawkins,” -said Frank. “Shoup struck Lenning over the head with -a paddle, knocked him out of a canoe, and came within -one of drowning him. I guess they weren’t pretending -they had a row—not to that extent.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">153</a></span> -Merriwell suddenly paused. He was talking in a loud -voice—a voice that echoed in tremendous volume through -the big room. He wondered what was the cause; and -then, in a moment, he realized that the roar of the stamps -had ceased. Twenty batteries, of five stamps each, had -gone abruptly out of commission in the gold mill. The -silence that hovered over the mining camp was most profound. -Merry had been talking against the roar of the -stamps, and when the roar ceased his voice was still -lifted.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter with the mill?” he inquired.</p> - -<p>“The stamps have been ‘hung up’ for an hour,” answered -Burke, “so the amalgamators can dress down the -plates.”</p> - -<p>“It happens twice in every twenty-four hours,” put in -Mr. Bradlaugh, “once on the night shift and once while -the day men are on duty. We——”</p> - -<p>Sim, who had started back to his work in the mill, -returned and thrust his head in at the door just at that -moment.</p> - -<p>“Something queer goin’ on among the tanks, Burke,” -he reported.</p> - -<p>“Something queer, Sim?” echoed the super. “What do -you mean by that?”</p> - -<p>“Step outside once an’ use your ears.”</p> - -<p>Not only Burke, but all the others, stepped from the -laboratory building and stood at attention, facing the -grim, black tanks. Thump, thump thump! came a hollow, -reverberating note. There was nothing else, merely -that thump, thump, thump! It came sometimes at regular -intervals and sometimes a bit wildly and uncertainly.</p> - -<p>“What is it?” inquired Mr. Bradlaugh.</p> - -<p>“Blest if I can sabe it,” said Sim.</p> - -<p>“How long has it been going on?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">154</a></span> -“Don’t know that, either. Mebby it’s been goin’ on -for quite a spell, an’ that the roar of the stamps sort -of smothered it. Now, when the stamps is all hung up, -the thumpin’ can be heard plain.”</p> - -<p>“It comes from the tanks,” put in Hawkins; “maybe -it’s a leaky valve poundin’.”</p> - -<p>“There’s nothing in the pipes,” said Burke. “The -cyanide plant is out of commission until to-morrow. -Sounds as though some one was striking a club against -the side of a tank. We ought to be able to run it down -and find out what causes it.”</p> - -<p>Burke started off, mounting a plank incline that led to -the lower row of tanks, and then moving slowly along -a plank gangway that spanned the tanks’ tops. Merry, -Clancy, and Ballard followed him.</p> - -<p>It was difficult to decide just where the thumping sound -came from. The hollow, resonant note was very deceiving. -A little search, however, proved conclusive that -it did not emanate from the lower tier of vats, so Burke -and Merry and his chums mounted to the next tier.</p> - -<p>While they were hunting over the gangway that crossed -the second tier, they were suddenly startled by a yell -from Hawkins. Looking upward, they saw the deputy -sheriff standing on a ladder, visible from his waist up over -the top of the big solution tank. His form was silhouetted -against a background of starry sky, and he was making -grotesque and excited gestures with his arms.</p> - -<p>“I’ve found what you’re lookin’ for,” he called. “Bring -a lantern and come here. It’s in the solution tank.”</p> - -<p>“That’s as it should be,” laughed Burke; “the solution -tank is the proper one to offer a solution of the mystery.”</p> - -<p>A lantern was secured, and Burke and the three lads -hastened to climb to the huge tank that topped all the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">155</a></span> -others. Those below, including Mr. Bradlaugh, went -around the edge of the massed tanks and gained the -reservoir from the other side.</p> - -<p>Merry and his chums climbed to the rim of the tank -and hung over it, looking downward into its black, cavernous -depths. Thump, thump, thump! came the mysterious -racket from below, now wilder, louder, more -insistent.</p> - -<p>Hawkins climbed to the rim of the tank, and pulled -up the ladder and lowered it down on the inside. Then -he took the lantern that Burke handed to him and began -descending into the gloom. A little pool of light went -with him, and brought the interior of the tank slowly -into view.</p> - -<p>As the deputy reached the foot of the ladder and flashed -the lantern about him, a cry of wonder burst from his -bearded lips. The cry was echoed by all those who -were hanging to the rim of the wooden reservoir and -peering downward.</p> - -<p>Jode Lenning was found!</p> - -<p>Bound hand and foot, and with a cloth tied tightly over -his lips, he was lying on the bottom of the vat, close -up against its rounded side. His head was turned so -that his eyes, glimmering weirdly, looked upward into -the faces overhead. As he lay there, he brought his -bound heels against the wooden staves, beating out a sort -of tempo which the mill hand, Sim, had been first to -hear.</p> - -<p>“By thunder,” gasped Clancy, “it’s Lenning!”</p> - -<p>“Sure as you’re a foot high!” echoed Burke.</p> - -<p>“Those two thieves must have tied him and dropped -him into the tank,” said Ballard. “Gee, but that was -rough on him!”</p> - -<p>“It would have been rougher still,” went on the super,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">156</a></span> -with a black frown, “if he had stayed there until morning, -when the solution in the sump tank was to be pumped -back into the reservoir. It’s a deadly poison.”</p> - -<p>A shudder ran through Merriwell.</p> - -<p>“I thought Lenning had been the victim of foul play,” -was all he said.</p> - -<p>Hawkins, putting down the lantern beside him, began -releasing Lenning. First he removed the cloth from -his lips.</p> - -<p>“The safe has been broken open,” were Lenning’s first, -halting words; “Shoup was one of the thieves—I don’t -know who the—the other man was. Follow them! You’ll -have to hurry or——”</p> - -<p>“Never mind, Jode,” interrupted Hawkins, in a kindly -voice. “Shoup and the other fellow got away, but the -bullion was recovered.”</p> - -<p>“The bullion—was re-recovered, you say?” faltered -Jode.</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>A sob of relief rushed through Lenning’s lips.</p> - -<p>“I—I was afraid it would be laid to me,” he cried. -“I didn’t want that to happen after Merriwell had got -me the place, and had become responsible for what I did.”</p> - -<p>“Everything’s all right, Lenning,” Merriwell called -down, “so don’t fret.”</p> - -<p>Hawkins got the cords off Lenning’s feet and hands, -and then helped him up the ladder and down to the -hard ground outside the tank. Mr. Bradlaugh was there -to catch him by the hand.</p> - -<p>“Did—did you think I—I took the bullion?” Lenning -asked weakly.</p> - -<p>Mr. Bradlaugh had nothing to say.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">157</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxiv" id="xxiv"></a>CHAPTER XXIV.<br /> -<span>MERRIWELL’S FAITH.</span></h2> - - -<p>Although Lenning had been roughly treated, he had -suffered no serious injury. The worst of his sufferings -had come while lying in the big, empty tank, kicking his -heels against the staves and hoping against hope that -some one would hear him, in spite of the clamor from -the mill.</p> - -<p>“I thought no one would ever come,” said he, leaning -back in a chair in the laboratory and speaking to Hawkins, -Bradlaugh, Burke, Merriwell, Clancy, and Ballard. “I -never knew a stamp mill made so much noise before,” he -added whimsically.</p> - -<p>“How did the thieves manage to get the best of you?” -queried Burke.</p> - -<p>“They jumped on me from behind. I had come in -here for a lantern, and had stepped out and was locking -the door. That’s when they got me. Before I knew -what was going on, some one was on my back, and another -fellow had clapped a hand over my mouth. I -couldn’t yell, and I couldn’t get away. It was mighty -tough, I tell you, when they got the ropes on me and -I was lying on my back and looking up into the face -of Shoup. I knew right off what he was up to. I yelled -for help, and I managed to get in a few more yells before -they got me gagged. No one heard me, though.”</p> - -<p>“You’re wrong there, Lenning,” said Merry. “I heard -you. I was coming down the trail into the camp at the -time, and it was hard for me to locate the place where -the cry came from. I thought it was up the slope, in -the chaparral.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">158</a></span> -“You were coming here?” asked Lenning. “What for?”</p> - -<p>“Just to see you for a while. Thought you wouldn’t -mind a little chinning during your first night on duty.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” went on Lenning, “those fellows got rid of -me by dropping me into the big tank. Then they skipped -out. How did you get back the bullion? I can’t understand -how you did that, and let Shoup and the other -fellow get away from you.”</p> - -<p>So Clancy and Ballard had to tell again of their experiences -while on the way from town to the mine.</p> - -<p>“That was mighty lucky,” said Lenning, when the story -was finished. “I reckon I’m playing in good luck all -around. It was tough, though, that this had to happen -the first night I got to work here.”</p> - -<p>“It was, Lenning,” agreed Mr. Bradlaugh, “but still, -all’s well that ends well, you know. You’d better go to -the bunk house and turn in. I’ll have Burke put some -one else on in your place for the rest of the night.”</p> - -<p>“I’d a heap rather stick it out. I’m feeling pretty -good, and if I’m to do this work I’d better keep at it.”</p> - -<p>Merry could see that this remark of Lenning’s pleased -the general manager and the superintendent.</p> - -<p>“It looks very much, Lenning,” said Mr. Bradlaugh, -“as though Merriwell’s faith in you had been justified. -I’m going to relieve Merriwell from any further responsibility -in your case, and from this on you’re to stay -here on your own responsibility. Get that? I hope you’ll -make such a record, my lad, that your uncle will feel -that he has made a mistake in your case.”</p> - -<p>“Colonel Hawtrey is the least of my worries,” scowled -Lenning. “I’m not trying to be square because I expect -anything from him. I’m much obliged to you, Mr. Bradlaugh, -and you can bet I’ll do my best to hold this job.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">159</a></span> -“That’s as much as I could ask of any one on the -work. Eh, Burke?”</p> - -<p>The super nodded his full agreement.</p> - -<p>“What did that companion of Shoup’s look like, Lenning?” -Hawkins asked.</p> - -<p>“I can’t tell you anything about him,” was the reply. -“He kept himself out of sight most of the time, and -whenever I did see him he had a handkerchief tied over -his face. He was a big fellow, though, and, from his -talk, I reckon he was a pretty tough proposition.”</p> - -<p>“He’s a yeggman, and no mistake. I’m going to do -my best to get both of those fellows. Going back to -town, Mr. Bradlaugh?”</p> - -<p>“At once,” answered the general manager.</p> - -<p>“Then I believe I’ll ride with you. There’s a little -telegraphing and telephoning I’ve got to take care of.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll go along, Mr. Bradlaugh,” spoke up Merriwell, -“if you’ve got room.”</p> - -<p>“Plenty of room, Chip,” said the general manager.</p> - -<p>Burke remained with Lenning, while Frank and his -chums and the deputy sheriff made for the car. They -were soon on their way back to Ophir.</p> - -<p>“I’m stumped,” admitted Hawkins, as they scurried on -through the night.</p> - -<p>“So am I,” said Mr. Bradlaugh.</p> - -<p>“What’s got you on the hip?” inquired the deputy.</p> - -<p>“Lenning. I could have taken my oath that he was -one of those who had tried to steal the bullion.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I was turnin’ over in my mind, Mr. -Bradlaugh. Merriwell had sized the fellow up a whole -lot better than any of the rest of us.”</p> - -<p>“He had faith in him all the time.”</p> - -<p>“There was one spell,” laughed Merry, “when you fellows -came pretty near arguing me over to your way<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">160</a></span> -of thinking. But I’m glad I hung on. Lenning hasn’t -many friends—and he needs a lot of good ones.”</p> - -<p>“He has one good one,” said Hawkins, “and that’s a -cinch.”</p> - -<p>“And he has more friends now,” remarked Mr. Bradlaugh, -“than he had a few hours ago.”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">161</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxv" id="xxv"></a>CHAPTER XXV.<br /> -<span>“WARMING UP.”</span></h2> - - -<p>“Ho, hum!” yawned Owen Clancy, stirring drowsily -in his chair on the veranda of the Ophir House, “this -is certainly the easy life. Trouble is, fellows, it’s too -darned easy. About all the exercise we get is when -we mosey out to the athletic club and boot the pigskin -around. I’m getting sluggish.”</p> - -<p>“Come over and slug me,” Billy Ballard invited, from -the other end of the veranda. “Feeling kind of sluggish -myself, Red, and if you’re pining for exercise, here’s -your chance.”</p> - -<p>“Tush, tush!” scoffed the red-headed chap. “Taking -a fall out of you, Pink, wouldn’t be exercise, but a walk-away. -Everything’s too deuced humdrum around here -to suit me. Say, Chip, can’t you mix us up something -with real snap and ginger in it? Nothing has happened -for a week—not since Ballard and I got back the bullion -that had been stolen from the Ophir Mine. That livened -up things a whole lot.”</p> - -<p>Young Merriwell looked up from the paper he was -reading.</p> - -<p>“Ten yards in four downs,” he remarked absently. -“The new football rules this year will bring a revival -of the old smashing line drives of the past. I wish we’d -got this news before Ophir played the Gold Hillers.”</p> - -<p>Merry showed a disposition to become absorbed once -more in the article he was reading. Clancy headed him -off.</p> - -<p>“Bother the new rules! I asked you if you couldn’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">162</a></span> -fix up a little excitement for us, Chip. Life in southern -Arizona is becoming flat, stale, and unprofitable. Every -morning the prof makes us grind to the limit; every afternoon -we loaf around until four, and then go out to -the club field and punt, tackle the dummy, or fall on the -ball. It’s getting mo-no-to-nious.”</p> - -<p>“I guess the climate is playing hob with you, Clan,” -grinned Merry, throwing aside the paper. “Early December, -and here we are in our shirt sleeves, loafing in -the shade and trying to be comfortable. But buck up. -It won’t last forever. It won’t be long now before we’ll -be pulling up stakes and hiking toward the ice and snow.”</p> - -<p>“What’re we waiting for?”</p> - -<p>“The prof’s mining deal is hanging fire. Almost any -mail from the East may bring the letter that winds it up.”</p> - -<p>“Then I wish things would warm up while the deal -is being wound up.”</p> - -<p>“That’s always the trouble with a chap that’s got -brick-red hair,” complained Ballard. “He’s a volcano, -and can’t be happy unless he has a violent eruption every -fifteen minutes.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got a notion,” scowled Clancy, “to imitate an -earthquake and shake you off the porch.”</p> - -<p>“Go on and shake,” urged Ballard, chuckling. “I’d -like to get a strangle hold on an earthquake just once -and make it behave.”</p> - -<p>With a whoop the red-headed chap projected himself -out of his chair and in the direction of his chum. But -he never reached Ballard’s end of the porch. Merry -put out a foot and neatly tripped him.</p> - -<p>“Here, now!” protested Clancy, slamming into a porch -post and grabbing it in his arms to keep from going -down. “Who invited you to take a hand in this, Chip?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">163</a></span> -Maybe you want me to roll you off the porch before I -do business with Pink?”</p> - -<p>“Spell ‘able,’” said Merry, squaring around in his -chair.</p> - -<p>“Too hot,” answered Clancy, after a moment’s reflection.</p> - -<p>“Oh, slush!” muttered Ballard disgustedly. “It’s too -hot now, but a moment ago he was anxious to have things -warm up. He’s bluffing, that’s all.”</p> - -<p>Clancy took no notice of the good-natured gibe, but -crossed the veranda to a thermometer that hung beside -the hotel door.</p> - -<p>“Only seventy-five,” he announced, then reached for -the newspaper Merry had dropped and tore off a piece of -it. “It ought to be more than that,” he added.</p> - -<p>Taking a match from his pocket he fired the scrap of -paper and held it close to the bulb of the thermometer.</p> - -<p>“What’s that for?” demanded Ballard.</p> - -<p>“Warming things up,” answered Clancy. “Beginning -with the thermometer. Gee, look at the mercury climb! -Eighty-five, ninety, ninety-five——”</p> - -<p>“Here!” interposed Merry. “Don’t you know that’s -the town’s official thermometer? You might as well -tinker with the weather bureau, Clan. Everybody in -Ophir swears by that instrument.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll have ’em swearing at it before long,” was Clancy’s -calm rejoinder. “A hundred and fifteen,” he added, as -he dropped the charred paper. “That’s going <em>some</em>.”</p> - -<p>Just as he was backing away from the thermometer, -Woo Sing, the Chinese roustabout, came blandly out on -the veranda. He looked cool and comfortable in his -roomy silk kimono.</p> - -<p>“Velly fine day, Missul Melly,” he grinned.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">164</a></span> -“Pretty hot, Sing,” answered Merry, pretending to mop -his face with a handkerchief.</p> - -<p>“You callee hot?” demurred Woo Sing. “Goodness -glacious! Me allee samee cool as cucumber.”</p> - -<p>He took a slant in the direction of the thermometer, -gave it a casual glance, then jumped and brought his eyes -closer to the top of the column of mercury.</p> - -<p>“Gee Klismus!” he gasped, and the sweat began to -start out on his parchmentlike face. “Him plenty hot—hot -as blazes. My gettee fan befo’ my gettee sunstluck!”</p> - -<p>With that he slumped weakly back into the hotel, peeling -off his kimono as he went.</p> - -<p>“That proves,” said Merry, joining in with the laughter -of his chums, “that this climate business is about -two-thirds imagination.”</p> - -<p>“Sh-h!” whispered Clancy, “here comes the prof. He -looks about as warm as a hundred and fifty pounds of -ice. Let’s see what effect the thermometer has on <em>him</em>.”</p> - -<p>Merry pulled his shirt open at the throat, fell back in -his chair, and began mopping his face. Ballard leaned -over the veranda rail and gasped like a spent fish. -Clancy was also panting, seemingly in the last stages -of exhaustion.</p> - -<p>Professor Phineas Borrodaile had a book in his hand, -one finger between the leaves to mark his place. He -was bareheaded, and was evidently coming out to sit -in the shade and read comfortably.</p> - -<p>“Well, well, young gentlemen,” he murmured, coming -to a startled halt as his eyes rested on the boys, “you -act as though you were overcome with the heat. Why, -I had not noticed that the weather was at all uncomfortable. -It seems to me very pleasant, ve-ry pleasant.”</p> - -<p>“Look—at the thermometer!” gasped Merry huskily, -smothering his face in his handkerchief.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">165</a></span> -The professor walked over to the instrument and -studied it. Another moment and he was tremendously -excited.</p> - -<p>“What is this?” he cried. “A—a hundred and ten -degrees Fahrenheit? <em><a name="Mirabile" id="Mirabile"></a><ins -title="Original has 'Mirable'">Mirabile</ins> dictu!</em> There must be -something wrong with the thermometer.”</p> - -<p>In spite of the professor’s guess that there was something -wrong, the perspiration began to bead his brow. -Taking his book under one arm, he allowed a hand to -grope for a handkerchief in the tail pocket of his long -black coat.</p> - -<p>“Who says there’s anything wrong with that there -thermometer?” growled a voice. “Why, the hull town -gits its temperature from that machine! Whenever it -says the weather’s so and so, you can gamble your -spurs that’s what it is.”</p> - -<p>Pophagan, proprietor of the hotel, shoved out upon -the veranda.</p> - -<p>“But look, Mr. Pophagan,” quavered the professor, -dabbing at his bald head with his handkerchief and beginning -to loosen his collar. “It’s one hundred and ten—<em>in -the shade!</em>”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” whispered Pophagan faintly, staring -at the instrument. “Sufferin’ sinners, but it’s hot. -Hadn’t noticed it before. Hottest early December I ever -seen in Ophir.”</p> - -<p>“There are some new spots on the sun,” remarked -the professor, unbuttoning his vest and fanning himself -with his book, “and they always have the effect of disarranging -the seasons. Mercy! I feel as though I was -suffocating.”</p> - -<p>Pophagan threw off his hat and jerked off his coat.</p> - -<p>“It come on sudden,” he panted. “I’m allers subject<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">166</a></span> -to heat spells like this. Purty nigh got done up -oncet with a sunstroke in the Harqua Halas.”</p> - -<p>“Merriwell,” queried the professor, in alarm, “you are -not light-headed, are you? You don’t feel as though -you were going to succumb to this excess of solar -caloric?”</p> - -<p>Merry, handkerchief over his face, was squirming in -his chair.</p> - -<p>“I’m all right, professor,” he answered, in a smothered -voice.</p> - -<p>Clancy stood at the end of the porch, leaning against -the wall of the hotel with his back to the professor and -Pophagan. His shoulders were heaving convulsively.</p> - -<p>Ballard continued to lean over the rail, keeping his -face averted and doing his best to stifle his laughter.</p> - -<p>“Better go into the hotel, young gentlemen,” suggested -the professor, “and get some fans. I’m going. I feel as -though I was being incinerated.”</p> - -<p>“Me, too,” chimed in Pophagan. “If this gits much -worse, we’ll all be burnin’ up. Can’t remember a time -like this since the summer o’ ninety-six. You could fry -eggs in the sun that year. Rattlesnakes an’ coyotes got -grilled in the desert afore they could hunt their holes. -There was a drummer stoppin’ with me then, an’ he -wore a celluloid collar. He went out to sell a bill o’ -goods an’ the collar exploded. Pair o’ rubber boots I -had melted into a chunk. Whoosh!”</p> - -<p>Pophagan, closely followed by the professor, melted -into the hotel. The youngsters on the porch pulled themselves -together, exchanged glances, and went into another -spasm of laughter.</p> - -<p>“Got to keep this going,” sputtered Clancy, lighting -another piece of paper and fanning it back and forth -around the bulb of the thermometer. “This is the most<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">167</a></span> -fun I’ve had since Pop and Woo Sing went hunting -cats.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll have the whole town fried to a frazzle,” hiccuped -Ballard. “I never thought a thermometer made -the weather before, but this seems to prove it.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t have to do that, boys, to get things warmed -up,” remarked some one, with a laugh, from the foot -of the veranda steps. “I’m bringing you a proposition -that will do more to warm things up than all the overheated -thermometers in Arizona.”</p> - -<p>All the lads whirled to give their attention to the man -who had just spoken.</p> - -<p>“Colonel Hawtrey!” exclaimed Merriwell.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">168</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxvi" id="xxvi"></a>CHAPTER XXVI.<br /> -<span>A CHALLENGE.</span></h2> - - -<p>How long the mining magnate from Gold Hill had -been enjoying the performance on the veranda, the boys -did not know. He had caught Clancy red-handed, however, -trying to drive the mercury out of the top of the -thermometer.</p> - -<p>“It beats all,” laughed Clancy, “what a fellow can -make people do just by fooling with a thermometer.”</p> - -<p>“The power of suggestion is tremendous,” said the -colonel, “if rightly handled. It is so in everything, my -lads. Start a train of suggestions properly and, if they -lead in the right direction, you can mold nearly any one -to your will. But that isn’t what I came over here -to talk about.”</p> - -<p>The colonel had climbed the veranda steps while talking, -and he now shook hands warmly with Merry and -his chums. Ballard pushed out a chair for him, and -he lowered himself into it with a genial smile, while his -eyes roved from one to another of the glowing young -faces in front of him.</p> - -<p>In some things Colonel Hawtrey was a stern old -martinet. The better part of his life had been spent -in the military service of his country, and this may have -developed the relentless side of his nature. He had a -will of iron, backed by a judgment that was apt to make -a mountain of errors out of a molehill of mere mistakes.</p> - -<p>He was a lover of sports, however, and was the backbone -and mainstay of the Gold Hill Athletic Club. He -believed that, quite apart from physical prowess, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">169</a></span> -right spirit in athletics developed inevitably all a youth’s -manly qualities. And he had no patience with any one -in whom manliness and personal integrity were lacking -in the slightest degree.</p> - -<p>That something of an unusual nature had brought -the colonel from Gold Hill that afternoon Merriwell -was positive. And that it might prove as interesting -as it was unusual was evident from the colonel’s manner.</p> - -<p>“What’s in the wind, colonel?” queried Ballard curiously. -“Clancy, here, is feeling like a castaway on a -two-by-four island. If he can’t have a little healthy excitement -before long, his pranks will probably get us all -into trouble.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got everybody in a sweat around this hotel,” said -Clancy; “that is,” he added, “with the kind assistance of -Chip and Pink.”</p> - -<p>“We’re all in it,” acknowledged Merry. “But what -sort of a proposition have you got, colonel?”</p> - -<p>“Darrel suggested the idea last night,” returned the -colonel, “and it struck me as being a pretty good one. -How long before you’re going to leave this part of the -country, Merriwell?”</p> - -<p>“As soon as the professor and Mrs. Boorland get the -money for that mine. The check has to come from -the East.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think you’d have time to match an Ophir -nine against a team from Gold Hill? This would be a -very pleasant diversion, it seems to me, and I know it -would be highly enjoyed by all the fans in both towns.”</p> - -<p>“Bully!” exclaimed Clancy, all enthusiasm on the -instant.</p> - -<p>“Now you are shouting, colonel!” seconded Ballard, -with equal zest.</p> - -<p>“Fine idea, colonel!” said Merriwell. “All the big<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">170</a></span> -teams go South for their spring practice, and here in -southern Arizona we’ll be getting ahead of them by two -or three months.”</p> - -<p>“Back at Farnham Hall,” went on the red-headed -chap, enthusing more and more as the idea took firmer -hold of him, “they’re thinking of skates, and toboggans, -and ice hockey, and here we’re planning to go out on a -diamond and bang the horsehide through the balmy air. -Chip,” and he turned to his chum, “if that letter came -from the East before the game, I guess we could delay -our start for the North long enough to take a fall out -of the Gold Hillers, couldn’t we?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” Merry heartily agreed. “I suppose this game -would be pulled off in a few days, colonel?”</p> - -<p>“Why, yes,” was the answer, “just as soon as you -can pick up a nine. We had thought of playing next -Saturday, on the theory, you understand, that we’d have -to hurry matters if we succeeded in getting a game with -you before you left. If you can stay longer, make it a -week from next Saturday, if that suits you better, or -any other day that tallies with your convenience.”</p> - -<p>“This is Wednesday,” Frank mused, “and that would -leave only two days for getting a team together and -practicing a little in case we play on the last day of -this week. But we’d better make it next Saturday,” he -added.</p> - -<p>“Good!” exclaimed the colonel. “You’ve run up a -long score of athletic victories since you’ve been in Ophir, -Merriwell, and I give you fair warning that Gold Hill -is going to do its best to give you a parting shot you’ll -long remember.”</p> - -<p>“Of course,” said Merry, “if Gold Hill didn’t work -hard to win, the game wouldn’t be worth while.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll have the advantage of you, unless the Ophir<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">171</a></span> -Athletic Club can give you all the players you need who -are up to snuff. Our boys will come direct from our -own club, and they have been playing ball ever since -that football game a few weeks ago. Bleeker, and the -rest of those who had gone into camp in the gulch, got -back to Gold Hill several days ago, and they have been -gingering up on the diamond ever since.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a cinch, then, that your team will have a big advantage. -I can use a few from the Ophir Club; Clancy, -Ballard, and I will play, and then we’ll have to go -hunting for the rest of our material. It will be quite -a job to get the team together and pound it into any -sort of shape in two days; but—well,” and Merry smiled, -“there’s a spice about doing things on short notice, -colonel, and it rather appeals to me. We——”</p> - -<p>At this moment, Pophagan, palm-leaf fan in one hand -and a handkerchief in the other, came slowly out on -the veranda. He appeared surprised to find those on the -veranda paying so little attention to the weather.</p> - -<p>“Howdy, kunnel,” said he. “Ain’t you feelin’ the heat -none?”</p> - -<p>“I’m very comfortable, thank you, Pophagan,” the -colonel answered, with a sly wink at the boys.</p> - -<p>“Don’t mean to say you haven’t looked at the thermometer?”</p> - -<p>“What’s the use? I don’t look to a thermometer for -information as to whether I’m comfortable or not.”</p> - -<p>“No? Well, all of Ophir gits its temperature right -from this here weather machine o’ mine. I want to -tell you, Colonel Hawtrey, that we’re havin’ a spell o’ -weather right this minute that ain’t been equaled since -ninety-six. Whoosh! Jest take a look at that mercury -and see how high she is.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">172</a></span> -“You look, Pophagan,” laughed the colonel, “and report.”</p> - -<p>The proprietor of the hotel lurched over to the thermometer -and recoiled from it in amazement.</p> - -<p>“Jumpin’ sand hills!” he exclaimed. “I’ll be dad-burned -if this don’t beat all get-out. What d’ye think?” -and he whirled on Colonel Hawtrey with popping eyes. -“That there thermometer has gone down more’n thirty-five -degrees in half an hour. Blamed remarkable, that’s -what I call it. Dern nigh gives me a chill.”</p> - -<p>Pophagan threw away the fan and put his handkerchief -in his pocket.</p> - -<p>“Reckon I better go and tell the perfesser an’ the -chink afore they catch their death o’ cold tryin’ to be -comfortable.”</p> - -<p>With that he vanished through the hotel door. Colonel -Hawtrey cast an amused glance after the lank, retreating -form.</p> - -<p>“It would be hard for a person to believe that a thing -like that could happen,” he remarked, “unless he witnessed -it with his own eyes. The whole affair is absurd -on the face of it, and yet there is no doubt of the genuineness -of Pophagan’s sentiments. Well, well! That -is carrying suggestion to an extreme.”</p> - -<p>“I wonder,” said Ballard, a little pensively, “if he’s -trying to turn the joke on us?”</p> - -<p>“Not on your life,” answered Clancy. “If that thermometer -registered zero, when the temperature was really -where it is now, Pop would put on his ear muffs and -his fur-lined overcoat.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the trouble with a good many of us,” said -the colonel. “Often we’re not ruled by common sense, -but by a very foolish habit.”</p> - -<p>There were several things connected with this incident<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">173</a></span> -of the thermometer which Merriwell was to remember -later; and the most of them had, for a basis, the few -comments made by Colonel Hawtrey.</p> - -<p>“It’s definitely settled, then,” went on the colonel, “that -the ball game is to be played next Saturday?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Merriwell answered. “We’ll have to do a -little hustling to get our nine together, but I think we -can make it.”</p> - -<p>“You know pretty well where you’re to get your -material?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve been going over that in my mind, colonel, and -I think I have every position filled.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll pitch, of course?”</p> - -<p>“Sure thing,” put in Clancy promptly. “We couldn’t -get along without Chip in the pitcher’s box.”</p> - -<p>“You’re our stumblingblock, Merriwell,” the colonel -laughed. “Gold Hill is full of rumors regarding your -wonderful ability as a pitcher. I don’t suppose we have -any one who can hold a candle to you, and we’ll have -to make up what we lack by good work on other parts -of the diamond.”</p> - -<p>“Who will be the battery for Gold Hill?”</p> - -<p>“Darrel and Bleeker. Darrel was always our star -pitcher, and perhaps it was a good thing for our boys -that he fractured his left arm some time ago instead of -his right.”</p> - -<p>Hawtrey frowned as he remembered the events connected -with the fracturing of that left arm of Ellis -Darrel’s.</p> - -<p>“What sort of a catcher is Bleek?” Merry asked, more -by way of getting the colonel’s mind off a disturbing -train of reflections than for the purpose of acquiring -any useful information.</p> - -<p>“He’s good anywhere,” was the answer, “and particularly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">174</a></span> -good behind the bat.” The colonel got up. -“We’ll be here Saturday afternoon,” he added, “and -you can count upon facing a team that will make the -affair interesting to you.”</p> - -<p>With a friendly nod he passed down the steps and -made his way up the street.</p> - -<p>“This gives us something to take up our time, anyway,” -remarked Clancy, with a good deal of satisfaction.</p> - -<p>“We’re up against a hard proposition,” said Ballard, -looking very much concerned. “Chip, it will never do for -us to leave Arizona with a defeat behind us.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think we’re going to,” Merry answered. “You -can bet your last copper, though, that we’re not going -to have a walk-away. Let’s figure out the make-up, fellows. -Pink, take a pencil and paper and put Jode Lenning’s -name at the head of the list.”</p> - -<p>Ballard and Clancy straightened suddenly in their -chairs and gave Merriwell a startled look.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">175</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxvii" id="xxvii"></a>CHAPTER XXVII.<br /> -<span>THE LINE-UP.</span></h2> - - -<p>Merry’s friendship for Lenning had been dead against -the sentiments and the judgment of Clancy and Ballard. -That Merry’s insight into the fellow’s nature had been -more keen and more correct than their own, Clancy and -Ballard were forced to admit. Nevertheless, they still -felt that Lenning was more or less of a crook, and it -surprised them to have Merry mention his name at all -in connection with the prospective nine.</p> - -<p>“What’s biting you?” asked Frank, meeting the stare -of his chums good-naturedly.</p> - -<p>“Can’t you find enough players without taking on Lenning?” -queried Ballard.</p> - -<p>“Possibly, Pink, but I want him.”</p> - -<p>“The rest won’t stand for it, Chip,” blurted out Clancy.</p> - -<p>“Why won’t they?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s—it’s—— Oh, hang it, you know why they -won’t, Chip, without my going into details.”</p> - -<p>“Whom do you mean by ‘they,’ Red?”</p> - -<p>“The Ophir fellows—and the Gold Hillers, too. Lenning -has proved that he isn’t square. I guess that’s -enough to make every one give him the cold shoulder.”</p> - -<p>“If you’re going to dig into a fellow’s past, Clan, and -judge him by what he was rather than by what he is -now, of course I haven’t got anything to say. But I -don’t call that being square, either.”</p> - -<p>“We were off a bit when we accused Lenning of helping -Shoup run away with the bullion,” put in Ballard, -“but we haven’t had much proof, as yet, that Lenning<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">176</a></span> -has squared away and intends to do the right thing from -now on.”</p> - -<p>“We’re going to give him a chance, fellows,” Merry -cried, “and we’ll begin by selecting him for this pick-up -nine.”</p> - -<p>“There’ll be objections——”</p> - -<p>“All right,” cut in Merry impatiently, “if the objections -come I’ll try and meet them. Put down Jode Lenning’s -name first, Red.”</p> - -<p>Clancy secured pencil and paper and, not without some -reluctance, wrote as his chum directed.</p> - -<p>“Where will Lenning play?” queried Ballard, striving -to make the most of what he considered an unwise selection.</p> - -<p>“Don’t know about that yet,” was the answer. “For -the next man put down Mexican Joe for backstop.”</p> - -<p>Again Clancy and Ballard displayed astonishment, but -this time it was of another sort.</p> - -<p>“Who the mischief is Mexican Joe?” Ballard inquired. -“Never heard of him before.”</p> - -<p>“He works in the blacksmith shop at the mine,” said -Merriwell, “and Mr. Bradlaugh was telling me about him -only the other day. He used to catch for a Mexican -team, and they say he has the prettiest throw to second -of any amateur in Arizona. We’ve got to have Mexican -Joe.”</p> - -<p>“I wonder,” grinned Clancy, “if he’ll do his signalling -in the greaser lingo? If he does, Chip, you’re liable to -get balled up.