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diff --git a/old/61853-0.txt b/old/61853-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 03fcc23..0000000 --- a/old/61853-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10389 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Frank Merriwell's False Friend, by Burt L. Standish - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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/license - - -Title: Frank Merriwell's False Friend - An Investment in Human Nature - -Author: Burt L. Standish - -Release Date: April 17, 2020 [EBook #61853] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRANK MERRIWELL'S FALSE FRIEND *** - - - - -Produced by KD Weeks, David Edwards and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note: - -This version of the text cannot represent certain typographical effects. -Italics are delimited with the ‘_’ character as _italic_. - -Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please -see the transcriber’s note at the end of this text for details regarding -the handling of any textual issues encountered during its preparation. - - BOOKS FOR YOUNG MEN - - =MERRIWELL SERIES= - - Stories of Frank and Dick Merriwell - - =PRICE, FIFTEEN CENTS= - - _=Fascinating Stories of Athletics=_ - -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. - -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. - -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. - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - 1—Frank Merriwell’s School Days By Burt L. Standish - 2—Frank Merriwell’s Chums By Burt L. Standish - 3—Frank Merriwell’s Foes By Burt L. Standish - 4—Frank Merriwell’s Trip West By Burt L. Standish - 5—Frank Merriwell Down South By Burt L. Standish - 6—Frank Merriwell’s Bravery By Burt L. Standish - 7—Frank Merriwell’s Hunting Tour By Burt L. Standish - 8—Frank Merriwell in Europe By Burt L. Standish - 9—Frank Merriwell at Yale By Burt L. Standish - 10—Frank Merriwell’s Sports Afield By Burt L. Standish - 11—Frank Merriwell’s Races By Burt L. Standish - 12—Frank Merriwell’s Party By Burt L. Standish - 13—Frank Merriwell’s Bicycle Tour By Burt L. Standish - 14—Frank Merriwell’s Courage By Burt L. Standish - 15—Frank Merriwell’s Daring By Burt L. Standish - 16—Frank Merriwell’s Alarm By Burt L. Standish - 17—Frank Merriwell’s Athletes By Burt L. Standish - 18—Frank Merriwell’s Skill By Burt L. Standish - 19—Frank Merriwell’s Champions By Burt L. Standish - 20—Frank Merriwell’s Return to Yale By Burt L. Standish - 21—Frank Merriwell’s Secret By Burt L. Standish - 22—Frank Merriwell’s Danger By Burt L. Standish - 23—Frank Merriwell’s Loyalty By Burt L. Standish - 24—Frank Merriwell in Camp By Burt L. Standish - 25—Frank Merriwell’s Vacation By Burt L. Standish - 26—Frank Merriwell’s Cruise By Burt L. Standish - 27—Frank Merriwell’s Chase By Burt L. Standish - 28—Frank Merriwell in Maine By Burt L. Standish - 29—Frank Merriwell’s Struggle By Burt L. Standish - 30—Frank Merriwell’s First Job By Burt L. Standish - 31—Frank Merriwell’s Opportunity By Burt L. Standish - 32—Frank Merriwell’s Hard Luck By Burt L. Standish - 33—Frank Merriwell’s Protégé By Burt L. Standish - 34—Frank Merriwell on the Road By Burt L. Standish - 35—Frank Merriwell’s Own Company By Burt L. Standish - 36—Frank Merriwell’s Fame By Burt L. Standish - 37—Frank Merriwell’s College Chums By Burt L. Standish - 38—Frank Merriwell’s Problem By Burt L. Standish - 39—Frank Merriwell’s Fortune By Burt L. Standish - 40—Frank Merriwell’s New Comedian By Burt L. Standish - 41—Frank Merriwell’s Prosperity By Burt L. Standish - 42—Frank Merriwell’s Stage Hit By Burt L. Standish - 43—Frank Merriwell’s Great Scheme By Burt L. Standish - 44—Frank Merriwell in England By Burt L. Standish - 45—Frank Merriwell on the Boulevards By Burt L. Standish - 46—Frank Merriwell’s Duel By Burt L. Standish - 47—Frank Merriwell’s Double Shot By Burt L. Standish - 48—Frank Merriwell’s Baseball Victories By Burt L. Standish - 49—Frank Merriwell’s Confidence By Burt L. Standish - 50—Frank Merriwell’s Auto By Burt L. Standish - 51—Frank Merriwell’s Fun By Burt L. Standish - 52—Frank Merriwell’s Generosity By Burt L. Standish - 53—Frank Merriwell’s Tricks By Burt L. Standish - 54—Frank Merriwell’s Temptation By Burt L. Standish - 55—Frank Merriwell on Top By Burt L. Standish - 56—Frank Merriwell’s Luck By Burt L. Standish - 57—Frank Merriwell’s Mascot By Burt L. Standish - 58—Frank Merriwell’s Reward By Burt L. Standish - 59—Frank Merriwell’s Phantom By Burt L. Standish - 60—Frank Merriwell’s Faith By Burt L. Standish - 61—Frank Merriwell’s Victories By Burt L. Standish - 62—Frank Merriwell’s Iron Nerve By Burt L. Standish - 63—Frank Merriwell in Kentucky By Burt L. Standish - 64—Frank Merriwell’s Power By Burt L. Standish - 65—Frank Merriwell’s Shrewdness By Burt L. Standish - -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. - - To Be Published in July, 1923. - - 66—Frank Merriwell’s Set Back By Burt L. Standish - 67—Frank Merriwell’s Search By Burt L. Standish - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Frank Merriwell’s False Friend - - OR, - - An Investment in Human Nature - - BY - BURT L. STANDISH - - Author of the famous MERRIWELL STORIES. - -[Illustration] - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION - PUBLISHERS - 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York - - Copyright, 1901 - By STREET & SMITH - - ------- - - Frank Merriwell’s False Friend - - (Printed in the United States of America) - - All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign - languages, including the Scandinavian. - - FRANK MERRIWELL’S FALSE - FRIEND. - - --- - - CHAPTER I. - ANXIETY AT YALE. - - -Yale was in perplexity and distress. - -Where was Merriwell? - -That question created all the trouble. He had obtained permission to -leave a few days on important business, but the “few days” had -lengthened into many and still he remained away. - -He was needed at Yale, for he had been chosen captain of the -baseball-team, and the men were in training for the Easter trip to the -South. His absence and the uncertainty of his return seemed to have a -most baleful influence upon them, for they failed to turn out with -enthusiasm for work in the cage, and they plainly lacked the needed -spirit that year after year has led Yale gladiators to stand ready to -sacrifice anything and everything, but honor, for the glory of Old Eli. - -The coaches were in despair, for never before had they handled such -indifferent material. It seemed impossible to find the usual number of -new men who took an interest in baseball, and were willing to work with -vim and enthusiasm. - -The outlook was discouraging. Experienced men shook their heads and -looked blue. Was this a relapse after their great victory over Harvard -on the gridiron the previous fall? - -Among all the new men in the squad only one showed up enough to create -general comment, and that one was the black-haired freshman, Dade -Morgan. - -Having resolved to try for a place on the nine, it was not remarkable -that Morgan should attract attention, for at everything he had attempted -since entering college he had made himself a marked man. He was a fellow -who went at any task with a determination and intensity that would have -advanced a poorer subject. Being an athlete, supple, strong, quick, -sure-eyed, and confident, it was not singular that he made rapid -advancement. It would have been far more singular if he had not. - -Morgan had played baseball before coming to college. In fact, he had -once captained a very clever amateur team at a summer resort. He was one -of those surprisingly versatile fellows who could fill any position. It -is a well-known fact that much of the success of a ball-team depends on -putting the players into the positions for which they are best adapted, -and that it is not often a good first-baseman does equally well on -second or third, while a remarkable outfielder may be utterly worthless -in the diamond, or vice versa. But Dade could handle grounders, catch -flies, cover a base, play behind the bat, even pitch with a certain -amount of skill that did not seem lessened in any position. - -But it was his ambition to pitch, and for that he began to train as soon -as the squad got to work. - -There were a number of new candidates for the position, but the coaches -confessed to themselves that Morgan was the only highly promising man in -the lot. - -Frank Merriwell, however, had been depended on as the mainstay in the -pitching department of the team. - -Of course, Bart Hodge would fill his old position behind the bat, and -there were one or two promising men who might serve as substitutes in -case any accident happened to him. - -But Bart did not go about the work with his usual spirit. In fact, it -was hard to get him genuinely interested, and, somehow, he seemed sad -and restless, appearing at times to be brooding over something. To the -surprise of everybody he did not say much about Merry’s absence, save -that he had not heard from Frank and did not know why he was remaining -away so long. - -The anxiety and restlessness caused by Frank’s unaccountable failure to -return spread to the professors, who began to inquire about him day -after day. - -Merriwell’s enemies had been keeping pretty quiet, for they realized -that it would not be best to say too much at first, as he was the pride -of the college, and slurs against him would not be tolerated. - -Honest men who had once been his enemies were silent now, or his -pronounced friends. In fact, it seemed that no open enemies were to be -found. - -But the petty spite and meanness of the Chickering set was simply held -in restraint. Although they were not particularly brilliant, they knew -enough to realize that it would not be healthy to