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll chance that part of it, old man,” said Merry. “Put -down Owen Clancy for the first bag and Billy Ballard -for center field.”</p> - -<p>“Got that,” reported Clancy, writing rapidly, “and also -Chip Merriwell for pitcher.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">177</a></span> -“Bradlaugh, junior, for short.”</p> - -<p>“Check.”</p> - -<p>“Barzy Blunt, second base.”</p> - -<p>“He’s a pitcher, isn’t he?” struck in Ballard.</p> - -<p>“He is, and a good one, but I’m told he’s equally good -as a baseman. If I have to be relieved, Barzy can be -shifted to the pitcher’s box. Mose Handy will cover the -third sack, and Jerry Spink will take care of left field.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve got your nine, Chip,” reported Clancy, totting -up, “and Lenning is left for right field. Want any substitutes?”</p> - -<p>“Got to have. Benaway, Shaw, and Reckless will sit -on the benches and be prepared to fill in. I hear they are -good all-around ball players.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a good team,” commented Clancy, after studying -the list for a few moments, “with possibly one or -two exceptions.”</p> - -<p>“Strikes me, fellows,” said Merry, “it’s a mighty fine -line-up. I’ll go over to Mr. Bradlaugh’s office and speak -for Mexican Joe, Lenning, and Brad. I wish you two -fellows would hunt up the others. If you can find them, -have them all report at the Ophir athletic field not later -than four this afternoon. This will be just preliminary -to some hard work to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>Merry grabbed his cap from the veranda floor, where -he had dropped it, and started briskly to his feet.</p> - -<p>“You can count on Pink and me to interview the rest -of the fellows, Chip,” returned Clancy.</p> - -<p>“Stir around,” Frank answered, on his way down the -veranda steps. “There’s not much time between now -and four. If some of the fellows can’t get out to the -clubhouse by four, then any time up till five will do.”</p> - -<p>It was not many minutes until Merry was in the office -of the general manager of the Ophir Mining Company.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">178</a></span> -Mr. Bradlaugh greeted him with a smile and a warm -handclasp.</p> - -<p>“Have you heard,” the lad asked, “that we’re to have -a ball game here next Saturday?”</p> - -<p>“I have,” was the answer, “and I’m pleased almost -to death, Merriwell. Colonel Hawtrey left this office -not more than five minutes ago. He told me about it. -You’ll have to do some tall hustling, my lad, if you dig -up a nine that can hold the Gold Hillers. Of course, -our nine has got to win. We can’t consider any other -result. It would be too bad to have you wind up your -stay in Ophir with a defeat on the ball field.”</p> - -<p>“I believe we’ve picked a winning team,” said Merry. -“Here’s the line-up, Mr. Bradlaugh,” and he handed -Clancy’s list to the general manager.</p> - -<p>Mr. Bradlaugh leaned back in his office chair and began -examining the list. He had no more than dropped his -eyes to the first name than he gave a start, and looked up.</p> - -<p>“Lenning, Merriwell?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” nodded Frank. “He’s a good player, if all I -hear is true, and we need him.”</p> - -<p>“Er-hem!” coughed the general manager. “No doubt -he’s a good player, and would be a decided acquisition, but -is it a judicious selection?”</p> - -<p>“I think so,” answered Frank calmly.</p> - -<p>“There are liable to be objections,” suggested Mr. -Bradlaugh, “and if you persist in keeping Lenning in the -nine, in spite of them, there will be discontent among the -players. You know too much about sports, Merriwell, -for me to remind you what discontent means among -a lot of players.”</p> - -<p>“The point is here, Mr. Bradlaugh,” Frank observed, -with considerable warmth: “Lenning is doing his best -to be square, but nobody seems to have much use for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">179</a></span> -him. He needs friends, and he hasn’t any. Here’s a -chance for him to win back a few of the friends he has -lost. I believe in giving him the chance.”</p> - -<p>The general manager wrinkled his brows dubiously.</p> - -<p>“I appreciate what you are trying to do, and the generous -motive back of it,” said he; “but is it wise to -arouse discontent and pave the way for a possible defeat? -I’m putting the thing up to you frankly.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you just as frankly, Mr. Bradlaugh,” said -Merry, with spirit, “that I don’t see why there should be -any discontent. Let’s go ahead with Lenning until we -see what happens, anyhow.”</p> - -<p>The general manager nodded, still dubious, but content -to leave the matter in Merry’s hands. He studied the -rest of the list.</p> - -<p>“With the probable exception of Lenning,” he reported, -“I think you have made wise selections. I’ll arrange to -give Mexican Joe a three days’ vacation. He’s a wonder -as a backstop. Brad, of course, will be delighted. If -Lenning plays, I’ll have Burke lighten his duties at the -cyanide works. Perhaps you’d better go out to the mine -and see Joe personally?”</p> - -<p>“Thank you, Mr. Bradlaugh; I had thought of that. -And when I see Mexican Joe, I’ll also talk with Lenning.”</p> - -<p>The general manager nodded. “My car’s in front,” -said he, “and I have nothing pressing for the rest of -the afternoon. I’ll take you out to the mine.”</p> - -<p>As Mr. Bradlaugh pulled down the roll top of his desk, -preparatory to leaving, Frank noticed that his face wore -a troubled look. Was it, he asked himself, because he had -selected Lenning for one of his players? It hardly -seemed possible that so small a matter could affect the -general manager so seriously.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">180</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxviii" id="xxviii"></a>CHAPTER XXVIII.<br /> -<span>LENNING YIELDS TO PERSUASION.</span></h2> - - -<p>The short mile separating Ophir from the mine was -quickly covered by the big car. There was little time for -conversation during the ride, and what little talk the general -manager indulged in had nothing to do with Lenning, -but concerned Mexican Joe entirely.</p> - -<p>“Burke got hold of Joe less than two weeks since,” -remarked Mr. Bradlaugh. “The boy came here from a -mine near Wickenburg, with the best recommendations I -ever saw for a Mexican. He’s as strong as a horse and -as spry as a wild cat; what’s more to the point, he knows -his business, and is straight as a string. Just now, Merriwell, -Joe is a comparative stranger. He flocks by himself -pretty much, but he is well liked by those who have -come to know him. Burke, the superintendent, can’t say -too much in his favor.”</p> - -<p>“How old is he?” Frank asked.</p> - -<p>“Eighteen.”</p> - -<p>A disappointment awaited the general manager and -Merriwell when they stopped at the blacksmith shop -for a few words with Mexican Joe. Joe had been given -leave of absence by Burke to go to the bedside of a sick -relative who lived near Gold Hill.</p> - -<p>The superintendent, who saw the car at the blacksmith -shop, strolled down from the little headquarters office to -find out what the general manager wanted. His face -lighted up when he heard about the forthcoming ball -game.</p> - -<p>“You’ve got to have Joe, Merriwell,” he declared. “Our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">181</a></span> -miners play ball a little, between shifts, and I’ve seen Joe -behind the bat. He’s a wonder as a backstop.”</p> - -<p>“But if he’s away,” Frank answered, intensely disappointed, -“how can we possibly have him?”</p> - -<p>“He’ll be back to-morrow morning, and I’ll arrange to -have him go out to the clubhouse whenever you say.”</p> - -<p>“Good! Make it to-morrow afternoon at two-thirty.”</p> - -<p>“He’ll be there; and I can promise you that, on the day -of the game, there’ll be a big attendance from these diggings. -But don’t you let Gold Hill down you!”</p> - -<p>“We’re going to do our best, Burke,” laughed Merriwell. -“Where is Lenning?”</p> - -<p>“Lenning?” the super echoed, giving Frank a quick -glance, and then shifting his gaze to the general manager.</p> - -<p>“Merriwell,” Mr. Bradlaugh explained passively, “has -chosen Lenning for one of his players.”</p> - -<p>It seemed, for a moment, as though Burke was going -to voice a protest of his own against the availability of -Lenning. He thought better of it, however.</p> - -<p>“Lenning ought to be at the bunk house now,” said he. -“He’s still the night watchman, you know, and doesn’t go -on duty until seven-thirty.”</p> - -<p>“You go over to the bunk house, Merriwell, and talk -with him,” suggested Mr. Bradlaugh. “I’ll stay here -with Burke.”</p> - -<p>Frank was glad that he was to be alone when he talked -with Lenning. In a private interview there would be -less restraint, and a freer expression of views and motives, -than could have been the case if the general manager -or the superintendent had been present.</p> - -<p>Lenning was found sitting on a bench in the shadow -of the bunk-house wall. His back was against the wall -and his eyes were turned upward, staring into vacancy.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">182</a></span> -Evidently he was in a thoughtful mood, and gave no heed -to Frank when he came around the corner of the bunk -house.</p> - -<p>At a little distance, Frank halted. The friendly shout -which was on his lips was smothered, and he stood silently -at gaze for a few moments studying the form on the -bench.</p> - -<p>Lenning had a sinister face and eyes that showed a -tendency to waver and shift about, looking anywhere but -at the person with whom he happened to be talking. -Neither face nor eyes, it must be admitted, were calculated -to inspire confidence. And yet, as Merry knew -well, such appearances are not to be taken as final in -judging a person’s character.</p> - -<p>Just at that moment, Lenning’s face wore an overwhelming -expression of sadness, perhaps of contrition. -He did not have to go far into his past to find abundant -cause for self-reproach and regret.</p> - -<p>Lenning, when he had posed as the favorite nephew of -Colonel Hawtrey, had been allowed everything for his -comfort that money could buy. His only work had been -to act as his uncle’s secretary, and he had worn expensive -clothes and had been supplied with more of the good -things of life than often come the way of most boys.</p> - -<p>Now, by contrast, he was an ordinary hand at the -cyanide plant, and the serviceable corduroys in which he -was clad were frayed and stained with oil and dust. -From almost a drone, living on another’s bounty, Jode -Lenning had become a worker, and was earning his own -support.</p> - -<p>Here was proof of Lenning’s resolve to be different -from what he had been, and it was one of the things that -had impelled Merriwell to befriend the fellow when all -others had turned against him. With an odd feeling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">183</a></span> -of heightened respect for the lad on the bench, Frank -moved forward with a cheery, “Hello, Jode!”</p> - -<p>Lenning gave a start, lowered his eyes, and turned. -The next moment he had started to his feet, a pleased -smile wreathing his lips.</p> - -<p>“Howdy, Merriwell?” he called, taking the newcomer’s -outstretched hand. “What brings you over this way? -Had a notion you’d left Arizona by this time.”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t do that, Len,” answered Frank, “without -coming around to say good-by. Can’t tell just how soon -we’ll go, but it won’t be for a few days yet. What sort -of a ball player are you, old chap?”</p> - -<p>The question rather surprised Lenning.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” he answered noncommittally, “I know the game, -after a fashion. But I’m no great shucks at it.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you’re pretty good, from what I hear. I’m -picking up some fellows for a game next Saturday. -How’d you like to make one of the nine?”</p> - -<p>“You—you don’t want me, do you?” Lenning inquired -curiously.</p> - -<p>“Sure I want you.”</p> - -<p>“Who’s going to play?”</p> - -<p>“Ballard, and Clancy, and I; then Mexican Joe, if we -can get him, and a few chaps from the O. A. C.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon you better count me out,” said Lenning, turning -his face away. “It wouldn’t be pleasant for your -chums, or the O. A. C. fellows, to have me around.”</p> - -<p>“Bother that! I’m bossing this nine, and I guess that -whatever I say will have to go. Don’t be foolish, Len. -I’ve got a special reason for wanting you in that game.”</p> - -<p>“What reason?” Lenning, steadily enough, brought -back his gaze and fixed it on Merriwell.</p> - -<p>“For one thing,” explained Frank, “there’s nothing like -a good, stiff contest on a ball field to level the differences<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">184</a></span> -one chap may have against another. I’ve seen out-and-out -enemies play together, help each other in a pinch, -according to league rules, and then, when the game was -done, forget that they’d ever had a grouch. Something -queer about what the diamond can do in a case of that -kind, but it’s a fact, all the same.”</p> - -<p>Lenning’s face clouded and filled with distrust.</p> - -<p>“You think, Merriwell,” said he, “that I haven’t any -friends, and that this game would probably make some for -me. Is that it?”</p> - -<p>“Well, yes, something like that.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you know,” went on Lenning, paling a little -under his tan, “that if I failed in a close play some one -would say that I was trying to throw the game? Nobody -has any confidence in me. Every one has the notion -that I’m a crook, and can’t get over it. My cue is to keep -away from people. I’m sorry, Merriwell, because if -there’s one person on earth I’d hate to disappoint, it’s -you.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think that’s the proper spirit, Lenning,” insisted -Frank. “You’re all right, but how is any one going -to know it if you don’t get out and show them? I’m -planning on you. You’re one of the first fellows I thought -about when the idea of the game was sprung on me this -afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“Who sprung it?”</p> - -<p>“Colonel Hawtrey.”</p> - -<p>“And your pick-up nine is going to play a team from -Gold Hill?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“That does settle it. Even if I could get along with -the Ophir crowd, I’ll bet the Gold Hillers would refuse to -play if they knew I was in the game.”</p> - -<p>There was bitterness in the boy’s voice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">185</a></span> -“Why,” he went on, “the colonel himself would be the -first to kick up trouble. I’m asking no odds of my uncle. -He’s cut loose from me, and I’m not blaming him. I’ve -got my own way to make, and I’m going to do it without -trying to curry favor with Colonel Hawtrey. You’ll -have to find another player in my place, Merriwell.”</p> - -<p>Frank had not expected Lenning to take such a stand. -Although it was beginning to look as though his choice of -Lenning for the nine, if not unwise, might be hopeless, yet -he continued to try persuasion.</p> - -<p>“I’ve got my heart set on this,” said he, “and you might -at least go over to the athletic field with me and join in -the preliminary round-up.”</p> - -<p>“Haven’t time for athletics,” was the answer. “I have -to work nights, you know, so I can’t very well stay up all -day.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Bradlaugh says that he’ll relieve you of your work -between now and Saturday, if you’ll play.”</p> - -<p>Lenning’s interest showed itself immediately.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Bradlaugh said that, did he?” he asked, as though -surprised.</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Did he say he thought it was all right for me to get -into that game?”</p> - -<p>“That part of it was left with me, Len,” Frank answered. -“You like to play ball, don’t you?”</p> - -<p>Lenning’s face lit up with a sudden glow, and his eyes -sparkled. But it was only for a moment. A dejected -expression quickly drove away the flash of feeling.</p> - -<p>“I don’t think that has anything to do with it, Merriwell,” -he returned.</p> - -<p>“Then, you won’t play? You won’t give yourself a -chance to make good on the diamond?”</p> - -<p>There was something about the phrase “make good”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">186</a></span> -which evidently struck the right chord in Lenning’s new -resolutions.</p> - -<p>“I’d do a heap for you, Merriwell,” said he, in a low -tone, “and if you really are anxious to have me go over -to the clubhouse grounds this afternoon, and it’s all right -with Mr. Burke, I’ll go. But I won’t promise to play -until I see how matters stack up on the diamond. How -does that strike you?”</p> - -<p>“Get your hat, Len, and come along,” answered Merriwell, -pleased to secure even that much of a concession.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">187</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxix" id="xxix"></a>CHAPTER XXIX.<br /> -<span>PLAIN ENGLISH.</span></h2> - - -<p>Clancy and Ballard were not successful in rounding up -all the fellows Merriwell had asked them to see. On such -short notice, however, they did very well.</p> - -<p>Jerry Spink, who was booked for left held, had gone -to the Tin Cup Ranch with an important letter for his -father, who was part owner of the cattle outfit. He was -expected back some time Thursday, and the boys left -word for him to report at the clubhouse by two-thirty -Thursday afternoon, if he got back in time.</p> - -<p>Benaway, picked for one of the reserves, was a clerk -in the general store and post office. The proprietor of -the store had sent him to a placer mine to collect a bill, -and it was expected that he would return some time during -the evening. A message was likewise left for him.</p> - -<p>Shaw was down with <a name="tonsillitis" id="tonsillitis"></a><ins title="Original has 'tonsilitis'">tonsillitis</ins>, and he set up a terrible -wail of disappointment when he learned what was going -on, and realized his inability to help out.</p> - -<p>Barzy Blunt, Mose Handy, and Lin Reckless were all -the fellows Ballard and Clancy could get together. Spink -and Benaway would be on hand the following day, however, -without fail.</p> - -<p>The six lads, brimming over with enthusiasm because -of the game scheduled with Gold Hill, reached the Ophir -clubhouse at about four-thirty. Neither Merry, nor any -of those he had gone to see, had arrived.</p> - -<p>“Chip will be along before many minutes,” said Clancy. -“Let’s get a couple of balls and begin limbering up on the -diamond.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">188</a></span> -They were hard at it when the Bradlaugh car halted at -the clubhouse and unloaded Mr. Bradlaugh, his son, Hannibal—who -had been picked up on the way through town—Jode -Lenning, and Merriwell.</p> - -<p>The party came onto the athletic field by a passage between -the end of the clubhouse and the gymnasium. -Merriwell was first to come into view of those on the -diamond.</p> - -<p>“Hoop-a-la!” shouted Barzy Blunt, waving his cap. -“Here’s Chip with the rest of the bunch. You can bet -a ripe persimmon he wouldn’t——”</p> - -<p>The rest of the cowboy athlete’s remark did not appear. -Words suddenly froze on his lips. Just behind Merriwell -was Lenning, and for Lenning, Blunt had no use -whatever.</p> - -<p>“Suffering cats!” muttered Blunt, as soon as he could -recover the power of speech. “Say, Ballard, why is that -no-account juniper trailing Chip?”</p> - -<p>Clancy and Ballard had kept quiet about Merry’s determination -to work Lenning into the nine. They had a -feeling that their chum’s move was to prove distinctly -unpopular, and they fought shy of mentioning it. The -secret would soon be out, now, and Clancy and Ballard -awaited the result with a good deal of trepidation.</p> - -<p>Blunt was a firm friend of Merriwell’s, but when fate -gave him Blunt for a surname she indicated his character -unerringly. He was blunt of speech and had a hot temper, -and it was a habit of his to flash out his feelings -in plain English, with small regard for consequences.</p> - -<p>Nor was the cowboy the only one on the diamond who -had been jolted into silence by the sight of Lenning. -Handy and Reckless likewise manifested all the symptoms -of severe frost.</p> - -<p>Clancy and Ballard tried to save the situation by a little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">189</a></span> -joshing and horseplay. It was a half-hearted attempt, -however, and could not make a breach in the forbidding -wall with which Blunt, Handy, and Reckless had surrounded -themselves.</p> - -<p>Merry was quick to sense the chill in the air, and he -hurriedly seconded the efforts of Clancy and Ballard to -put matters on a better footing. Brad, on the ride out to -the clubhouse, had had several minutes to accustom himself -to the presence of Lenning. Loyally he rallied to -Merry’s support. Brad’s father, also, did what he could -to ease off the tension.</p> - -<p>“Hello, fellows!” Frank called good-naturedly. “I -wonder if you’re all as hungry to get after the horsehide -as I am? This game with Gold Hill suits me right up to -the handle. Barzy, you look like a three-time winner. -Handy, you look as fit for the national game as you did -for the gridiron, a few weeks ago. Reckless, old chap, -how’s tricks?”</p> - -<p>In this breezy fashion, Frank strove to smooth out the -disagreeable twist in the situation. Lenning was there -by his persuasions, and he felt that the fault would be his -if the lad was humiliated in any way.</p> - -<p>“I think we owe a vote of thanks to Colonel Hawtrey -and Chip Merriwell for this chance to clash with Gold -Hill on the diamond,” piped Brad. “We’ve got to work -like the dickens, though, if we get in shape for the game -between now and Saturday.”</p> - -<p>“You must all pull together, my lads,” put in the general -manager significantly.</p> - -<p>Neither Blunt, nor Handy, nor Reckless had a word to -say. After their first cool scrutiny of Lenning, they proceeded -to ignore him.</p> - -<p>“Where’s the wonderful Mexican backstop, Chip?” -queried Clancy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">190</a></span> -“Couldn’t get hold of him to-day,” Frank answered, -“but he’ll be along to-morrow. What about Spink, Benaway, -and Shaw, Clan?”</p> - -<p>Clancy reported as to the three players Merry had mentioned.</p> - -<p>“That’s tough about Shaw,” Merry observed, “but, on -the whole, we’re making out a good deal better than I expected. -I can depend on you fellows, can I?” The question -was aimed particularly at Blunt, Handy, and Reckless.</p> - -<p>“I reckon you can, Chip,” drawled Blunt, a gleam of -temper playing in his sloe-black eyes. “How have you -fixed the make-up of the team?”</p> - -<p>“You’re down for second, Barzy, and if they hit me -too hard you’ll probably have to move up to the pitcher’s -box.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a joke,” and the grin that half formed itself -about the cowboy’s lip’s led Merry to think he was forgetting -Lenning. “You’re the best amateur twirler in -these parts, and if you can’t handle the Gold Hillers -there’ll be no use calling on me. I’m satisfied to hold -down the second bag. You and this greaser from the -mine will be the battery for Ophir, eh?”</p> - -<p>“Probably. Clancy’s at first, Handy’s at third, and -Brad goes to short. Ballard, Spink, and Lenning will -be in the outfield.”</p> - -<p>Here Handy proceeded to take part in the conversation. -“Lenning?” he echoed.</p> - -<p>Merry faced around and gave Handy a square look.</p> - -<p>“I said Lenning would be in the outfield,” he remarked.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” Handy grunted. That was all, but if ever a -monosyllable shook its rattles and got ready to strike that -one did.</p> - -<p>The nature of Lin Reckless belied his name. He was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">191</a></span> -canny, and just at that moment realized the value of -holding himself in check. He had both balls, and he began -juggling them with one hand, and whistling softly.</p> - -<p>“I reckon I might as well tune up my bazoo and go -on record right here, Chip,” said Blunt. “You ought -to know, by now, that I never walk around a ten-acre -lot in order to call a spade an agricultural implement. I’m -not going to do it now. I’d hate myself for a month of -blue moons if I ever played ball with a snake in the grass -like Jode Lenning. Instead of leaving Reckless on the -bench, you can put him in the outfield. Lenning will -have his hands full looking after that job you got for -him, if I’m any prophet.”</p> - -<p>It was a barbed shaft, and Lenning squirmed when it -struck him. His face went white on the instant.</p> - -<p>Frank’s face was almost as white as Lenning’s. With -a quick move he placed himself alongside the lad under -discussion. Before he could speak, Handy broke in.</p> - -<p>“Blunt’s got it about right, Chip,” said he. “I don’t -want to hurt Lenning’s feelings, or put you in any sort of -hole, but I can’t see why you should expect us fellows to -play ball with Lenning.”</p> - -<p>“I expect you to have some consideration for me,” said -Frank hotly, “even if you haven’t any for Lenning. He’s -here by my invitation. I have asked him, just as I asked -you, to help make up the nine. If you don’t want a -team, and don’t care for a game with Gold Hill, say so -here and now, and we’ll declare it off.”</p> - -<p>Merriwell resented, with all the force of his nature, -these flings at Lenning. He felt that his anger was getting -beyond control, and he was glad that Mr. Bradlaugh -took a hand in the matter at that moment.</p> - -<p>“You ought to know better than to talk that way, -Blunt,” said Mr. Bradlaugh sharply. “And you, too,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">192</a></span> -Handy. Merriwell is getting the team together, and you -ought to have enough confidence in him to approve of -whatever he does.”</p> - -<p>“Whenever I’ve got anything on my mind,” answered -Blunt, “I try to get rid of it in plain English. Now that -I’ve had my say about Lenning, I’ll drop in a few words -for Chip. You’re the clear quill, pard,” he went on to -Merry, “and I’d fight for you any day you can find in -the almanac; but when it comes to associating with a -crook and a schemer, I reckon I’ve got a right to pick and -choose for myself.”</p> - -<p>“Sure you have,” approved Handy.</p> - -<p>Reckless was still whistling and juggling the two balls. -He seconded everything that Blunt and Handy were saying, -but felt that some consideration was due Merriwell -in the matter, and declined to express himself.</p> - -<p>“It’s a darned shame,” blurted out Brad indignantly, -“that you two chumps couldn’t have talked this over privately -with Chip instead of shooting off a big noise where -it will do the most harm. You make me tired!” and he -turned on his heel and walked off.</p> - -<p>Truth to tell, the helpless writhing of Jode Lenning was -more than Brad could endure. Lenning himself suddenly -turned and moved away in the direction from which he -had come, his head bowed dejectedly.</p> - -<p>“Blunt,” said Merriwell scathingly, “you and Handy -ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Is it your style to -jump on a fellow when he’s down? If I put into this -plain English you’re harping about all I think of you two, -it would be different from what you’ve said about Lenning, -but it would sound a whole lot <a name="worse" id="worse"></a><ins title="Original has 'worst'">worse</ins>. -You might have had the common decency to keep still while Lenning -was around.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">193</a></span> -The vigor with which Merry expressed himself rather -startled Blunt and Handy. But Frank was not yet done.</p> - -<p>“Look back a little in your own life, Blunt,” said he -meaningly. “I guess you will find something there that -will help you to understand how you have made Lenning -feel.”</p> - -<p>The cowboy fell back a step, with twin devils blazing -in his eyes. Merriwell’s words had probed a sore only recently -healed, and for a second Blunt felt all the old -agonizing smart caused by the rough handling. Then, as -quickly, his rage passed.</p> - -<p>“I reckon you got me there, Chip,” said he. “I went -a heap farther with Lenning than I meant to, but that’s -how I feel.”</p> - -<p>Frank did not answer. Turning, he hurried after Lenning, -vanishing between the end of the clubhouse and -the south wall of the gymnasium building.</p> - -<p>“Fine business, I must say,” growled Ballard. “If this -kind of a spirit lasts up till next Saturday, I can see where -we get off.”</p> - -<p>“It won’t last,” said Handy. “Lenning’s out of it now, -just as he ought to be, and everything is all right.”</p> - -<p>But Mr. Bradlaugh shook his head forebodingly.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">194</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxx" id="xxx"></a>CHAPTER XXX.<br /> -<span>GETTING THE NINE IN SHAPE.</span></h2> - - -<p>Lenning was well started on the trail to Ophir when -Merriwell overtook him.</p> - -<p>“I’m mighty sorry,” was all Frank could say, as he -dropped a hand on the other’s arm.</p> - -<p>“You see how it is, Merriwell,” Lenning returned, in -a tense voice, lifting his pale, drawn face for a quick look -at his companion.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I see how it is,” Frank acknowledged. “I had -no right to put you in that position.”</p> - -<p>“I should have had sense enough not to come. Don’t -blame yourself any. And don’t find too much fault with -Blunt and Handy. I mixed the dose for myself, and it’s -no more than right that I should swallow it.”</p> - -<p>During the walk back to town Frank did what he could -to soothe Lenning’s injured feelings. Lenning listened -quietly to his talk, and really seemed in a better frame -of mind when he and Frank parted in front of the Ophir -House.</p> - -<p>While waiting for Clancy and Ballard to arrive, Frank -had ample time for a little hard thinking on the veranda.</p> - -<p>At first he had been tempted to throw up the proposed -game with Gold Hill and have nothing further to -do with it. He was beginning to see now that such a -move on his part would be childish.</p> - -<p>He had had ample warning not to try to drag Lenning -into the baseball game. He had gone ahead in spite of -the warning, and for the disaster of the afternoon he -alone was to blame.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">195</a></span> -When his reflections took stock of Blunt and Handy, -he felt the hot blood beginning to pound in his veins. -But this was childish, too. Lenning, not so very long -before, had given everybody abundant excuse for thinking -of him just what Blunt and Handy thought.</p> - -<p>After all, Lenning was only paying the score he had -run up. It was a debt he had to meet. When he was -through with the battle, he would be all the better for a -few scars to remind him of it.</p> - -<p>This train of thought put Frank himself in a more -tolerant mood by the time Clancy and Ballard got back -to the hotel. They went in to supper together, and, by -tacit agreement, dismissed the incident of the afternoon -without any further discussion.</p> - -<p>On the following morning there came a grind at the -books under the eagle eye of Professor Borrodaile; then, -after dinner and early in the afternoon, Frank and his -chums went out to the baseball grounds and were greeted -by the whole team, as originally selected by Frank, with -the exception, of course, of Lenning and Shaw.</p> - -<p>Mexican Joe was introduced to Frank by Brad. Joe -was of about the same height and build as Jode Lenning, -and, in addition, the two had a facial resemblance that -was most remarkable. Naturally, the Mexican lad’s face -was of a swarthier hue, and this of itself made the difference -between them most pronounced.</p> - -<p>While Benaway and Reckless pounded out flies and -grounders for most of the team, Merry and Joe were off -to one side warming to the work with jump balls, drops, -and curves. Merry showed a skill and control that caused -the Mexican backstop to open his eyes, and Joe, on his -part, convinced Merry that he was all that Mr. Bradlaugh -had cracked him up to be.</p> - -<p>That Thursday afternoon’s work brought Frank entirely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">196</a></span> -under the spell of the game—the sport he loved best -of all. For weeks he had not had the leather sphere in -his hands, and now the very touch of it thrilled him -through and through.</p> - -<p>On first meeting Blunt and Handy, Thursday afternoon, -Frank was conscious of a feeling toward them that -was distinctly unfriendly; and they, on their part, had -as little to say to Frank as possible. But when, at five -o’clock, a grand rush was made for the bathrooms in the -gym, the magic of baseball had wrought its work, and -every member of the team was full of hope, and enthusiasm, -and friendly consideration for the rest of his teammates. -Merriwell, Blunt, and Handy met and mingled -just as they had always done, and just as though the disagreeable -incident of the preceding afternoon had never -happened.</p> - -<p>This is not to say that Frank had forgotten Lenning, -for such was far from being the case. He was still sorry -for the friendless chap, and still eager to do him a good -turn. What is more, he believed more firmly than ever -that many barriers between Lenning and his former -friends might be leveled if Lenning could have a part -in Saturday’s game. It was queer how that conviction -persisted and intensified in Merriwell’s mind.</p> - -<p>Friday afternoon the Ophir nine played a game with -a scrub team. The second nine was poor, for Merriwell -had gathered in all the good material, and the regular -team had no difficulty in running up a good, big score.</p> - -<p>More and more Frank was pleased with the excellent -work of Mexican Joe. The backstop was about as talkative -as a cigar-store Indian. He played silently, swiftly, -surely, and his signals showed such an intelligent comprehension -of the right balls that Frank’s admiration was -aroused.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">197</a></span> -“You’re a corker, Joe!” he declared, slapping the Mexican -youth on the back when the afternoon’s work was -over with.</p> - -<p>A gratified smile crossed Joe’s swarthy face.</p> - -<p>“You more of a corker as me,” he averred, and so -eased himself of the only remark he had made during an -hour and a half of hard work.</p> - -<p>When Frank and his chums got back to the Ophir -House, late that Friday afternoon, they were all tired, -but happy and confident.</p> - -<p>“We’ve got a fast nine,” declared Ballard, “and we’re -going to put it all over that Gold Hill team. You hear -me!”</p> - -<p>“They’re a snappy lot, no two ways about that,” agreed -Clancy. “I hate to give Darrel, Bleek, Hotchkiss, and the -rest of that outfit the sort of a jolt they’re due for to-morrow, -but if they’re bound to have a game they’ll have -to take the consequences.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right,” said Merriwell. “They’re going to make -it pretty interesting for us, though, and it’s just possible -that they’ll open a bag of tricks that will surprise us.”</p> - -<p>“What sort of a pitcher is Darrel?” queried Ballard. -“It’s mighty odd that, all the time he was with us up -Mohave Cañon, he never let out a peep about being a -ball tosser.”</p> - -<p>“He’s good,” asserted Merriwell.</p> - -<p>“How do you know, Chip?” demanded Clancy.</p> - -<p>“I know because Darrel’s the sort that doesn’t do things -by halves. If he set out to learn to pitch, you can bet -he has trained his ‘wing’ in a way to make us sit up and -take notice. There’ll be an exciting time on the ball -ground to-morrow afternoon. Bank on that, Red.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be disappointed if there isn’t, Chip,” grinned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">198</a></span> -Clancy, “but you and that greaser marvel are going to take -care of Darrel and Bleeker, with ground to spare.”</p> - -<p>“I hope you’re right.”</p> - -<p>“I know I’m right! When Darrel opens his box of -tricks, Chip, he’ll find that you have got a few on tap that -are just a little better.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks, old man,” laughed Merry. “It would be hard -for me to do any worrying while you’re around.”</p> - -<p>“Everything’s going swimmingly, Chip,” remarked Ballard, -“and there hasn’t been a hitch since—since Wednesday -afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the trouble,” Frank answered. “I’m afraid, -Pink, that the luck is too good to last.”</p> - -<p>This remark of Merriwell’s proved to be prophetic. A -blow between the eyes was dealt Merry less than an -hour after supper. It wasn’t a knock-out, but it came -close to being one.</p> - -<p>The blow arrived by messenger from the Ophir Mine, -and was neatly wrapped up in a note written by Burke, -the superintendent. Merriwell was alone on the veranda -at the time the message came to hand, and he drew up -close to a lighted window so that he could see to read it.</p> - -<p>At first he was dazed, and could hardly believe that he -read aright. After rubbing his eyes, he perused the note -a second time. Then it was that the dread news burst -upon his realization like a thunderclap.</p> - -<p>“Blazes!” he gasped, crushing the note in his hand and -looking around despairingly. “What the mischief are we -going to do now? On the last day, and in the afternoon, -too! Why in the deuce couldn’t——” He bit his words -short and tossed his hands deprecatingly. “But it couldn’t -be helped, it couldn’t be helped!” he muttered.</p> - -<p>Gloomily enough, he walked to a chair at the far end -of the veranda and slumped down into it. Who’d have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">199</a></span> -thought that such a thing could happen? The Ophir -club, it seemed absolutely certain, was going to meet its -Waterloo! There did not appear to be a possible way -out of that tangle of hard luck.</p> - -<p>While Frank was sitting there among the deep shadows -of the veranda and floundering helplessly in a mire of reflections, -a horseman galloped up to the hitching pole in -front of the hotel, swung to the ground, buckled his reins -around the pole, and then bounded lightly up the veranda -steps.</p> - -<p>The light from a window, shining over him, showed that -he was a mere lad. His face was open and frank, and a -mat of thick, curly hair fringed the bottom of his cap.</p> - -<p>He paused on his way across the veranda to the hotel -entrance. The figure in the chair, at the far end of the -veranda, had caught the newcomer’s eye. Muttering an -exclamation, he started toward the youth with the bowed -head and hopeless air.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Chip, old pal!” the lad cried. “What are you -doing out here all by your lonesome?”</p> - -<p>Merriwell, at the sound of that voice, was on his feet -in a twinkling.</p> - -<p>“Darrel, by Jove!” he exclaimed, happily surprised. -“What brings you to Ophir, Curly?”</p> - -<p>“Business,” laughed Darrel. “I’ve got a letter for you -from Colonel Hawtrey.”</p> - -<p>“I hope there’s no bad news in the letter. Hang it all, -I’ve had enough bad news for one night!”</p> - -<p>“Nothing serious, Chip?” queried Darrel solicitously.</p> - -<p>“I guess it wouldn’t strike you as being serious,” Merry -returned, with a short laugh. “Say, Curly, how’d you -like to have Ophir present you with that game to-morrow?”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t like it. I don’t want Ophir to present us<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">200</a></span> -with anything but the hardest game we Gold Hillers ever -played. Do that, Chip, and I’ll be blamed if I care who -wins. But read this letter,” Darrel broke off, handing the -missive to Merriwell. “When you have done that, we’ll -hold a powwow. I’ve got something to tell you, pard, -and like enough it will surprise you. I don’t think the -colonel has written anything that will give you much of -a jolt.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve had my one big surprise for to-night. Curly,” -said Merriwell, with a rueful laugh, “so I guess that anything -you can spring won’t take me off my feet.”</p> - -<p>He withdrew to the window to read the colonel’s letter. -When he had finished, he turned back to Darrel, with a -low whistle, which proved that there must have been something -surprising in the letter, after all.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">201</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxxi" id="xxxi"></a>CHAPTER XXXI.<br /> -<span>HATCHING A PLOT.</span></h2> - - -<p>“You know what there is in this letter, Curly?” Frank -asked.</p> - -<p>“Pretty nearly,” was the reply. “Uncle Alvah is afraid, -from something he has heard, that you’re going to have -Jode Lenning in your team. If that is your plan, he sincerely -hopes you’ll reconsider; for the move would arouse -resentment in Gold Hill, and might lead to the canceling -of the game. You know, of course, that Lenning’s past -record is all against him, that he’s a vicious young scamp, -and so forth, and so forth. Isn’t that about what the -colonel wrote to you, Chip?”</p> - -<p>“Just about,” Frank answered glumly.</p> - -<p>“I heard, although I don’t know how straight I got it, -that some of the Ophir chaps refused to play with Jode, -and that he’s out of the game for good. Is that right?”</p> - -<p>“There were objections when I tried to get Lenning on -our nine, and Blunt and Handy aired their grievance right -in front of Lenning. That fixed it. Lenning couldn’t -go on when he saw how those two felt about it.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter with Blunt and Handy?” demanded -Darrel, his voice quivering with anger. “Are they so all-fired -righteous that they can’t associate with a fellow who’s -trying to live down his past?”</p> - -<p>Darrel’s attitude set Merriwell to wondering. He had -suffered at his half brother’s hands more than any one -else, and yet here he was, apparently championing his -cause and taking his part.</p> - -<p>“It’s hard to tell what’s biting Blunt and Handy, Ellis,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">202</a></span> -said Frank. “Looks like they’re trying to make out that -they’re ready for harps and halos, while they’re only -convincing people that they’re snobs, with little, two-by-four -dispositions that are anything but heavenly.”</p> - -<p>“Well, even at that, the feeling against Jode is pretty -general, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“There are more than Blunt and Handy against his playing -ball to-morrow, but the rest have the decency to keep -their objections to themselves.”</p> - -<p>“Isn’t there any possible chance for getting Jode into -the game, Chip?”</p> - -<p>Darrel spoke earnestly, almost eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Do you mean to say, Curly,” asked Merriwell, “that -you’d like to see him play against Gold Hill?”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to see him give a good account of himself on -the diamond. He has squared away, and is trying to make -something of himself. I think it would help him to brush -up against fellows who used to be his friends, and corral -a little of the good feeling that breaks out in a snappy, -well-fought game of ball.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll be darned!” muttered Merriwell. “What -would the colonel say if he heard you talk like that?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know as that would make any difference. I -think a heap of the colonel, Chip, but I haven’t reached -the point where he does my thinking for me. I’m not -sore at Lenning. We have had our differences, and I’ve -managed to come out on top. Jode is the under dog, and -now that he’s trying to be white, I’d like to help him.”</p> - -<p>“Put it there, Darrel!” cried Merriwell heartily, thrusting -out his hand. “I wish Blunt and Handy were here -to absorb your sentiments. Hearing you talk like that -ought to make them feel pretty small.”</p> - -<p>“The colonel wanted me to come over to Ophir to-night,” -went on Darrel, “in order to get that letter into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">203</a></span> -your hands. You know the sort of a fellow Uncle Alvah -is. He’ll crowd a chap mighty hard if he’s given half a -chance. He’s more bitter against Jode than he ever was -against me—and I reckon you know what that means. -I’ve argued with him to give Jode another chance, but -he’s as hard and set in his way as the rock of Gibraltar. -You can’t budge him. There’s only one thing that might -pull him over a little in Jode’s direction, Chip.”</p> - -<p>“What’s that?”</p> - -<p>“You know how wrapped up the colonel is in every -sort of sport? Well, his biggest favorite of all the sports -is the national game. He’s the most inveterate fan that -ever came down the pike. What’s more, he’s too good a -sportsman to be much of a partisan. Naturally, he likes -to see the Gold Hill fellows win; but to-morrow, if an -Ophir chap makes a star play, you’ll find the colonel -cheering himself blue in the face. Simmer the thing -right down, and it’s the game itself he loves—the man in -the box with the clever ‘wing,’ the chap who makes a -running catch with all the odds against him, the fellow who -steals and slides to the bag, keeping the base on a close -decision. You understand what I mean, Chip, a heap better -than I can tell it. That’s what gets under the colonel’s -skin. A little, snappy baseball, and he’s sure to bring his -best side uppermost.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t get you exactly,” said Merriwell. “What has -the colonel’s love for baseball to do with Jode?”</p> - -<p>“If Jode’s in the game, and makes good with a few star -plays, it will start the good suggestions to working in his -favor. See what I mean?”</p> - -<p>By a queer twist of the imagination, Merriwell began -thinking of the thermometer which Clancy had manipulated -on the veranda of the Ophir House, two or three -days before. The colonel’s very words, in commenting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">204</a></span> -on the thermometer incident, recurred to Frank: “Start -a train of suggestions properly, and, if they lead in the -right direction, you can mold nearly any one to your -will.” Was that foolish little joke of Clancy’s to bear -fruit in the affairs of Jode Lenning?</p> - -<p>“I see what you mean, all right, Curly,” said Frank, -“but Lenning has told me that he doesn’t care to curry -any favor with the colonel. He has decided to make his -fight single-handed, without putting himself under obligations -to any one. Good idea, too, strikes me.”</p> - -<p>“What he’d do in that ball game, Chip,” declared Darrel, -“is part of his fight. He’d not only impress the colonel, -but a rush of true sportsmanship over the diamond -would blot out all the hard feelings Jode’s old friends are -holding against him. Just one snappy double play, in the -last of the ninth, with the score tied and the bases full, -might make or mar Lenning’s whole future. Maybe it -seems foolish to talk like that, but human nature is a queer -problem, Chip. I’ve studied it a little, and there are times -when it only takes a mere trifle to start a flood of sentiment -moving in a right or wrong direction.”</p> - -<p>“I think you’re right about the things that are liable -to happen during a ball game, Curly,” Merriwell answered, -“but would luck favor Lenning? Is he a good enough -player so that he could confront an issue like that and -make good?”</p> - -<p>“Jode? Why, he’s one of the best ball players in this -part of Arizona. An all-around player, Jode is. I’ve -known him to pitch a no-hit game, to put up one of the -smoothest performances as backstop that I’ve ever seen, -to play first, and short, and all around the diamond in a -way that made everybody sit up and stare. He knew that -baseball was the colonel’s favorite game, and he studied -and worked to perfect himself in it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">205</a></span> -“More to make a hit with the colonel than anything -else?”</p> - -<p>“I suppose that was his real motive at that time. Since -then, though, everything has changed.”</p> - -<p>“Well, admitting all that this game might mean to Lenning, -how are we to get him into it?”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I came over here to talk with you about. -By all means, Jode must play. Couldn’t you make a decided -stand in his favor? If you threatened to quit, yourself, -unless Jode was given a chance on your team, I think -all the objections would melt away. Don’t you?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to get any player into the game by making -threats,” demurred Merry. “That’s not my style, anyhow, -Curly. And, even if I took such a stand, Lenning -himself wouldn’t put up with it. There’s such a feeling -against him that he’s made up his mind to stay out of -the game. Up to now, I’ve given him a whole lot of credit -for that.”</p> - -<p>“Somehow,” insisted Darrel, “we’ve got to have Lenning -play. Can’t you think of some plan, Chip?”</p> - -<p>Frank walked back and forth the length of the shadowy -veranda, racking his brain to evolve some expedient or -other that would fit the case. Suddenly the message from -Burke occurred to him, and he whirled on Darrel and -thrust the crumpled note into his hand.</p> - -<p>“Read that, Curly,” said he. “Maybe it opens up a -situation which can be used to help Lenning. I’m giving -you a lot of information about our troubles, but I guess it -won’t hurt our chances much. The whole thing is a -mighty delicate matter, and will have to be handled with -gloves.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll handle it,” returned Darrel, “if you give me a tip -as to what to do.”</p> - -<p>He stepped over to the lighted window and slowly read<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">206</a></span> -the message which had caused Frank so much chagrin -and disappointment. Darrel turned from the window with -a puzzled face.</p> - -<p>“What’s the idea?” he asked. “I don’t exactly grasp -it, Chip.”</p> - -<p>“Why, I had thought that, if it could be arranged, a -substitute——”</p> - -<p>“Strike me lucky!” gasped Darrel. “That’s just the -thing, by George! Say, Chip, that idea is a humdinger!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know about that. The success of it hangs on -a good many contingencies. You’ll first have to win over -Lenning to the scheme——”</p> - -<p>“Leave that to me. He works nights, doesn’t he? I’ll -go over to the mine and see him the moment I leave -here.”</p> - -<p>“Then, again,” said Merriwell gravely, “there’s a suggestion -of trickery about the move that I don’t like.”</p> - -<p>“Trickery nothing! It’s strategy, that’s all. Consider -the motive, Chip. The play is being made for a good -purpose—a purpose that could not be accomplished in any -other way.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it’s up to you, Curly. You belong with the -other team, and if you’re willing to put the deal through -I don’t see why I should object.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t worry about that. I’ll have a good, long talk -with my half brother, and I’ll bet I can make him see -things as I do.”</p> - -<p>Darrel was full of generous enthusiasm. With a final -word for Merry, he darted down the veranda steps, unhitched -his horse, mounted, and bore away in the direction -of the Ophir Mine.</p> - -<p>The plot had been hatched, and Darrel had gone actively -to work to carry it out. Were they right or wrong -in taking the stand they had done? Merry fretted over<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">207</a></span> -that part of it for a little while, and came to the conclusion -that if Darrel, the captain of the Gold Hill team, -thought the proceeding was justified, then no one else had -any reason to complain.</p> - -<p>Half an hour later, as Merriwell crawled into bed, he -was taking an optimistic view of events to come. The disappointment -that had come to him with Burke’s message -would be obliterated by the success of Darrel in carrying -out their plot. And, somehow or other, he had a feeling -that Darrel was going to be successful.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">208</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxxii" id="xxxii"></a>CHAPTER XXXII.<br /> -<span>THE DAY OF THE GAME.</span></h2> - - -<p>The whole of Saturday, Frank and his chums had -planned to devote to that contest with Gold Hill. Morning -dawned bright and cloudless; but that is not saying much, -for bright and cloudless mornings prevail in southern -Arizona for three hundred and sixty days out of every -year.</p> - -<p>This was a land in which summer sports were to be -enjoyed the whole year round. For those who liked that -sort of thing the climate had its appeal, but Merriwell -and his friends were beginning to think that the rigor of -frost and snow, at the usual time, would form a pleasant -change in that monotonous round of balmy weather.</p> - -<p>Saturday was free from the grind which, for five days -in the week, the professor insisted on during the hours -from eight to twelve. Nearly the whole forenoon, therefore, -Merriwell was free to spend on the clubhouse -grounds.</p> - -<p>All his players had presented themselves, with the exception -of Mexican Joe. It was around Joe that the plot -which concerned Lenning was to revolve, and the absence -of the catcher caused Frank some apprehension.</p> - -<p>There was a little practice on the diamond, but not -enough to tire the players, and some time before noon -Merry, Clancy, and Ballard were back at the hotel. Already -people were beginning to arrive in town for the -game. They came afoot, on horseback, and in buckboards -and mountain wagons.</p> - -<p>There were miners and ranchers, Indians, Mexicans,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">209</a></span> -and Chinamen. The Bar Z Ranch, where Blunt worked, -sent a big delegation of cowboys—and they were all there -to root for Barzy.</p> - -<p>News of the game had traveled like wildfire over the -cattle ranges and the mining districts. Young Merriwell -had been pretty much in everybody’s eye during the time -he had sojourned in Arizona, and much of the outpouring -was due to a desire to see the lad who had proved -himself such a worthy chip off the old block.</p> - -<p>As a sporting event, the baseball game promised to -be Merry’s farewell performance. This, in itself, was a -powerful lure in gathering the crowds.</p> - -<p>As early as one o’clock the movement set in from -Ophir toward the clubhouse and the athletic field. The -game was not called until three, but the eagerness of the -people to secure good seats led them to make an early -start for the grounds.</p> - -<p>“There’ll be some crowd on hand to see us land on -the Gold Hillers, Chip,” remarked Clancy, as they stood -on the hotel veranda and watched the flow of people along -the main street of the town.</p> - -<p>“Or to see the Gold Hillers land on us,” Frank -laughed.</p> - -<p>“Not at all, not at all,” insisted the red-headed chap. -“It would be too awful if we got stung at this athletic -game just before we shook the Arizona dust from our -brogans for good. Here, where we have been consistently -victorious, we must wind up our activities with a success -that will eclipse all the others. Victory shall perch on -the Ophir banners, to the end that -<i lang="la" xml:lang="la"><a name="finis" id="finis"></a><ins title="Original has 'finish'">finis</ins> -coronat opus</i> may -be justly exemplified. I repeat, friends and fellow citizens, -that——”</p> - -<p>“Choke off that old windjammer, Chip!” begged Ballard, -coming out on the veranda at that moment with his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">210</a></span> -suit case. “He’s got a notion that he’s making a public -speech.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got other notions, Pink, if it comes to that,” said -Clancy, giving his chum a look of intense disapproval. -“One of them is that you’re little Billy Buttinski, and -spoil many a good thing because you’re jealous.”</p> - -<p>“Jealous—of you? Why, you red-headed snipe——”</p> - -<p>“Tut, tut!” interposed Clancy, waving his hand restrainingly, -“men have been shot for less than that. But -don’t push me too far, Pink, don’t push me too far.”</p> - -<p>Ballard was about to reply, keeping up his end of the -good-natured give and take, when he caught sight of some -one hurrying toward the hotel along the sidewalk.</p> - -<p>“Here’s our prize greaser, fellows!” he announced. -“Wonder why he wasn’t around this morning?”</p> - -<p>“Knows he didn’t need the practice, I guess,” answered -Clancy. “If the rest of us can measure up to the -standard set by him and Chip, Gold Hill won’t get a score -across the pan.”</p> - -<p>Frank got his eyes on the approaching backstop and -watched him keenly and critically. The appearance of -the lad was the first intimation he had had of the success -of Darrel in carrying out the plot of the preceding evening. -Now, as his eyes followed the catcher along the -sidewalk and to the steps of the veranda, Merriwell experienced -a thrill of profound satisfaction. Darrel, it -was evident at a glance, had done his work wonderfully -well.</p> - -<p>Clancy and Ballard had not been taken into Merry’s -confidence regarding that note which had arrived from -Burke. Had they been with Frank at the time of its -receipt, very likely they would have been given the whole -disturbing message. Later, after his talk with Darrel, -Frank was glad that his chums were in ignorance of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">211</a></span> -Burke’s note. Now he was purposely keeping them in -the dark.</p> - -<p>“Howdy, Joe!” shouted Clancy. “You’re looking as -husky as a keg of nails.”</p> - -<p>The other’s swarthy face parted in a genial smile; but, -true to his taciturn disposition, he had nothing to say in -reply.</p> - -<p>“Think we’re going to win, Joe?” queried Ballard, by -way of testing the catcher’s confidence.</p> - -<p>The other ducked his head emphatically.</p> - -<p>“That’s right, Joe,” grinned Clancy, “I wouldn’t talk -if it’s painful. If you’d only learn the deaf-and-dumb -alphabet you could express yourself with your hands. I -believe you’d be a fluent talker if you’d use your fingers.”</p> - -<p>The catcher continued to grin expansively, but could -not be coaxed into doing any talking.</p> - -<p>Merriwell had been watching Clancy and Ballard with -sharp eyes while they were concerning themselves with -the backstop. An expression of humorous relief crossed -his face, and he reached out, caught the newcomer by the -arm, and drew him to one end of the veranda. From -the motions the two indulged in, Clancy and Ballard could -see that they were going over the signals.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see the use of that,” grunted Clancy. “Joe had -’em down pat yesterday afternoon, and it’s a cinch he -wouldn’t forget ’em this quick.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing like being sure,” said Ballard.</p> - -<p>For nearly half an hour, Merriwell and the catcher -continued to go through their signals and to converse in -low tones. At the end of that time, Mr. Bradlaugh came -along in his car to take the lads to the grounds.</p> - -<p>“All aboard, my lads!” he shouted.</p> - -<p>As they piled into the car, Frank noticed that Mr. -Bradlaugh was eying the catcher with a strange, dubious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">212</a></span> -expression. For a moment Frank experienced a thrill -of dismay, but he was reassured the next moment when -Mr. Bradlaugh remarked:</p> - -<p>“Joe will show them to-day what a real high-class fellow -behind the bat can do in helping to win a game. I -hear that you’re more than pleased with your catcher, -Merriwell?”</p> - -<p>“I am,” Frank answered, with emphasis.</p> - -<p>When the car reached the grounds, grand stand and -bleachers were crowded. Automobiles were lined up beyond -the stand, and every point that commanded a good -view of the diamond was filled.</p> - -<p>Gold Hill was well represented, and more than half of -the grand stand was occupied by stanch supporters of the -rival team. Gold Hill and Ophir did a lot of friendly -joshing back and forth, and the yells and cheers rang in -Frank’s ears as he got out of the car and hurried to the -dressing room in the gym.</p> - -<p>All the rest of the men who were to play with the -Ophir team, or to sit on the benches as substitutes, were -clad in their uniforms, and were waiting for Frank and -those with him to arrive. They were greeted warmly, -and Blunt slapped the backstop on the shoulder as he -passed him with his dingy old suit case.</p> - -<p>“We’re expecting great things of you, you old greaser -wonder!” exclaimed the cowboy.</p> - -<p>“That’s what, Joe!” seconded Handy.</p> - -<p>“And you’re not going to disappoint us,” added Reckless. -“I know that just as well as I know that I’m -alive.”</p> - -<p>The catcher’s reply was a wide smile, but not a word. -As he passed on and vanished into the dressing room, -Merriwell also smiled—but it was a smile of another sort.</p> - -<p>While Merry was getting into his baseball togs, a din<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">213</a></span> -of frenzied cheering was borne to him from the grand -stand and bleachers. He knew, from the mere volume -of sound, that the Gold Hill team had appeared from -their dressing rooms under the grand stand, and had scattered -over the diamond to warm up.</p> - -<p>A few moments later, Merry stepped out among his -players, gathered them around him, and calmly scrutinized -their flushed and eager faces.</p> - -<p>“We’ve had two days of practice, fellows,” said he, -“and we’re going up against a team that has been in -harness for weeks. But don’t let that bother you. It’s -the spirit you put into your work that counts. Be on -your toes every minute. Come on!”</p> - -<p>He flung open the gym door, bounded through it, and -started at a trot toward the ball field. The backstop was -at his side, and close at his heels trailed Clancy and Ballard. -After them came the rest of the team.</p> - -<p>A broadside of cheers went up from the spectators. -Gradually the volume of sound separated into staccato -notes and pauses, and clear and high rolled the chant, -“Merry, Merry, good old Merry!”</p> - -<p>Frank flushed. He wondered what that crowd would -think if it knew what “good old Merry” had up his -sleeve?</p> - -<p>Off to one side, Darrel and Bleeker were working out. -Both waved their hands in friendly greeting to Merriwell, -as he and his swarthy-faced catcher began their preliminary -practice.</p> - -<p>While passing the balls to his companion, Merry was -taking note of the work of the Gold Hillers. It was -snappy, and quick, and true, and the way the horsehide -flashed around and across the diamond was enough to -make the Ophirites wonder a bit how that game was going -to come out.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">214</a></span> -Darrel called in his men, and Frank sent the Ophir -players into the field. Then began an exhibition which -was not calculated to inspire much confidence in the Ophir -partisans. Blunt muffed a throw from the home plate, -Spink juggled a fly that had been lifted right into his -hands, and Brad and Handy crashed together in trying -to smother a low drive, and caused a ridiculous flurry between -third base and second. Everybody seemed bent on -showing just what a poor performer he could be, on -occasion, and there were more jeers than cheers while -Ophir was warming up.</p> - -<p>Frank was thankful to have the comedy of errors cut -short by the umpire, who had produced the little pasteboard -box and was shaking the new ball out of it. The -backstop was getting into his chest protector and turning -his cap, preparatory to putting on the mask. Another -moment, and Frank was in the pitcher’s box and -the umpire had tossed him the white sphere. “Play ball!” -came the command.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">215</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxxiii" id="xxxiii"></a>CHAPTER XXXIII.<br /> -<span>POOR SUPPORT.</span></h2> - - -<p>Frank was perfectly cool and composed, and never -more thoroughly master of himself than when he stepped -into the box. He knew that fate had played him up -prominently while he had been in that part of the country, -and that what fate had failed to do the florid imaginations -of a good many people had been quick to accomplish.</p> - -<p>Many of the spectators, no doubt, expected to find in -young Merriwell a pitcher who was half a wizard and half -a magician. Frank realized that onlookers of this class -were due for a severe disappointment. He was glad of -it, for he had no patience with the wild stories about -him which had been flying over that section of the -country.</p> - -<p>Bleeker was the first man to toe the plate for the Gold -Hillers. Clancy, from first, had to do all the ragging, -for the backstop remained as silent as usual.</p> - -<p>“Now for the first victim, Chip. This is Bleek. You -know Bleek? Well, he’s going to look pretty bleak when -you get through with him. Start the circus!”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be hard on your old friends, Chip,” grinned -Bleeker.</p> - -<p>There was an air of jaunty confidence about Bleeker -which suggested three-baggers and home runs. Frank -believed that this was a good place to take a reef in -Bleek’s aspirations.</p> - -<p>He led off with a jump ball, and the speed behind it -made the spectators jerk themselves together wonderingly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">216</a></span> -The sphere spanked into the backstop’s mitt with -a report like that of a rifle. Somewhere on its erratic -course Bleek had taken a swat at the deceptive object.</p> - -<p>“Strike!” shouted the umpire.</p> - -<p>A chorus of jeers went up from around the diamond. -Bleek, hardly realizing what had happened, stood looking -foolishly at the end of his bat.</p> - -<p>“Wake up, old man!” warned Darrel from the bench. -“Mind your eye, and don’t reach for the wide ones.”</p> - -<p>From the way Merry started the next ball it looked -like it was going to be another lightning express, but when -it crossed the plate it was jogging along like a slow -freight. Bleek, expecting something speedy, smashed at -the sphere before it was within a yard of him.</p> - -<p>“Strike two!” barked the umpire.</p> - -<p>A roar of laughter floated out over the field from the -Ophirites in the grand stand and on the bleachers.</p> - -<p>“What’s the use?” yelled some one. “He can’t see -’em!”</p> - -<p>“Pound it on the nose the next time, Bleek!” begged a -Gold Hiller.</p> - -<p>“Kill it! Kill it!”</p> - -<p>“Baste it out!”</p> - -<p>Bleeker nerved himself for a supreme attempt, but in -vain. Merry handed him an inshoot which found the -hole in his bat, and he tramped to the benches with a -flush of chagrin.</p> - -<p>“Merry’s certainly all to the mustard,” he grunted, as -he dropped down among his teammates. “He’s got some -fancy capers that will fool the best of ’em. If Hotch connects -with the ball it will be an accident.”</p> - -<p>“Watch Merriwell, fellows,” urged Darrel. “See how -he does it, then maybe you’ll be ready for him when you -go in for your own stickwork.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">217</a></span> -Obedient to orders, the Gold Hill players studied Merry -and tried to get “wise” to his curves. But, just as they -thought they had discovered something, they saw something -else that proved the supposed discovery wasn’t any -discovery at all.</p> - -<p>Hotchkiss, second baseman for the Gold Hillers, was -the next man up. He was a left-handed batter, and -Frank, who could pitch equally well with either hand, fell -back on his left wing.</p> - -<p>“Jumpin’ tarantulers!” boomed a cowboy. “Watch -him, will ye? He’s usin’ his south paw!”</p> - -<p>The first was a lightninglike bender, which coaxed a -strike out of Hotch.</p> - -<p>“That’s the way to start ’em, Chip!” cried Brad. “One, -two, three—that’s the style.”</p> - -<p>“Darn it, Chip,” cried Hotch, “why don’t you gi’ me -a chance? Ain’t you a friend o’ mine?”</p> - -<p>The catcher signaled for a wide one, but Hotch was -making good use of his eyes, and allowed it to pass.</p> - -<p>The third cut a corner of the plate. Hotch fouled it -back of third base, and had the second strike called on -him.</p> - -<p>The next signal called for a drop. Frank started it -pretty high, and Hotch grinned and shook his head. -Then he looked dazed when the umpire called him out.</p> - -<p>“Rotten!” grunted Hotch, throwing himself down beside -Bleeker. “That last ball was over my shoulders.”</p> - -<p>“You’re wrong, Hotch,” answered Bleek. “It was -lower than that. Now, El,” he shouted, as the captain of -the team went to bat, “lace it out. For the love of Mike, -show Merriwell we’re alive.”</p> - -<p>Darrel just managed to do that. He connected with -the second one over, and Merry smothered it without -leaving his tracks.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">218</a></span> -The Ophirites began to whoop and howl. Their boys -were making good, and they jubilated as only miners and -cowboys can.</p> - -<p>The first man to face Ellis Darrel for Ophir was the -backstop. He stepped into the batter’s box with a smile, -and cheerfully rapped out the first one over. A fellow -named Dart, who played shortstop for the Gold Hillers, -cuffed it down and snapped it to first. The ball beat -the catcher by a yard.</p> - -<p>“Tough luck, Joe,” <a name="commiserated" id="commiserated"></a><ins title="Original has 'commisserated'">commiserated</ins> Clancy, himself stepping -to the plate. “Now,” he called, “put one over, Darrel, -and I’ll show you what I can do.”</p> - -<p>Darrel had good control and plenty of speed. Clancy -decided to let the first ball pass, and then listened while -the umpire called a strike on him.</p> - -<p>“Don’t go to sleep, Red,” laughed Bleeker.</p> - -<p>“Just getting waked up for the next one,” chuckled -Clancy.</p> - -<p>“Here she is.”</p> - -<p>Clancy sawed the air, and spank went the ball in Bleek’s -mitt.</p> - -<p>“Not waked up yet?” jeered Bleek. “Well, well! -How long are you going to wait?”</p> - -<p>“I guess I’ve waited long enough,” said Clancy, and -his bat met the next one on the nose.</p> - -<p>It sailed over Darrel’s head, was muffed by Hotchkiss -at second, then picked up and sent to first like a streak -of greased lightning. It looked, from where Merriwell -sat, as though Clancy had beat it out. But the umpire -decided otherwise, and the crestfallen Clancy jogged -away to the bench.</p> - -<p>Merriwell was next.</p> - -<p>“Be easy with this one, El,” suggested Bleeker.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">219</a></span> -“It would be a feather in my cap if I could fan him,” -laughed Darrel.</p> - -<p>“That’s been done a good many times, Curly,” Merriwell -grinned.</p> - -<p>The first ball was a strike. It looked a little wide to -Frank, and he did not reach for it.</p> - -<p>The second ball was a wide one, and so was the third. -The fourth ball was just about where Frank wanted it, -and he smashed it for a couple of bases.</p> - -<p>“Whoop!” roared Barzy Blunt; “we’re off, we’re off! -Three tallies, pards! I’ll not be satisfied with anything -less than three runs this inning.”</p> - -<p>Ballard was the next one up. Merriwell stole third, -and he’d have got home if Ballard had given him a -chance. But Ballard fouled once back of the home plate, -and then struck out.</p> - -<p>“That’s awful, Chip,” groaned Ballard, passing the -pitcher’s box on his way to center field.</p> - -<p>“Never mind, Pink,” answered Frank. “We’re hitting -Curly, and next time we’re at bat I believe we’ll do something.”</p> - -<p>Lenaway, left fielder for the Gold Hillers, was the next -man to confront Merry.</p> - -<p>“Remember what you did before, Chip!” called Clancy. -“Don’t try to hog the whole game yourself. Start a man -this way and give me a chance to limber up. Start something, -old man.”</p> - -<p>Lenaway swung at the second ball. He must have -caught it on the handle, for it dropped in front of the -plate and rolled briskly down toward Clancy, just inside -the path.</p> - -<p>“It’s mine, Chip!” yelped Clancy, and darted at the -rolling sphere.</p> - -<p>The red-headed chap booted the ball, and by the time<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">220</a></span> -he had laid hold of it, Lenaway was roosting comfortably -on first. Frank had run to cover the base. He now -went back to the mound, wondering what in the deuce -had got into Clancy.</p> - -<p>“Wow!” cried Lenaway. “You can handle a paddle, -Red, a heap easier than you can field a grounder.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t talk to me,” grunted Clancy, in a spasm of self-reproach, -“I’m sore enough.”</p> - -<p>“Well, return the ball so I can take a lead.”</p> - -<p>“There it goes,” and Clancy tossed the sphere to Merry.</p> - -<p>“Now, then,” shouted Darrel, coming down to the -coaching line back of first, “nobody down, fellows! On -your toes, everybody. Ginger up, and we’ll make a showing. -Go down toward second, Len—go on! I’m here -to keep you out of danger.”</p> - -<p>Dart, the shortstop, picked up a bat and stepped to -the plate. Merry got him for three balls and two strikes, -and then Dart lined one out toward Brad. It was an -easy one, but Brad’s fingers were all thumbs, and the -ball went through him like a sieve. The fielder raced in -and picked up the ball, whipping it over to second just -an instant too late. Dart reached the bag, and Blunt, -apparently, forgot that Lenaway was on third.</p> - -<p>“The ball, Barzy!” cried Merriwell.</p> - -<p>Sudden realization of the fact that the man on third -had taken a dangerous lead toward home startled Blunt. -He threw to the plate instead of to Merry, and he threw -wild. While the catcher was chasing the ball Lenaway -got across the first score, and Dart went to third.</p> - -<p>There was much glorying in the Gold Hill section of -the grand stand. No one out, one run, and a man on -third! Certainly the prospects were gratifying.</p> - -<p>Mingo, the Mexican first baseman, followed Dart to -bat. Merry struck him out, and then expeditiously fanned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">221</a></span> -Rylman, the third baseman. Doolittle, right fielder, belied -his name, and hoisted a fly to Spink in left field. Spink -played beanbag, with it, dropped it, picked it up, then -dropped it again. During the farce, Dart darted home -and Doolittle gained second.</p> - -<p>Stark, center fielder, fanned, and Doolittle died on -third. But ragged support had given the Gold Hillers -two runs. The swarthy-faced backstop pulled a long -face and Merriwell walked to the bench, trying to figure -out the errors in the first half of the second. They were -so many that he had to give it up.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">222</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxxiv" id="xxxiv"></a>CHAPTER XXXIV.<br /> -<span>WORSE—AND MORE OF IT.</span></h2> - - -<p>Colonel Hawtrey was flying around the Gold Hill section -of the stand, now and then rising in his seat to cheer -or to hand a little good-natured raillery to his friend, Mr. -Bradlaugh.</p> - -<p>“Thought you had some ball players over here, Bradlaugh,” -he shouted, while runs were crossing the pan for -Gold Hill.</p> - -<p>“So did I,” laughed the general manager. “The game’s -young yet, colonel. Wait till we’re a little farther along.”</p> - -<p>“You fielders have got to take a brace,” Merry was -saying to some of his teammates. “Clancy, I’m surprised -at you! Brad, I wonder how your father enjoyed that -play of yours? Now, then, all get together and do something.”</p> - -<p>Brad, who was first at bat, tried hard to retrieve himself. -Perhaps he tried too hard, for overanxiety is worse -than not being anxious enough. Yet, be that as it may, -his little pop-up was bagged neatly by Dart, and Brad -turned from the path to first and made for the bench.</p> - -<p>Then Blunt tried for a hit, but Darrel was pitching -great ball, and nothing happened. Handy followed, and -managed to get to first but Spink spoiled all his chances -by getting a grounder to Rylman and being thrown out -at first.</p> - -<p>Bleeker was up again in the first half of the third. -Frank had made up his mind, by then, that he and the -backstop would have to do most of the work, and he -was pitching ball that made the fans open their eyes. -He did not allow a man to reach first, but struck them out -as fast as they came to the plate.