express themselves too -freely in public. - -As time went on and it began to seem that Merriwell might not return to -college, these creatures grew bolder. At first they dared not speak -outright, but they hinted and slurred and sneered. Without saying why at -first, they suggested that there had been “a very good reason” for -Merriwell’s sudden departure, and that it was not at all likely he would -ever again be seen at Yale. - -Thus it came about that one sunny afternoon these fellows were gathered -at the fence along with other students, who were discussing the baseball -situation. - -“I tell you what,” said Lib Benson, “I’m afraid we’re going to get it in -the neck all round this spring. It’s a dead sure thing that the men are -not taking hold with the usual spirit, and I have it straight that the -coaches are disgusted with the material for a nine.” - -“Oh, that’s always the way,” declared Irving Nash. “It’s the same old -cry that’s heard every year.” - -“Not a bit of it,” put in Gene Skelding, who had blossomed out with a -handsome new pink shirt, of which he was very proud. “Yale seldom has -much to say, though the newspapers may be full of rot about the nine, or -the crew, or something or other. This year it is different. We’ve tried -to keep the truth from getting into the papers, but it’s out just the -same.” - -“What maketh me thick,” lisped Lew Veazie, “ith thith thilly talk about -all the twoble coming fwom the abthence of that fellow Fwank Merriwell. -It ith vewy tirethome!” - -“That’s so, chummie,” agreed Ollie Lord, standing as high as possible on -the high heels of his polished shoes. “As if he could make any -difference if he were here!” - -“He’s usually made a difference in the past,” said Nash instantly. “He -has a way of stirring things up.” - -“That’s right,” agreed Lib Benson. “I wonder where he can be and what is -keeping him away. He’ll fail in his exams sure as fate if he stays away -much longer. Even now I’m afraid he’ll have to grind so hard that he -won’t have much time for baseball, or anything else.” - -“Talking about Merriwell?” grunted Browning, loafing up and leaning -lazily against the fence. “Don’t worry about his failing. You never knew -him to fail in anything.” - -“Not even in waking you up and getting you onto the eleven last fall,” -laughed Hock Mason. “Why aren’t you in the baseball squad, Browning? You -played with Merriwell’s ball-team last summer.” - -“And got enough of it, too. It’s altogether too much like work, Old -South Carolina; that’s why I’m not sweating in the cage every day.” - -“If Merriwell were to show up now, he’d be pretty sure to drag you out -in a hurry.” - -“Never! There are plenty of others. I refuse to be sacrificed again for -the public good.” - -“What is this rumor I’ve been hearing lately?” broke in Julian Ives, -thrusting his cap back and patting down his pet bang. “It can’t be true -that Merriwell got out because he knew he must fail at exams this -spring. He has wasted his time, it is said, in athletics and such folly, -till now he is face to face with failure in his studies, and he can’t -stand that. Rather than to be set back a year he has taken himself out -of the way, and he’ll not be seen here again.” - -“And I brand that as a malicious lie!” rang out a clear voice. - -It was Bart Hodge, who had approached in time to hear Ives’ words. There -was a black look of anger on Bart’s face, and his flashing eyes glared -with scorn and contempt at Julian. - -“There is a very good reason for Merriwell’s absence,” declared Hodge. -“Starbright saw him in New York and said he would surely be here in a -day or two.” - -“But Starbright did not tell what was keeping him away, you know,” -gently said Rupert Chickering. “I have nothing against Merriwell, and I -sincerely hope the rumors about him are not true, but I have begun to -entertain fears.” - -“Bah!” exclaimed Hodge, giving Rupert a look of intense scorn. “Why do -you still play the hypocrite, Chickering? Everybody knows you. Everybody -knows you hate Merriwell and would do anything in your power to injure -him.” - -Chickering held up his hands, his face expressing denial, resentment, -and martyrlike anguish. - -“You are very unjust!” he exclaimed. “But as you are a fellow of violent -passions, I will forgive you and try to forget your unjust judgment of -me. Still, I advise you to remember the Biblical injunction, ‘Judge not -that ye be not judged.’” - -“Oh, you make me sick!” was Hodge’s rather unoriginal retort. “You are -the most sickening thing of your whole sickening crowd. You disguise -your hatred under pretense of generosity, even of friendliness—that is, -you try to disguise it. But every one is onto you, and it is well known -that you are trying to stab a man in the back when you say a pretendedly -kind thing about him. That brands you as a snake in the grass, -Chickering! This is plain talk, but I’ve been waiting for just this -opportunity to make it, and if you or any of your friends wish to pick -it up now or any other time, you all know where to find me.” - -Rupert heaved a deep sigh. - -“It is hard to be thus misjudged,” he said sadly; “but still I must -forgive you. I don’t suppose I can blame you, for you must be worried -into a dreadful state of mind over Merriwell’s failure.” - -“Merriwell never made a failure in his life, and he will not begin.” - -“Plainly,” said Chickering, with resignation, “it is useless for me to -tell what I have heard and know. I would not tell it, anyhow, but it -must come out in time. I am sorry for you, Hodge, as I know you think a -great deal of Merriwell; but even you would not like to see him flunk in -his last year.” - -“More of your dirty insinuations, put in your own nasty way!” flashed -Bart. - -Ives and Skelding had their heads together and were glaring at Bart, -while they mumbled to each other in low tones. Now Gene took a step -forward and grasped Chickering’s arm, hoarsely exclaiming: - -“Don’t talk to the fellow, Rupert! He knows you or your friends do not -care to fight him here, and that’s why he is making all this blow. He’s -doing it for a bluff and to obtain notoriety.” - -The fire that came into Bart’s eyes made even Skelding start back a bit. -But Hodge held himself in check enough so that his voice did not get -higher than an ordinary tone. However, it seemed so intense that every -hearer was thrilled, and not a word was missed by those on the outskirts -of the gathering. - -“You, Skelding, are not a hypocrite, but you are a malicious liar, and -you know it! I have said that I’ll fight anywhere, and that stands good -for you. I never make bluffs that I cannot back up. You do. But now and -here I give you fair warning to keep your mouth shut about Merriwell. If -you make any further talk about him, I promise to meet you where we -cannot be interrupted and give you the worst thrashing you ever had in -your life!” - -Gene laughed and snapped his fingers. - -“If I have anything I wish to say you may be sure I shall say it, for -all of your threat,” he declared; “but I do not consider the fellow -worth discussing.” - -“It’s a good thing for you that you do not!” - -Skelding and Ives took to mumbling to each other again, and Jim Hooker -asked Bart: - -“Then you are dead certain Merriwell is coming back? Nothing has -happened to cause him to fail to return?” - -“I know he’ll be here,” was the declaration, “else he would have -communicated with his friends. Something has happened to keep him away -longer than he intended to stay, but he’ll show up before long, and I’ll -bet my life on it.” - -“There he is!” shrieked a voice. “Look, fellows—he’s coming now! -Hooray!” - - - - - CHAPTER II. - ON THE CAMPUS. - - -The excitement of the moment was intense, for Merriwell was crossing the -campus toward the fence, coming from Vanderbilt Hall. - -Alone and unheralded, he had arrived. It had been his fortune to reach -his room without attracting attention, and now he had come forth to look -for his friends and acquaintances. - -When he was seen there was commotion at the fence. The gathering gave a -sudden surge, a shout, a dissolving, and then the men went tearing -toward him, shouting. - -And Bruce Browning—big, lazy, useless Bruce—was at their head! - -“Hooray!” he roared. - -Then he caught Frank in his arms and gave him a regular bear-hug, while -the crowd gathered and pressed around. - -“Oh, Betsey!” shouted the giant senior, as he held Frank off and looked -at him; “but you may bet your sweet life we are glad to see you, old -man!” - -They grasped his hands and shook them, coming forward one after another, -even if they had to fight to reach him. They laughed and shouted and -rejoiced. - -“He’s here!” they told each other, gleefully, and when they could not -shake hands with Frank they shook hands with each other. “Now we’re all -right!” they declared. “Just see if he does not stir things up!” - -From somewhere Jack Ready bobbed up and wormed his way into the crowd -till he reached Frank, loudly commanding all to stand back and make room -for him. - -“I salute you!” he cried, making some grotesque movements with his -hands. “Oh, great and mighty potentate, we have missed you, yes, we’ve -missed you! In sooth, we have been getting into a very bad way without -you. Give us a wag of your fin, salubrious one. Ah-ha! ‘Richard is -himself again!’” - -Then he smote himself violently on the chest with his clenched fist and -immediately fell to coughing. - -“The same old Jack!” laughed Merry. - -“Yes, the same old jackass,” said somebody on the outskirts of the -crowd. - -Ready straightened up stiffly and glared around. - -“Who made yonder insolent remark?” he fiercely demanded. “Bring him away -from me, else I may be tempted to do him a severe kindness! It is more -than mortal flesh can bear!” - -“Somebody is onto you, Jack,” smiled Frank. - -“Isn’t it