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">223</a></span> -In this round, which added a goose egg to the Gold -Hill score, Ellis Darrel was included.</p> - -<p>Reckless, in the last half of the third, aroused Ophir -hopes by dropping the ball into left field. Lenaway made -a grand effort to get under it, but it slipped over the ends -of his fingers.</p> - -<p>“Now, Joe,” begged Blunt, as the catcher picked out his -bat, “bring Reckless in, and come in yourself.”</p> - -<p>The backstop smiled genially, and proceeded to sacrifice -Reckless to second. He almost got to first on the -bunt, but was called out by the umpire.</p> - -<p>“Now, do your prettiest, Clan,” urged Merry. “You’ll -never have a better chance to do something.”</p> - -<p>“Watch me, that’s all,” grinned the red-headed chap. -“Here’s where I make up for some of my errors.”</p> - -<p>Then an awful thing happened. Clancy hit a long fly. -The coacher thought the fielder couldn’t possibly get it, -and started Reckless to third. But the fielder, making a -magnificent running catch, took the ball in out of the -wet and whipped it to second.</p> - -<p>That was all; and the best chance Ophir had yet had -to score was lost. The Gold Hillers began to sing, and -some of the more demonstrative marched in a procession -around the grand stand, using their megaphones to “rub -it into” the Ophirites.</p> - -<p>The score remained two to nothing. By magnificent -work, Merriwell and his swarthy backstop continued adding -ciphers to the Gold Hill score, but they were not able -to get any runs for themselves.</p> - -<p>“Something’s bound to happen yet, colonel,” said Mr. -Bradlaugh, in the second half of the eighth. “I shouldn’t -wonder if the balloon would go up about here.”</p> - -<p>“The score would have been twenty to nothing,” declared -Colonel Hawtrey, “if Merriwell and that Mexican<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">224</a></span> -catcher hadn’t stood like a wall between our boys and -first. By Jove! I never saw steadier or more clear-headed -work, and right in the face of the worst support I ever -heard of. You can thank your battery, Bradlaugh, for -getting off easy this afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps,” answered the general manager hopefully, -“we’ll be able to thank our battery for more than that.”</p> - -<p>“I can admire your grit, anyhow,” laughed Hawtrey, -“even if I can’t applaud your judgment. You are right -about one thing, though, Bradlaugh: A game is never -finished until the last man is out.”</p> - -<p>The Gold Hillers, who had hoped to roll up a big -score, were now contenting themselves with merely holding -their opponents. Two runs would be enough. They -would win one of the hardest games ever contested on -the Ophir diamond.</p> - -<p>“We’ve got to have three tallies, fellows,” was the -word Frank was circulating among his men. “All together, -now! We’ve fooled with these Gold Hill chaps -long enough.”</p> - -<p>Frank was cheerful, even sanguine. Even when Darrel -fanned the first three men to come to bat, Merriwell -continued to cheer up his discouraged teammates.</p> - -<p>“We’re going to win,” said he confidently. “I’ve got a -hunch to that effect.”</p> - -<p>“Pretty soon it will be too late to start,” returned Blunt -gloomily.</p> - -<p>“It’s never too late to start, Barzy, so long as the under -dog has a chance to bat.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we’ve only got one more chance.”</p> - -<p>“That will be enough—providing we improve it.”</p> - -<p>During the first half of the ninth, Gold Hill came within -a hair’s breadth of getting another run. A throw to the -plate, relayed to Merriwell and passed to the backstop,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">225</a></span> -who made a marvelous catch and tagged out the runner, -was all that prevented the score from coming in.</p> - -<p>“Who made that throw from deep center?” shouted -Colonel Hawtrey, rising in his seat.</p> - -<p>“Ballard, Merriwell’s chum,” some one replied.</p> - -<p>“Bravo, Ballard!” cheered the colonel. “Now you’re -playing ball! And you Mexican boy, down there!”</p> - -<p>The Ophir catcher, with a queer movement, turned -and looked up at the colonel.</p> - -<p>“That was fine, do you hear?” went on the colonel enthusiastically. -“I must shake hands with you for that.”</p> - -<p>The backstop turned on his heel and walked to the -benches with bowed head.</p> - -<p>“It’s about over, Bradlaugh,” said the colonel, lifting -his voice high in order to be heard through the buzz of -conversation that surrounded him. “So far as results are -concerned, we could just as well leave now.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be in a rush,” answered Mr. Bradlaugh. “I -still think something is going to happen that will turn -the tide in our favor.”</p> - -<p>“Hope springs perennial in the breast of the baseball -fan,” laughed Hawtrey.</p> - -<p>“Merriwell gets to bat in the last half. He’ll do something.”</p> - -<p>“How do you figure that?” demanded Hawtrey. “Spink -is first up, then Reckless, then Mexican Joe, then Clancy. -Merriwell comes after that. What chance has Merriwell -got to do any stickwork? Three will fan before his turn -at the plate—Darrel will look out for that.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe Darrel will slip up in his calculations,” said the -general manager doggedly.</p> - -<p>With his hands thrust deep into his pockets, Mr. Bradlaugh -sat in growing hopelessness while Spink and Reckless -fanned. It looked as though it was all over. Many<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">226</a></span> -of the Gold Hillers in the automobiles began to toot their -horns triumphantly, and to prepare to leave. Those in -the grand stand and on the bleachers were already congratulating -each other.</p> - -<p>With two out, the swarthy backstop was leading the -forlorn hope. What could he accomplish, in the face of -defeat that seemed absolutely certain?</p> - -<p>There was nothing about the catcher, as he picked up -his club and stepped to the plate, which suggested that -he was either nervous or discouraged. He was there to -do his best, and thoughts of failure did not seem to bother -him in the least.</p> - -<p>No one, not even the Ophirites, had much to say to -the backstop. It seemed, to almost every one except Merriwell -and the catcher, as though the game was irretrievably -lost. Merry and the catcher, however, were still -hoping against hope.</p> - -<p>Darrel, perhaps too confident of victory, allowed a -ball to cross the plate just about where the catcher wanted -it. With a crack that sounded like the report of a rifle -he lifted the horsehide far out between left and center.</p> - -<p>The smack of bat against ball at once claimed the attention -of the crowd.</p> - -<p>Those who were on the point of leaving stood in their -tracks and faced around to follow proceedings on the -diamond.</p> - -<p>“It’s only a flurry,” the Gold Hillers said to each other. -“There are two out, and not a ghost of a chance for Ophir -tying the score. They’re dying hard, though.”</p> - -<p>Stark, in center field, managed to pick up the ball and -to fling it in. He was so quick with it that the catcher -was prevented from making a try for third.</p> - -<p>Clancy was the next batter. His flagging hopes had -been revived. After him came Merriwell. If Clancy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">227</a></span> -could only make good use of the swatstick, a whole chain -of gorgeous possibilities would flash through the murky -skies that encompassed Ophir.</p> - -<p>“Keep your nerve, Clan,” called Merry. “Remember, -it’s all up to you. Lace it out, old chap. Not that way,” -he added, with a laugh, as the nervous Clancy swung at -the sphere and missed.</p> - -<p>Clancy ground his teeth, and into his wildly beating -heart there entered the determination to do or die.</p> - -<p>Again Darrel sent the ball at him. The bat moved a -little in his hands, but did not come down.</p> - -<p>“He had a notion!” some one yelled, as the umpire -called a ball. “Coax him again, Darrel. He can’t get -a hit!”</p> - -<p>Once more Darrel “wound up,” and let the ball go. -This time, to the dismay of the Ophirites, Clancy cracked -it out. It sped hotly past the pitcher, and was finally -scooped up by short.</p> - -<p>The complexion of affairs had changed. The backstop -was on third, and Clancy was hugging first. Handy -went down to the coaching line. Merriwell, a smile on -his face, stepped to the plate.</p> - -<p>“All I want is a good one, Curly,” said he, “and we’ll -sew up the game right here.”</p> - -<p>A wild commotion broke out among the spectators. -Those who had started to leave sat down again, and -some who had left crowded back into the grand stand.</p> - -<p>Was it possible, every onlooker was asking himself, that -Ophir could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in -such a spectacular manner?</p> - -<p>Merriwell was at the bat. Here was the point that -aroused the wildest fears of Gold Hill, and the fondest -hopes of Ophir.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">228</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxxv" id="xxxv"></a>CHAPTER XXXV.<br /> -<span>WON IN THE NINTH.</span></h2> - - -<p>Nerves, everywhere around the ball field, were drawn to -breaking tension. On Merriwell alone depended the fortunes -of the day for Ophir.</p> - -<p>It was the last half of the ninth inning. There were -two out and two on bases. A hit by Merriwell would -certainly bring in the catcher, and, if the hit happened -to be a two-bagger, a couple of scores might be put -across the pan. This is as far as the wildest dreams of -the Ophirites allowed them to go.</p> - -<p>Ellis Darrel was keyed up to the highest pitch of -achievement. If he could strike out Merriwell—something -which he had not been able to do so far—the danger -point would be safely passed. He made up his mind -that he would fan him.</p> - -<p>It was something which Darrel hated to do. There -was no one whom Darrel thought more of, or to whom -he owed a greater obligation, than Frank Merriwell, -junior.</p> - -<p>With face a little white and eyes gleaming restlessly -Darrel shot a ball across the plate. It was not the sort -of a ball Merry wanted, so he let it pass.</p> - -<p>A discontented murmuring came from the wild-eyed -Ophirites as the umpire called the strike.</p> - -<p>There was silence in the crowded grand stand, over -the bleachers, and among the automobiles. All eyes were -fixed, as by a weird fascination, on the trampled ball -field, holding the players steadily under gaze, and keeping -nervous track of the base runners and of the lithe, -slender figure holding the bat.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">229</a></span> -Darrel let fly with another ball. It was wide. The -third one delivered was also too far off to count. But the -next one——</p> - -<p>Merriwell, with a terrific swing, met it squarely. With -a smack that could be heard for half a mile in the quiet -air, the bat started the ball skyward.</p> - -<p>Wild cheers broke from the crowd, and the hardest -cheering was done by Colonel Hawtrey. What did he -care how that magnificent hit might benefit Ophir at -the expense of Gold Hill? He had just witnessed the -finest example of pluck in the face of overwhelming -discouragement which it had ever been his lot to -observe.</p> - -<p>“Go it, Merriwell!” shouted the old colonel, hopping -up and down and thrashing his arms in the air. “See -how many bases you can tear off before the ball comes -in.”</p> - -<p>“There’s the greaser, spilling over the home plate!” -howled a delirious voice.</p> - -<p>“And here comes Clancy! Hoop-a-la! Watch him -go. That red head looks like a comet.”</p> - -<p>Blunt was standing up on the players’ bench, roaring -at the top of his voice. What he said, however, was lost -in the general hubbub.</p> - -<p>While Clancy was covering the ground as though it -burned his feet, the fielders were scrambling to get the -ball. Farther and farther out they went, clear down into -the distant oval of the cinder track.</p> - -<p>Clancy came home—the score was tied. Still the -ball was not coming back.</p> - -<p>“Come in, Merry!” howled a hundred frantic voices. -“Come in! You’ve knocked out a home run!”</p> - -<p>This was really the case. The voices of the coachers -were drowned in Merriwell’s ears, and he had to keep<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">230</a></span> -track of the ball himself. He was disposed to play -safe. In the face of the general yell for him to get in -the winning tally, however, he plunged for home with all -the speed that was in him. By then the ball was coming, -and those who had shouted for Merry to finish his -circle of the bases were beginning to feel sorry that their -ardor had carried them away.</p> - -<p>The ball was relayed from second by a beautiful -throw. Bleeker nabbed it and reached for Merry. But, -at that moment, Merry’s feet were on the plate.</p> - -<p>“Safe!” bellowed the umpire.</p> - -<p>That was the signal for bedlam to be turned loose. -There was still a chance for Ballard to bat, but the -game was won, and what was the use of prolonging the -agony?</p> - -<p>Spectators scrambled into the field and a rush was -made for the panting and dusty Merriwell. Those who -could not get near Merry rushed at Clancy, and those -who failed to reach Clancy made a set at the swarthy -backstop.</p> - -<p>It was remembered that honors were due equally to -the three lads who had brought in the runs. It was the -catcher who had started the batting rally, and had he -not got a hit there would have been no chance for -Clancy and Merriwell.</p> - -<p>Colonel Hawtrey was one of those who had failed to -come close to Merry and Clancy and had turned to the -backstop.</p> - -<p>“My boy,” said he, his voice a-thrill with excitement, -“you started a bit of the finest and most sportsmanlike -work I have ever seen pulled off on a ball ground. I -wish to congratulate you, and——”</p> - -<p>The colonel paused. The streams of sweat, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">231</a></span> -were pouring down the backstop’s face, were leaving little -gutters of white in the swarthy hue of his cheeks.</p> - -<p>“You’re not a Mexican!” exclaimed the colonel.</p> - -<p>“No,” agreed the youth, standing his ground. “I never -said I was a Mexican, colonel.”</p> - -<p>“That voice!” gasped Hawtrey, recoiling. “That——”</p> - -<p>He suddenly ceased speaking. His face hardened and -his eyes became two glowing points of white-hot steel.</p> - -<p>“I know you!” went on the colonel savagely. “You -couldn’t get into the game by fair means, and so you -disguised yourself, smearing your face with some kind -of stain to make you look like a Mexican. You double-dealing -scoundrel! You——”</p> - -<p>Just at this point Darrel stepped to the front and -thrust an arm affectionately through that of his half -brother.</p> - -<p>“Don’t blame Jode for it, colonel,” said Darrel. “I’m -the one who engineered the scheme.”</p> - -<p>“And I’m the one who helped you,” said Merry, moving -up on Lenning’s other side.</p> - -<p>Colonel Hawtrey passed a dazed hand across his forehead.</p> - -<p>“Do you mean to say, Ellis,” he muttered, “that you—you -admit having deceived me?”</p> - -<p>“I admit persuading Jode to fix himself up as Mexican -Joe,” answered Darrel. “It was his only chance to get -into the game, you see. He had to come in as Merriwell’s -substitute, although posing at the same time as -Mexican Joe.”</p> - -<p>“Why did you want him in the game?” demanded the -colonel.</p> - -<p>“We wanted to see him do some good work and win -back your friendship and that of a few of the lads who -have turned against him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">232</a></span> -“Perhaps he has succeeded,” said the colonel coldly, -“but it is a case of double-dealing which I will not -countenance.”</p> - -<p>Hawtrey, elbowing the crowd aside, started toward the -clubhouse.</p> - -<p>“I say, colonel!” called Mr. Bradlaugh.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to town, Bradlaugh,” said the colonel, -without looking back. “If you want to see me, it will -have to be at the Ophir House.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t fret, boys,” said Mr. Bradlaugh to Merry, Lenning, -and Darrel. “He’ll feel better after a while. I’ll -see what I can do with him.”</p> - -<p>With that Mr. Bradlaugh hurried after his irate friend.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">233</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxxvi" id="xxxvi"></a>CHAPTER XXXVI.<br /> -<span>THE PLOT THAT FAILED.</span></h2> - - -<p>“You can see what’s happened, Darrel,” said Lenning, -turning with a weary air to his half brother. “The -colonel is down on me worse than ever; and he’s down -on you, too.”</p> - -<p>Merry, Darrel, and Lenning were surrounded by a -crowd about equally composed of Gold Hill and Ophir -players. The revelation that had stripped the mask from -the supposed Mexican Joe, leaving in his place the friendless -Jode Lenning, had come as a stunning surprise.</p> - -<p>“I’d like to know something about this, Chip,” said -Ballard. “It strikes me that you haven’t been square -with us.”</p> - -<p>“He was as square as he could be, Pink,” answered Darrel. -“After the plot was hatched he couldn’t very well -give it away, could he?”</p> - -<p>“Where the deuce is Mexican Joe?” asked Clancy.</p> - -<p>“I got a note from Burke last evening,” Merriwell exclaimed, -“which informed me that Joe had been called -suddenly back to the bedside of his sick relative. That -put me strictly up against it, till Darrel blew in and -suggested that Lenning be substituted for Mexican Joe, -but without telling any one the difference.”</p> - -<p>“I had a hard time getting Jode’s consent,” said Darrel, -“but finally, more to please Chip and me than anything -else, he agreed. I secured that stain for him in -town, and Burke got him some clothes that looked enough -like the greaser’s to pass muster. He was a pretty close -imitation of the real thing, eh, fellows?” Darrel laughed, -slapping his half brother heartily on the back.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">234</a></span> -“I should say so!” exclaimed Clancy. “Why, we had -the real Mexican with us for a couple of days, and yet -I couldn’t see any difference between the two.”</p> - -<p>“Nor I,” said Ballard. “Lenning was a dead ringer -for Mexican Joe.”</p> - -<p>“What was the plot aimed at, Chip?” asked Blunt.</p> - -<p>“It was aimed at you fellows and the colonel. We -thought Lenning would make such a good record in the -game that he would win the approval and good will of -the colonel and the boys from Gold Hill and Ophir. -But,” Merry finished regretfully, “I guess we made a -miss of it, and that the plot failed.”</p> - -<p>“Not much it didn’t fail—that is, not entirely,” Blunt -resumed. “Lenning has shown himself a good deal of -a man, by jumping into this thing like he did, and I for -one feel as though I had made a blamed fool of myself.” -He turned to Lenning. “Will you shake hands,” he asked.</p> - -<p>A gratified smile wreathed itself about Lenning’s lips.</p> - -<p>“You bet I will, Blunt!” he exclaimed. “The plot -certainly worked out all right if it gave me Barzy Blunt -for a friend.”</p> - -<p>“Shucks!” grunted Blunt, deeply touched. “I reckon -I acted like a coyote, t’other day, when I allowed I -wouldn’t have you in this nine of Chip’s. I’m sorry I -tuned up like I did.”</p> - -<p>“Just forget it, Blunt,” smiled Lenning.</p> - -<p>“I feel a good deal the same as Barzy does,” spoke -up Handy. “If it hadn’t been for you, Lenning, dropping -into our team as a substitute for the Mexican, I -reckon we would have lost out. Will you shake with -me?”</p> - -<p>And, beginning right there, Jode Lenning held an impromptu -reception. Reckless was next to grip his hand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">235</a></span> -after Handy had released it; then came Clancy and Ballard, -and every player that was left in both teams.</p> - -<p>“I guess you fellows didn’t fall down on that plot, after -all,” laughed Clancy. “You made good on the diamond, -Lenning, and that has shown a few of us what pesky -idiots we were.”</p> - -<p>“I—I want you to understand, fellows,” said Lenning, -his voice trembling and his eyes misty, “that I appreciate -your show of confidence in me. I have turned over -a new leaf, and I’m not particularly anxious to curry -any favor with Colonel Hawtrey. I gave him cause to -treat me as he did, and I don’t want him to think -I’m sneaking around, trying to get him to take me back -and help me. I wouldn’t go back if he offered to take -me. I’m earning my way now, and I want to be independent.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the talk!” approved Barzy Blunt.</p> - -<p>“Come on over to the gym, fellows,” called Merry, -“and let’s get under the showers. I think we’ll all feel -better for a bath and a rubdown.”</p> - -<p>“It’s like going home, El,” Lenning whispered to Darrel, -with a catch in his voice.</p> - -<p>Silently Darrel’s arm went around his half brother and -tightened affectionately.</p> - -<p>The plot may have failed in so far as it concerned -Colonel Hawtrey, but in other ways, equally far-reaching, -it had been a success.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">236</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxxvii" id="xxxvii"></a>CHAPTER XXXVII.<br /> -<span>WOO SING AND THE PIG.</span></h2> - - -<p>“Suffering snakes!” exclaimed Barzy Blunt, coming -to a halt in the trail, “what in blazes is that, fellows?”</p> - -<p>“It might be a steam calliope breaking out in high -C,” grinned Owen Clancy, “only this part of Arizona -runs more to cantaloupes than calliopes, so——”</p> - -<p>Billy Ballard groaned heavily.</p> - -<p>“Pa-ro-no-masia,” he said, clearly and distinctly. “Get -that?”</p> - -<p>“No,” said young Merriwell decidedly, “I don’t get -it, Pink, and I don’t want to. Sounds worse than the -measles.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon I’ve had it,” remarked Blunt seriously. “If -it’s catching, I know I have. When I was a kid I made -it a rule to corral everything from mumps to meningitis. -Can you have it twice?”</p> - -<p>“I’m vaccinated,” said Clancy, “so I guess it wouldn’t -be fatal even if I did catch it. What are the symptoms, -Pink?”</p> - -<p>“In your case, Red,” Ballard explained, “the symptoms -are ‘cantaloupe’ and ‘calliope.’ Professor Phineas -Borrodaile, who is long on polysyllables, explained the -term to me.”</p> - -<p>“Well, come across. What sort of a silly-bull is this -pa-ra-what-d’you-call-it?”</p> - -<p>“Slay him!” whispered Ballard weakly. “There are -more symptoms.”</p> - -<p>Feigning wrath, Clancy bristled up to Ballard.</p> - -<p>“I’ll be slaying you, Pink,” he growled, “if you don’t -tell me what I’ve got so I can get rid of it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">237</a></span> -“Keep your distance, Clancy!” ordered Ballard. “I -can see another pun in your eye. If you make it, somebody -will have to hold me or I’ll give you a jab with my -powerful right.”</p> - -<p>“That would be a pun-jab, and—— Ouch! Quit it, -Chip! Let go!”</p> - -<p>Merry had grabbed his red-headed chum with both -hands.</p> - -<p>“Will you let up of your own accord, Clan,” hissed -Merry, “or have I got to strangle you?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll quiet down if Pink will kindly explain what he -means,” said Clancy.</p> - -<p>“A fellow who puns has pa-ra-no-masia,” explained -Ballard.</p> - -<p>“Oh, that’s it!” murmured Clancy, pretending a great -relief. “A fellow who puns ought to be punished, I suppose.”</p> - -<p>“He ought to be punched,” declared Ballard; “and right -here——”</p> - -<p>But, just at this point, the sound which Blunt had first -heard, and which had aroused his curiosity, came suddenly -closer. It was loud, and shrill, and ear-splitting. -Nor was it hard to determine the cause of it, now that it -was so close.</p> - -<p>“A pig, by thunder!” exclaimed the cowboy.</p> - -<p>The words were still on his lips as a small and highly -excited porker came plunging wildly into view around a -turn in the trail. There was a rope tied to one of the -pig’s hind legs, and attached to the end of the rope was -a Chinaman.</p> - -<p>The Chinaman’s silk kimono was split up the back, one -of the sleeves had been torn away, and what remained of -the garment was covered with dust and grime. His flapping<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">238</a></span> -trousers were also considerably out of repair, and -one of his sandals was gone.</p> - -<p>“Why,” cried Merry, “it’s Woo Sing!”</p> - -<p>Woo Sing was the Chinese roustabout at the Ophir -House, the hotel at which Merry and his chums had -put up during the whole of their stay in Ophir, Arizona. -Ordinarily, Woo Sing was very bland and peaceable, -but now it was evident that his Oriental temper was -getting the best of him.</p> - -<p>“Whoosh!” he shouted, on catching sight of the boys. -“One piecee pig makee heap tlouble. Woo Sing no likee -pig, by Klismus! Somebody give Woo Sing club, by -gee clickets, him makee pig bologna sausage chop-chop.”</p> - -<p>The pig, for the moment, had stopped struggling and -stopped squealing. With his round, wicked little eyes -he was surveying the four lads in the trail.</p> - -<p>“Where’d you get the porker, Sing?” inquired Ballard.</p> - -<p>“Pophagan he wantee. Him sendee Woo Sing to -gettee. I pay fi’ dol’ fo’ pig, and he makee fitty dol’ -damage with tlouble. Pophagan no sendee Sing fo’ pig -ally mo’. Him tly sendee, Sing quit job, by glacious!”</p> - -<p>All the boys studied the angry Chinaman for a moment, -and then the humor of the situation broke over -them, and they began to laugh.</p> - -<p>“You makee laugh, huh?” chattered the Chinaman -wrathfully. “You ketchee heap plenty fun flom China -boy’s tlouble! By jim’ Klismus, I been so mad I likee -make fight. Mebbyso, you takee pig with stling bymby -flom one place to some othel place. Pig makee tlouble -<a name="fo" id="fo"></a><ins title="Original has 'for’'">fo’</ins> you, -then China boy laugh allee same Sam Hill. -Now China boy no can laugh. Whoosh! Giddap,” he -added, shaking the rope in an attempt to make the pig -resume the journey townward.</p> - -<p>The pig, however, seemed to have ideas of his own on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">239</a></span> -the subject of starting. Planted firmly in the trail, he -merely let out a protesting squeal every time Woo Sing -jerked the rope.</p> - -<p>“He makee squeal, no makee move!” cried the exasperated -Chinaman.</p> - -<p>“He’s balky, Sing,” observed Blunt, tipping a humorous -wink at the other lads. “You’ve got the rope around -the wrong end of that pig. If you had it hitched in -front, you know, you could pull him along.”</p> - -<p>“In flont?” cried the Chinaman, in horror. “Me no -gettee in flont of pig fo’ hunnerd dol’. It plenty bad to -tlavel behind, where China boy makee watch pig do his -devil tlicks. P’laps pig makee move if China boy givee -kick.”</p> - -<p>With that, Sing hauled off with the foot which still -wore a sandal. In less than a second the Chinaman’s -foot and the pig had a rear-end collision. The pig let -out an angry squeal, and started—but not in the right -direction. Instead of striking out along the trail on -the way to Ophir, the pig began running circles around -Sing.</p> - -<p>In just two rounds the Chinaman’s feet were neatly -lashed together by two coils of rope. Another round, -and the pull on the rope jerked the bound feet out from -under their owner, and he sat down in the trail with more -haste than grace.</p> - -<p>By that time, the pig evidently came to the conclusion -that he had done enough circling, and started off -on the straightaway. He did not head toward Ophir, -however, but away from the town and in the direction -of Bitter Root Cañon.</p> - -<p>For possibly two yards he dragged the helpless Chinaman -after him, then the Chinaman’s weight, pulling -against the loop around the pig’s leg, caused the rope<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">240</a></span> -to slip off, and the unmanageable little porker found -himself free to travel where he pleased.</p> - -<p>Frank and his friends had been attempting to do something -to relieve the Chinaman’s distress. Woo Sing -was sputtering like a package of firecrackers, however, -and the situation was so funny that the boys had to laugh -in spite of themselves. Their enjoyment interfered with -their efforts to aid, and they had barely surrounded the -pig and the Chinaman when the pig broke loose.</p> - -<p>Ballard, as it happened, was right in the pig’s way. -Without taking the trouble to go around Ballard, the pig -charged for his legs, and knocked them out from under -him. For about a second Ballard was standing on his -head.</p> - -<p>“Me losee fi’ dol’, him gettee ’way!” wailed Woo Sing, -untangling himself from the rope and jumping to his -feet. “Whoa, pig! Come, pig; come, pig!”</p> - -<p>The Chinaman was flying at speed after the escaped -porker.</p> - -<p>“Help ketchee, help ketchee!” he flung over his shoulder, -in an imploring voice, as he raced onward.</p> - -<p>“That’s the darndest, most contrary pig I ever saw in -my life!” fumed Ballard.</p> - -<p>“He’s not used to chinks,” laughed Blunt, “and that’s -all the trouble.”</p> - -<p>“Pink tried to hog all the Chinaman’s trouble,” said -Clancy, “and now he’s sore because he got just a little -of it.”</p> - -<p>“Gee!” exclaimed young Merriwell; “the pig’s going -like a streak, and he’ll be in the cañon in about two minutes. -No chance of overhauling him so long as he sets -a pace like that.”</p> - -<p>The trail Frank and his friends were traveling was -the one leading from town to the clubhouse and athletic<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">241</a></span> -field of the Ophir Athletic Club. This was also the main -trail to Gold Hill; and, at the point where the clubhouse -road branched away, the pig had exercised considerable -discrimination by keeping right on toward Gold Hill.</p> - -<p>The frantic Woo Sing was leading the pursuit. His -tattered garments were fluttering and snapping around -him in the wind of his flight, and his long queue was -standing straight out behind. The pig was a mere flurry -of dust in the distance.</p> - -<p>At the place where the trail forked to lead to the clubhouse, -Frank drew to a halt.</p> - -<p>“We can’t all of us go on and help Sing, fellows,” -said he. “There’s work for us at the golf links, and we -can’t waste time getting there. Ballard, you and Blunt -go on and help recapture the pig. Clan and I will hunt -up Mr. Bradlaugh and Colonel Hawtrey and see what we -can do for Lenning.”</p> - -<p>“There’s your chance, Pink,” laughed Clancy. “Go -ahead and stir yourself. But I’d advise you not to get -too much in the pig’s way. If he makes a dead set at -you, just swing around, get on his back, and ride. Do -that, and it won’t be long before you tire him out and get -him so he’ll eat out of your hand.”</p> - -<p>“You go to blazes!” growled Ballard. “If you know -so much about catching runaway pigs, maybe you’d better -go with Blunt and let me trail along with Chip.”</p> - -<p>“Come on, Bal,” cried the cowboy, and started off, -running awkwardly in his feet-pinching, high-heeled -boots.</p> - -<p>Without waiting for further talk, Ballard took after -Blunt. Merry and Clancy watched until the little cloud -of dust, representing the pig, had crossed the rim of the -cañon and vanished down the steep slope; then, turning, -they set their faces toward the clubhouse.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">242</a></span> -“That was more fun than a box of monkeys, Chip,” -chuckled Clancy. “I wish I could be around to see how -the chase comes out.”</p> - -<p>“They’ll catch the pig, of course,” laughed Merriwell. -“It means five dollars to Sing, and he’ll never give up -until he lays the porker by the heels. Ballard and Blunt -couldn’t very well give up the chase and leave the Chinaman -to go it alone.”</p> - -<p>For a few moments the two chums walked onward, -chuckling and snickering over recent events; then, as -they drew near the clubhouse, Merry’s face suddenly -straightened.</p> - -<p>“Now, Clan,” said he, “we’re right up to one of the -hardest jobs we ever tackled. Let’s get serious.”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">243</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxxviii" id="xxxviii"></a>CHAPTER XXXVIII.<br /> -<span>A GOOD WORD FOR LENNING.</span></h2> - - -<p>It was Monday forenoon, and the second day after -Merriwell’s pick-up nine had clashed on the diamond with -the team from Gold Hill.</p> - -<p>As a result of Jode Lenning’s clever work during that -game, he won over all the ball players, and made many -friends among the spectators; but the one man Merry and -Darrel had wished to reconcile with Lenning became angry -at what he termed Lenning’s deception, and seemed more -bitterly set against the young fellow than ever. That one -man was Colonel Hawtrey.</p> - -<p>Lenning, happy in the thought that many of the friends -he had lost had been regained, returned with a light heart -to his work at the Ophir Mine. At the Ophir House, -directly after the baseball game, Mr. Bradlaugh, president -of the Ophir Athletic Club and general manager for -the syndicate that operated the gold mine, had labored -hard with Colonel Hawtrey to soften him in his attitude -toward Lenning. He had not been very <a name="successful" id="successful"></a><ins title="Original has 'succesful'">successful</ins>, but -he had given Frank a tip that, Monday forenoon, he and -the colonel were to play a game of golf on the Ophir club -links, and he suggested that Frank appear personally and -speak a good word for Lenning.</p> - -<p>What the ball game had failed to accomplish, Frank -might succeed in bringing about by explaining that, whatever -duplicity Lenning had used in the game, had been -at the suggestion and by the advice of Merriwell himself -and of Darrel.</p> - -<p>It was a delicate mission, this that was taking Frank -to the golf links that forenoon, and he had every reason<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">244</a></span> -to consider it, as he had observed to Clancy, “one of the -hardest jobs he had ever tackled.”</p> - -<p>The club links lay to the south of the clubhouse, and -Merry and Clancy had hardly reached the clubhouse door -before they glimpsed two white-clad figures and two -diminutive lads with bags out on the course. One of -the white-clad figures was on its knees, building a tee.</p> - -<p>“There they are, Clan,” remarked Merriwell soberly.</p> - -<p>“Sure thing, Chip,” laughed Clancy, a little uneasily. -“Let’s mosey over and have our little interview.”</p> - -<p>Perhaps it was not an opportune moment in which to -interrupt two golf enthusiasts, but Merry reflected that he -and Clancy were there by invitation of Mr. Bradlaugh, -and it seemed the part of wisdom to get their interview -with the colonel over as soon as possible.</p> - -<p>It was the colonel’s first drive, and he was carefully -weighing his driver in his hands as the boys came up.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Merriwell,” he called out genially; “and here’s -Clancy, too. Did you come out to see me get the better -of Bradlaugh? This,” he laughed, “is going to be one -time when Gold Hill puts Ophir down and out.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Bradlaugh nodded to the boys, and gave Merry a -suggestive wink. That wink said, as plain as words, that -Merriwell had better chip in with his word for Lenning -while the colonel was feeling in such an amiable mood.</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to butt in here, colonel,” said Frank, “but -Clancy and I didn’t come to see your match with Mr. -Bradlaugh, but to have a bit of a talk with you.”</p> - -<p>A look of surprise crossed the colonel’s face, and -then his brows lowered with just a shade of suspicion. -He tucked his driver under his arm, gave a regretful -look at the waiting ball, and then pushed his hands resignedly -into his trousers pockets.</p> - -<p>“Go ahead, Merriwell,” said he. “I wouldn’t allow<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">245</a></span> -many young fellows to stand between me and the ball -I’m going to put over that bunker, I can tell you. I -realize, though, that I’m vastly indebted to you in a good -many ways. What’s on your mind?”</p> - -<p>“There’s just one thing, colonel,” returned Merriwell -earnestly, “which I’d like to see accomplished before -Clancy, Ballard, and I pull up stakes and quit southern -Arizona.”</p> - -<p>“Only one thing, eh?” said the colonel, with a faint -smile. “Well, what is it?”</p> - -<p>Frank was brought right up to the critical point, first -crack out of the box. He had steeled himself for the -ordeal, however, and answered calmly:</p> - -<p>“It’s about Jode Lenning, colonel. I’d—I’d like to see -you take down the bars a little, and be friends with him.”</p> - -<p>The faint smile had passed from Hawtrey’s face. The -brows lowered again.</p> - -<p>“Be friends with that young ne’er-do-well?” he observed. -“That’s the thing you’d like to see accomplished -before you leave Arizona?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” Frank answered hopefully.</p> - -<p>“When do you expect to leave?”</p> - -<p>Frank’s hopes continued to grow. Why all this talk -if the colonel was not inclined to be in a receptive mood -regarding his cast-off nephew?</p> - -<p>“Why, we’re going to leave just as soon as Professor -Borrodaile receives his check from Mr. Bradlaugh’s syndicate -for the mine in the Picketpost Mountains. Just -when that will be I don’t know.”</p> - -<p>“I can tell you, my boy,” struck in Mr. Bradlaugh. -“I had a telegram from New York yesterday, saying the -check would be here in to-day’s mail. The stage will -bring it this forenoon.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">246</a></span> -“That means, then,” said Merriwell, “that we’ll probably -get away to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“Too soon.” scowled the colonel. “You’re not giving -me time enough.”</p> - -<p>“About how much time do you want, Hawtrey,” -queried Mr. Bradlaugh, “in order to show a merciful and -forgiving spirit toward your own flesh and blood?”