sad?” sighed the queer fellow, pretending to wipe away a tear. -“Just when I attempt to assume a little dignity some blame chump has to -spoil everything. ’Tis envy, kind sir. They envy me my radiant beauty -and my graceful demeanor. Base churls! Common clods! I scorn them all!” - -He flung out one hand with a gesture of lofty pride and scorn, his chin -high in the air and his eyes closed for a moment. - -“That will do,” said Browning. “You’re nothing but the low comedian. Get -off the center of the stage.” - -“Refuse me!” murmured Jack, as the big fellow pushed him aside. - -And now Starbright appeared. At first he was inclined to hold back, -being only a freshman, but Frank caught sight of him and stepped toward -him. - -Dick’s face was flushed with pride and pleasure when, before them all, -the great senior, the greatest man in his eyes that had ever attended -Yale, grasped his hand and shook it warmly, saying: - -“I’m glad to see you, Dick, and I hope you are getting into form for the -nine.” - -Frank longed to say more, but that was no time nor place for it. He -realized that Starbright had opened his eyes to the fact that Inza -Burrage really and truly loved him as she had in the old days, if not -more intensely, and, regarding himself as an interloper, Dick had -withdrawn and left the field to Frank, with the result that Merry had -proposed and was accepted. - -No time had been set for the marriage, but over the gate of the old home -in Fardale they had plighted their troth, and it seemed certain that the -happy day must come at last. - -Looking into Frank’s eyes, Dick fancied he read the truth there. Despite -himself, despite his nobleness in withdrawing, he felt a pang of pain. - -Inza was lost to him! - -“That’s it, Merriwell!” cried Irving Nash. “You’re needed here to wake -the men up. They say the prospects for a winning ball-team this season -are decidedly dark.” - -Merry looked serious. - -“We’ll have to see how that is,” he said. - -Chickering’s set had not rushed to greet him, and now they were moving -away, seeking to escape without attracting attention. Rupert had -expressed a desire to go over and shake hands with Frank, but Skelding -had prevented it. - -“Don’t give that fellow Hodge another chance to call you down,” he -advised. “Besides that, you know Merriwell does not think much of you.” - -“It is not right that I should permit his feelings to make any -difference in my treatment of him,” murmured Rupert. “If he hates me I -am sorry for him, that’s all. He does not know what he is missing by not -having me for a friend.” - -“Let’s all keep away,” said Ives. “The entire college will go foolish -over Merriwell now, see if it doesn’t; I did hope the fellow would never -show his head here again.” - -“Tho did I,” chirped Veazie. “I think he’th a wegular wuffian! If I -could do tho jutht ath well ath not I’d never become tho beathtly stwong -ath he ith. I wegard thuth stwength as thimply bwutal.” - -“Brutal is the word, chummie,” agreed Ollie Lord. “There ought to be a -law to prevent any man from training till he is so much stronger than -other men. It isn’t fair to the other men.” - -“Don’t talk like asses!” growled Skelding. “You know that either one of -you would gladly be as strong as Merriwell if you could; but he’s not -the only athlete in the world—or in Yale, for that matter. It’s this -bowing down and worshiping him that gives me a pain! Why, I could be -just as strong and skilful as he is if I’d deny myself drinks and smokes -and good things to eat and keep working away every day to put myself in -form. But I like a little booze, I enjoy a cigarette, I like to stuff my -stomach full of good things, and I won’t pelt away with dumb-bells, -clubs, chest-weights, and such things every moment I get from my -studies. What’s life good for if a fellow has got to be a regular -slave!” - -“I with you wath ath thmart ath Merriwell,” lisped Lew. - -“Well, I thought I was once,” confessed Gene; “but I found it was no use -for me to try to buck against a fellow like him who kept at his very -best all the time. I’m not fool enough now to try to fight him with my -fists. If I found another good way to get in a lick at him I might try -it.” - -“That’s the only way to jar him,” said Tilton Hull, his high collar -holding his chin very high in the air. “Let’s go up to Rupert’s room and -talk it over.” - -“Yeth, yeth!” urged Veazie. “I feel the need of a thigawette and a dwink -of wine thince Gene had that wow with that low fellow Hodge. That -dithturbed my nerveth.” - -So they passed from the campus, and the sun seemed to shine more -brightly when they were gone. - -Bart Hodge had shaken hands with Frank during the rush and crush of the -students to reach Merriwell, but he did so silently and withdrew at -once. He had been ready enough to defend Merry from his defamers a short -time before, but he was not among those who made the greatest hurrah -over Frank’s return to college. - -After a while Merry looked round for Hodge and saw him standing quite by -himself on the outskirts of the throng. The expression on Bart’s face -was not one of happiness; indeed, he seemed sad and depressed. - -It is possible that an inkling of the thoughts passing through Bart’s -mind came to Merry then. - -The dark-eyed lad knew nothing of what had taken place while Frank was -away from college. He knew only that he cared for Elsie Bellwood with -all the intensity of his passionate nature and that she had repeatedly -told him she would never marry at all. - -Why had she made that assertion? Was it not because she still loved -Frank Merriwell? Bart believed so, and it was his conviction that in the -end Frank must win her, for had not he a way of winning anything he -greatly desired! - -Still, he would not give up. He had told Frank squarely and honestly -that he would never cease his efforts to obtain Elsie till he knew -beyond the shadow of a doubt that there was no hope for him. - -Then, what? Who could tell? For Bart had a peculiar disposition, and a -disappointment of this sort might wreak havoc with his sensitive -organization. - -Merriwell’s hand had lifted him from the path of temptation and ruin in -the past and set his feet upon the highway leading to splendid -achievements, but this disappointment might undo all the good that had -been done and turn him back along the downward course. - -Frank thought of this, and he was eager to let his friend know what had -happened, revealing to him that the road to Elsie’s heart was open and -undisputed. - -“Hodge!” - -Frank spoke Bart’s name and started toward him. Then one of his many -friends caught hold of him and asked him a question, which he paused to -answer. - -When he looked for Bart again he looked in vain, for Hodge had hastened -away. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - A SHOCK FOR BART. - - -Bart Hodge sat alone in his room. The curtains were drawn at the windows -and a lighted student’s lamp was on the table, over which books and -papers were scattered. In Bart’s hand he held the photograph of a -pretty, sweet-faced girl, at which he was gazing with earnest -intentness, the light in his dark eyes being one of unspeakable -admiration. - -It was the picture of Elsie Bellwood. Bart had been trying to study, but -his mind would revert to Elsie, try as he might to fix it on other -matters, till at last he gave up, brought out her picture and sat there -musing over it. - -His love for her had seemed to take possession of him full blown in a -moment, but cooler afterthought had revealed to him that he had always -admired her intensely since that wild night when he had aided Frank to -save her from the wreck on Tiger Tooth Ledge, near Fardale. - -He had first seen her that night as she was lashed to the mast of the -doomed vessel which had struck upon the terrible ledge. Led by -Merriwell, the cadets had succeeded in manning a boat and pulling off to -the vessel. On reaching the dripping deck Bart had seen Elsie held fast -to the mast by ropes, but in the gloom he was unable to discern if she -were young or old. Her voice, however, as she appealed to the lads for -aid when her father was assaulted by one of the sailors had sounded -musical and sweet. - -The music of that voice had stirred silent chords within Bart’s heart -many times since that wild night. But he was loyal to Merry, his best -friend, and it had seemed that Elsie and Frank cared for each other, so, -with Spartanlike heroism, he had resolutely compelled himself to think -not at all of her. - -Thus he had lived with the germ of love in his heart, refusing to permit -it to sprout and grow. For a long time he had fancied himself a -“woman-hater,” but it was all because other girls made him think of -Elsie—made him think of her as a thousand times more winsome, pretty, -and attractive. That he wished to forget, so he avoided girls in -general. - -But it is not natural for a strong, manly youth to shun womanly and -attractive girls, and Hodge began to succumb at last. He could not hold -himself aloof from them, try as he might. He was naturally attracted by -them and enjoyed their society far more than he would confess to -himself. - -And the time came when, like other young men, he fancied he cared for -one of them. The first was Stella Stanley, an actress several years -older than Hodge; but Stella had told him it was not true love and that -he would get over it. - -At first he had taken this rather hard, but he came at last to recognize -her wisdom and thank her for her plain speech. - -Then there was another, Grace Vernon, who fascinated him for a time. - -With Elsie it was different. Having once discovered how much he cared -for her, he was unable to brush aside the knowledge, which remained with -him constantly, no matter what he did or where he was. - -The knowledge that his love for her might