</p> - -<p>Colonel Hawtrey faced Mr. Bradlaugh slowly and -looked him full in the eyes.</p> - -<p>“About fifty years,” he answered harshly, “and then -some.” His tone changed a little as he turned back to -Merriwell. “I’m sorry, my lad,” he went on. “I suppose -you’ll think I’m a hard-hearted old wretch, but this -matter that seems so simple to you is really quite complicated. -As I’ve said before, Jode has made his own -bed, and now he must lie in it.”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to explain,” Frank continued gloomily, “that -Jode got into the ball game because Darrel and I begged -him to. If there was any deception, Darrel and I are -responsible for it.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose that Jode is sending you to me with all this -talk,” commented the colonel. “It would be like him.”</p> - -<p>“He has nothing to do with it, colonel,” protested -Frank. “In fact, he says he doesn’t want to curry any -favor with you. He says you did exactly right to set -him adrift, and that, from now on, he intends to make -his own way in the world and stand on his own feet. He -doesn’t want any help from you.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a very laudable purpose—if Jode really means -what he says. But—you never can tell about that. I’ve -had enough of the young cub.”</p> - -<p>“He means what he says now, colonel,” averred Frank -earnestly, hating to give up championing Lenning’s cause.</p> - -<p>“It’s my opinion that you’re wrong in thinking that.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">247</a></span> -It’s also my opinion that you’re showing very poor judgment, -as well as a very generous and forgiving nature, -by having anything whatever to do with Jode. You’ll -be sorry, I fear, before you’re done with that scapegrace.”</p> - -<p>“Merriwell’s judgment,” suggested Mr. Bradlaugh, “has -proved to be pretty good since he has been with us.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll agree with you there, Brad,” nodded the colonel; -“but,” and he laughed, “there’s always got to be a first -time when a fellow’s judgment goes wrong.”</p> - -<p>“You ought to make Merriwell feel good over this -Lenning affair before he leaves Ophir, colonel,” observed -Mr. Bradlaugh casually. “It wouldn’t cost you much -but a little pinch in your pride.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a matter of principle, not pride, with me,” growled -Hawtrey. “I’d do a good deal for you, my boy,” he -added, turning to Frank, “but you could hardly expect -me to break a principle just to make you ‘feel good,’ as -Bradlaugh puts it.”</p> - -<p>“Lenning is trying to do right,” Mr. Bradlaugh persisted. -“He’s as steady as a clock, out at the mine.”</p> - -<p>“Glad to hear it. You can’t depend on him, though, -Bradlaugh. He’s liable to go wrong again at any time. -Lenning’s my nephew, and I hate to say it, but there’s -nothing to be gained by shying at the truth.”</p> - -<p>Colonel Hawtrey, as though he considered these words -final, put himself in position and let drive at the ball. The -white sphere went arching magnificently across the -bunker.</p> - -<p>“Beautiful!” murmured Mr. Bradlaugh. “You’re in -great form to-day, Hawtrey.”</p> - -<p>The colonel laughed good-humoredly. Turning, he -slapped Merriwell affectionately on the shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Don’t fret about Lenning,” said he, “for you’ll find -that——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">248</a></span> -The colonel was interrupted by a man on a horse, who -galloped up and came to a quick stop at that moment. -It was Burke, the superintendent at the mine.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Burke!” exclaimed Bradlaugh, who was just -getting ready to make his drive. “What’s on your mind -this beautiful morning?”</p> - -<p>“We’ve got to have a new night watchman at the cyanide -plant,” Burke answered.</p> - -<p>Everybody’s attention was captured on the instant.</p> - -<p>“Where’s Lenning?” demanded the general manager.</p> - -<p>“He went away yesterday and hasn’t come back,” said -the superintendent.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">249</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xxxix" id="xxxix"></a>CHAPTER XXXIX.<br /> -<span>STARTLING NEWS.</span></h2> - - -<p>The night watchman at the cyanide works had very -important duties to perform. Jode Lenning, in spite of -his youth, had been filling the position to the satisfaction -of everybody at the mine. Burke’s announcement, therefore, -came as a tremendous surprise.</p> - -<p>“Went away?” repeated Mr. Bradlaugh. “Didn’t he -tell you he was going?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, certainly,” replied the superintendent, “he told -me he was going, and that he would be back in plenty -of time to go on duty at the tanks. Borrowed my saddle -horse, too—the sorrel with the white stocking foot. -Up to an hour ago, though, he hadn’t got back. Had to -fill in his place last night with a man from the night -shift in the mill.”</p> - -<p>Colonel Hawtrey was taking this all in with significant -glances, directed now at Frank and now at Mr. Bradlaugh. -His face wore a grim “I-told-you-so” expression.</p> - -<p>“What time did he leave the mine?” asked Mr. Bradlaugh.</p> - -<p>“About nine in the morning.”</p> - -<p>“Did he say anything about what he intended to do?”</p> - -<p>“No. But he did remark, I remember, that he had -quite a long ride to make; and, last evening when he -failed to return, the man in charge of our powder house -told me that Lenning had given him a dollar for some -dynamite, a length of fuse, and a cap.”</p> - -<p>This merely intensified the mystery.</p> - -<p>“What the deuce do you suppose he wanted of that -dynamite?” muttered Mr. Bradlaugh.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">250</a></span> -“Lenning’s schemes go pretty deep sometimes,” frowned -the colonel. “He’ll not come back, Burke. I don’t believe -he intended to come back, when he left the mine. -I’ll ride over in a day or two and give you a check for -your horse and riding gear. I don’t consider that I’m -in any way responsible for your missing property, understand, -but Lenning is a relative of mine, and I don’t want -any of my friends to suffer financial loss through him.”</p> - -<p>“I believe he’ll come back,” said Burke. “All my opinions -about that boy have changed since he’s been working -at the mine. I think he’s trying to be square, and -to clear his record.”</p> - -<p>“I’d give fifty thousand dollars this minute,” declared -the colonel, “if I could know that what you say is a -fact. But,” he added, “actions speak louder than words. -Before many hours have passed we’ll hear what Lenning -has been up to. Maybe he just got tired of a life -of honest endeavor and made a sudden break to get -away from it. I was afraid that, sooner or later, the life -out there would get too monotonous for him.”</p> - -<p>“We’re going to give him the benefit of the doubt,” -said Mr. Bradlaugh. “He was going to take a long ride, -and may have met with an accident, or have been delayed -in some other way. Just leave the mill hand on the work -for a day or two, Burke, and we’ll wait for Lenning to -show up, or to send us word.”</p> - -<p>“Thought I’d better report the thing to you, Mr. Bradlaugh,” -Burke remarked. “If any other hand had turned -up missing, I’d not have bothered you with the matter, -but I realize that Lenning is a sort of protégé of Merriwell’s, -and I wanted to let him know what had happened.”</p> - -<p>“I think the affair will come out all right, Merriwell,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">251</a></span> -said Mr. Bradlaugh to Frank, “and that there’s no need to -do any worrying.”</p> - -<p>“Whether it comes out all right or whether it doesn’t, -Brad,” spoke up the colonel, “we’ve got a little business -together on the links. Go ahead and get started.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Bradlaugh turned to make his drive.</p> - -<p>“Lenning had a reason for not getting back as he said -he’d do,” Frank asserted confidently. “When he shows -up at the mine, he’ll explain the delay in a manner that -will be satisfactory to everybody. I’m just as sure of -that as I am that I’m alive this minute.”</p> - -<p>The youngster’s loyalty to Lenning won a nod of approval -from Mr. Bradlaugh. While the latter was swinging -at the ball, Frank, Clancy, and Burke turned and -started for the trail in front of the clubhouse. The superintendent -rode slowly at the side of the two boys.</p> - -<p>“What in the world do you suppose Lenning wanted -that dynamite for?” Burke asked.</p> - -<p>“Search me!” Frank answered, vastly puzzled.</p> - -<p>“While you’re asking conundrums,” chimed in Clancy, -“what did he want to take a ride for—and a long one, at -that?”</p> - -<p>“Yesterday was Sunday.” Burke reminded Clancy, “and -the mill is shut down. Most of the men pull out for a -ride or a walk.”</p> - -<p>“But Lenning has to be on duty every night, hasn’t -he? If he was going to take a ride that lasted all day, -when would he get his share of sleep?”</p> - -<p>“Probably he could do without that for one day. You -see, he——”</p> - -<p>Burke bit off his words abruptly. His eyes were fixed -on the trail that led from the main road to Gold Hill to -the clubhouse.</p> - -<p>“Who’s that over there?” he asked, with a hint of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">252</a></span> -laugh in his voice. “The man, whoever he is, seems to -be having a little trouble.”</p> - -<p>Against the clear, bright sky a man on a mule stood -out in clean-cut prominence. The man was tall and angular, -while the mule was long and equally angular. The -mule was at a standstill, his long ears laid back, and the -rider was pounding his bony sides desperately in an attempt -to get him to move.</p> - -<p>“Holy smoke!” chuckled Clancy; “why, that’s Professor -Phineas Borrodaile, our tutor, and he’s trying to -make Pophagan’s mule, Uncle Sam, carry him on to the -clubhouse.”</p> - -<p>“Uncle Sam appears to be an obstinate brute,” laughed -Burke.</p> - -<p>“He’s worse than that,” grinned Merriwell. “When -Uncle Sam starts, he’s liable to begin all at once and go -straight up in the air before he moves ahead. We know -a little about that mule, and the professor ought to be -pretty well acquainted with him by this time. He—— Ah, -look at that, will you?”</p> - -<p>Uncle Sam had suddenly resented the sting of the -quirt. As though propelled by springs he had all at -once bounded upward.</p> - -<p>Daylight showed between the professor and the saddle, -but he kept himself from going overboard by grabbing -at the saddle horn with both hands. This time, at least, -the upward jump was not followed by a movement forward; -on the contrary, Uncle Sam continued to rise in -the air, but not altogether, as at first. The brute was full -of tricks and vagaries, and he began to rise now forward -and now at the rear, canting himself from one position -into the other with a lightninglike, seesaw motion -that must have been intensely disagreeable to Professor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">253</a></span> -Borrodaile. It was rather edifying to the super and the -boys, however.</p> - -<p>The professor’s hat was jarred off, and the skirts of -his long, black coat billowed about him with each upward -spring of the mule. The rider, flung alternately toward -the front of the quadruped and then toward the back, -was put to it to remain in the saddle. Language could -be heard, flowing copiously across the bleak sands from -the professor—words of many syllables, some Latin and -a little Greek, but all well calculated to express the professor’s -annoyance.</p> - -<p>Burke bowed his head and shook with suppressed -mirth. Clancy snickered. Merry, knowing the professor -was safe from injury, took his own toll of enjoyment. -All three of them laid a course calculated to bring them to -the part of the trail at that moment occupied by the professor -and Uncle Sam.</p> - -<p>Before they reached the scene of the professor’s -trouble, the learned gentleman had slipped wrathfully -from the saddle to the ground and had planted himself -in front of his refractory steed. Clinging to the bridle -reins with one hand, the “prof” shook a finger in the -mule’s face and commenced telling the brute what he -thought of him.</p> - -<p>“You belong to the stone age, you obnoxious quadruped,” -he cried, “when the genus homo ruled the rest -of creation with clubs and granite hammers! Your unmannerly -attempts to relieve yourself of my weight, -should bring upon you punishment of a most severe nature. -If I were possessed of any instrument at all adequate, -I should use it savagely in an attempt to subjugate -you. As it is. I can merely pit my strength against -your own, and pull. Will you come, you vicious, long-eared -peace disturber? Will you?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">254</a></span> -Hanging to the reins with both hands, the professor -lay back on the bridle with all his strength. For a moment, -Uncle Sam resisted; then, urged by some mulish, -mischievous instinct, the brute allowed himself to relax -abruptly and to lurch forward. As a result, the professor -went backward, almost heels over head.</p> - -<p>The reins were suddenly released. Freedom, perhaps, -was what Uncle Sam had desired and had been working -for. The instant he found himself free, he whirled -around on his hind feet and would have cleared out in -the direction of Ophir had Frank not deftly seized the -flying reins.</p> - -<p>The professor got up dazedly. Rubbing the small of -his back, he passed his eyes over those who had just -arrived upon the scene of his trouble with the mule. -Then, recognizing those who had suddenly grouped -around him, his face brightened.</p> - -<p>“Ah, Merriwell!” he murmured; “and Clancy!”</p> - -<p>“And Mr. Burke, from the mine,” added Clancy, -smothering his enjoyment as he picked up the professor’s -hat. “I guess you know Mr. Burke?”</p> - -<p>“I believe we have met,” was the reply. “I was in a -hurry to get from Ophir to the clubhouse, and so I borrowed -Pophagan’s mule. That was a mistake,” he added -ruefully, taking his hat from Clancy and carefully settling -it on his head, “a very great mistake. If any one is in -a hurry to transport himself from one place to another, -about the worst thing he can do is to take Uncle Sam. -A most perverse brute, young gentlemen! I assure you -that I have spent nearly an hour on the road from Ophir -to the clubhouse.”</p> - -<p>“What was your hurry, professor?” inquired Merry, -hiding his smile by turning toward Uncle Sam.</p> - -<p>“News of most tremendous importance reached Ophir.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">255</a></span> -I wanted to convey it to Mr. Bradlaugh. I was informed -that he is playing golf on the club links, so I took Uncle -Sam and started for the links.”</p> - -<p>“Important news?” asked Clancy, brushing the professor’s -clothes with his hands. “Anything exciting, professor?”</p> - -<p>“It has excited me,” was the reply, “because I am indirectly -concerned in what has happened. Did I tell you -that payment for the mine in the Picketposts was due to -arrive this morning, by mail from the East?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think you told us, professor,” returned Frank, -“but Mr. Bradlaugh gave us the information a short time -ago. The stage must be in by this time. Did you get -your money?”</p> - -<p>“Not at all, I’m sorry to say. You see, the stage was -robbed while coming through the cañon, robbed, and——”</p> - -<p>“Robbed!” came the startled exclamation from Merriwell, -Clancy, and Burke.</p> - -<p>“Yes, robbed,” repeated the professor. “There wasn’t -much aboard but the mail pouches. They were taken, -and in one of them was my certified check, and also the -check for Mrs. Boorland. The—the event is most deplorable. -I can ill afford to lose twenty-five thousand -dollars. You see, young gentlemen, I had been counting -upon that money to afford me rest and comfort in my -declining years. Now it is gone! I—I thought I had -better tell Mr. Bradlaugh.”</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">256</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xl" id="xl"></a>CHAPTER XL.<br /> -<span>ANOTHER BLOW.</span></h2> - - -<p>A period of stunned silence settled over the little group -in the trail. Uncle Sam suddenly and finally dispelled -the stillness by tossing up his head and emitting a long -and discordant “hee-haw!” The professor, whose nerves -were in a lamentable state, jumped straight into the air. -When he came down, he turned an indignant look at the -mule.</p> - -<p>“So!” he mumbled. “That animal is the most provoking -creature that ever lived. One can never tell what -he is going to do, nor when he is going to do it. Where -are the golf links, Merriwell?”</p> - -<p>“Over there, professor,” Frank answered, pointing toward -the golf grounds. “We just left Mr. Bradlaugh. -He and Colonel Hawtrey are out of sight, just now, behind -that bit of a rise, but you can find them without -much trouble.”</p> - -<p>“I believe I will go on, then, and acquaint Mr. Bradlaugh -with this most distressing occurrence.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you want to ride?” asked Clancy.</p> - -<p>“I prefer to walk,” was the answer. “I will be under -obligations to you, Merriwell, if you will see that Uncle -Sam is returned to Pophagan.”</p> - -<p>“Just a minute, professor,” struck in Burke. “Can’t -you tell us something about this robbery? Just where -did it happen, and how did the news reach Ophir?”</p> - -<p>“The stage driver brought the news to town, and when -I left, Hawkins, the deputy sheriff, was getting one or -two men to ride with him and begin pursuit of the -thieves.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">257</a></span> -“Any passengers on the stage this morning?”</p> - -<p>“No; there was only the driver and the mail pouches. -The express company was supposed to have money aboard -this morning’s stage for the Ophir bank, but, fortunately, -the shipment failed to arrive. The robbers, presumably, -had heard of the expected shipment of funds, and so -were disappointed when they had to content themselves -with only the mail pouches. I am a loser to the extent -of——”</p> - -<p>“Don’t worry over your lost check, professor,” interrupted -Burke. “You’ll not lose a cent. Whether it -was a check or a draft, payment will at once be stopped, -and another check or draft will be sent to you.”</p> - -<p>The professor was woefully ignorant of business matters.</p> - -<p>“You are sure of this, Mr. Burke?” he asked, brightening.</p> - -<p>“I am positive. See Mr. Bradlaugh, however, and tell -him about what has happened. He will take the necessary -steps to protect you. How many robbers were in -the gang?”</p> - -<p>“Two, and they seemed to be young fellows. They -had handkerchiefs tied over their faces, and rode out -from behind a mass of bowlders, a mile or two north of -the place where the road leaves the cañon. Pistols were -shown, but not used. The driver had nothing at all in -the way of a weapon—which, perhaps, was a most fortunate -thing for the driver. I—I really believe I had -better be going now. I hope, Merriwell, that you will -have no difficulty in getting that vicious quadruped back -into his owner’s hands.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll take chances, on that,” Frank laughed, and vaulted -into the saddle. “Want to ride, Clan?” he asked, of his -red-headed chum.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">258</a></span> -“I love to ride,” grinned Clancy, “especially mules.” -With that, he climbed up behind Merriwell.</p> - -<p>The professor did not pause to see how quietly Uncle -Sam behaved under Merry’s guiding hand. Already the -professor was striding off toward the golf links.</p> - -<p>Without any ill-natured move whatever, Uncle Sam -had allowed himself to be turned around, and had started -over the return course to Ophir. His gait was never very -rapid, and Burke restrained the impatience of his own -mount in order to ride beside the boys.</p> - -<p>“That is the first time, to my knowledge, that the Gold -Hill-Ophir stage has ever been held up,” remarked the -super. “This part of the country has been tolerably free -from crimes of that sort. As a rule, we’re about as -peaceable a community as you’d find anywhere. Mrs. -Boorland was robbed of her money in the gulch—but a -sneak thief did that; and then there was that attempted -theft of bullion from the mine. Up to the time those -two crimes were attempted, nothing of the sort had excited -the community since—I don’t know when. Hawkins -is getting considerable work during the last few -weeks.”</p> - -<p>“He didn’t have any luck chasing those fellows who -tried to make off with the bullion,” said Merriwell.</p> - -<p>“Billy Shoup and that unknown safe cracker he had -with him were too many for Hawkins,” said Clancy.</p> - -<p>“Hawkins is pretty persistent,” observed Burke. “He -hasn’t given up finding those fellows.”</p> - -<p>“It was Shoup who took Mrs. Boorland’s money,” went -on Merriwell, “and it was Shoup, again, with an unknown -companion, who tried to steal the bullion. I’m -wondering if the fellow isn’t mixed up in the robbery -this morning?”</p> - -<p>“Possibly,” mused Burke. “If he is, he has got himself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">259</a></span> -into hot water for fair. Stealing mail bags is a crime -against the government, and the secret-service men are -relentless fellows to deal with. No stone will be left -unturned to bring the thieves to book, you can gamble -on that. They—— Well, well,” he broke off quizzically, -“what sort of a procession is that, ahead there?”</p> - -<p>The boys and the super were close to the point where -the clubhouse trail joined the Gold Hill road. Along the -latter trail, at that moment, a queer little procession was -moving in the direction of Ophir.</p> - -<p>Billy Ballard was in the lead. He had some object tied -to a cord, and was pulling it slowly through the dust of -the road behind him.</p> - -<p>Just behind Ballard was a pig—the same small porker -with which Merriwell and Clancy had become acquainted -a little earlier in the forenoon. The pig was tied to a -rope by a hind leg, and Woo Sing, as before, was attached -to the rope.</p> - -<p>Barzy Blunt brought up the rear of the procession. -He was armed with a long switch.</p> - -<p>As Ballard dragged the mysterious object through the -dust, he would let it lie still for a moment, and the pig -would run forward to get hold of it. This was Ballard’s -signal to jerk it out of the pig’s way.</p> - -<p>Sometimes the pig would trot along after the receding -object so rapidly that the Chinaman had a hard time keeping -up; and then again there were times when the pig -grew discouraged, and lagged, and Blunt would have to -reach over Woo Sing’s shoulder and apply the gad.</p> - -<p>It was a humorous performance, although none of -the four concerned in it—which includes the pig—seemed -to think of it in that light.</p> - -<p>“This little trip of mine from town to the clubhouse,” -laughed Burke, “has been full of surprises, pleasant and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">260</a></span> -otherwise. Now, that, I should say, is about as comical -as the professor’s troubles with Uncle Sam. Whose pig -is it? And what are Ballard and Blunt doing, along with -the chink?”</p> - -<p>Merry and Clancy explained, and, by the time the explanation -was finished, they had reached the procession. -Those with the pig came to a halt, and Ballard promptly -jerked in the object he was dragging, and held it aloft -in his hands. The object proved to be a dirty, half-shelled -ear of corn.</p> - -<p>What made the situation all the funnier to Merry, -Clancy, and Burke were the very serious expressions worn -by Ballard, Blunt, and Woo Sing—especially Woo Sing. -If there had been a joke about coaxing the pig to town -with an ear of corn, it had long since passed out of the -consciousness of those with the pig.</p> - -<p>“Whoop!” shouted Clancy. “You fellows ought to -have a drum corps along. What show do you fellows -belong to, anyhow?”</p> - -<p>“Chip,” said Ballard sadly, “you handed Blunt and me -a hard job when you sent us with Woo Sing to get -back that pesky porker. We had to run our legs off in -the cañon before we could get hands on the pig; and, -even then, he got away from us half a dozen times before -we finally landed him.”</p> - -<p>“We’ve had a dickens of a time!” grunted Blunt. -“Barked our shins on bowlders, scratched our hands and -face in the chaparral, say nothing of having the pig knock -us down and run all over us. Jumping sand hills! Say, -if I had it to do over again, I’d rather let the pig go and -pay Pophagan five dollars out of my own pocket.”</p> - -<p>“Pig plenty hard to ketchee,” sighed Woo Sing. “Him -allee same stleak of lightning, by jim’ <a name="Klismus" id="Klismus"></a><ins title="Original has 'Klismas'">Klismus</ins>! Now -we think we ketchee, now we no ketchee. Velly tough<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">261</a></span> -luck. My no likee, by jing! My tellee Pophagan my no -likee. Pophagan no likee, him gettee ’nother China boy. -Whoosh!”</p> - -<p>Burke was almost smothered. “Where did you get -the corn?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Sing had it in his pockets all the time,” growled Ballard. -“The ground and lofty tumbling he did with the -pig shelled the ear a little, but enough corn was left for -a coaxer. It was my idea,” and Ballard’s heavy face -lightened somewhat. “We’ve been teasing the pig all -the way from the cañon, but it’s slow work, and I’m -about ready to throw up the job. What’re you chumps -laughing about?” he demanded hotly.</p> - -<p>“That’s what I want to know,” scowled Blunt, bending -over to rub one of his shins. “If you think it’s -funny chasing a pig over all outdoors, you’d better try -it once.”</p> - -<p>“You made good, anyhow,” chuckled Merry. “That’s -the principal thing, fellows. Whether you’re chasing a -pig, or running a race of any other sort, you ought to -feel like shaking hands with yourselves when you win.”</p> - -<p>“It’s no joke,” snorted Ballard, “and I want you to stop -that fool grinning.”</p> - -<p>“The joke was on the pig,” said Clancy. “And I think -it’s a pretty how de do when three husky fellows like you -will make such a rumpus over one small porker.”</p> - -<p>“That’ll do,” cried the cowboy. “A while ago I felt -like massacring the pig, but now I’m beginning to feel as -though I’d like to massacre you. What about it, Pink?”</p> - -<p>“Count me in,” answered Ballard. “Only make a complete -job of it, that’s all, Barzy.”</p> - -<p>“By the way,” said Blunt, having a sudden thought that -sent his attention galloping on another course, “what’s -Jode Lenning doing out this way?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">262</a></span> -“Lenning!” exclaimed Merriwell. “You don’t mean to -say you saw him?”</p> - -<p>“Looked like him, although he and the other fellow -were a good way off. They were pelting along on horseback, -as tight as they could go—came out of a gulch and -rushed along the trail to beat the band. Each of ’em -had something over the saddle in front of him that looked -like a bag. They didn’t come very near where we were, -so we didn’t have a chance to give ’em a close sizing; -but the fellow was Lenning—I’d almost stake my head -on it.”</p> - -<p>A queer feeling raced through Merriwell’s nerves. He -was wondering if, after all, Lenning had left the mine -for some such work as had taken place in the cañon that -morning? Another moment and he had fought down the -rising suspicion.</p> - -<p>“What sort of a horse was the fellow riding?” asked -Burke; “I mean,” he added, “the one you thought was -Lenning?”</p> - -<p>“Sorrel,” reported the cowboy, “a sorrel, with one white -forward foot.”</p> - -<p>The superintendent drew in a quick breath, and rested -his eyes on Merriwell.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">263</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xli" id="xli"></a>CHAPTER XLI.<br /> -<span>A DARK OUTLOOK FOR LENNING.</span></h2> - - -<p>Merriwell and Burke looked at each other so long -and so significantly that Ballard became curious.</p> - -<p>“What’s biting you two, anyhow?” he asked.</p> - -<p>In the fewest possible words, Frank told Ballard and -Blunt about the robbery in the cañon.</p> - -<p>“Thunder!” exclaimed Ballard. “Why, the stage went -past us with both horses on the run while we were tangled -up with that pig. I wondered then why the mischief the -driver was in such a tearing hurry.”</p> - -<p>“That must have been right after the robbery,” said the -excited cowboy, “and the driver was in a rush to get to -town and spread the news. Gee, but this is a stunner!”</p> - -<p>“Those two fellows we saw on horseback were the -robbers,” went on Ballard. “The things they had in -front of them were the mail bags!”</p> - -<p>“Great head, Pink!” approved Clancy.</p> - -<p>“But, of course,” observed Blunt, “the juniper we -thought was Lenning couldn’t have been Lenning at all. -Looked a heap like him, though.”</p> - -<p>“Um!” grunted Burke; “I don’t know about that. Lenning -left the mine yesterday and hadn’t returned up to -something like an hour ago. He took my horse when he -went—and my horse is a sorrel, with a white stocking -foot.”</p> - -<p>Frank was sorry the superintendent had thought it -necessary to throw in any comments about Lenning. The -only result would be to crowd suspicion upon the absent -watchman, when, in all likelihood, he was as blameless of -the robbery as Burke himself.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">264</a></span> -The superintendent, however, was never backward -about airing his views. Ballard stared as he listened to -Burke, and then turned and looked at Barzy Blunt.</p> - -<p>Blunt’s face was a study. Up to the time of that ball -game with Gold Hill, the cowboy had had no sort of use -for Jode Lenning. In fact, right to Lenning’s face, Blunt -had declared that no respectable fellow would take part -in a game in which a crook like Lenning was booked to -play.</p> - -<p>But the game itself had changed all that. Blunt, and -all the players, had been won over by Lenning’s clever -work, and by his meeting in masterly fashion that thrilling -moment when victory or defeat for Ophir hung on his -efforts alone.</p> - -<p>Had the enthusiasm inspired by Lenning’s splendid -work in a crisis developed a friendship that could not -last? Frank watched Blunt critically.</p> - -<p>“I reckon you haven’t got it right, Burke,” said the -cowboy finally. “It wasn’t so mighty long ago when -I’d have believed Lenning equal to any sort of skullduggery. -It used to make me sore to see Chip, there, -standing up for the fellow, getting him a job, and all -that; but, on the day of that ball game, I made up my -mind that Chip Merriwell’s judgment was warranted not -to come out in the wash. ‘What’s good enough for -Chip,’ I said to myself, ‘is good enough for me, and right -here’s where I quit handing it to Lenning every time a -chance comes my way.’ I’d be a pretty measly sort of -a coyote if I shook hands with Lenning on Saturday and -then turned against him Monday. Sorrel horse or no, -that couldn’t have been Lenning we saw in the cañon.”</p> - -<p>“Bully for you, Barzy!” exclaimed Merriwell, deeply -gratified by the stand the cowboy had taken.</p> - -<p>Burke shook his head, by way of dissent.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">265</a></span> -“The circumstantial evidence is pretty strong,” said he.</p> - -<p>“The same kind of circumstantial evidence, Burke,” -returned Merry, “that led you to think Lenning had made -off with that bullion. Remember that? Lenning was -missing, and the bullion was missing, so you thought——”</p> - -<p>“This isn’t the same, Chip, not by a whole row of -’dobies,” broke in the superintendent. “Lenning’s record -is all against him.”</p> - -<p>“So it was the night the bullion was taken,” said Frank -warmly, “and Lenning has been making a mighty fine -record since then.”</p> - -<p>“Well, this sort of talk won’t get us anywhere. It -doesn’t make any difference, just now, whether Lenning -was one of the thieves or whether he wasn’t. The main -point is, Ballard and Blunt saw the thieves galloping off -after the stage was held up. Hawkins ought to be put -in possession of what they know without loss of a moment’s -time. I’m going to hustle for town and tell some -one who can get the news to the deputy sheriff in short -order.”</p> - -<p>His spurs rattled, and he kicked up the dust on the -road to Ophir.</p> - -<p>“It gets my goat,” muttered Ballard, “the way Lenning -drops into trouble. Just as he gets started on the -right road, something like this has to happen and put -him all to the bad again. I’ll be hanged if I can understand -how he manages it.”</p> - -<p>“Somebody else manages it for him,” said Clancy. -“That’s an easy guess. It was Shoup that engineered -the bullion plot.”</p> - -<p>“Who engineered this one?” queried Ballard.</p> - -<p>“Maybe it was Shoup again.”</p> - -<p>“Did the fellow you saw with the one who looked -like Lenning resemble Billy Shoup?” asked Frank.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">266</a></span> -“No more than I do,” said Blunt. “He was a square, -chunk of a man. Of course, you understand we weren’t -near enough to see either of ’em very clearly.”</p> - -<p>“I understand that. Well, let’s get to town, fellows. -I’m all worked up about this thing. The professor’s -check was in that batch of stolen mail, and if he doesn’t -get it back we’ll have to hang out here until another -check can come on from New York.”</p> - -<p>“How many more will that mule carry?” inquired Ballard, -looking at Uncle Sam wistfully.</p> - -<p>“He’s loaded to the guards now, Pink,” answered -Clancy. “If you got on with Chip and me, we’d swamp -him. Besides,” and here the red-headed chap’s voice -grew rather lofty, “you don’t know how to ride a mule, -anyway. There’s a knack about it that only comes of -long practice.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, splash!” grunted Ballard. “You’re sitting up -there like a frog on a toadstool. Let’s see what sort of a -mule rider you are.”</p> - -<p>He was standing within arm’s length of Uncle Sam, -and he reached out suddenly and touched the mule’s -flank with one end of the ear of corn. Thereupon Uncle -Sam tried to stand on his head, Blunt had to dodge his -flying heels, and Ballard, in trying to get out of the way, -stumbled over the pig and fell flat. As for Clancy, in -spite of his implied prowess as a mule rider, he was jolted -off, and Merriwell had all he could do to stick in the -saddle.</p> - -<p>“There, Pink, cut that out!” cried Merry. “We want -to get back to town, and we don’t want any more foolishness. -This business of Lenning’s needs attention.”</p> - -<p>“I’m anxious to get back to town, too,” said Ballard, -picking himself up, “but we can’t leave Woo Sing. Suppose -we rope the pig and let it ride in Clancy’s place,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">267</a></span> -Chip? I don’t believe the mule will know the difference.”</p> - -<p>“Good idea,” approved Merry. “Tie the pig and boost -it up here.”</p> - -<p>“Velly fine!” cried the Chinaman, his slant eyes sparkling.</p> - -<p>Blunt, Ballard, and Woo Sing fell upon the small -porker, and, while the air was torn with squeals, they -bound his feet together and then hoisted him to Uncle -Sam’s back. There was a good deal of wriggling and -squirming on the pig’s part, but Uncle Sam took it good-naturedly, -and ambled off.</p> - -<p>Clancy, Ballard, Blunt, and Woo Sing kept pace with -the mule, and they all arrived in town together. The -pig was unloaded in the waiting pen, out back of the -hotel, and Uncle Sam was turned into the small corral -where he passed most of his time. The Chinaman was -so happy over the safe ending of his work with the pig -that he almost shed tears.</p> - -<p>“Melliwell,” he snuffled, “you do a heap plenty fo’ -Woo Sing. China boy nev’ fo’gettee.”</p> - -<p>“Not a word for us,” said Ballard disgustedly, as he -walked away with Frank and the rest, “and Blunt and I -helped capture the porker in the cañon. I always said -that chink had a wooden head. Next time he goes pig -catching, by George! he can take Clancy and Chip.”</p> - -<p>There was a buzz of excitement in Ophir’s main street. -Everywhere the stage robbery was being discussed. -Riders were leaving town by twos and threes, all heading -for the cañon, and fired with a desire to do something -to help run the robbers to earth.</p> - -<p>The boys saw Burke just as they turned to mount the -steps leading to the hotel veranda. Burke was sitting on -his horse by the hitching pole in front. He had just<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">268</a></span> -mounted, it appeared, preparatory to returning to the -mine.</p> - -<p>“Hawkins was gone long before I got here,” said he, -“but I sent word to him by two or three of those who -just pulled out for the cañon. Maybe they’ll see the -deputy sheriff, and maybe they won’t. I’ve done the best -I could, though.”</p> - -<p>“Telephone in, will you, Burke,” requested Merry, “in -case Lenning is at the mine when you get there?”</p> - -<p>“Glad to,” was the answer, “but,” and a grim look -crossed the superintendent’s face as he spoke, “don’t -waste any time waiting for the message, Chip. Lenning’s -in this up to his eyes.”</p> - -<p>It was dinner time at the Ophir House, and the gong -which called guests to meals had long since sounded. -Frank and his friends, as soon as they could get some of -the dust off their faces and hands, went into the dining -room and took their places at the table.</p> - -<p>As the robbery had been the one exciting topic in the -street, so was it now the principal event discussed by -those at the tables. Lawlessness is always a theme that -draws universal attention, and this was particularly the -case in a town like Ophir.</p> - -<p>Although a Western town with a past that was pretty -turbulent, in later years it had settled down into a peaceful -and orderly little burg. The robbery, therefore, had -caused a ripple of excitement, since crime of any sort -was in such decided contrast to the ordinary mood of the -place.</p> - -<p>Frank was no more than half through his meal when, -somewhat to his surprise, Pophagan called to him from -the dinning-room door: “Ye’re wanted at the phone, -Merriwell!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">269</a></span> -“There it is!” exclaimed Blunt, with much satisfaction. -“Burke’s calling to tell you that Lenning’s at the mine.”</p> - -<p>“That must be the case!” exclaimed Frank, hurrying -from the room to answer the call.</p> - -<p>The rest of the boys finished their meal hurriedly, and, -by the time they were done and out in the office, Frank -came out of the little booth where he had been receiving -his message. There had been a change in his face. -It no longer wore a pleased expression, but was heavy -and troubled.</p> - -<p>“What’s to pay, pard?” demanded Blunt.</p> - -<p>“The message wasn’t from Burke,” said Merry, “and -that’s about all I can tell you now. Will you take a ride -with me, Barzy?”</p> - -<p>“A ride? Where?”</p> - -<p>“Tell you later. This is a rush order, and we’ve got to -be on the move.”</p> - -<p>“Sure, I’ll ride with you, Chip—anywhere.”</p> - -<p>“Come on, then,” said Merriwell, and hurriedly led -the way out of the office.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">270</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xlii" id="xlii"></a>CHAPTER XLII.<br /> -<span>THE MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE.</span></h2> - - -<p>Frank was leading the way to the town corral, bent on -getting his horse, Borak. Blunt, who had leave of absence -from the Bar Z Ranch, was likewise keeping his -cowpony at the corral. When clear of the main street, -Frank turned, to find Clancy and Ballard trotting along -behind him. He stopped.</p> - -<p>“I say, Clan,” said he, “you and Pink are not in -this.”</p> - -<p>“If not, why not?” demanded Ballard. “This party -isn’t so blamed exclusive that Red and I can’t go along, -is it?”</p> - -<p>“You’ve nicked it, old man. The orders are for two, -and no more.”</p> - -<p>“Who sent the orders?”</p> - -<p>“Give it up. They come through Dolliver.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Dolliver! Think it has anything to do with the -robbery?”</p> - -<p>“I hope not,” said Frank. “My biggest wish just -now is that it has something to do with Lenning.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you know that, Chip?” queried Clancy.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know a thing about why we’re going out there. -It’s a hurry-up call, and no more than two are to come.”</p> - -<p>“Then that settles it,” said Ballard. “Two are to go, -and you’ve chosen Blunt. Take your ride, Chip, but if -you don’t get back in a reasonable time, Red and I will -get a couple of horses and follow you.”</p> - -<p>“No,” Frank answered hastily, “don’t do that. I wasn’t -to tell anybody but the chap who came with me where we -were going. You fellows just stay here, keep mum, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">271</a></span> -wait till we get back—if it isn’t until next week. Understand?”</p> - -<p>“That’s a big order, Chip,” said Clancy, “but I guess we -can fill it.”</p> - -<p>“We’re going to Dolliver’s now,” Frank went on. “I -haven’t a notion where we’ll go from Dolliver’s, or what -we’re to do. So long, fellows!”</p> - -<p>Rather gloomily Clancy and Ballard bade Chip and -Barzy good-by, and wished them luck. The uncertainty -in which Clancy and Ballard were left was not at all -soothing to their nerves.</p> - -<p>Blunt proceeded silently with Merriwell to the corral. -It was not until they were mounted, and galloping stirrup -to stirrup toward the Ophir Mine on their way to Dolliver’s -that Blunt allowed himself to talk.</p> - -<p>“It was Dolliver that got you on the wire, Chip?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Frank nodded.</p> - -<p>“What sort of a powwow did he give you?”</p> - -<p>“I told Clan and Pink practically all of it, Barzy. -Dolliver said that some one was just at his ranch and -wanted him to telephone to me. It was noon, and this -person who wanted the message sent told Dolliver he -thought I could be caught at the Ophir House without -any trouble; but, if I wasn’t there, then Dolliver was to -try and get you.”</p> - -<p>“Dolliver didn’t say who the fellow was that wanted -one or t’other of us?”</p> - -<p>“I asked him that, but he wouldn’t answer. He said -I was to come to his place as quick as I could, was to -bring just one person with me, and wasn’t to tell anybody -but my companion about the message nor where I was -going.”</p> - -<p>“Suffering cats!” Blunt exclaimed. “This has got me -worked up a-plenty, Chip. It’s a whale of a <a name="mystery" id="mystery"></a><ins title="Original has 'mystey'">mystery</ins>, eh?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">272</a></span> -“That’s what it is.”</p> - -<p>By then, the boys were galloping past the mine, and the -roar of the stamp mill was loud in their ears. Their -course carried them on beyond the mine, and, as they got -farther and farther away from it, the song of the -stamps died by degrees into silence.</p> - -<p>Dolliver’s ranch was fifteen miles from Ophir. Frank -and his chums knew the place well, for they had made -free use of Dolliver’s telephone, several weeks before, -when the Ophir football squad was in camp at Tinaja -Wells, in Mohave Cañon.</p> - -<p>Dolliver’s home was entirely surrounded by a wild, unsettled -country. Close to the pioneer’s adobe, the bridle -path through the cañon began its course, separating from -the road that was used by wagons freighting for the Fiddleback -outfit.</p> - -<p>“You don’t think this can be any sort of trap, do you, -pard?” asked Blunt suddenly, while they were pounding -along.</p> - -<p>“Trap?” Frank laughed. “What sort of a trap, -Barzy?”</p> - -<p>“Give it up. If somebody wanted to get us into -trouble, I reckon this would be a good way to do it.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know of anybody who’d want to get us into -trouble. Anyhow, Dolliver wouldn’t. He’s a pretty -good sort of a chap, that Dolliver.”</p> - -<p>“You can bet your spurs on that!” declared the cowboy -heartily. “I’ve known Dolliver ever since I was -knee-high, and he’s sure the clear quill. You’re positive -it was Dolliver talking at t’other end, of the line?”</p> - -<p>“When you’ve heard Dolliver’s voice once,” said Frank, -“you couldn’t mistake it for anybody else’s. Sure it was -Dolliver talking.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">273</a></span> -“The whole thing is so blamed queer that it sort of -set me to wondering.”</p> - -<p>“We’re winding up our stay in Arizona with a lot of -blue fire and tremelo trimmings,” went on Frank. “If it’s -going to do anybody any good, though, I don’t see how I -can have any kick coming.”</p> - -<p>“You’d like a heap to see Lenning and the colonel on -good terms before you leave, wouldn’t you?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing would suit me better, Barzy.”</p> - -<p>“What luck did you have with the colonel at the golf -grounds?”</p> - -<p>“None at all. He’s bitter against Lenning.”</p> - -<p>“Reckon I told you we’d have our trouble for our -pains if we tried to put in a good word for Lenning, -didn’t I? Hawtrey is a crabbed old proposition, and -when he fastens himself to an idea you can’t pry him -loose with a crowbar. It may be a fool idea, too, but that -don’t count.”</p> - -<p>“He said he’d like to oblige me by being friends with -Lenning, but that I was asking him to break through a -principle—which was something he wouldn’t do for anybody.”</p> - -<p>“The colonel doesn’t take any stock in Lenning’s trying -to act square with everybody. He’d rather watch a -game of baseball than eat, but he’d never let himself get -carried away to the extent that he’d overlook a grouch -or forget an injury. He’s a pretty fine old fellow, too, if -you come at him on the right side.”</p> - -<p>Talking occasionally, but more often pounding along -the trail in silence, the boys at last came to Dolliver’s -lonely little cabin. They had hardly drawn rein before -the rancher stepped through his front door.</p> - -<p>“Put up yore critters, boys,” said he, “an’ then come<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">274</a></span> -into the house. It won’t take me long to tell ye what I -left out in palavering over the phone.”</p> - -<p>With that, Dolliver stepped back through his front door.</p> - -<p>“Pretty short about it,” remarked Frank.</p> - -<p>“He’s worked up about something,” said Blunt. “He -hasn’t any time for the extra frills when he’s bothered -like that.”</p> - -<p>They rode around the cabin to the corral, stripped the -riding gear from their horses, and turned the animals -into the small inclosure. A moment later, they were inside -the house, occupying a couple of chairs and facing -the rancher.</p> - -<p>Dolliver had his pipe going, and his eyes were glittering -strangely.</p> - -<p>“Reckon ye’re some s’prised to be brought out here like -this, eh?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Well, a little,” Frank acknowledged.</p> - -<p>“Why’d ye come on such scant information?”</p> - -<p>“Mainly because you gave us the information, Dolliver.”</p> - -<p>“That’s you!” said Dolliver, with something like a -cackle in his hairy throat. “Merriwell, ye’re plumb queer. -I figgered that out some weeks back, when ye was up to -Tinaja Wells, in camp. When a feller does ye dirt, ye -don’t allers hide out in the bresh with a gun and wait -fer him to come trompin’ by. Not you! Ye lay fer him -with the glad hand, if he’ll only give ye half a chance. -Blunt knows that,” he added significantly.</p> - -<p>The red leaped into the cowboy’s face, and then slowly -faded.</p> - -<p>“I was a fool,” the cowboy grunted. “Chip didn’t lay -for me with the glad hand, either—not so you could notice. -He licked me good and proper, right over there in -Mohave Cañon. I needed the trimming.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">275</a></span> -“Keno! And ye got what ye needed, Barzy. Ever -since then ye’ve been purty sensible.” Again a smothered -chuckle sounded in the rancher’s tanned throat. -“Merriwell,” he continued, smoothing down the fire in his -pipe with his thumb, “I hear ye’re purty soon to leave -these parts, but I want to tell ye that ye’ve done a man’s -work since ye’ve been in Ophir.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t lay it on too thick, Dolliver,” Frank laughed. -“I’ve made a few friends down this way, I guess, but -they had as much to do with that as I had.”</p> - -<p>“Mebbyso, mebbyso,” and the wave the rancher gave -his hand signified that he had some opinions of his own -on that matter. “But this palaver ain’t gittin’ us fur on -the road ye’ve got ter travel.”</p> - -<p>“Who asked you to send that message to us?” Frank -asked.</p> - -<p>“Ye ain’t goin’ to know it till ye find it out,” replied -Dolliver. “I reckon that’s plain, ain’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I suppose so; but when are we to find it out?”</p> - -<p>“Purty quick. I opine ye know Mohave Cañon about -as well as the next one, eh? Anyways, it’s plain to you -betwixt here and Tinaja Wells?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve gone over it enough so I ought to know it.”</p> - -<p>“Correct. Well, I’m powerful glad ye brought Barzy -along. Ye’re the two fellers that chap asked for. ‘If -ye can’t git Merriwell,’ says he, ‘git Blunt.’ Fust choice -was you, an’ next was Barzy. Ye’re to leave yer ridin’ -stock with me an’ travel up the cañon afoot. That’s all.”</p> - -<p>“Where are we to go?” asked Frank, puzzled.</p> - -<p>“Ye’re to keep goin’ till some un stops ye. I couldn’t -tell ye a thing more if I was ter be hung fer it. Better -be movin’, boys. I don’t know whether there’s any time -ter waste or not, but I opine not.”</p> - -<p>Without delaying further, Merry and Blunt left the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">276</a></span> -cabin, crossed the main wagon road, and struck into -the bridle path that led through the cañon. So far from -clearing the mystery, Dolliver had only deepened it by -his few remarks.</p> - -<p>“I’d like to know what we’re up against,” grumbled -Blunt, as he and Merry trudged onward between the -high, rugged walls of the defile.</p> - -<p>“I guess we’ll find out before we go very far,” Merriwell -answered.</p> - -<p>In this he was correct. They had hardly put more -than a mile between them and Dolliver’s when a voice -hailed them from behind a mass of bowlders at the foot -of the clifflike wall on their left.</p> - -<p>They halted, recognizing the voice that had called to -them and yet wondering if their imagination was playing -them a prank. But they were not mistaken. A form -appeared around the edge of the pile of bowlders—a form -that they recognized at once.</p> - -<p>“Lenning!” Merriwell exclaimed.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">277</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xliii" id="xliii"></a>CHAPTER XLIII.<br /> -<span>PLAYING IN HARD LUCK.</span></h2> - - -<p>Jode Lenning’s face was pinched and haggard. He was -also wearing a suit of clothes in which Merriwell had -never seen him before, and yet which struck an oddly -familiar note in Merriwell’s memory.</p> - -<p>Frank had suspected that this mysterious call from -Dolliver might have something to do with Lenning; but -that he and Blunt should find him, hiding in Mohave -Cañon and apparently disguised, furnished most of the -surprise that entered into the situation.</p> - -<p>“Come over here, Chip, you and Blunt,” Lenning -called. “I’ve got something to tell you, and there are a -good many reasons why we should not do our talking -in the cañon trail.”</p> - -<p>The cowboy was plainly bewildered. His brows knotted -into a frown, and silently he followed Merriwell to the -heap of bowlders.</p> - -<p>“We can look each way from here,” Lenning said -nervously, “and we can see whoever comes in time to get -out of sight before they get close to these rocks.”</p> - -<p>“Who are you expecting, Jode?” Frank asked.</p> - -<p>“Shoup,” was the answer, “and a fellow who is with -him and is called Geohegan. They’ll come, I’m pretty -sure.”</p> - -<p>“Shoup! What makes you think he’s still in this part -of the country?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve got plenty of reason for thinking so,” said Lenning -angrily. “Before I talk more about him, though, -just tell me what’s happened, will you?”</p> - -<p>“What’s happened?” repeated Frank. “Where?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">278</a></span> -“In Ophir. Hasn’t something happened there recently?”</p> - -<p>“Two things have happened,” spoke up Blunt, his face -dark with doubt and suspicion of Lenning. “One happened -yesterday and the other this morning. You borrowed -a horse from Burke and went for a long ride—but -you didn’t come back. Then——”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you about that,” broke in Lenning eagerly. -“What happened this morning?”</p> - -<p>“The stage from Gold Hill was held up.”</p> - -<p>“That’s it, that’s it,” Lenning half whispered, dropping -a trembling hand on the cowboy’s arm. “Do they think -I had anything to do with holding up the stage? That’s -what I want to know.”</p> - -<p>Blunt studied the haggard face before him and looked -into the shifty, dark eyes. His voice was less hard as -he went on.</p> - -<p>“There were two of the robbers, and one of them -looked like you, Lenning. What’s more, he rode a -horse that answers the description of Burke’s.”</p> - -<p>Lenning struck his hands together sharply.</p> - -<p>“So that’s what he tried to do!” he muttered fiercely; -“that was his game all along! Isn’t there any chance -at all for a fellow who wants to do right—who’s trying -to clear his record? I suppose, now, that everybody -thinks Jode Lenning is up to his old tricks, and was one -of those who robbed the stage?” Lifting himself high -above the bowlders, Lenning looked up and down the -cañon. “I wish they’d come!” he gritted. “Why can’t -they come now?”</p> - -<p>At that moment, doubtless, Blunt had the same idea -that ran through Merriwell’s brain. Lenning seemed -“flighty” and out of his head. Had his troubles unbalanced -him?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">279</a></span> -“Don’t fret about anything, Jode,” said Frank. “Take -things easy. There are a lot of fellows, back in Ophir, -who feel sure you hadn’t anything to do with robbing -the stage. Why did you leave the mine? Where did -you go, and why did you take the dynamite?”</p> - -<p>A flicker of a smile crossed Lenning’s face.</p> - -<p>“It won’t take long to explain all that, Chip,” said he, -dropping down below the top of the pile of bowlders -again. “Do you remember, several weeks ago, when -Colonel Hawtrey put in a charge of dynamite near our -camp in the gulch? He had discovered evidences of -mineral, and I put down the hole for him and he loaded -it. That blast was never set off. You know why. Well, -while I’ve been at the Ophir Mine I’ve been thinking of -that mineral ‘prospect,’ and I made up my mind to set -off the charge and see what it would uncover. That’s -why I borrowed Burke’s horse for a long ride, and that’s -why I took the dynamite.”</p> - -<p>“That explanation is simple, sure enough,” Frank -laughed. “The mouth of the gulch isn’t very far from -here, and the place where the colonel began his blasting -operations isn’t much farther. You went there, put more -dynamite and a capped fuse on top of the other charge, -and then set off the load?”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I did, Chip.”</p> - -<p>“What did you find?”</p> - -<p>Lenning pushed one hand into his pocket and drew -out a small piece of ore. The ore was white quartz, -powdered thickly with yellow specks.</p> - -<p>“Great guns!” gasped Blunt, staring. “Say, if you’ve -found much of that, Lenning, you’ve got a big thing.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, if it belonged to me. But it doesn’t. It belongs -to the colonel.”</p> - -<p>“It belongs to the fellow that gets his monuments up<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">280</a></span> -first, and files his location. If the colonel hasn’t done -that, Lenning, the claim is as much yours as his.”</p> - -<p>“It’s the colonel’s by right of discovery,” asserted Lenning, -“and I’m not going to try and beat him out in -locating it. All I wanted to set off the charge for was -to satisfy my curiosity. I reckon I’ve explained why -I left the mine, haven’t I? It doesn’t look much as -though I had planned to hold up the stage, does it?”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Frank.</p> - -<p>“You have explained why you left the mine,” spoke up -Blunt, “but you haven’t explained why you didn’t go -back.”</p> - -<p>“Look here.” Lenning held out his hands close together. -The wrists were red and swollen. “And look -here.” He caught hold of the side of the coat he was -wearing. “Can’t you guess anything from all that?” -he asked.</p> - -<p>“We don’t want to do any guessing, Jode,” returned -Frank kindly, “what we want are the facts.”</p> - -<p>Once more Lenning straightened erect and looked -searchingly up and down the defile. He discovered nothing, -and quickly dropped down again by the side of Merriwell -and Blunt.</p> - -<p>“This is what happened,” said he. “I set off the blast. -After that I went down into the bottom of the gulch to -get Burke’s horse. Naturally, I had secured the animal -at a good safe distance from the place where I was exploding -the dynamite. Two fellows jumped at me from -the chaparral—one of them was Shoup and the other was -this chap, Geohegan. They threw me down, and for a -few moments I was stunned. When I got my wits back -Shoup was covering me with a revolver. He ordered me -to remove my clothes. When I had done that, Geohegan -drew a bead on me while Shoup removed his own clothes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">281</a></span> -and got into mine. Then I was made to put on Shoup’s -garments, and the two tied me hand and foot and left -me. When they came, I reckon they had only one horse -between them; but, when they left, each had a mount, -for Shoup had taken Burke’s horse. You believe me?” -Lenning broke off to ask. “I know it’s a fishy story, but -it’s the truth. I don’t want you to think that I’m lying.”</p> - -<p>Blunt remained silent, clearly incredulous. Frank, -however, had confidence in Lenning and felt sure he was -telling the truth.</p> - -<p>“Go on with the rest of it, Jode,” said he. “It’s a -strange yarn, but it rings true.”</p> - -<p>“Things happened early in the afternoon, yesterday,” -Lenning proceeded. “Those scoundrels left me bound -and helpless, and I remained right on the spot where they -had dropped me for the rest of that afternoon and all -night.”</p> - -<p>Lenning shivered, and a light of horror rose in his -shifty eyes.</p> - -<p>“I’m a coward,” he whispered. “No one can know -what I suffered, all through those black hours of the -night, lying helpless on the slope of the gulch wall. I -yelled and shouted for help, but of course there was -no one within miles of me. I was afraid some prowling -mountain lion would spring upon me, or a wild cat or—or—I -can’t begin to tell you of all the things I was -afraid of. And yet I had to lie there all through the -night, every minute an hour and every hour an eternity. -When dawn came, I began to have a little nerve, and -when the sun rose I began to think about trying harder -to free myself. It was astonishingly easy, when I once -got around to it.”</p> - -<p>“How did you do it?” queried Blunt.</p> - -<p>“Well, I twisted and rolled up the slope until I reached<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">282</a></span> -some of the rocks that had been thrown out by the blast. -They had jagged corners, sharp as a knife. I turned on -my back and scraped the ropes that bound my hands -against the ledge of one of the broken fragments. Pretty -soon I had freed my hands. It did not take me long -after that to get the ropes off my feet. Then I started -for Dolliver’s. I had it in mind to telephone from there -to Mr. Bradlaugh, so that he would know why I had -been delayed. You see,” and a bitter smile played about -Lenning’s lips, “I had a notion Burke might think I had -stolen his horse and run away. I didn’t know anything -about the stage robbery, although I felt positive Shoup -and Geohegan were up to something unlawful, and were -going to try and make it appear as though I had a hand -in it. The sun was high, the forenoon was more than -half gone, and I was in a hurry to reach Dolliver’s and -telephone to Mr. Bradlaugh.</p> - -<p>“But I was weak as a cat, Merriwell. I had brought a -lunch with me from the mine and had eaten it at noon. -Of course I had had no supper or breakfast, and the horrors -of the night were pretty well calculated to wear me -out. It took me some time to get down the cañon, and -I was less than halfway to Dolliver’s when I heard a -sound of galloping. I thought at once that Shoup and -Geohegan were coming back to look after me, and crawled -out of sight among the rocks. Then,” and Lenning -laughed huskily, “luck began to turn my way.”</p> - -<p>“What happened?” asked Frank, absorbed in Lenning’s -recital.</p> - -<p>“About the strangest thing you could imagine, Chip,” -replied Lenning; “something that’s stranger even than -what I’ve already told you. Shoup and Geohegan were -really coming up the cañon, and each had a bag in front -of his horse. They stopped within a stone’s throw of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">283</a></span> -where I was hiding, hid the two bags among the bowlders, -and then mounted and rode on as fast as they could. I -thought they were going to see what had become of me, -but possibly I was mistaken. If they had only gone to -the gulch, they would have been back long before this. -People say I’m a good schemer. Well, I did some scheming -then. First I changed the two bags from where -Shoup and Geohegan had left them, then I went on to -Dolliver’s and told him what I wanted him to do. He -gave me something to eat, and I rushed back here. And -here I’ve been ever since, waiting for you to come—and -for Shoup and Geohegan to show up.”</p> - -<p>“What if Shoup and Geohegan do show up?” asked -Blunt.</p> - -<p>“We’ll capture them,” answered Lenning fiercely. “The -three of us could turn the trick.”</p> - -<p>“Where are the bags, Lenning?” queried Merriwell.</p> - -<p>“Around back of this pile of bowlders. This way, if -you want to see them.”</p> - -<p>He stumbled around the base of the huge rock pile, -Merriwell and Blunt following him. In the narrow space -between the rocks and the foot of the steep cañon wall -lay the two mail bags. They had not, as yet, been -tampered with in any way.</p> - -<p>Here was evidence of the truth of Lenning’s wild story—evidence -that could not be doubted.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">284</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xliv" id="xliv"></a>CHAPTER XLIV.<br /> -<span>A FRUITLESS VIGIL.</span></h2> - - -<p>Lenning certainly had been playing in hard luck. He -had started into the hills with the very innocent idea -of setting off a blast in the gulch, and fate had played -him a scurvy trick by bringing down on him two scoundrels -like Shoup and Geohegan. Toward the end of -Lenning’s weird experience, however, fortune had smiled, -and the plunder secured by the road agents had fallen -into his hands.</p> - -<p>“You’ve had a pretty tough time of it, Jode,” said -Merriwell, his eyes on the mail bags, “but you’ve made -a star play in getting back this government property. -Great work! There was about one chance in a thousand -that these mail pouches would come close enough for -you to get a whack at them, but the chance came your -way and you made the most of it. Where did Shoup -and Geohegan unload the sacks?”</p> - -<p>“Across the cañon, a little farther up,” Lenning replied.</p> - -<p>“And you toted ’em down here and stowed ’em in a -different place so as to hold ’em out on the measly junipers?” -asked Blunt, his sloe-black eyes beginning to -glow.</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“And, according to your notion, Shoup and Geohegan -will surely return for their loot, at which time you, and -Chip, and I will make a surround and take a little of -the deputy sheriff’s work off his hands?”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I was thinking.”</p> - -<p>“<i lang="es" xml:lang="es">Bueno!</i> All that makes -the biggest kind of a hit with -me. Chip, those two curs will certainly come back after<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">285</a></span> -the bags, and we can work through the program just -as Lenning has chalked it up. It’s a great plan, by -thunder!”</p> - -<p>“It’s a plan for the deputy sheriff,” said Merriwell, -“and he’s the fellow who ought to be on the job. Why -didn’t you figure it that way, Jode?” he asked. “Why -did you send for Blunt and me, instead of Hawkins?”</p> - -<p>Lenning swerved his eyes quickly to Merriwell.</p> - -<p>“You understand, don’t you, that I had to have my -two best friends?” he asked. “I couldn’t take chances -with Hawkins, nor with any one else. Had the deputy -sheriff found me here, like this, with both mail bags in -my possession, his first move would have been to arrest -me for holding up the stage. My record is against me; -circumstances are against me. Hawkins would never -swallow that yarn I gave you fellows.”</p> - -<p>“I reckon that’s correct,” agreed Blunt. “You had to -make something of a mystery out of that telephone message -to Chip in order to play safe.”</p> - -<p>“That’s it,” Lenning nodded. “I only wanted two to -come, because two would be enough for my work here. -I wanted those two to be my best friends, so they’d -take my word as to what had happened. I didn’t want -Chip to know who had sent for him, or to tell anybody -where he was going, because, if the news got out, some -one else who wasn’t so friendly might have taken it into -their heads to come to the cañon and interview me. I -had to fight shy of that.”</p> - -<p>“By glory,” breathed Blunt, “but you’ve sure got a -head for plans! You worked through that complicated -puzzle with ground to spare.”</p> - -<p>“I guess you sabe, all right,” pursued Lenning grimly, -“that if you were not friends of mine you’d say right -off that I’d told you a cock-and-bull story, and that I was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">286</a></span> -really one of the thieves, but that I had lost my nerve -and was trying to pull out of a bad scrape without taking -any of the consequences.”</p> - -<p>“We’re a good way from thinking that, Jode,” said -Merriwell earnestly.</p> - -<p>“I’m no end grateful to you for hanging on to your -confidence in me. There are others, though, who won’t -be so considerate. I can’t go back to Ophir without -taking Shoup and Geohegan along. Understand? If I -do, I shall be arrested. I’ve figured that all out, and -know what I’ve got to do.”</p> - -<p>Merriwell and Blunt had not looked at the affair from -this angle. They were not slow to perceive that Lenning -was right, however. His record, in the matter of the -robbery, had to be cleared by the capture of the real -robbers, or he would surely be regarded with suspicion -himself.</p> - -<p>“You’re right, Lenning,” declared Merriwell, his face -taking on a resolute cast, “we shall have to capture Shoup -and Geohegan. The next question is, how are we to do -it? Are you armed?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“Neither are we. Undoubtedly the two road agents are -pretty well heeled. There are three of us and only two -of them, but, with guns, they’ll have far and away the -best of it, unless——”</p> - -<p>Merriwell’s voice trailed away into silence and he -dropped his head thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>“Unless what, pard?” said Blunt.</p> - -<p>“Why,” and Frank looked up, “unless we can use a -little strategy. If we can engineer a bit of a surprise, -perhaps we could capture those fellows before they have -a chance to draw their weapons and shoot.”</p> - -<p>“Now you’re shouting, Chip!” jubilated the cowboy.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">287</a></span> -“Strategy, that’s the thing. Let’s hatch up something -and then slam it at those junipers before they sabe what -we’re about.”</p> - -<p>This was the idea, and the three lads fell to work on -it without delay. They finally concluded that they would -watch and listen vigilantly, and when they heard or saw -the road agents approaching they would hustle across -the cañon to the place where the mail bags had originally -been left. There they would hide themselves, leap out on -the thieves when they bent to pick up the sacks, and trust -to strength, and quickness, and the surprise of the attack -to accomplish their purpose.</p> - -<p>It seemed like a desperate plan, although Barzy Blunt -chuckled over it and appeared to consider it a joke more -than anything else. Merriwell, although fully resolved, -had grave apprehensions regarding the outcome. Lenning -was almost panic-stricken, but his needs were great -enough to master his fears.</p> - -<p>For the rest of the afternoon the lads took turns scanning -the cañon from the top of the pile of bowlders. The -evening shadows began to lengthen, and Blunt suggested -that some one go to Dolliver’s after food.</p> - -<p>It was decided that the cowboy should make the trip. -Lenning begged him to hurry, for, if Shoup and Geohegan -should come while he was away, the plan for a capture -might fail because there were only two left to -carry it out.</p> - -<p>Blunt was gone only half an hour. It had been an -anxious half hour for Merriwell and Lenning, but it -had passed without bringing any sign of the two road -agents.</p> - -<p>“I told Dolliver what we were up to,” said Blunt, while -he and his companions were eating the cold rations he -had brought. “He’s a good old scout, that Dolliver person,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">288</a></span> -and he wished us all sorts of luck. Said if we didn’t -make our capture before morning he’d tote breakfast for -three up the cañon.”</p> - -<p>“If anything at all happens,” returned Merriwell, “it -will happen before morning.”</p> - -<p>“That’s my notion to a t-y, ty,” agreed the cowboy.</p> - -<p>A long and fruitless vigil followed. The lads took -turn about doing guard duty, and while one kept on the -alert, the other two slept.</p> - -<p>Frank had his turn at sentry-go about midnight. It -wasn’t a particularly pleasant piece of work.</p> - -<p>The bottom of the cañon was as dark as a pocket. -Overhead was a broad streak of sky, glittering with -stars, edged by the jagged crests of the cañon’s walls.</p> - -<p>The silence that reigned in the depths of the defile was -intense. The heavy breathing of Blunt and Lenning -seemed to rumble around the rock pile, and even the -ticking of Frank’s watch grew in volume until it equaled -that of an eight-day clock.</p> - -<p>Now and then the weird quiet was broken by the distant -wail of a panther, or the far-off yelp of a coyote. -During the three hours of Frank’s watch, however, no -hoofbeats sounded among the rocks, and no human -prowlers came in quest of the mail bags.</p> - -<p>It was three in the morning when Frank roused Blunt -to relieve him. The cowboy got up with a yawn.</p> - -<p>“Anything happened, Chip?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“Blamed queer! I can’t understand why those two -holdup men leave their loot for so long.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t, either. Maybe they’re having a hard time -dodging Hawkins and his posse.”</p> - -<p>“Like enough. Hawkins is a regular bloodhound when -he strikes a criminal’s trail. I hope we’re able to accomplish<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">289</a></span> -something here, just on Lenning’s account. He -had it about right when he said he’d only have to show -himself in Ophir to be arrested. The fact that he was -found with the mail bags would be enough to land him -in jail. Say, he’s up against it for fair.”</p> - -<p>“He’s playing in the hardest kind of luck, Barzy, and -no mistake,” Frank agreed.</p> - -<p>“He’s got a fight on his hands if he ever clears his -record.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the fight he’s been making ever since he broke -with Billy Shoup. Whenever he takes a step forward -and begins to hope he’ll win out, something happens to -make him slip back. Everybody’s so darned anxious to -believe the worst of him.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what a fellow gets for having a black past. -People, as a rule, judge a man by what he was, and not -so much by what he is or what he’s trying to be. That -yarn Lenning sprang on us to account for his failure -to get back to the mine, and for the way he got hold of -the mail bags, was certainly a beaut. Not more than two -in a million would have taken any stock in it, but Lenning -sure picked the two. Even at that, Chip, now and -then a doubt comes sneaking into my head.”</p> - -<p>“What sort of a doubt?”</p> - -<p>“Why, that Lenning is putting one over on us, somehow. -I know I hadn’t ought to have any suspicions, but -a fellow can’t always help what he thinks.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t turn against Lenning, Barzy,” urged Merriwell. -“Before long something will happen to prove that he’s -given us the right of it. The mail bags come pretty -nearly proving that he has told the truth, I think.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll hang on to Lenning as long as you do, pard,” -said the cowboy. “Now, find a nice soft rock, curl up,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">290</a></span> -and catch your forty winks. I’ll keep a lookout for the -road agents.”</p> - -<p>It was several minutes before Frank dozed off. His -bed was hard and far from comfortable, but he slept -soundly, nevertheless. When he awoke there was a -sound of voices in his ears, and the sun was looking over -the rim of the eastern wall of the defile. He sat up. -Dolliver was standing at the base of the bowlder heap, -talking with Blunt and Lenning.</p> - -<p>“Here’s news, Chip,” jubilated the cowboy, looking -around. “Dolliver brings our breakfast, and also a report -he just received over the phone from town. What -do you think has happened?”</p> - -<p>“I’m not in shape to guess conundrums, Barzy,” Frank -answered. “What’s the news?”</p> - -<p>“Hawkins and his posse have captured Shoup and -Geohegan—and Shoup was wearing Lenning’s clothes and -riding a sorrel with a white forward foot. How’s that?”</p> - -<p>“Bully!” cried Frank, and the next moment he was -on his feet with a cheer.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">291</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xlv" id="xlv"></a>CHAPTER XLV.<br /> -<span>RISING HOPES.</span></h2> - - -<p>The skies were brightening for Jode Lenning. His -story of what had happened in the gulch has been borne -out by the capture of the road agents and by the discovery -that Shoup was wearing Lenning’s clothes and riding -Burke’s horse. Blunt was beaming and Lenning was -radiant.</p> - -<p>“Ye’ve had yer fuss around this rock pile all fer -nothin’,” remarked Dolliver.</p> - -<p>“Glad of it,” Frank laughed. “Where did Hawkins -catch those fellows, Dolliver?”</p> - -<p>“On the trail between here and Ophir. Shoup an’ -t’other chap are swearin’ by all they’re worth that they -don’t know a thing about the holdup, but Burke’s hoss -an’ Lenning’s clothes are two things Shoup can’t explain. -Hawkins is now trying to get the road agents to tell what -they done with the mail bags. They won’t tell. I opine -they think they stand a show to dodge the consequences -if they keep mum about that missin’ mail.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll get the bags to town as soon as possible,” said -Frank.</p> - -<p>“Good idee,” approved Dolliver. “Put away this here -grub, fust thing, then come down to my shack an’ git yore -hosses.”</p> - -<p>“Did you telephone anything about the mail bags, Dolliver?” -asked Lenning.</p> - -<p>“Nary a word. I jest kept all that was goin’ on here -to myself. You fellers can explain about the mail bags. -It’s none o’ my put in.”</p> - -<p>There were three happy youngsters who sat at the foot<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">292</a></span> -of the bowlder heap that morning and ate the grub Dolliver -had brought to them. A cheerful mind is a good -appetizer, and the lads were not long in cleaning up -the supply of food. After that the mail bags were shouldered, -and the return to Dolliver’s was made.