be hopeless simply made it all -the more intense, for it was not Bart’s nature to relinquish anything on -which he had once fairly set his heart. - -But Merriwell stood as a barrier between them, and, worse than -everything else, Merriwell was his friend. - -No wonder Hodge spent sleepless nights! No wonder he spent wretched -days! No wonder he lost flesh and became more and more irritable till it -became dangerous to cross him in anything! - -Still, in his loyal heart he was true to Frank Merriwell, whom he well -knew had been his best friend and benefactor in a thousand ways when -almost any other fellow would have been a mortal foe. - -As of old, Hodge would have yielded up his life for Frank, but his love -for Elsie was something stronger and more intense than his love for -life, and he could not put that aside. As of old, he had been ready to -defend Frank against enemies and traducers; but the sight of Frank’s -happy face filled him with gloomy forebodings and intense misery. - -Why had Merry looked so happy? Why had he remained away from Yale so -long? - -Bart could not help being suspicious of that happiness. He could not -help wondering if it came through an understanding between Frank and -Elsie. And that had been brought about while Merry was away from -college! - -If this was true, Bart felt that Elsie was lost to him, and the ambition -had gone out of his life forever. Therefore he sat alone in his room and -gazed longingly, earnestly, and almost hopelessly, at her pictured face. -Her open eyes seemed to smile back at him reassuringly, but they did not -lift the gloom from his heart. Her lips—-- - -Impulsively, he lifted the picture and kissed it. - -The door opened quietly and some one stepped into the room. - -“Hello, Bart, old man!” cried a hearty, familiar voice. “What are you -doing there?” - -Hodge sprang up, his face flaming, and tried to hide the picture behind -him. - -Frank closed the door and advanced into the room. - -Hodge stood beside the table, trembling from head to feet. His eyes were -fastened on Merry and he was speechless. - -“I thought you’d come round to see me, Bart,” said Frank. “You did not, -so I came to see you, though I’m missing time that I ought to spend in -grinding. Oh, I’ll be a greasy grind for a while now till I get on Easy -Street again. It will take lots of stiff work for me to catch up, but I -believe I can do it.” - -Still Bart stood there without speaking, looking straight at Frank. - -“What’s the matter?” Merry asked, in perplexity. “Why do you stare at me -that way? Why, hang it! you don’t seem at all pleased to see me.” - -He was surprised and hurt by Bart’s singular manner. - -Hodge opened his lips to say something, but the words did not seem to -come freely, and he stuck. - -Merry came close and placed his hands on Bart’s shoulders, looking deep -into the dark eyes of his comrade. - -“Tell me why you meet me like this, old man!” he urged. “Have I done -anything to cause it?” - -“No.” - -“Then why——” - -“It’s nothing, Merriwell—nothing!” huskily muttered Bart. “Take a chair. -I’ve been thinking, and I expect I’m in a deuced unsociable mood, but -I’ll try to be decent.” - -Frank did not sit down immediately on the invitation. Instead, he looked -at Bart as if trying to read his very thoughts. - -“You’re thin,” he said. “You have lost flesh and there are dark circles -round your eyes. Are you ill?” - -“No.” - -“Something is the matter with you, and I fancy I know what it is.” - -“Perhaps so.” - -“I’ve come to talk it over——” - -The dark-eyed lad cut him short with a gesture. - -“Don’t!” he exclaimed hoarsely. “Talk of anything else—baseball, spring -sports, the Southern trip, anything!” - -“What is that you have in your hand?” - -Almost rudely Bart pushed Frank aside and walked to a desk, into the -drawer of which he thrust the photograph. But when he turned round he -felt certain Merriwell knew it was a picture of Elsie and that he had -been seen pressing that picture to his lips. - -“Sit down,” he invited again, with a motion toward a chair. - -Frank did so. - -“There are a number of things I wish to speak about, Bart,” said he. -“One important thing is the nine. Are you working to get into form to -catch? That’s one thing.” - -“Perhaps I’m not working as hard as usual,” confessed Hodge. “Somehow, I -haven’t seemed to have any heart in it. You know you were not here, and -that has made lots of difference.” - -“I’m here now, and we must get to work, for I hear that the outlook for -a strong team is very unsatisfactory.” - -“It might be better.” - -“Well, if we get into our usual form, the battery should not be so very -weak, though, of course, I can’t pitch all the games.” - -“Do you know who’s working like a fiend to get into the box?” - -“I haven’t heard.” - -“That cad, Morgan! Why, he’s training every day, and they say there’s a -prospect that he’ll make it. What do you think of that?” - -“A good thing.” - -“Good? Do you fancy I’ll ever catch with him pitching? Not for my life!” - -“Not even for Yale?” - -“Why should I?” - -“Because you should be ready to do anything for Yale, my boy.” - -“I can’t swallow that scoundrel, and I refuse to have him thrust down my -throat! That’s all there is to it! If you can stand for him, that’s all -right, but I decline.” - -“Well, we won’t get into an argument over that now, though I want you to -remember the splendid work Morgan did on the gridiron last fall.” - -“And I don’t want you to forget that up to the last minute he pulled -every string possible to down you, Merriwell. He was as full of tricks -as an egg is full of meat.” - -“Let it pass now. I hear that Starbright has not been given much of a -show with the squad. How is that?” - -“Rot! You know any man will be given all the show he deserves.” - -“And Browning?” - -“He refuses to get out.” - -“And Ready?” - -“He’s too flip. He’s got himself disliked by his freshness, and I fancy -he’ll have a hard pull to make the nine.” - -“Nor is he better than other men who are working for his place. I have -been promised absolute authority this spring, and I shall have something -to say about the make-up of the team I am to captain.” - -By this time Bart had begun to cool down somewhat, and now, of a sudden, -Merry reverted to the thing about which he had attempted to speak a -while before. - -“Hodge, you want to stop worrying about the thing that has troubled you -so much lately. I am your truest friend, and you must let me speak out -frankly. You’ll feel better when I have finished. I know whose picture -you held in your hand when I entered—the picture you put in that -drawer.” - -Bart’s face was very pale now and he had begun to quiver again. - -“We had a plain face-to-face talk about her on Cumberland Island not so -very long ago, but the finish of that talk left us just where we began. -Since then many things have happened, and, as far as I am concerned, -that matter has been entirely settled.” - -Bart felt a tightening about his heart. So it was true that Frank had -remained away from college to see Elsie again and to win her back to -him! Somehow, it did not seem just exactly like Merriwell, and yet how -could Bart complain, for had not Frank held the prior claim to her? - -“Elsie is a beautiful, noble-hearted girl, whom I cannot find words to -properly extol,” Merriwell calmly continued, his coolness and confidence -causing Bart’s heart to sink still more. “I do not wonder that I came to -admire her very much. It would have been far more remarkable if I had -not. But I have learned that I wholly misinterpreted my feelings and -emotions toward her. Read others however well I may, I did not properly -read and analyze myself in regard to her.” - -What was Frank saying? Hodge felt a rush of blood to his heart, which -began to thump violently in his breast. - -“Events which I cannot fully describe have opened my eyes and revealed -to me the truth. I loved Elsie and still love her as a very dear friend, -and one of the sweetest girls alive, but I do not love her and never did -love her as one should love the girl he means to make his wife.” - -Bart’s lips parted, but no sound escaped them. He stared at Frank as if -turned to stone. - -“But I have learned,” Merry continued, “that I love another with all my -heart, and that knowledge has brought me great happiness, for my love is -returned, and we are engaged to be married some time, though the day is -not set yet. Of course, you know without being told that the other of -whom I speak is Inza Burrage.” - -Bart sprang up. - -“Merriwell,” he gasped, “you—you really mean that you are engaged—to -Inza?” - -“Yes, that is just what I mean. So you see, my dear boy, that you have -been worrying over a trouble that does not exist, and the field is open -and clear for you to win Elsie.” - -There was a ringing as of many bells in Bart’s ears, and the room seemed -to whirl round him. - -Then he sat down quickly, all the strength having gone out of his legs. -But the happiness of the shock made him long to shout, though his lips -uttered no sound. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - A DESPERATE ENEMY. - - -“Ginger up, there, Robinson! You’re worse than a dead man!” - -“Get in front of ’em, Dashleigh! Stop ’em with your body if you can’t -hold ’em with your hands!” - -“You throw like an old woman, Mason! You’ll break your back some day.” - -“Here, here, Ready! that will do with those flourishes! When you get -hold of a ball throw it. Don’t juggle it.” - -“Say, you chap with the curly hair, don’t get so excited. Take a little -time in throwing to first, after picking up a ball.” - -“Who is that long-legged chap?” Gamp questioned. - -“Here, Gamp, it’s your turn to bat.” - -“Oh, murder! Who let that grounder go through him? Carker? Is that his -name? Say, Carker, you’re a sieve! Keep your feet together and you’ll do -better.” - -It was a lively scene in the great baseball cage at Yale, for the squad -of candidates for the ball-team were hard at work and the coaches were -putting them “through the paces.” - -The men were working hard, and the coaches were yelling and shouting at -them, giving orders, criticizing, commenting—but seldom expressing -approval. - -It would not do to let any man think he was doing too well at this early -stage of the work, for it might spoil him by giving him a good opinion -of his ability. - -More men have been spoiled by praise than by adverse criticism, and the -professional coach knows this very well. - -It is a pretty level-headed youth who can stand open praise without -thinking himself the “only one.” - -Sometimes it pays to praise a man, but it is best to know your man -before you venture to praise him. Be sure it will do him more good than -silence, or keep your mouth shut. - -In rare instances praise will serve to spur a man on to do still better. -Far oftener it will cause him to think he is good enough already and -that the other fellows should hustle to keep in his class. - -The fellow who manages or coaches a ball-team must know this, and he -must be exceedingly careful with his praise. - -In the cage the sweating crowd of candidates accepted this criticism -without a word, for it would not do to “talk back.” When one was called -down for something he did, if he was a good man, he shut his teeth and -made an extra attempt to do it well the next time. If he was sulky and -had a bad temper, he might tell himself he did not care a rap, and then -he would be careless and do worse the next time. In that case, the -chances were he would be quietly informed that it would be a waste of -time for him to practise further, and that the room he occupied in the -cage was needed for others. - -Of course, there were men, and plenty of them, who worked like slaves to -improve, yet failed to make the necessary progress, and who were dropped -one after another for that reason. - -But no man of this class, willing and determined, was dropped till the -coaches were perfectly satisfied that there was no possible chance of -making good material out of him. - -The turnout this year had been most unsatisfactory, barely more than -half the usual number of candidates coming to the cage each day. - -This happened despite all efforts to get out the usual large squad. It -seemed very remarkable, but men came to attribute it to the absence of -Merriwell, which, they said, accounted for the apathetic interest taken -in baseball. - -There was at one time talk of making some move to choose a new captain -for the team, to see if that would not bring about better results; but -Merriwell had given no notice that he would not be on hand to fill the -position, and the one who hinted openly of selecting some one to fill -his place was soon hissed down. - -But now Merriwell had arrived, and his return showed immediately by the -change that took place in the cage. He had made inquiries about the -work, and, having learned what men were practising and who were not, he -went around among those whom he regarded as having a chance to make the -nine. - -The following day a swarm of new men flocked into the cage and went to -work with a vim that astonished and delighted the coaches. Joe Gamp, -Hock Mason, Berlin Carson, and Greg Carker were among the new men. - -Carson had given up in despair, having tried to make the team the year -before and failed; but during the trip of Merriwell’s athletes through -the West the previous summer Frank had been given an opportunity to see -what the rancher’s son could do at the game, and he urged Berlin to come -out and make one more attempt to get onto the varsity nine. - -Frank did not have so much confidence in Greg Carker, the pessimist, for -he knew that Carker’s peculiar temperament was such that he could never -be at his very best in anything. - -Joe Gamp, however, despite his awkwardness, was one of the best -outfielders Merry had ever seen. This was rather astonishing, for Gamp -was not regarded at college as a person having the least baseball -material in him, and he had never tried for a place on the varsity nine. - -But Merriwell had seen him play center field on the great athletic trip, -and he knew Gamp could cover an “outer garden” in splendid style, and -could throw with almost the marvelous power of the once famed -Sockalexis, and was an unusually good hitter against pitchers who had -not discovered his "weak spot"—high and close to his shoulders. - -With Hock Mason it was different. Frank had seen Mason, who was from the -South, catch some flies in field practise, which he had done very well; -but outside of that Merry knew very little about the fellow except that -he was sturdy, well built, and a perfect bulldog at anything he set out -to do. - -It was well enough to get such a man into the cage and see if something -could not be made of him, so Frank urged Mason to turn out and practise. -Mason did so. - -A long time before this Mason had been one of the greatest bullies in -college; but he found more than his match in Frank, and the result of -the sound thrashing he received was very beneficial. After that it was -his belief that Merriwell must despise him, but when he was injured and -lying in a hospital it was Merriwell who came every day to ask about -him, it was Merriwell who first reached his side when a visitor was -permitted to see him, and it was Merriwell who pressed his hand and -spoke encouraging words to him. - -When he left that hospital the student from South Carolina was cured -completely of his bullying ways, and Frank Merriwell had made a new and -stanch friend. - -Still, Mason was strangely proud, and he would not force himself on any -one, for which reason it happened that he never became one of -Merriwell’s recognized “flock.” - -Deep in his heart Mason had often longed to join the jolly band of -Merriwell’s friends, but his pride had held him back. - -Now, when Frank came and asked him to get out for practise in the cage, -Hock was ready enough to do so, even though it seemed really -preposterous that he could ever make sufficient advancement to have a -show to get onto the nine. - -Bertrand Defarge was among the men who had taken his regular amount of -work in the cage day after day, and he was showing up pretty well, too. -But Frank knew Defarge of old, and he was aware that such a fellow, -though full of vigor, fire, and intensity at times, could not always be -relied upon, having a temper that conquered and swayed him absolutely at -times. - -Of course, Frank was on hand, and it was his presence in the cage that -seemed to make the marvelous change in things, so that the men went at -their work with a gingery earnestness that quite surprised and wholly -delighted the hitherto disgusted and disheartened coaches. - -And Frank had managed to keep himself in excellent form, so that he -remained the admiration and marvel of the athletic-loving students. He -began his pitching-work easily, however, knowing the folly of starting -off with too much vigor, even though he was in perfect condition. - -Even Frank was not above taking advice from the coachers, although it is -probable that not one man among them knew more about baseball and the -work of getting into trim for it than did Merry himself. - -If any one watched the first day to see him throw some samples of the -“double-shoot” that person was disappointed, for he indulged in nothing -of the kind. - -But he still had it at his command, as he very well knew, and his wrist -was hard as iron. When the time came he would swiftly convince his -doubting opponents that the “double-shoot” was not a fanciful invention -of some romancer’s brain. - -For among the hundreds of pitchers who had worked and tried and schemed -to learn his secret, it was not probable that one had entirely -succeeded, therefore they gave up in despair, and became scoffers, -saying there was no such thing as the double-shoot. - -Among the candidates for pitching-honors was Dade Morgan, and he worked -persistently and faithfully. - -On the first day of Frank’s appearance in the cage one of the coaches -asked him to watch Morgan’s work and see what he thought of it. Merry -did so for a few moments, and Dade flushed hotly when he saw this, -though he kept at it without a break. - -When Frank had moved away the man who was coaching Morgan said: - -“Try to throw that drop with just the same motion you use in throwing -your other curves. You give yourself dead away every time you start to -throw a drop. The batter would know just what was coming.” - -Dade’s dark eyes flashed and drooped. For one moment he betrayed anger, -and then he smiled sweetly, saying: - -“I’ll do my level best.” - -But Bertrand Defarge quickly found an opportunity to slip over to Morgan -and sneer: - -“So you got a call-down! I knew it would come the minute Merriwell saw -what you were doing. He’s jealous, and you don’t stand the least show of -making the nine. You may as well give up trying now.” - -“How about you?” - -“Oh, I’m not a pitcher, and there is no chance that I’ll rob him of any -glory. Indeed, if I pan out well, I may add to his glory by helping him -in games, so he’ll let my head alone. Yours comes off before the Easter -trip, see if it doesn’t. You may as well quit now.” - -“I’ll never quit till I have to!” returned Dade. “Get out and let me -alone! I’m sick of your croaking!” - -“Go to blazes!” hissed Defarge. “I may find a way to make you sicker!” - -A number of men were hard at work fielding ground balls and throwing to -first. Mason was one of this squad, and he was not making a great -success of it. The coaches yelled at him, but that did not seem to do -him much good. - -Then Frank Merriwell, being a privileged character, walked down and -talked to Mason in a