</p> - -<p>On the way down the cañon the boys acquainted the -rancher with many matters of which he had been in -ignorance. The story told by Lenning was gone over for -his benefit, and struck as hard a blow at his credulity as -it had at Merriwell’s and Blunt’s. But recent events -had clinched the truth of the yarn, so all Dolliver could -do was to believe and marvel.</p> - -<p>“Sounds purty far-fetched, an’ that’s a fact,” declared -the rancher, “but ye can’t dodge facts, not noways. -Everything’s workin’ around purty good fer you, Lenning. -I’m glad as blazes that I made up my mind to -help ye with that telephonin’ yesterday. There was one -spell that I reckoned I hadn’t better have anythin’ ter do -with ye; then, when it kinder struck me how Merriwell -was yore friend, and that his jedgment was a heap better’n -the ordinary run, I jest nat’rally made up my mind -ter do what I could.”</p> - -<p>“I’m obliged to you, Dolliver,” said Lenning.</p> - -<p>“Let it go at that. I’m a rough old propersition, I -reckon, but I like ter help a feller when he’s down. An’ -you was purty well down, wasn’t ye, when ye stuck yer -head in at my door yesterday an’ asked would I send that -myster’ous message ter town?”</p> - -<p>“I was,” said Lenning, with emphasis.</p> - -<p>“So I allowed,” and the chuckle sounded in the rancher’s -hairy throat.</p> - -<p>Once at the ranch, Frank and Blunt lost little time -getting their horses under saddle.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">293</a></span> -“One of us will have to carry the mail bags, Barzy,” -said Frank, “and one of us will have to carry Lenning.”</p> - -<p>“You let Lenning ride with you, Chip,” the cowboy -suggested. “This cayuse of mine never carried double, -and I don’t know how he’d act. I’ll agree to make him -tote the mail bags, though. Got any rope, Dolliver?”</p> - -<p>Dolliver secured a reata, and Blunt used it to make -the two bags fast behind his saddle. When the cowboy -mounted, his horse showed some temper at the unaccustomed -load at the saddle cantle by pitching and plunging. -It was not much of a fracas, and Blunt quickly -got the animal steadied down.</p> - -<p>“Takes quite a hoss ter git the best o’ you, Barzy,” -grinned Dolliver. “Ye can ride, boy.”</p> - -<p>Merriwell took Lenning up behind him. The latter, before -they started, reached out a grateful hand toward the -rancher.</p> - -<p>“Some time, Dolliver,” said Lenning, “I hope I can do -something for you. Until that time comes, my thanks -will have to be your pay.”</p> - -<p>“Shucks!” grunted Dolliver. “Think I have ter take -money for every blame’ thing? I don’t want nothin’ -more. What I’d like a whole lot, though, would be ter -have a couple of friends like Merriwell an’ Blunt.”</p> - -<p>“You’ve got ’em, pard,” said the cowboy. “Eh, Chip? -If you ever get in a hole, send us a hurry-up call and -we’ll come a-smokin’. Adios, Dolliver.”</p> - -<p>“So long!” called Frank.</p> - -<p>Lenning waved his hand. Then, the next moment, both -horses were galloping along the trail toward Ophir.</p> - -<p>“I’m pulling out of this a good deal better than I -thought I would,” remarked Lenning. “I suppose I’ll -have to get another job, though. Burke wouldn’t hold -my place at the tanks for me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">294</a></span> -“That’s where you’re wrong,” Frank answered. “Mr. -Bradlaugh told Burke to give you the benefit of the doubt, -and to let one of the mill hands fill in as night watchman -until you come back.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Bradlaugh did that?”</p> - -<p>“Sure! I was around when he gave orders to the -super.”</p> - -<p>“Then I’m mighty glad the general manager isn’t going -to be disappointed in me,” Lenning said, with a good -deal of feeling. “That ball game, last Saturday, made me -a host of friends, Chip.”</p> - -<p>“Good friends and true!” declared Frank. “By work -like this, up Mohave Cañon, you’re making yourself -solid with everybody, Jode.”</p> - -<p>“Things looked pretty dark for me for a while.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve heard folks tell that it’s always darkest just before -day,” put in the cowboy. “That’s the case with -you, I reckon, Lenning.”</p> - -<p>It was a glorious morning. Arizona mornings, especially -in early December, are always glorious. Southern -Arizona has the finest climate in the world during the -winter, and the finest part of every perfect day comes -directly after sunrise.</p> - -<p>Mile after mile rolled out from under the galloping -hoofs of the horses. For a long time the three lads rode in -silence, and it was Lenning who was first to speak.</p> - -<p>“I think, fellows,” said he, “that I had better go directly -to the mine.”</p> - -<p>“Of course,” Frank agreed. “What you want to do, -Jode, is to slip into your blankets at the bunk house and -pound your ear good and hard. To-night, I suppose, -you’ll have to go on duty at the tanks.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right. The mail bags, though, ought to be -taken into town as soon as possible.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">295</a></span> -“I’ll see that they reach the post office in good shape,” -said Barzy Blunt. “I’m the fast mail between Dolliver’s -and Ophir this morning,” he added whimsically. “The -mail’s twenty-four hours’ late, but it won’t lose much -more time while I’m getting it over the road.”</p> - -<p>“The professor’s check for twenty-five thousand ought -to be in one of those bags.”</p> - -<p>“Is that right?” asked Lenning.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said young Merriwell. “Mr. Bradlaugh got a -telegram saying the payment for that mine in the Picketpost -Mountains would be along yesterday. The professor -was scared stiff when he heard of the robbery. He -thought he had lost the money for good.”</p> - -<p>“You were waiting for the professor to close up his -mining deal before you left for the North, weren’t you?” -went on Lenning.</p> - -<p>“That’s all that has been keeping us.”</p> - -<p>“Then I suppose you’ll be leaving pretty soon?”</p> - -<p>“Just as soon as we can.”</p> - -<p>Both Lenning and Blunt fell silent. They hated to -think that Merriwell, Clancy, and Ballard were presently -to leave Ophir, and for good.</p> - -<p>Frank and his chums had made many friends during -their stay in southern Arizona, and, for Blunt and Lenning, -at least, their going would leave a big gap in the -little mining town.</p> - -<p>“I hate to think of it, pard,” said the cowboy presently, -in a subdued tone.</p> - -<p>“Same here,” added Lenning, with just the barest shake -in his voice.</p> - -<p>“You and your pards, Chip,” proceeded Blunt, “have -done a whole lot for athletics in this section of the Southwest. -You blew in here, I remember, with pretty nearly -everybody down on you, but you started right in and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">296</a></span> -cleaned up on the unpopular sentiment. I reckon there -won’t be anybody but will hate to see you pull up stakes.”</p> - -<p>Frank was conscious of many regrets himself. Never -would he forget the clear, beautiful days, the happy -friendships, or the exciting experiences which he had -encountered in that far-away corner of the Southwest.</p> - -<p>“We’ve had a good time here, fellows,” said he, “but -we didn’t come to <a name="Ophir" id="Ophir"></a><ins title="Original has 'Opir'">Ophir</ins> to camp down indefinitely. We -have stayed a whole lot longer than we intended. Clancy, -Ballard, and I are on a roughing-it trip. The trip was -originally planned for six months, you know, but it may -be longer than that. You see, we’re missing school, and -dad is a stickler about having me keep up my studies along -with the athletics. Professor Borrodaile rather helped -us over that part of the difficulty. He has become our -private tutor, and when we do get back to Farnham Hall, -we’ll be up with the rest of our class. Besides that, we’re -having a whole lot of fun that we shouldn’t have had -otherwise. I’m sorry to leave Ophir, but we’ve got to -move—that’s all.”</p> - -<p>Again silence settled over the three boys. Barzy and -Jode, no doubt, were thinking of what they owed Chip -Merriwell. They owed him a good deal, too, for Frank -was a true chip off the old block and had passed around -many of the teachings which had been handed down to -him by his illustrious father.</p> - -<p>Presently, almost before the boys dreamed they were -so near, the croon of the stamps at the mine broke on -their ears. At the trail which forked from the main -road to lead to the mining camp, Frank and Jode turned, -leaving the cowboy to hustle on into town with the recovered -mail pouches.</p> - -<p>“I’ll report to King, the expert in charge of the -cyanide works,” Lenning said, after Merry had hitched<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">297</a></span> -Borak by the bunk house, “and then I’ll hunt my blankets. -Are you going to stop, Chip?”</p> - -<p>“I’ll just speak a word with Burke,” Frank answered.</p> - -<p>He accompanied Lenning toward the cyanide plant, -climbing the slope that led to the mill, and lingering near -the long ore platform. Then he watched while Lenning -made his way to the laboratory building, disappeared inside, -and, after a few minutes, reappeared and climbed -the slope in Frank’s direction.</p> - -<p>Fate, at that moment, had once more taken Lenning’s -affairs in hand. All the details of an accident were -forming, and the accident itself was about to project -itself suddenly into the peaceful activities of the camp.</p> - -<p>Frank and Jode, as it chanced, were so placed at -that moment as to become active participants in the near -tragedy which was about to be launched.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">298</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xlvi" id="xlvi"></a>CHAPTER XLVI.<br /> -<span>THE RUNAWAY ORE CAR.</span></h2> - - -<p>Colonel Hawtrey got the better of Mr. Bradlaugh on -the golf links that Monday forenoon. This event, no -doubt, pleased the colonel mightily, and yet there was -something at the back of the colonel’s consciousness which -disturbed him.</p> - -<p>Young Merriwell had come to him and had spoken a -good word for the colonel’s cast-off nephew. Rather -brusquely the colonel had refused to meet Merriwell’s -advances on Lenning’s behalf. This, as Hawtrey fondly -assured himself, was because the Lenning matter was -less an affair of pride than of principle. Yet, for all -that, the colonel was sorry that he had been so unyielding.</p> - -<p>After Merriwell had left the golf links with Burke -and Clancy, Professor Borrodaile had appeared excitedly -and announced the robbery of the stage. Instantly, Colonel -Hawtrey had thought of Lenning’s mysterious absence -from the mine, and, almost as quickly, he had -settled it to his own satisfaction that Lenning must have -had a hand in the robbery.</p> - -<p>So far from making the colonel contented on the -score of turning a deaf ear to Merriwell’s plea for Lenning, -the information about the robbery and the colonel’s -deductions merely disquieted him the more.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon Colonel Hawtrey went back to his -home in Gold Hill. Here he came directly under the -influence of his other nephew, Ellis Darrel.</p> - -<p>Darrel, at one time, had occupied a position almost -identical with Lenning’s at that moment. There was this -difference, however, that Darrel’s hands were clean of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">299</a></span> -any crooked work. He had been plotted against, and the -colonel had cast him off unjustly.</p> - -<p>Merriwell, believing in Darrel, had helped him to regain -his place in his uncle’s regard. And now Darrel, -perhaps influenced by Merriwell’s example, was trying -to befriend his half brother, Lenning.</p> - -<p>The colonel and Darrel had had many talks regarding -Lenning. In these interviews Darrel had tried to patch -up the differences between the colonel and Jode. In this -he had no success whatever. The colonel had finally -forbidden Darrel to mention Lenning’s name.</p> - -<p>Back from his game with Mr. Bradlaugh, and thoroughly -ill-humored because of his disturbing thoughts -about Lenning, the colonel repaired to his study. Here -Darrel met him and attempted to broach the forbidden -subject of his half brother.</p> - -<p>“That will do, Ellis!” cried the colonel sharply. “I -want no more of your views on the subject of Jode. He -has proved himself a crook and a coward—two classes -of people I have no use for whatever.”</p> - -<p>“I am only asking you to give him a chance, Uncle -Alvah,” pleaded Darrel.</p> - -<p>“Merriwell seems to be taking good care of Jode. As -for a chance, why, the young scoundrel will have to -make his own chances for himself. If he could only -prove that he had a little courage, a little honesty. I -might feel differently toward him. But he’s a coward, -he has a yellow streak—and that makes him a disgrace -to the family.”</p> - -<p>“Then you won’t——”</p> - -<p>“I’ll not discuss this any longer with you,” snapped -the colonel, and flung himself into a chair and picked up -a paper.</p> - -<p>Later in the day news came to Gold Hill that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">300</a></span> -two road agents who had held up the stage had been -seen in Bitter Root Cañon, and one of them rode a sorrel -horse with a white stocking foot and was believed to be -Lenning.</p> - -<p>“I don’t doubt it,” growled the colonel. “Is there no -depth to Lenning’s baseness? If he is bound to pile -disgrace upon disgrace, I wish, for the sake of the rest -of us, he would migrate to some other part of the -country.”</p> - -<p>“I doubt the report, colonel,” said Darrel stoutly. “Jode -has turned over a new leaf and he is trying honestly to -live down the past. He had no hand in that robbery.”</p> - -<p>“What means his absence from the mine?” cried the -colonel heatedly. “Put two and two together, Ellis! For -Heaven’s sake, don’t try to appear so dense. Lenning -was seen in the cañon, near where the stage was robbed—and -he was riding a horse that answers the description -of Burke’s.”</p> - -<p>“Blunt and Ballard <em>thought</em> Lenning was the fellow -they saw,” qualified Darrel. “They weren’t sure of it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m sure of it, so we’ll let it go at that.”</p> - -<p>The irascible old colonel went to bed that night in a -bad temper. He did not sleep, however, but lay and -tossed restlessly. Visions came to him—visions of Jode -and of his only sister, Jode’s mother. In these midnight -fancies the face of Jode was haggard and repentant, and -the face of the mother was pitiful and pleading. Finally, -along toward morning, the colonel could bear his thoughts -no longer.</p> - -<p>He got up and, for two or three hours, he paced the -confines of his bedroom. Something was urging him -to probe the facts in Jode’s case. He remembered that -he had promised Burke he would visit the mine and settle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">301</a></span> -for the horse and the riding gear. Why not go to the -mine that morning?</p> - -<p>When Ellis Darrel came down to breakfast, he discovered -that his uncle had gone away. Blixen, the most -spirited driving horse in the stable, had been put to the -road wagon, and Colonel Hawtrey had been last seen -making for the Ophir trail.</p> - -<p>“It’s something about Jode that’s taking him in that -direction,” thought Darrel happily. “The old chap isn’t -so hard-hearted as he wants me to think.”</p> - -<p>All the way along the trail through Bitter Root Cañon -Blixen gave the colonel a handful. The horse had not -been out of the stable for two or three days, and was -even more spirited and hard to manage than usual. Perhaps -it was a good thing for the colonel that Blixen -took all his attention. He had no leisure for disagreeable -thoughts about Lenning.</p> - -<p>The journey from Gold Hill to Ophir had not absorbed -much of Blixen’s surplus energy, for he tore through -the latter town at a tremendous clip. Hawtrey had to -twist the reins around his hands and curb the plunging -roadster with all his strength.</p> - -<p>When well out of Ophir and close to the mine, the -colonel passed Barzy Blunt, galloping the other way, -with two bags roped behind him to the back of his horse. -The colonel was too busy with Blixen to get a good -look at the bags. Blunt shouted something to him as -they rapidly passed each other, but he could not distinguish -the words.</p> - -<p>With a grind of wheels the road wagon lurched into -the mining camp and up to the door of the headquarters -adobe. A Mexican stood at the door.</p> - -<p>“Where is the superintendent?” the colonel inquired.</p> - -<p>“Him gone to stamp mill,” was the answer.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">302</a></span> -The colonel turned and started to drive up the slope -toward the head of the mill. In taking this move it was -necessary for him to cross the narrow railroad track -by which loaded ore cars were carried full to the ore -<a name="platform" id="platform"></a><ins title="Original has 'platfom'">platform</ins> and empty away from it. To understand clearly -what took place, a little description of the method of -delivering ore to the Ophir Mill will be necessary.</p> - -<p>The ore cars were of iron and supplied with suitable -brakes. They were filled at the various shaft houses -and drawn by teams up the incline to the ore platform. -Here the teams were taken away, the brakes on the cars -were set, and the wheels blocked with stones, and the -unloading begun. When the unloading was finished, -the blocking was knocked away, and the cars slid down -the sleep slope of their own momentum.</p> - -<p>The track at the head of the mill formed a loop. -Thus the empty cars, when released, rolled down the hill -and back to the main track before their momentum was -lost.</p> - -<p>This morning, in some mysterious manner, a loaded -car broke away and started down the incline. The brakes -on the car had not been set—which was an infringement -of the rules—and the teamster who had left the car in -position for unloading had been content merely to block -the wheels.</p> - -<p>Fate worked out many little details in bringing about -the near tragedy that morning, and this matter of the -runaway car was but one of them. The colonel, just -as the car broke loose and began slipping slowly down -the steep grade, was driving across the rails, far below, -planning to come up the slope to the mill by the wagon -road.</p> - -<p>In some manner a forward wheel caught in one of the -rails. Blixen, impatient of the sudden and unexpected<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">303</a></span> -pull on the traces, stopped and began to back. A shout -from somewhere, booming clearly above the roar of the -stamps, apprised the colonel of his danger from the -ore car.</p> - -<p>Snatching the whip from its socket, he struck Blixen -sharply. The horse plunged ahead, breaking away from -the carriage. The colonel, by the pull on the lines, -was dragged over the dashboard and flung across the -tracks. His limp hand released the reins, and Blixen -raced on among the buildings and ore dumps of the -camp.</p> - -<p>But the colonel, stunned by his rough contact with -the iron rail, lay unconscious across the track. He was -in deadly peril. There was no one near enough to drag -him out of his dangerous predicament, and the heavy -ore car was plunging toward him at frightful speed.</p> - -<p>Burke, coming suddenly out upon the ore platform -at the head of the mill, gasped as he stared downward -and took in the tragic scene. The next moment, he -groaned and staggered back.</p> - -<p>“Nothing can save him!” he cried huskily. “The -runaway car will grind him to pieces!”</p> - -<p>But the superintendent was wrong in his conclusions. -At the very moment the car broke from its moorings, -Merriwell was standing beside the track, halfway down -the hill. He was waiting for Lenning to climb to his -side from the laboratory building.</p> - -<p>Lenning, having seen Burke come to the ore platform, -changed his course. Instead of making straight -toward Merriwell, who was part way down the hillside, -he started for the crest of the hill at the place where -Burke had appeared.</p> - -<p>He was close to the track, a little below the ore platform, -when the runaway car came charging down the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">304</a></span> -grade. Merriwell was perhaps three hundred feet below -him. Far below Merriwell, lying unconscious across -the rails, was Colonel Hawtrey. Lenning, his ears accustomed -to the roar of the stamps, heard and distinguished -the stricken, hopeless cry of the super from -the platform above. And then, in a flash, the outcast -nephew planned a move which might save his uncle.</p> - -<p>“The switch!” he yelled, motioning with his hands. -“The switch, Merriwell! <em>Throw it!</em>”</p> - -<p>Merriwell, although frantically alive to the colonel’s -danger, yet managed to keep his wits about him. Ten -feet below him was a switch by which cars were sometimes -placed upon a short spur track. If Merry could -throw the switch before the car reached it, the car -would be hurled to the siding and the colonel would be -saved.</p> - -<p>But, as Merry quickly realized, the car was coming -so rapidly that the switch could not be thrown before -the leaping ore carrier was past the spur. Then Merry -realized something else.</p> - -<p>Utterly oblivious of danger to himself, Jode Lenning -had crouched beside the rails and then leaped recklessly -at the flying car. Fortune favored him. Although -cruelly buffeted by his landing on the loaded ore, Lenning -gained the car and laid hands on the brake. Then, -to Merriwell, Jode’s purpose became clear. Jode would -put on the brakes, thus slackening the car’s speed and -giving Merriwell time to throw the switch.</p> - -<p>The next moment Merry had flung himself at the target -and twisted the hand lever.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">305</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xlvii" id="xlvii"></a>CHAPTER XLVII.<br /> -<span>THE YELLOW STREAK GONE.</span></h2> - - -<p>All this had happened in a very brief space of time. -The many details which, combined, made the accident -possible, stretched over a period of some duration, but -the accident itself passed from beginning to conclusion -in a few ticks of a watch.</p> - -<p>Sick and unnerved, Merriwell leaned against the target. -The screech of the ore car’s wheels rasped wildly -in his ears. He had a glimpse of the runaway ore carrier -sliding from the loop track to the switch, with -Jode kneeling on the ore and clinging to the brake -wheel.</p> - -<p>The next instant Merriwell realized that Jode, by his -daring work, had plunged himself into a fresh catastrophe.</p> - -<p>The spur track was short and lay on level ground. -There was no barrier at the end of it, but a plunge downward -for half a dozen feet right from the ends of the -rails. Lenning, with the car and its load, must take that -plunge!</p> - -<p>The events of Lenning’s past life were such as to -lead people to believe that he was a coward, and had a -yellow streak. Yet how could that be when he voluntarily -threw himself into terrible danger to save his -uncle?</p> - -<p>Under Merriwell’s horrified eyes the ore car sped out -to the end of the spur and dived downward. Not a -cry escaped Lenning as, white-faced and rigid, he tipped -off into space with the load of ore.</p> - -<p>Colonel Hawtrey was himself a witness of his nephew’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">306</a></span> -plunge from the end of the spur track. His senses returned -to him quickly and he lifted himself on one elbow. -As it chanced, his eyes were fixed on the spot where -Jode and the car were shooting off into space from the -spur.</p> - -<p>Burke was another eyewitness. Quickly as he could -come, he rushed down the hill and hurried out to the -end of the little siding. There he and Merriwell stood together, -looking down.</p> - -<p>The car lay bottom up on the ground below. The ore -it had carried was scattered widely.</p> - -<p>“Do you see him?” Burke whispered hoarsely in Merriwell’s ear.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Merriwell answered, and forthwith began descending -to the foot of the slight slope.</p> - -<p>Lenning had been thrown quite a little distance from -the car, and was lying face downward in the sand and -gravel. He was silent and motionless.</p> - -<p>“Jode!” called Frank, kneeling beside him and touching -his shoulder.</p> - -<p>There was no answer from the lad who had fought -so hard to clear his record. With a sinking sensation -at his heart, Frank lifted Jode in his arms and turned -his face upward. His cheek and temple were gashed -and bleeding, and his eyes were closed.</p> - -<p>“Can’t he talk?” asked Burke. “Is he unconscious?”</p> - -<p>Frank nodded. “Let’s take him somewhere,” said -he; “to the bunk house, where we can get him on a -bed. He must be badly hurt, Burke.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t see how he ever came through that alive!” -muttered the superintendent.</p> - -<p>A crowd had gathered, racing to the scene from the -cyanide works, from the blacksmith shop, from the mill.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">307</a></span> -“That was the bravest thing I ever saw!” declared -King, the cyanide expert. “Is he going to live, Burke?”</p> - -<p>“Of course he’s going to live!” declared Frank, white-lipped -but with a voice of conviction. “What do you -think now,” he added, “you fellows that thought Jode -was a thief and had a yellow streak?”</p> - -<p>“If he had ever had a yellow streak,” returned King, -“he has wiped it out for good and all.”</p> - -<p>“King,” said Burke quietly, “telephone to town for a -doctor. The rest of you men,” he added, “go back to -your work. Everything possible will be done for Lenning—I -don’t need to tell you that. Come on, Merriwell,” -he finished, “and let’s get him to the bunk house.”</p> - -<p>As carefully as they could, Frank and the super lifted -Lenning between them and bore him away to the long, -low building where the miners and mill men had their -sleeping quarters.</p> - -<p>They had hardly laid Lenning down on his cot, before -Colonel Hawtrey, his face ashen, pushed into the bunk -house and up to the side of the unconscious boy. The -colonel’s clothing was torn and his hat was gone, but he -was giving no thought to himself.</p> - -<p>For a moment he stared into the haggard, bleeding -face of his nephew; then he turned to Frank and the -superintendent.</p> - -<p>“Tell me about this,” he said, in a queer, dry voice. -“I missed some of the details. The ore car broke loose, -I remember that; then I tried to get out of the way, and -one of the front wheels of my carriage became locked -in the track; I struck Blixen with the whip, and the -singletree broke, and I was jerked over the dashboard. -When I came to myself, the ore car, with Jode aboard, -was pitching off the end of the spur tracks. Fill in the -gaps for me, please.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">308</a></span> -“Jode yelled to me,” said Frank, “to run and throw the -switch. At the same time Jode jumped aboard the car -as it rushed past him. If he hadn’t put on the brakes, -the car would have got by the switch before I could -have thrown it. That’s all, colonel. Jode tipped off -the end of the spur with the car and the ore.”</p> - -<p>The colonel moistened his dry lips with his tongue.</p> - -<p>“Is—is he dead?” he asked, in a low voice.</p> - -<p>“No,” replied Burke.</p> - -<p>“Send for a doctor and do everything possible to -save him.”</p> - -<p>“We have sent for a doctor, colonel, and I don’t think -there’ll be any trouble about saving him. He was in -splendid physical condition to stand such a shock. But -if the car had fallen on him, or the ore—well, there’d -have been another story to tell.”</p> - -<p>Without a word, Colonel Hawtrey drew a chair to the -head of the bed and sat down to wait. And all the -while he was waiting he never took his eyes from Jode’s -unconscious face.</p> - -<p>In less than twenty minutes the doctor was at the mine. -Removing his coat, he rolled up his sleeves and went -to work with professional briskness.</p> - -<p>“What is your verdict, doctor?” inquired Colonel -Hawtrey, after the examination had been finished.</p> - -<p>“A fractured leg is about all the damage, colonel,” -was the answer, “so far as I can see. He may be -hurt internally, but I don’t think so. We’ll know more -about that later on. Jode has been doing some great -work, eh? He not only recovers the stolen mail bags -and sends them to town, but he caps his exploits by -saving your life, colonel. There must be something -pretty fine about a fellow who can do all that.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">309</a></span> -“Saved the mail bags?” repeated Hawtrey. “What -do you mean by that?”</p> - -<p>Just here Frank took the conversation into his own -charge, and proceeded to tell the colonel all that had -happened in Mohave Cañon. The colonel’s face was a -little pale as he listened, but his expression did not -undergo a change in any particular. He was an iron -man, with an iron control of his feelings.</p> - -<p>The doctor set the broken leg; then, when it was done, -he took measures to revive the injured lad. Under the -doctor’s ministrations it was not long before Jode opened -his eyes.</p> - -<p>At first his gaze was troubled and bewildered. Finally, -realization came to him and he stretched out his hand to -Merriwell.</p> - -<p>“Chip,” said he, “we had to do it quick, but we did -it well. I—I wonder how I ever had the nerve!”</p> - -<p>“Never mind about that, old man,” answered Frank, -with twitching lip and blurred eyes. “You saved the -colonel. It was you, Jode. I had mighty little to do -with it.”</p> - -<p>The colonel arose from his chair and stepped to the -side of the cot. For a moment uncle and nephew gazed -into each other’s eyes.</p> - -<p>“I have wronged you, my lad,” said the colonel. “Are -we going to let bygones be bygones?”</p> - -<p>“If you want it that way, colonel,” Jode answered.</p> - -<p>And then their hands met in one long, lingering clasp. -Merriwell stepped out of the bunk-house door, and stood -in the clear, bright sunshine.</p> - -<p>“At last!” he murmured.</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">310</a></span> -</div> - -<h2><a name="xlviii" id="xlviii"></a>CHAPTER XLVIII.<br /> -<span>CONCLUSION.</span></h2> - - -<p>Jode Lenning’s experience with Shoup and Geohegan, -his recovery of the stolen mail bags, and his rescue -of Colonel Hawtrey from the runaway ore car were -topics of discussion in that part of Arizona for a good -many days.</p> - -<p>Geohegan, it developed, was the cracksman who, on a -former occasion, had helped Shoup break into the safe -at the cyanide works and make off with four bars of -bullion. Hawkins had been hunting for Shoup and -Geohegan on the score of that attempted robbery, and -he had about given up finding the rascally pair, when -they dropped into his hands through that holdup in -the cañon.</p> - -<p>Shoup, although a young fellow, was a drug fiend. -He had gone from bad to worse, until now he had committed -a crime which, in all likelihood, would have to -be expiated in some government prison.</p> - -<p>In the confession which Geohegan made, it appeared -that the two thieves had blundered upon Lenning entirely -by chance. Taking his clothes and his horse was a plan -of Shoup’s. After hiding the mail bags in the cañon, the -two robbers had gone into the gulch. Here they discovered -some of Hawkins’ posse, and fled to escape them. -They were followed relentlessly, and finally captured.</p> - -<p>Two drafts for twenty-five thousand dollars each, one -for the professor and one for Mrs. Boorland, were found -in one of the stolen mail pouches. Thus the matter of -the mine in the Picketpost Mountains was wound up, -and nothing further remained to delay the departure -of Frank and his chums from southern Arizona.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">311</a></span> -The one thing Frank had wished for with all his -heart—the reconciliation between Colonel Hawtrey and -Lenning—had been accomplished. The lad now felt that -he could leave Ophir with a cheerful spirit.</p> - -<p>Among the first to pay Lenning a visit in the Ophir -bunk house and congratulate him on his brightening -prospects were Clancy and Ballard.</p> - -<p>“Don’t congratulate me, fellows,” said Lenning. “Give -Merriwell the credit. He was my friend when every -one else had turned against me. Whenever I needed a -boost in the right direction, I could always count on -him to give it. I’ll never forget Chip, and I’ll never -cease to be grateful to him.”</p> - -<p>“Chip is all to the mustard,” said Clancy loyally, “and -I can only find fault with him about one thing.”</p> - -<p>“What is that?”</p> - -<p>“He wouldn’t let Pink and me go along with him and -Blunt when they answered that mysterious call from -Dolliver. See what a lot of excitement we missed!”</p> - -<p>“That was a case, Clancy,” smiled Lenning, “where -two of you were company and four would have been a -crowd.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” assented Ballard cheerfully, “we’ll leave -it that way. Going to Gold Hill to live, Jode, as soon -as that broken pin is mended?”</p> - -<p>“No,” replied Lenning, “I’m going to stay right here -and work for Mr. Bradlaugh and Mr. Burke. The colonel -has done the fine thing by me, and he’d do more, but -I don’t intend to let him. From now on I shall make -my own way in the world.”</p> - -<p>And for this determination, Clancy, Ballard, and all the -rest of Lenning’s friends thought more of him than -ever.</p> - -<p>It was Wednesday when Frank and his chums took<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">312</a></span> -their leave of Ophir. The last thing Frank did, before -getting out of the town, was to send Borak to Barzy -Blunt with a card. The card presented Barzy with -Frank’s compliments and best wishes, and begged him to -accept Borak as a present.</p> - -<p>Borak had once belonged to Blunt. When dire necessity -urged, the cowboy had been compelled to sell the -famous black steed. Frank had purchased the animal, -but had always intended, on leaving Arizona, to return -the saddler to his former owner.</p> - -<p>When the stage, which was to take the boys to Gold -Hill, the nearest railroad point, pulled up at the door -of the Ophir House, Pophagan, Woo Sing, and a host -of others were gathered on the veranda to bid Merriwell, -Clancy, and Ballard good-by. A miner, whose regard -Frank had won by coaching the Ophir football squad -to victory, presented each of the lads with a nugget of -placer gold to be made into a scarfpin.</p> - -<p>“You’re sartinly the clear quill, kids,” said the miner, -“and we’re a heap proud to have had ye among us. Pure -gold, them nuggets is, and I reckon as how you’re all -three the same. Come back to us some time. Don’t let -this be the last time we see ye.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe we will,” said Frank, shaking hands all around -with a smothered feeling in his throat. “You’ve been -mighty good to us, all you Ophir people.”</p> - -<p>“That’s no jolly,” said the red-headed chap.</p> - -<p>“We almost feel like we belonged to Ophir,” added -Ballard.</p> - -<p>The professor had gone on to Gold Hill the day -before, and the boys were to meet him in that town, and -they were all to proceed northward together.</p> - -<p>When the lads had shaken hands until their arms -ached, they climbed into the stage, and the driver<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">313</a></span> -whipped up his team. As they rolled down the straggling, -familiar street, cheers went up from the hotel and -were echoed all along the sidewalks.</p> - -<p>“Three cheers for Merriwell, Clancy, and Ballard!” -rang out the cry, and they were given again and again -with a hearty good will.</p> - -<p>“Seems almost like we were leaving home,” sniffed -Clancy.</p> - -<p>“That’s right, Red!” agreed Ballard.</p> - -<p>But Merriwell said nothing. He could not trust himself -to speak.</p> - - -<p class="center">THE END.</p> - - -<p>“Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s Mission” will be the title of -the next volume of the <span class="smcap">Merriwell Series</span>, No. 218. -Burt L. Standish has outdone himself in this latest narrative. -It is a tale of sympathetic understanding and real -friendship, as well as a story of action and excitement.</p> - - - - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">i</a></span> -</div> - -<p class="center p140">BOOKS FOR YOUNG MEN</p> - -<p class="center p180">MERRIWELL SERIES</p> - -<p class="center p120">ALL BY BURT L. STANDISH</p> - -<p class="center p120">Stories of Frank and Dick Merriwell</p> - -<p class="center p140">Fascinating Stories of Athletics</p> - -<p>A half million enthusiastic followers of the Merriwell brothers will -attest the unfailing interest and wholesomeness of these adventures -of two lads of high ideals, who play fair with themselves, as well as -with the rest of the world.</p> - -<p>These stories are rich in fun and thrills in all branches of sports -and athletics. They are extremely high in moral tone, and cannot -fail to be of immense benefit to every boy who reads them.</p> - -<p>They have the splendid quality of firing a boy’s ambition to become -a good athlete, in order that he may develop into a strong, vigorous, -right-thinking man.</p> - -<p class="center"><i>ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT</i></p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>101—Frank Merriwell’s Nomads</li> -<li>102—Dick Merriwell on the Gridiron</li> -<li>103—Dick Merriwell’s Disguise</li> -<li>104—Dick Merriwell’s Test</li> -<li>105—Frank Merriwell’s Trump Card</li> -<li>106—Frank Merriwell’s Strategy</li> -<li>107—Frank Merriwell’s Triumph</li> -<li>108—Dick Merriwell’s Grit</li> -<li>109—Dick Merriwell’s Assurance</li> -<li>110—Dick Merriwell’s Long Slide</li> -<li>111—Frank Merriwell’s Rough Deal</li> -<li>112—Dick Merriwell’s Threat</li> -<li>113—Dick Merriwell’s Persistence</li> -<li>114—Dick Merriwell’s Day</li> -<li>115—Frank Merriwell’s Peril</li> -<li>116—Dick Merriwell’s Downfall</li> -<li>117—Frank Merriwell’s Pursuit</li> -<li>118—Dick Merriwell Abroad</li> -<li>119—Frank Merriwell in the Rockies</li> -<li>120—Dick Merriwell’s Pranks</li> -<li>121—Frank Merriwell’s Pride</li> -<li>122—Frank Merriwell’s Challengers</li> -<li>123—Frank Merriwell’s Endurance</li> -<li>124—Dick Merriwell’s Cleverness</li> -<li>125—Frank Merriwell’s Marriage</li> -<li>126—Dick Merriwell, the Wizard</li> -<li>127—Dick Merriwell’s Stroke</li> -<li>128—Dick Merriwell’s Return</li> -<li>129—Dick Merriwell’s Resource</li> -<li>130—Dick Merriwell’s Five</li> -<li>131—Frank Merriwell’s Tigers</li> -<li>132—Dick Merriwell’s Polo Team</li> -<li>133—Frank Merriwell’s Pupils</li> -<li>134—Frank Merriwell’s New Boy</li> -<li>135—Dick Merriwell’s Home Run</li> -<li>136—Dick Merriwell’s Dare</li> -<li>137—Frank Merriwell’s Son</li> -<li>138—Dick Merriwell’s Team Mate</li> -<li>139—Frank Merriwell’s Leaguers</li> -<li>140—Frank Merriwell’s Happy Camp</li> -<li>141—Dick Merriwell’s Influence</li> -<li>142—Dick Merriwell, Freshman</li> -<li>143—Dick Merriwell’s Staying Power</li> -<li>144—Dick Merriwell’s Joke</li> -<li>145—Frank Merriwell’s Talisman</li> -<li>146—Frank Merriwell’s Horse</li> -<li>147—Dick Merriwell’s Regret</li> -<li>148—Dick Merriwell’s Magnetism</li> -<li>149—Dick Merriwell’s Backers</li> -<li>150—Dick Merriwell’s Best Work</li> -<li>151—Dick Merriwell’s Distrust</li> -<li>152—Dick Merriwell’s Debt</li> -<li>153—Dick Merriwell’s Mastery</li> -<li>154—Dick Merriwell Adrift</li> -<li>155—Frank Merriwell’s Worst Boy</li> -<li>156—Dick Merriwell’s Close Call</li> -<li>157—Frank Merriwell’s Air Voyage</li> -<li>158—Dick Merriwell’s Black Star</li> -<li>159—Frank Merriwell in Wall Street</li> -<li>160—Frank Merriwell Facing His Foes</li> -<li>161—Dick Merriwell’s Stanchness</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">ii</a></span> -162—Frank Merriwell’s Hard Case</li> -<li>163—Dick Merriwell’s Stand</li> -<li>164—Dick Merriwell Doubted</li> -<li>165—Frank Merriwell’s Steadying Hand</li> -<li>166—Dick Merriwell’s Example</li> -<li>167—Dick Merriwell in the Wilds</li> -<li>168—Frank Merriwell’s Ranch</li> -<li>169—Dick Merriwell’s Way</li> -<li>170—Frank Merriwell’s Lesson</li> -<li>171—Dick Merriwell’s Reputation</li> -<li>172—Frank Merriwell’s Encouragement</li> -<li>173—Dick Merriwell’s Honors</li> -<li>174—Frank Merriwell’s Wizard</li> -<li>175—Dick Merriwell’s Race</li> -<li>176—Dick Merriwell’s Star Play</li> -<li>177—Frank Merriwell at Phantom Lake</li> -<li>178—Dick Merriwell a Winner</li> -<li>179—Dick Merriwell at the County Fair</li> -<li>180—Frank Merriwell’s Grit</li> -<li>181—Dick Merriwell’s Power</li> -<li>182—Frank Merriwell in Peru</li> -<li>183—Frank Merriwell’s Long Chance</li> -<li>184—Frank Merriwell’s Old Form</li> -<li>185—Frank Merriwell’s Treasure Hunt</li> -<li>186—Dick Merriwell Game to the Last</li> -<li>187—Dick Merriwell, Motor King</li> -<li>188—Dick Merriwell’s Tussle</li> -<li>189—Dick Merriwell’s Aero Dash</li> -<li>190—Dick Merriwell’s Intuition</li> -<li>191—Dick Merriwell’s Placer Find</li> -<li>192—Dick Merriwell’s Fighting Chance</li> -<li>193—Frank Merriwell’s Tact</li> -<li>194—Frank Merriwell’s Puzzle</li> -<li>195—Frank Merriwell’s Mystery</li> -<li>196—Frank Merriwell, the Lionhearted</li> -<li>197—Frank Merriwell’s Tenacity</li> -<li>198—Dick Merriwell’s Perception</li> -<li>199—Dick Merriwell’s Detective Work</li> -<li>200—Dick Merriwell’s Commencement</li> -<li>201—Dick Merriwell’s Decision</li> -<li>202—Dick Merriwell’s Coolness</li> -<li>203—Dick Merriwell’s Reliance</li> -<li>204—Frank Merriwell’s Young Warriors</li> -<li>205—Frank Merriwell’s Lads</li> -<li>206—Dick Merriwell in Panama</li> -<li>207—Dick Merriwell in South America</li> -<li>208—Dick Merriwell’s Counsel</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - -<p>In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that -the books listed below will be issued during the respective months in -New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a -distance promptly, on account of delays in transportation.</p> - -<p class="center">To be published in January, 1929.</p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>209—Dick Merriwell, Universal Coach</li> -<li>210—Dick Merriwell’s Varsity Nine</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - -<p class="center">To be published in February, 1929.</p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>211—Dick Merriwell’s Heroic Players</li> -<li>212—Dick Merriwell at the Olympics</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - -<p class="center">To be published in March, 1929.</p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>213—Frank Merriwell, Jr., Tested</li> -<li>214—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Conquests</li> -<li>215—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Rivals</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - -<p class="center">To be published in April, 1929.</p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>216—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Helping Hand</li> -<li>217—Frank Merriwell, Jr., in Arizona</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - -<p class="center">To be published in May, 1929.</p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>218—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Mission</li> -<li>219—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Ice-boat Adventure</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - -<p class="center">To be published in June, 1929.</p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>220—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Timely Aid</li> -<li>221—Frank Merriwell, Jr., in the Desert</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - - - - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">iii</a></span> -</div> - - -<p class="center p180">Round the World Library</p> - -<p class="center p120">Stories of Jack Harkaway and His Comrades</p> - -<p>Every reader, young and old, has heard of Jack Harkaway. His remarkable -adventures in out-of-the-way corners of the globe are really -classics, and every one should read them.</p> - -<p>Jack is a splendid, manly character, full of life and strength and -curiosity. He has a number of very interesting companions—Professor -Mole, for instance, who is very funny. He also has some very strange -enemies, who are anything but funny.</p> - -<p>Get interested in Jack. It will pay you.</p> - -<p class="center p120"><i>ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT</i></p> - -<hr class="small" /> - -<p class="center p120">By BRACEBRIDGE HEMYNG</p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>1—Jack Harkaway’s School Days</li> -<li>2—Jack Harkaway’s Friends</li> -<li>3—Jack Harkaway After School Days</li> -<li>4—Jack Harkaway Afloat and Ashore</li> -<li>5—Jack Harkaway Among the Pirates</li> -<li>6—Jack Harkaway at Oxford</li> -<li>7—Jack Harkaway’s Struggles</li> -<li>8—Jack Harkaway’s Triumphs</li> -<li>9—Jack Harkaway Among the Brigands</li> -<li>10—Jack Harkaway’s Return</li> -<li>11—Jack Harkaway Around the World</li> -<li>12—Jack Harkaway’s Perils</li> -<li>13—Jack Harkaway in China</li> -<li>14—Jack Harkaway and the Red Dragon</li> -<li>15—Jack Harkaway’s Pluck</li> -<li>16—Jack Harkaway in Australia</li> -<li>17—Jack Harkaway and the Bushrangers</li> -<li>18—Jack Harkaway’s Duel</li> -<li>19—Jack Harkaway and the Turks</li> -<li>20—Jack Harkaway in New York</li> -<li>21—Jack Harkaway Out West</li> -<li>22—Jack Harkaway Among the Indians</li> -<li>23—Jack Harkaway’s Cadet Days</li> -<li>24—Jack Harkaway in the Black Hills</li> -<li>25—Jack Harkaway in the Toils</li> -<li>26—Jack Harkaway’s Secret of Wealth</li> -<li>27—Jack Harkaway, Missing</li> -<li>28—Jack Harkaway and the Sacred Serpent</li> -<li>29—The Fool of the Family</li> -<li>30—Mischievous Matt</li> -<li>31—Mischievous Matt’s Pranks</li> -<li>32—Bob Fairplay Adrift</li> -<li>33—Bob Fairplay at Sea</li> -<li>34—The Boys of St. Aldates</li> -<li>35—Billy Barlow</li> -<li>36—Larry O’Keefe</li> -<li>37—Sam Sawbones</li> -<li>38—Too Fast to Last</li> -<li>39—Home Base</li> -<li>40—Spider and Stump</li> -<li>41—Out for Fun</li> -<li>42—Rob Rollalong, Sailor</li> -<li>43—Rob Rollalong in the Wilds</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - -<table summary="Round the World Library"> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">44—Phil, the Showman</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">45—Phil’s Rivals</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">46—Phil’s Pluck</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">47—Phil’s Triumph</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">48—From Circus to Fortune</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">49—A Gentleman Born</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">50—For His Friend’s Honor</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">51—True to His Trust</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">52—Facing the Music</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">iv</a></span> -53—Jungles and Traitors</td> -<td class="tdr">By William Murray Graydon</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">54—The Rockspur Eleven</td> -<td class="tdr">By Burt L. Standish</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">55—Treasure Island</td> -<td class="tdr">By Robert Louis Stevenson</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">56—In Fort and Prison</td> -<td class="tdr">By William Murray Graydon</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">57—The Rockspur Rivals</td> -<td class="tdr">By Burt L. Standish</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">58—George Arnold’s Pluck</td> -<td class="tdr">By John De Morgan</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">59—The Golden Harpoon</td> -<td class="tdr">By Weldon J. Cobb</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">60—The Rockspur Nine</td> -<td class="tdr">By Burt L. Standish</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">61—Always on Duty</td> -<td class="tdr">By John De Morgan</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">62—On the Wing</td> -<td class="tdr">By Weldon J. Cobb</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">63—Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea </td> -<td class="tdr">By Jules Verne</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">64—A Legacy of Peril</td> -<td class="tdr">By William Murray Graydon</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">65—Lost in the Ice</td> -<td class="tdr">By John De Morgan</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">66—The Young Railroader</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">67—The Tour of the Zero Club</td> -<td class="tdr">By Capt. Ralph Bonehill</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">68—The Young Railroader’s Flyer</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">69—The Silent City</td> -<td class="tdr">By Fred Thorpe</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">74—The Young Railroader’s Long Run</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">75—The Treasure of Star Island</td> -<td class="tdr">By Weldon J. Cobb</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">76—The Young Railroader’s Comrade</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">77—In Unknown Worlds</td> -<td class="tdr">By John De Morgan</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">78—The Young Railroader’s Promotion</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">79—A Trip to Mars</td> -<td class="tdr">By Weldon J. Cobb</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">80—The Young Railroader’s Chance</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">81—Rob Ranger’s Mine</td> -<td class="tdr">By Lieut. Lounsberry</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">82—Zip, the Acrobat</td> -<td class="tdr">By Victor St. Clair</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">83—Rob Ranger’s Cowboy Days</td> -<td class="tdr">By Lieut. Lounsberry</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">84—On His Merit</td> -<td class="tdr">By Victor St. Clair</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">85—Out For Sport</td> -<td class="tdr">By Wallace Kincaid</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">86—Where Duty Called</td> -<td class="tdr">By Victor St. Clair</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">87—Engineer Ralph</td> -<td class="tdr">By Frank H. MacDougal</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">88—Fortune’s Winding Trail</td> -<td class="tdr">By Roy Franklin</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">89—The Boy Conjurer</td> -<td class="tdr">By Victor St. Clair</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">90—The Go-Ahead Boys’ Legacy</td> -<td class="tdr">By Gale Richards</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">91—With Odds Against Him</td> -<td class="tdr">By Weldon J. Cobb</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">92—Sunset Ranch</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">93—Chums of the Prairie</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">94—The Young Range Riders</td> -<td class="tdr">By Stanley Norris</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">95—Jack Lightfoot, the Athlete</td> -<td class="tdr">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">96—Jack Lightfoot’s Crack Nine</td> -<td class="tdr">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">97—Jack Lightfoot Trapped</td> -<td class="tdr">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">98—Jack Lightfoot’s Rival</td> -<td class="tdr">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">99—Jack Lightfoot in Camp</td> -<td class="tdr">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">100—Jack Lightfoot’s Canoe Trip</td> -<td class="tdr">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">101—Jack Lightfoot’s Iron Arm</td> -<td class="tdr">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">102—Jack Lightfoot’s Hoodoo</td> -<td class="tdr">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">103—Jack Lightfoot’s Decision</td> -<td class="tdr">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">104—Jack Lightfoot’s Gun Club</td> -<td class="tdr">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">105—Jack Lightfoot’s Blind</td> -<td class="tdr">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p>In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that -the books listed below will be issued during the respective months in -New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a -distance promptly, on account of delays in transportation.</p> - -<p class="center">To be published in January, 1929.</p> - -<table summary="To be published in January, 1929"> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">106—Jack Lightfoot’s Capture</td> -<td class="tdr">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">107—Jack Lightfoot’s Head Work</td> -<td class="tdr">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p class="center">To be published in February, 1929.</p> - -<table summary="To be published in February, 1929"> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">108—Jack Lightfoot’s Wisdom</td> -<td class="tdr">By Maxwell Stevens</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">109—The Pride of Annapolis</td> -<td class="tdr">By Com. Luther G. Brownell</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p class="center">To be published in March, 1929.</p> - -<table summary="To be published in March, 1929"> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">110—The Haunted Hunter</td> -<td class="tdr">By Edward S. Ellis</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">111—An Annapolis Adventure</td> -<td class="tdr">By Com. Luther G. Brownell</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p class="center"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">v</a></span> -To be published in April, 1929.</p> - -<table summary="To be published in April, 1929"> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">112—The Two Scouts</td> -<td class="tdr">By Edward S. Ellis</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">113—An Annapolis Hero</td> -<td class="tdr">By Com. Luther G. Brownell</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p class="center">To be published in May, 1929.</p> - -<table summary="To be published in March, 1929"> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">114—Among the Redskins</td> -<td class="tdr">By Edward S. Ellis</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">115—Making Good in the Navy</td> -<td class="tdr">By Com. Luther G. Brownell</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p class="center">To be published in June, 1929.</p> - -<table summary="To be published in June, 1929"> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">116—Tracked Through the Wilds</td> -<td class="tdr">By Edward S. Ellis</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">117—A Dash for Glory</td> -<td class="tdr">By Com. Luther G. Brownell</td> -</tr> -</table> - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -</div> -<div class="box"> -<p class="center p180">Nick Carter Still Lives!</p> - -<p>For many years the stories of the -adventures of Nicholas Carter, the -great American detective, have been -favorites with busy men in all walks -of life. The reason is not hard to find. -They afford splendid relaxation and -complete entertainment.</p> - -<p>Some of the Nick Carter stories are -among the greatest detective stories -ever written and will remain so, as long -as the English language is read.</p> - -<p>Look over the list of these titles in -the NEW MAGNET LIBRARY and -buy yourself a real treat.</p> -</div> - - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">vi</a></span> -</div> - -<p class="center p140">NICK CARTER STORIES</p> - -<p class="center p180">New Magnet Library</p> - -<p class="center p120"><em>Not a Dull Book in This List</em></p> - -<p class="center p120">ALL BY NICHOLAS CARTER</p> - -<p>Nick Carter stands for an interesting detective story. The fact -that the books in this line are so uniformly good is entirely due to -the work of a specialist. The man who wrote these stories produced -no other type of fiction. His mind was concentrated upon the creation -of new plots and situations in which his hero emerged triumphantly -from all sorts of troubles and landed the criminal just where -he should be—behind the bars.</p> - -<p>The author of these stories knew more about writing detective stories -than any other single person.</p> - -<p>Following is a list of the best Nick Carter stories. They have been -selected with extreme care, and we unhesitatingly recommend each of -them as being fully as interesting as any detective story between cloth -covers which sells at ten times the price.</p> - -<p>If you do not know Nick Carter, buy a copy of any of the New -Magnet Library books, and get acquainted. He will surprise and delight -you.</p> - -<p class="center p120"><i>ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT</i></p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>901—A Weird Treasure</li> -<li>902—The Middle Link</li> -<li>903—To the Ends of the Earth</li> -<li>904—When Honors Pall</li> -<li>905—The Yellow Brand</li> -<li>906—A New Serpent in Eden</li> -<li>907—When Brave Men Tremble</li> -<li>908—A Test of Courage</li> -<li>909—Where Peril Beckons</li> -<li>910—The Gargoni Girdle</li> -<li>911—Rascals & Co.</li> -<li>912—Too Late to Talk</li> -<li>913—Satan’s Apt Pupil</li> -<li>914—The Girl Prisoner</li> -<li>915—The Danger of Folly</li> -<li>916—One Shipwreck Too Many</li> -<li>917—Scourged by Fear</li> -<li>918—The Red Plague</li> -<li>919—Scoundrels Rampant</li> -<li>920—From Clew to Clew</li> -<li>921—When Rogues Conspire</li> -<li>922—Twelve in a Grave</li> -<li>923—The Great Opium Case</li> -<li>924—A Conspiracy of Rumors</li> -<li>925—A Klondike Claim</li> -<li>926—The Evil Formula</li> -<li>927—The Man of Many Faces</li> -<li>928—The Great Enigma</li> -<li>929—The Burden of Proof</li> -<li>930—The Stolen Brain</li> -<li>931—A Titled Counterfeiter</li> -<li>932—The Magic Necklace</li> -<li>933—’Round the World for a Quarter</li> -<li>934—Over the Edge of the World</li> -<li>935—In the Grip of Fate</li> -<li>936—The Case of Many Clews</li> -<li>937—The Sealed Door</li> -<li>938—Nick Carter and the Green Goods Men</li> -<li>939—The Man Without a Will</li> -<li>940—Tracked Across the Atlantic</li> -<li>941—A Clew from the Unknown</li> -<li>942—The Crime of a Countess</li> -<li>943—A Mixed-up Mess</li> -<li>944—The Great Money-order Swindle</li> -<li>945—The Adder’s Brood</li> -<li>946—A Wall Street Haul</li> -<li>947—For a Pawned Crown</li> -<li>948—Sealed Orders</li> -<li>949—The Hate that Kills</li> -<li>950—The American Marquis</li> -<li>951—The Needy Nine</li> -<li>952—Fighting Against Millions</li> -<li>953—Outlaws of the Blue</li> -<li>954—The Old Detective’s Pupil</li> -<li>955—Found in the Jungle</li> -<li>956—The Mysterious Mail Robbery</li> -<li>957—Broken Bars</li> -<li>958—A Fair Criminal</li> -<li>959—Won by Magic</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">vii</a></span> -960—The Piano Box Mystery</li> -<li>961—The Man They Held Back</li> -<li>962—A Millionaire Partner</li> -<li>963—A Pressing Peril</li> -<li>964—An Australian Klondike</li> -<li>965—The Sultan’s Pearls</li> -<li>966—The Double Shuffle Club</li> -<li>967—Paying the Price</li> -<li>968—A Woman’s Hand</li> -<li>969—A Network of Crime</li> -<li>970—At Thompson’s Ranch</li> -<li>971—The Crossed Needles</li> -<li>972—The Diamond Mine Case</li> -<li>973—Blood Will Tell</li> -<li>974—An Accidental Password</li> -<li>975—The Crook’s Double</li> -<li>976—Two Plus Two</li> -<li>977—The Yellow Label</li> -<li>978—The Clever Celestial</li> -<li>979—The Amphitheater Plot</li> -<li>980—Gideon Drexel’s Millions</li> -<li>981—Death in Life</li> -<li>982—A Stolen Identity</li> -<li>983—Evidence by Telephone</li> -<li>984—The Twelve Tin Boxes</li> -<li>985—Clew Against Clew</li> -<li>986—Lady Velvet</li> -<li>987—Playing a Bold Game</li> -<li>988—A Dead Man’s Grip</li> -<li>989—Snarled Identities</li> -<li>990—A Deposit Vault Puzzle</li> -<li>991—The Crescent Brotherhood</li> -<li>992—The Stolen Pay Train</li> -<li>993—The Sea Fox</li> -<li>994—Wanted by Two Clients</li> -<li>995—The Van Alstine Case</li> -<li>996—Check No. 777</li> -<li>997—Partners in Peril</li> -<li>998—Nick Carter’s Clever Protégé</li> -<li>999—The Sign of the Crossed Knives</li> -<li>1000—The Man Who Vanished</li> -<li>1001—A Battle for the Right</li> -<li>1002—A Game of Craft</li> -<li>1003—Nick Carter’s Retainer</li> -<li>1004—Caught in the Toils</li> -<li>1005—A Broken Bond</li> -<li>1006—The Crime of the French Café</li> -<li>1007—The Man Who Stole Millions</li> -<li>1008—The Twelve Wise Men</li> -<li>1009—Hidden Foes</li> -<li>1010—A Gamblers’ Syndicate</li> -<li>1011—A Chance Discovery</li> -<li>1012—Among the Counterfeiters</li> -<li>1013—A Threefold Disappearance</li> -<li>1014—At Odds with Scotland Yard</li> -<li>1015—A Princess of Crime</li> -<li>1016—Found on the Beach</li> -<li>1017—A Spinner of Death</li> -<li>1018—The Detective’s Pretty Neighbor</li> -<li>1019—A Bogus Clew</li> -<li>1020—The Puzzle of Five Pistols</li> -<li>1021—The Secret of the Marble Mantel</li> -<li>1022—A Bite of an Apple</li> -<li>1023—A Triple Crime</li> -<li>1024—The Stolen Race Horse</li> -<li>1025—Wildfire</li> -<li>1026—A <i>Herald</i> Personal</li> -<li>1027—The Finger of Suspicion</li> -<li>1028—The Crimson Clew</li> -<li>1029—Nick Carter Down East</li> -<li>1030—The Chain of Clews</li> -<li>1031—A Victim of Circumstances</li> -<li>1032—Brought to Bay</li> -<li>1033—The Dynamite Trap</li> -<li>1034—A Scrap of Black Lace</li> -<li>1035—The Woman of Evil</li> -<li>1036—A Legacy of Hate</li> -<li>1037—A Trusted Rogue</li> -<li>1038—Man Against Man</li> -<li>1039—The Demons of the Night</li> -<li>1040—The Brotherhood of Death</li> -<li>1041—At the Knife’s Point</li> -<li>1042—A Cry for Help</li> -<li>1043—A Stroke of Policy</li> -<li>1044—Hounded to Death</li> -<li>1045—A Bargain in Crime</li> -<li>1046—The Fatal Prescription</li> -<li>1047—The Man of Iron</li> -<li>1048—An Amazing Scoundrel</li> -<li>1049—The Chain of Evidence</li> -<li>1050—Paid with Death</li> -<li>1051—A Fight for a Throne</li> -<li>1052—The Woman of Steel</li> -<li>1053—The Seal of Death</li> -<li>1054—The Human Fiend</li> -<li>1055—A Desperate Chance</li> -<li>1056—A Chase in the Dark</li> -<li>1057—The Snare and the Game</li> -<li>1058—The Murray Hill Mystery</li> -<li>1059—Nick Carter’s Close Call</li> -<li>1060—The Missing Cotton King</li> -<li>1061—A Game of Plots</li> -<li>1062—The Prince of Liars</li> -<li>1063—The Man at the Window</li> -<li>1064—The Red League</li> -<li>1065—The Price of a Secret</li> -<li>1066—The Worst Case on Record</li> -<li>1067—From Peril to Peril</li> -<li>1068—The Seal of Silence</li> -<li>1069—Nick Carter’s Chinese Puzzle</li> -<li>1070—A Blackmailer’s Bluff</li> -<li>1071—Heard in the Dark</li> -<li>1072—A Checkmated Scoundrel</li> -<li>1073—The Cashier’s Secret</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">viii</a></span> -1074—Behind a Mask</li> -<li>1075—The Cloak of Guilt</li> -<li>1076—Two Villains in One</li> -<li>1077—The Hot Air Clew</li> -<li>1078—Run to Earth</li> -<li>1079—The Certified Check</li> -<li>1080—Weaving the Web</li> -<li>1081—Beyond Pursuit</li> -<li>1082—The Claws of the Tiger</li> -<li>1083—Driven from Cover</li> -<li>1084—A Deal in Diamonds</li> -<li>1085—The Wizard of the Cue</li> -<li>1086—A Race for Ten Thousand</li> -<li>1087—The Criminal Link</li> -<li>1088—The Red Signal</li> -<li>1089—The Secret Panel</li> -<li>1090—A Bonded Villain</li> -<li>1091—A Move in the Dark</li> -<li>1092—Against Desperate Odds</li> -<li>1093—The Telltale Photographs</li> -<li>1094—The Ruby Pin</li> -<li>1095—The Queen of Diamonds</li> -<li>1096—A Broken Trail</li> -<li>1097—An Ingenious Stratagem</li> -<li>1098—A Sharper’s Downfall</li> -<li>1099—A Race Track Gamble</li> -<li>1100—Without a Clew</li> -<li>1101—The Council of Death</li> -<li>1102—The Hole in the Vault</li> -<li>1103—In Death’s Grip</li> -<li>1104—A Great Conspiracy</li> -<li>1105—The Guilty Governor</li> -<li>1106—A Ring of Rascals</li> -<li>1107—A Masterpiece of Crime</li> -<li>1108—A Blow for Vengeance</li> -<li>1109—Tangled Threads</li> -<li>1110—The Crime of the Camera</li> -<li>1111—The Sign of the Dagger</li> -<li>1112—Nick Carter’s Promise</li> -<li>1113—Marked for Death</li> -<li>1114—The Limited Holdup</li> -<li>1115—When the Trap Was Sprung</li> -<li>1116—Through the Cellar Wall</li> -<li>1117—Under the Tiger’s Claws</li> -<li>1118—The Girl in the Case</li> -<li>1119—Behind a Throne</li> -<li>1120—The Lure of Gold</li> -<li>1121—Hand to Hand</li> -<li>1122—From a Prison Cell</li> -<li>1123—Dr. Quartz, Magician</li> -<li>1124—Into Nick Carter’s Web</li> -<li>1125—The Mystic Diagram</li> -<li>1126—The Hand that Won</li> -<li>1127—Playing a Lone Hand</li> -<li>1128—The Master Villain</li> -<li>1129—The False Claimant</li> -<li>1130—The Living Mask</li> -<li>1131—The Crime and the Motive</li> -<li>1132—A Mysterious Foe</li> -<li>1133—A Missing Man</li> -<li>1134—A Game Well Played</li> -<li>1135—A Cigarette Clew</li> -<li>1136—The Diamond Trail</li> -<li>1137—The Silent Guardian</li> -<li>1138—The Dead Stranger</li> -<li>1140—The Doctor’s Stratagem</li> -<li>1141—Following a Chance Clew</li> -<li>1142—The Bank Draft Puzzle</li> -<li>1143—The Price of Treachery</li> -<li>1144—The Silent Partner</li> -<li>1145—Ahead of the Game</li> -<li>1146—A Trap of Tangled Wire</li> -<li>1147—In the Gloom of Night</li> -<li>1148—The Unaccountable Crook</li> -<li>1149—A Bundle of Clews</li> -<li>1150—The Great Diamond Syndicate</li> -<li>1151—The Death Circle</li> -<li>1152—The Toss of a Penny</li> -<li>1153—One Step Too Far</li> -<li>1154—The Terrible Thirteen</li> -<li>1155—A Detective’s Theory</li> -<li>1156—Nick Carter’s Auto Trail</li> -<li>1157—A Triple Identity</li> -<li>1158—A Mysterious Graft</li> -<li>1159—A Carnival of Crime</li> -<li>1160—The Bloodstone Terror</li> -<li>1161—Trapped in His Own Net</li> -<li>1162—The Last Move in the Game</li> -<li>1163—A Victim of Deceit</li> -<li>1164—With Links of Steel</li> -<li>1165—A Plaything of Fate</li> -<li>1166—The Key Ring Clew</li> -<li>1167—Playing for a Fortune</li> -<li>1168—At Mystery’s Threshold</li> -<li>1169—Trapped by a Woman</li> -<li>1170—The Four Fingered Glove</li> -<li>1171—Nabob and Knave</li> -<li>1172—The Broadway Cross</li> -<li>1173—The Man Without a Conscience</li> -<li>1174—A Master of Deviltry</li> -<li>1175—Nick Carter’s Double Catch</li> -<li>1176—Doctor Quartz’s Quick Move</li> -<li>1177—The Vial of Death</li> -<li>1178—Nick Carter’s Star Pupils</li> -<li>1179—Nick Carter’s Girl Detective</li> -<li>1180—A Baffled Oath</li> -<li>1181—A Royal Thief</li> -<li>1182—Down and Out</li> -<li>1183—A Syndicate of Rascals</li> -<li>1184—Played to a Finish</li> -<li>1185—A Tangled Case</li> -<li>1186—In Letters of Fire</li> -<li>1187—Crossed Wires</li> -<li>1188—A Plot Uncovered</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">ix</a></span> -1189—The Cab Driver’s Secret</li> -<li>1190—Nick Carter’s Death Warrant</li> -<li>1191—The Plot that Failed</li> -<li>1192—Nick Carter’s Masterpiece</li> -<li>1193—A Prince of Rogues</li> -<li>1194—In the Lap of Danger</li> -<li>1195—The Man from London</li> -<li>1196—Circumstantial Evidence</li> -<li>1197—The Pretty Stenographer Mystery</li> -<li>1198—A Villainous Scheme</li> -<li>1199—A Plot Within a Plot</li> -<li>1200—The Elevated Railroad Mystery</li> -<li>1201—The Blow of a Hammer</li> -<li>1202—The Twin Mystery</li> -<li>1203—The Bottle with the Black Label</li> -<li>1204—Under False Colors</li> -<li>1205—A Ring of Dust</li> -<li>1206—The Crown Diamond</li> -<li>1207—The Blood-red Badge</li> -<li>1208—The Barrel Mystery</li> -<li>1209—The Photographer’s Evidence</li> -<li>1210—Millions at Stake</li> -<li>1211—The Man and His Price</li> -<li>1212—A Double-Handed Game</li> -<li>1213—A Strike for Freedom</li> -<li>1214—A Disciple of Satan</li> -<li>1215—The Marked Hand</li> -<li>1216—A Fight with a Fiend</li> -<li>1217—When the Wicked Prosper</li> -<li>1218—A Plunge into Crime</li> -<li>1219—An Artful Schemer</li> -<li>1220—Reaping the Whirlwind</li> -<li>1221—Out of Crime’s Depths</li> -<li>1222—A Woman at Bay</li> -<li>1223—The Temple of Vice</li> -<li>1224—Death at the Feast</li> -<li>1225—A Double Plot</li> -<li>1226—In Search of Himself</li> -<li>1227—A Hunter of Men</li> -<li>1228—The Boulevard Mutes</li> -<li>1229—Captain Sparkle, Pirate</li> -<li>1230—Nick Carter’s Fall</li> -<li>1231—Out of Death’s Shadow</li> -<li>1232—A Voice from the Past</li> -<li>1233—Accident or Murder?</li> -<li>1234—The Man Who Was Cursed</li> -<li>1235—Baffled, But Not Beaten</li> -<li>1236—A Case Without a Clew</li> -<li>1237—The Demon’s Eye</li> -<li>1238—A Blindfold Mystery</li> -<li>1239—Nick Carter’s Swim to Victory</li> -<li>1240—A Man to Be Feared</li> -<li>1241—Saved by a Ruse</li> -<li>1242—Nick Carter’s Wildest Chase</li> -<li>1243—A Nation’s Peril</li> -<li>1244—The Rajah’s Ruby</li> -<li>1245—The Trail of a Human Tiger</li> -<li>1246—The Disappearing Princess</li> -<li>1247—The Lost Chittendens</li> -<li>1248—The Crystal Mystery</li> -<li>1249—The King’s Prisoner</li> -<li>1250—Talika, the Geisha Girl</li> -<li>1251—The Doom of the Reds</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - -<p>In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that -the books listed below will be issued during the respective months in -New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a -distance promptly, on account of delays in transportation.</p> - -<p class="center">To be published in January, 1929.</p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>1252—The Lady of Shadows</li> -<li>1253—The Mysterious Castle</li> -<li>1254—The Senator’s Plot</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - -<p class="center">To be published in February, 1929.</p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>1255—A Submarine Trail</li> -<li>1256—A War of Brains</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - -<p class="center">To be published in March, 1929.</p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>1257—Pauline—A Mystery</li> -<li>1258—The Confidence King</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - -<p class="center">To be published in April, 1929.</p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>1259—A Chase for Millions</li> -<li>1260—Shown on the Screen</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - -<p class="center">To be published in May, 1929.</p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>1261—The Streaked Peril</li> -<li>1262—The Room of Mirrors</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - -<p class="center">To be published in June, 1929.</p> - -<div class="list-container"> -<div class="booklists"> -<div class="booklist"> -<ul class="booklist"> -<li>1263—A Plot for an Empire</li> -<li>1264—A Call on the Phone</li> -</ul> -</div></div></div> - - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">x</a></span> -</div> -<div class="box"> -<p class="center p180">READ</p> - -<p>When you want real recreation in your leisure -hours, read! Read the <span class="smcap">Street & Smith -Novels</span>!</p> - -<p>They are the cheapest and most interesting -reading matter published in America to-day. -No jazz—no sex—just big, clean, interesting -books. There are hundreds of different titles, -among which you will find a lot of exactly the -sort of reading you want.</p> - -<p>So, when you get tired of rolling around in -your Lady Lizzie or listening to the blah-blah -of your radio, hie yourself to the nearest news -dealer, grab off a copy of a good detective, -adventure or love story, and then READ!</p> - -<p>Read the <span class="smcap">Street & Smith Novels</span>. Catalogue -sent upon request.</p> - - -<p class="center">Street & Smith Corporation<br /> -79 Seventh <span class="wordspacing">Avenue New</span> York City</p> - -<p class="center">Printed in the U. S. A.</p> -</div> - - -<div class="section"> -<hr class="divider" /> -<div class="tn background"> -<p class="noi">Transcriber’s Note:</p> - -<p class="noi">The <a href="#contents">Contents</a> has been provided -by the transcriber.</p> - -<p class="noi">Punctuation has been standardised. Spelling has been -retained as published in the original publication -except as follows:</p> - -<ul class="tn"> -<li>Page 9<br /> -neither of us got a soo <i>changed to</i><br /> -neither of us got a <a href="#sou1">sou</a></li> - -<li>Page 14<br /> -As the drew out the little square <i>changed to</i><br /> -As <a href="#she">she</a> drew out the little square</li> - -<li>Page 24<br /> -you can bet your last soo <i>changed to</i><br /> -you can bet your last <a href="#sou2">sou</a></li> - -<li>Page 43<br /> -I’ll go you, Chip <i>changed to</i><br /> -I’ll go <a href="#with">with</a> you, Chip</li> - -<li>Page 54<br /> -they didn’t pay any atention <i>changed to</i><br /> -they didn’t pay any <a href="#attention">attention</a></li> - -<li>Page 65<br /> -Then and there the Farnum Hall lads began <i>changed to</i><br /> -Then and there the <a href="#Farnham">Farnham</a> Hall lads began</li> - -<li>Page 71<br /> -the frail craft and disapeared beneath <i>changed to</i><br /> -the frail craft and <a href="#disappeared">disappeared</a> beneath</li> - -<li>Page 78<br /> -with some diffiiculty, climbed <i>changed to</i><br /> -with some <a href="#difficulty">difficulty</a>, climbed</li> - -<li>Page 78<br /> -hasn’t a soo in his jeens <i>changed to</i><br /> -hasn’t a <a href="#sou3">sou</a> in his <a href="#jeans">jeans</a></li> - -<li>Page 80<br /> -had up their sleves for you <i>changed to</i><br /> -had up their <a href="#sleeves">sleeves</a> for you</li> - -<li>Page 85<br /> -it was his awkardness that caused <i>changed to</i><br /> -it was his <a href="#awkwardness">awkwardness</a> that caused</li> - -<li>Page 101<br /> -I’v got a hunch that <i>changed to</i><br /> -<a href="#ive">I’ve</a> got a hunch that</li> - -<li>Page 112<br /> -my private oponion that <i>changed to</i><br /> -my private <a href="#opinion">opinion</a> that</li> - -<li>Page 119<br /> -From the zinc boz the solution drops <i>changed to</i><br /> -From the zinc <a href="#box">box</a> the solution drops</li> - -<li>Pages 131 and 138<br /> -The first pages of <a href="#move">Chapters XX</a> and -<a href="#move2">XXI</a>, transposed in the -original publication, have been ordered correctly in this -ebook</li> - -<li>Page 133<br /> -Supose we rummage around <i>changed to</i><br /> -<a href="#Suppose">Suppose</a> we rummage around</li> - -<li>Page 140<br /> -Between you and me, Ping, I believe <i>changed to</i><br /> -Between you and me, <a href="#Pink">Pink</a>, I believe</li> - -<li>Page 146<br /> -who was the the other fellow <i>changed to</i><br /> -who was <a href="#duplicate">the</a> other fellow</li> - -<li>Page 165<br /> -Mirable dictu! <i>changed to</i><br /> -<a href="#Mirabile">Mirabile</a> dictu!</li> - -<li>Page 187<br /> -Shaw was down with tonsilitis <i>changed to</i><br /> -Shaw was down with <a href="#tonsillitis">tonsillitis</a></li> - -<li>Page 192<br /> -sound a whole lot worst <i>changed to</i><br /> -sound a whole lot <a href="#worse">worse</a></li> - -<li>Page 209<br /> -finish coronat opus <i>changed to</i><br /> -<a href="#finis">finis</a> coronat opus</li> - -<li>Page 218<br /> -“Tough luck, Joe,” commisserated Clancy <i>changed to</i><br /> -“Tough luck, Joe,” <a href="#commiserated">commiserated</a> Clancy</li> - -<li>Page 238<br /> -makee tlouble for’ you <i>changed to</i><br /> -makee tlouble <a href="#fo">fo’</a> you</li> - -<li>Page 243<br /> -not been very succesful <i>changed to</i><br /> -not been very <a href="#successful">successful</a></li> - -<li>Page 260<br /> -by jim’ Klismas <i>changed to</i><br /> -by jim’ <a href="#Klismus">Klismus</a></li> - -<li>Page 271<br /> -a whale of a mystey <i>changed to</i><br /> -a whale of a <a href="#mystery">mystery</a></li> - -<li>Page 296<br /> -we didn’t come to Opir to camp <i>changed to</i><br /> -we didn’t come to <a href="#Ophir">Ophir</a> to camp</li> - -<li>Page 302<br /> -carried full to the ore platfom <i>changed to</i><br /> -carried full to the ore <a href="#platform">platform</a></li> -</ul> -</div> -</div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Frank Merriwell, Jr., in Arizona, by -Burt L. 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