quiet, soothing tone. - -“You’re rattled, Mason,” said Merry. “Just get rid of the idea that -everybody is looking at you. They are not. The other men are busy taking -care of their own affairs.” - -“I reckon you made a mistake when you asked me to get out here, sah,” -said the Southerner, the perspiration standing out on his drawn and -worried face. “I judge I ain’t put up right to be howled at like this by -a lot of loud-mouthed duffers.” - -“Don’t be touchy, man. You can’t succeed if you are. We’ve all had -coaches yell at us in the same way.” - -“But it’s mighty galling to a man like me.” - -“Haven’t a doubt of it, but you must set your jaws and lay right down to -the work. Get your body in front of those bounding balls every time, -even if they take your head off. Keep your heels together, and they may -stop balls when your hands fail. Jump into the track of anything that -comes your way. If it’s a slow one, go ahead to meet it, for every -second counts in trying to cut off a runner who is sprinting to first.” - -“All right. I’ll try it again, sah, but I’m mighty afraid it isn’t my -line.” - -After that Mason did better stopping the balls that came his way, even -though he did not pick them all up cleanly, but he made his worst -mistake in his hurry to throw to first. Seeing this, Frank fancied he -had given the fellow a wrong impression, and so worked round to Hock to -set him straight. - -“Don’t be in such a fearful hurry to throw,” he instructed. “You make -poor throws by your hurry.” - -“But you told me a little while ago that every moment counts in cutting -off a man running to first.” - -“That’s true, but it’s far better to lose a little time in taking care -to make a good throw than it is to hustle for all you’re worth and lose -the man entirely by a poor throw. Besides that, you do not throw right. -You never get into the right position.” - -“That being the case, sah, I reckon I better quit now.” - -“I don’t think you’re a quitter, Mason. Let me tell you where you make -your mistake. In your haste to throw, if you pick the ball up with your -body leaning away from the base you wish to throw to, you do not take -time to right yourself, but you throw in that attitude. You can’t get -any force into the throw. Besides, you swing your arm too far. Try a -shorter swing; throw from the ear. Never take a hop, skip, and a jump -before throwing, as I saw you do a few moments ago. Even though you send -the ball whizzing across the diamond like a bullet, you have lost lots -of valuable time before you got it away from your hand, and that may -mean the loss of the runner. Pull your hand back behind your ear, lean -forward a little as you throw, and just as it leaves your hand take a -single step. Try that. Practice it all the time.” - -Then Frank worked on to another man he had selected to advise, and in -this manner Merriwell assisted the coaches. In fact, his quiet coaching -was far more efficacious than that of some of the regular coaches who -made considerable noise. - -A regular system of batting-practise was gone through, each man being -directed how to stand properly, how to hold his bat, and how to swing. -Bunting and place hitting were practised by the more skilful batters. - -Base-running and sliding to bases was a part of the regular work. At -this the older hands showed up well, but some of the new men were very -awkward. It caused the coaches to howl when a runner was told to slide, -and he slammed himself prone on the ground as if going through to China -and slid about ten inches, but they howled equally as much at the one -“who let himself down in sections,” his knees striking first. - -Dade Morgan was making excellent showing. He had a good eye for the ball -when batting, and he could sprint to first like a deer. When it came to -sliding, he slipped over the ground in an easy, graceful manner that was -deserving of applause. - -Frank felt like giving Morgan a word of praise, but remembering the -past, and not knowing just what the effect on Dade would be, he -refrained from doing so. - -Dick Starbright, the giant freshman, was in the midst of the work, and -he went at it with an energy that seemed almost savage. A change had -come over him, and the good-natured, pleasant look that had seemed -habitual had vanished before one of stern determination. - -Indeed, Dick was doing everything possible to keep his mind from -dwelling on a certain beautiful dark-eyed girl whom he now knew was lost -to him. He studied hard, worked hard, played hard, and in this manner -succeeded fairly well in his purpose. - -He had read in Frank’s happy face the result of the trip to Fardale, but -it had been exactly what he expected. - -And Frank’s talk with Hodge had seemed to transform Bart, who had been -fretful, listless, and ill-natured before, failing to take much interest -in the cage-work or seeming to care whether Yale put a winning team on -the field or not. - -Now Hodge went into the work with vim and earnestness, and he actually -smiled occasionally, which was so remarkable that it caused more than -one to comment upon it. - -Defarge had seen Merriwell talking to Mason, and at the first -opportunity the French youth spoke to the Southerner. - -“Did you get a calling down from the high muck-a-muck of this -combination?” sneeringly asked Bertrand. - -“What do you mean, sah?” demanded Hock. - -“Why, I saw Merriwell shooting off his mouth at you, and I presume he -was telling you just what sort of a slouch you are, which is a habit of -his, the egotistical cad!” - -“No, sah, he was not calling me down. He was giving me a few pointers, -and I appreciate his kindness in doing so.” - -“Well, you’re just like all the others,” growled Defarge. “He can rub it -all over you and you’ll think it’s nice, but you’d kick like a mule if -anybody else tried it.” - -“I may kick like a mule, sah, if you are not careful about your language -in addressing me, and I’ll guarantee that you’ll be within reach when I -kick.” - -Defarge showed his teeth. - -“If you ever kicked me I’d make a hole in your skin and let some of your -confounded upstart blood out!” he hissed. - -“And if you ever tried that trick,” retorted Mason, not in the least -frightened, “I’d forget that I’ve sworn never to strike a man who did -not weigh as much as myself, and I’d give you the blamedest thrashing, -sah, that you ever had in all your life!” - -“Pouf!” said Bertrand, as he wheeled away. - -“It really would do me good to thump him,” muttered Mason, watching the -fellow’s retreating figure. “I think he’s about the only enemy of any -account that Merriwell has left in college.” - -Roland Packard did not occur to him just then. Besides, Roland had been -keeping pretty quiet about Merry since the beginning of the term, -realizing that popular sentiment was entirely against him. - -The Chickering set was not regarded as worth considering. - -Defarge could find little consolation in his attempts to deride and -sneer at Merriwell, and it began to seem to him that all the old enemies -of Frank with blood in their bodies and courage to take a stand against -the idol of Yale had given over the struggle as worse than useless. - -Thus, when the practise work was over and the men were preparing for the -run into the suburbs, which always followed cage training, Bertrand -sulked and growled and was disagreeable to every one. - -“I’d like to get a good chance to do up Merriwell!” he thought; but he -remembered how all his former efforts had failed and brought disgrace -upon himself in several instances, and even his hating heart quailed. - -As soon as the men were ready they left the gymnasium in a body and -started at a brisk trot along one of the widest and most comfortable -streets of the old city. The pace was not made too fast at first, and -yet it was enough to keep them going sharply. - -It was an interesting spectacle to see these sturdy-limbed youths start -out in a body, their heads up, mouths closed, cheeks flushed and -nostrils dilated. Surely a representative lot of young Americans they -were. - -Frank ran lightly and easily, seeming to find it no effort at all to get -over the ground at the pace set. Hodge was beside him, and Jack Ready -had swung in with them. Ready still ran in his own peculiar fashion, -toeing in with his left foot, a habit he had been unable to break, try -as he might. His cheeks were rosy and his eyes bright. - -“Ah-ha!” he exclaimed, as he trotted along. “This is the kind of stuff -that makes one feel fit to tackle the gods! Yea, verily! Why, just now I -believe I could give old Thor, the god of thunder, a rattling good -set-to!” - -“Yet,” said Frank, “we know any amount of fellows in Yale who are -literally grinding their lives out, and not one of them has sense enough -to take sufficient exercise to preserve their health.” - -“Which means that a few more fools will graduate near the head of their -classes and go out into the world with broken constitutions. What will -they be good for?” - -“It’s all right for a man to graduate as near the head of his class as -possible,” Merry asserted, “in case he gives enough time to exercise to -keep his health and strength; but when he wears his life away and goes -forth from college a physical wreck he has committed a crime. Not only -that, but he will be punished for his crime, and there is no way for him -to escape that punishment.” - -“And all the while he doesn’t dream what fun he’s missing,” laughed -Jack, thumping his breast with his clenched hands. “Why, it’s great just -to be living and feel this way! I could fly—if I had a flying-machine.” - -“You have the necessary wheels in your head,” declared Merry. - -“But you’ll never develop a pair of wings,” asserted Hodge. - -By the time they were well out into the suburbs it had begun to grow -dark. They had passed Beaver Ponds, and were not far from West Rock, -before the leader swung to the left by a country road and turned back -toward the city. - -The men had strung out behind for a short distance. It was impossible to -tell if all of them had held out and kept with the squad. - -In fact, one of them had not. Defarge had slowly fallen behind until he -was near the rear of the squad, and then, making an excuse to tighten up -his shoe, he knelt beside the road and let them go on without him. - -“I know the way they’ll come back,” he muttered. “And I know where I can -watch them without being seen. If Merriwell would just take a fancy to -spurt, or would get off by himself! Oh, yes! I’d make one more try to -settle his hash!” - -Then he turned back, struck into a cross-lane, and ran swiftly through -the gathering gloom, his heart filled with black thoughts and evil -designs. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - BAFFLED. - - -Defarge crouched behind some rocks and bushes which grew near the top of -a high ridge of ground. Some distance below him, running parallel with -the ridge, was the road along which he knew the baseball men must come -on their way back to town. It was rather dark down there, but the -crouching youth could see the road when he lifted his head and peered -down. - -In his hands Defarge had a large, jagged rock; in his heart was a design -so dark that he dared not meditate upon it. - -Although it was cold, he felt perspiration starting out upon his face, -which he mopped with his handkerchief. He told himself that he was -justified in doing anything in his power to down Frank Merriwell, for -had not Merry once brought about his disgrace and nearly caused his -expulsion from college? - -He did not pause to consider that it was through Frank’s generosity -alone that he still remained at Yale. Had he reasoned calmly he must -have known that any other man might have exposed him fully and compelled -him to leave. - -Hark! They were coming! He heard the beat of running feet far along the -frozen road. It was likely that Merriwell would be among the very first, -for of old Frank had often led the squad on the return trip to the gym. - -The crouching lad quivered in every limb. - -“He disgraced me before them all!” he panted. “He made me the -laughing-stock of the college! No man can do that to a Defarge and -escape! I’ve waited a long time, but I’m going to fix him now!” - -He gripped the jagged rock with feverish intensity and peered along the -darkening road. The sound of running feet came nearer. - -“Hello, Merriwell!” - -Some one of the runners was hailing Frank. - -“Hello!” sounded still clearer in the unmistakable voice of the captain -of the nine. - -“Take the Blake road.” - -“All right.” - -“Merriwell is leading, as usual!” panted Defarge. “Here he comes!” - -A dark figure was coming swiftly down the dusky road. With the stone in -both hands, Defarge crouched and watched, every muscle taut, every nerve -quivering. - -“He’s some rods ahead of the next man,” he thought. “He’s played right -into my hands.” - -The figure was plainly that of Merriwell. Defarge straightened a little -and lifted the stone. In a moment the unconscious young athlete would be -directly beneath the revengeful scoundrel on the ridge. - -“Now!” Defarge panted the word as he swung the stone over his head with -both hands, and hurled it with murderous aim straight at the head of -Merriwell. - -There was a thud, and he saw Frank go down and lay outstretched upon the -ground. - -“I’ve done it! I’ve done it!” - -With that awful thought filling his heart, the wretch crouched behind -the bushes and ran quickly back along the ridge, passing over it and -disappearing. - -Hidden from view, he ran as swiftly as he could back along the course of -the road down which the baseball men had come. Pretty soon the ridge -sunk and he was in a piece of thin timber, through which he pressed till -he came to the road itself. - -He halted amid some trees to let several men pass, and then he sprang -out into the road and started along in the same direction as if he had -been in the procession all the time. - -“Now let any one prove that I did it!” he laughed to himself. “I took -nobody into my confidence, and there is no proof against me. It’s a job -well done.” - -As he approached the spot he was not surprised to find the men ahead of -him had stopped and were gathered in a group. - -“They’ll take him in on a stretcher,” thought Defarge. - -He came up, breathing heavily, as if he had been running all the while. - -“What’s the matter?” he asked, as he approached. “Anybody hurt?” - -“Hello, Defarge,” said one of the men. “You’ve made good time to-day. -You’re usually a tail-ender.” - -“Anybody hurt?” persisted Bertrand, coming up and stopping. “What has -happened?” - -“Oh, nothing much,” was the answer. “Merriwell’s got a nasty fall, -that’s all.” - -“That is not all!” declared a voice that caused Defarge’s heart to stand -still, for it was that of Frank Merriwell himself. “My fall was nothing, -but I’d like to know where this huge stone came from, for I know it -whizzed past my head just as I tripped and went down.” - -Beneath his breath Defarge muttered an oath. - -Frank was absolutely unharmed, for, being in perfect condition, the -shock of the fall over a stone which he had not seen in the road -affected him to no perceptible extent. - -Indeed, when a man is in the best physical condition, ordinary falls, -that seem to jar and severely injure the untrained, are not noticed at -all. Sometimes a man may, in perfect condition, receive shocks and -sustain falls which naturally would break the bones of the unprepared -and still escape without any apparent harm. - -Thus it is that exercise, physical training, and muscle-building prepare -those who follow faithfully the upbuilding of the body for all the -hardships they may have to encounter in life. - -“The survival of the fittest” is a law of nature that has been in full -sway since the dawn of creation, and modern conditions have simply -seemed to emphasize its unyielding rigidness. - -A weakling might have been severely, even fatally, injured by the fall -that had not harmed Merriwell at all. - -Sometimes men die from the effects of shocks which trained athletes -would have withstood without great distress. - -Thousands of weak-backed, narrow-chested, scrawny-necked men are swiftly -wearing away their lives in offices and stores and other places of -business when, had they known and respected the laws of health, they -might be strong, and robust, and healthy. - -They will stand up to their tasks as long as the candle of life flickers -and flares in their wrecked bodies, but one by one they will lie down -and die long before there is any need of it, had they paid the slightest -attention to the demands of nature. - -Frank Merriwell had not been born strong and healthy. His mother was an -invalid, and he had inherited a weak body. But, fortunately, he had been -given brains with which to think and reason. And he had used those -brains! That was the best part of it. - -Having found that others had acquired health by exercise and by obeying -the laws of nature, he had made a resolve to do the same. He was -stubborn, and, having made such a resolve, he kept at the work day after -day, week after week, year after year. - -What a glorious reward was his! From a weak boy he had become a strong, -supple, superb youth, a typical young American of the very highest -class, and all by his own efforts! Was not the reward sufficient for the -effort? - -It had not always been by chance, as on this occasion, that his enemies -had failed to wreak upon him the injuries they sought to inflict. Had he -been weak they must have succeeded many times. But one by one they had -fallen before him, and he remained triumphant and unharmed. - -“The fellow bears a charmed life,” thought Bertrand Defarge. “It’s no -use—he can’t be harmed!” - -Once more he felt for his handkerchief to wipe from his face the beads -of cold perspiration that started forth; but the handkerchief was not in -the pocket where he fancied he had thrust it. - -“Where could the stone have come from?” Bert Dashleigh was asking. “You -don’t suppose——” - -“Hello, Defarge!” exclaimed one of a little bunch of men that came up. -“How the dickens did you get ahead of us? We thought you behind with the -tail-enders.” - -“What’s the matter here?” asked another, and, to Bertrand’s relief, they -all pressed forward to learn what had happened. - -That saved Defarge from answering an unpleasant question and explaining -how he came to be ahead of those men. - -But Bart Hodge had heard the question and had noted that no answer was -given. - -When the men started on again, Bart was at Merry’s side. He soon found -an opportunity to say, using a guarded tone: - -“You still have some enemies, Frank—or an enemy, at least.” - -“Then you think——” - -“Of course! Somebody tried to knock your brains out with that stone.” - -“I don’t like to think that,” declared Frank. “And yet——” - -“You can’t help it. Your enemies have been chirping mighty soft of late, -but it was because they didn’t dare sing louder. They are not all dead, -or converted. Where is Morgan?” - -“Somewhere on the road. You know I have that fellow’s pledge.” - -“Which doesn’t amount to shucks!” - -“But his uncle is dead, and there is no further reason why he should try -to injure me.” - -“Don’t fool yourself! He’s ambitious and proud. He wants to pitch this -spring, and it is his way to long to be cock of the walk at anything he -tries. He knows he can’t be that with you on the team.” - -“But he could not have possibly done the trick; he did not throw that -stone.” - -“I don’t say he did.” - -“Then what——” - -“He is a fellow to use accomplices.” - -Frank shook his head. - -“I know all about your hatred for Morgan,” he said, “and I confess the -justness of it; but something tells me the fellow did not do this trick, -or know anything about it. In fact, even though he may not love me, I do -not believe he will make any further attempts to harm me. While Santenel -lived he held Morgan under his hypnotic influence and made him do some -very nasty things. But Santenel is dead.” - -“Well, Morgan still lives, and you’ll see that you will have your -troubles just as long as he remains in college.” - -Frank knew how useless it was to try to reason Bart out of a conviction -so firmly implanted in his mind, and so he made no further effort. - -Along the hard road they sped, their lungs filled with fresh air, their -entire bodies tingling with the intoxication of perfect health. - -Ahead of them gleamed the city’s lights. On either side lights shone -from the windows of houses. - -They strung out on Whalley Avenue, for now they were permitted to speed -up some as the end of the run drew near. At last they came to Elm Street -and the gym. - -There the men were given cold showers, and rubbed down with rough -towels, till their bodies glowed like furnaces. - -When they left the gym they felt “like fighting cocks,” for all of what -they had done and gone through. - -Frank and Bart left the gym together. - -“Are you going to your room, Hodge?” asked Merry. - -“Not now,” was the answer. - -“Well, come up to mine. I’ve got to work hard to-night, but we can have -a little chat of a few minutes before I get down to grinding.” - -“I’ve got to go somewhere else. I’ll see you to-morrow, Merry. So-long.” - -Frank wondered as Bart swung away. He would have wondered still more had -he observed where Hodge went and what he did. - -Direct to a certain store the dark-eyed lad proceeded, and there he -purchased a lantern, which he had filled with oil and prepared for -lighting. With this lantern he struck out at a brisk walk, avoiding the -vicinity of the college buildings. - -More than half an hour later Bart was searching along the ridge of high -land near where Merriwell had fallen on the road. The lighted lantern -aided him in his search behind the mass of evergreen bushes. - -He came to a place that interested him very much, for there was every -indication that some one had been there ahead of him. - -Then he uttered a low cry of satisfaction, and suddenly snatched -something from the ground. - -It was a handkerchief! - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - THE FIGHT WITH RAPIERS. - - -Defarge had roomed alone ever since entering college. He was so -exceedingly unpopular that it would have been difficult for him to find -a roommate had he desired one; but he declared that on no condition -would he share his apartments with another. - -His rooms were well furnished and comfortable, but he cared little about -their arrangement or decorations, and about them there was not a single -thing in the way of ornament that would suggest to a casual visitor that -a Yale man slept and studied there. - -In other rooms were flags, badges, blue ribbons, and a hundred other -things gathered by the students as tokens to remind them of something -connected with their college-life. When they visited home at holidays -they took some of these things along to give brothers or sisters, who -treasured them with pride. - -But it is probable that Defarge felt none of that love for Yale that -seems to imbue almost every man among the great throng of students. It -is even possible, astounding though it may seem to every other Yale -man—that he would have been quite as well satisfied had it been his -fortune to attend Harvard, or any other college. He had failed totally -and entirely to imbibe the “Yale spirit.” - -Personal conquest and advancement had been all the French youth seemed -to care for, and his utter selfishness made him offensive to those who -might have regarded him in a friendly spirit because of similar likes -and dislikes. - -He had regarded himself as a wonderful fencer, and, indeed, his skill -was most commendable. He found little difficulty in defeating all comers -until he encountered Merriwell, upon whom by sneers and insults he -forced an engagement. - -Merriwell, however, had studied fencing under a past master of the art, -and the French youth was easily defeated by the representative American, -which filled him with unspeakable shame and chagrin. - -His defeat caused Defarge to lose his head entirely, and he took to -drink without delay. That very night, while in a state of insane -intoxication, he attempted to strike Frank in the back with an open -knife. Fortunately, Frank saw him in a mirror and was able to turn and -grapple with him. - -Then followed something that astonished all who witnessed it, for, -looking straight into the eyes of the intoxicated youth, Frank caused -him to quail and become as harmless as a lamb. - -In that moment Frank discovered that he possessed a strange power, and -this power he had been called upon to use many times afterward. Once, at -least, it had saved his life. Once it saved the life of his father. - -But although Merriwell had declared that he might make a friend of -Defarge, the French youth remained his bitter and unyielding enemy. For -a time he had avoided Frank, but now, Merriwell having been away from -college a while, he ventured to strike again. - -Alone in his room that evening, Bertrand cursed the luck that had -permitted him to fail in accomplishing his terrible intention. And while -he was cursing, the door opened to admit Bart Hodge! - -Defarge stared in astonishment. Never before had such an amazing thing -occurred and he could not understand it now. He wondered if Hodge had by -accident wandered into the wrong room. - -But Bart deliberately closed the door behind him. There was a key in the -lock. This key Hodge turned, after which he removed it, and quietly put -it into his pocket. - -“What the deuce are you doing?” cried Defarge, who was now on his feet. - -Bart advanced, his eyes fixed on those of Bertrand. - -“I’ve called to see you,” said Frank Merriwell’s bosom friend, in a -peculiar tone of voice. - -“You locked that door?” - -“Yes.” - -“Why?” - -“So it would not blow open,” answered Hodge, in the same queer way. - -“Blow open! Why, there’s no danger of that! Are you crazy?” - -“I don’t think so, but I’m mad.” - -There was a sort of grim, mirthless humor about Bart that made Defarge -uneasy. - -“You have no right to lock my door and put the key in your pocket!” -snarled the French youth. - -“That may be true, but I’ve done it. I want to have a little talk with -you, and I do not propose to have that talk interrupted, even though you -may get noisy and yell for assistance.” - -There was a threat in this, and Defarge retreated behind the table that -stood in the center of the room. - -“What’s your game?” he demanded. “Are you playing the highwayman or the -house-robber?” - -“Thank you; I do not travel with your class in society.” - -Still there was a look in Bart’s eyes that made Defarge think himself in -danger. Usually, Hodge was excitable, but now he seemed strangely cool, -which gave him an air of menace. - -Defarge glanced quickly round in search of some weapon with which to -defend himself. - -“Sit down!” commanded Hodge. “It won’t do you a bit of good to raise a -rumpus.” - -“Now, what in the name of the Old Harry do you want?” panted Bertrand, -beginning to get angry himself. - -“I have a few questions to ask you.” - -“Well, go ahead. I’ll answer them or not, as I like.” - -“You’ll answer them before I leave this room! In the first place, how -did you happen during the run after the cage practise to take the short -cut through Beaver Pond Lane from Crescent Street to Fitch Street?” - -The French youth had flushed, but now he suddenly became pale. - -“I did nothing of the kind!” he declared. - -“You are a liar!” said Hodge, without lifting his voice, still keeping -his eyes fastened straight on those of the lad across the table. - -Bertrand’s bosom heaved and his lips curled back from his teeth, which -gleamed white and wolfish. - -“You shall answer for the insult!” panted Defarge. - -“With pleasure,” was the grim retort. “I think you must know by this -time that I take special delight in thumping you.” - -“I’ll not fight you that common way! You have not the skill of -Merriwell, and you must meet me with rapiers!” - -“Hardly,” said Bart. “I know better than that.” - -“You can’t avoid it.” - -“Oh, yes, I can!” - -“You shall not! I will force you into it!” - -“And I shall insist on meeting you with the weapons provided for us by -nature, our fists.” - -“Do you think I could be satisfied that way for such an insult? No! You -have come here to force a quarrel upon me! I see that!” - -“Nothing of the sort. I’ve come here to compel you to tell the truth, -and, by Heaven! I’m going to make you do it!” - -“You can never force me to anything! You want the fight, and you shall -have it! I will let out some of your nasty American blood! I may kill -you!” - -Then, with a pantherlike leap, Defarge reached the wall against which -hung a pair of crossed rapiers. Quick as a flash, he grasped them and -tore them down, whirling them in his hands. Seizing the hilt of one, he -flung the other with a clanging sound at Bart’s feet, shouting: - -“Take it and fight for your life, you American pig, for I swear I’ll run -you through without mercy if you don’t!” - -Bart Hodge was a fighter without a drop of cowardly blood in his -well-developed body; but he had seen Defarge handle a rapier, and he -knew he was not the equal of the wily French youth in that particular -line. He could handle his fists, or shoot a pistol with great skill; but -he was not an expert fencer, and so would be at a disadvantage in an -encounter of this sort. - -But it was useless to admit this to Defarge, whose eyes were glaring. -Defarge would laugh exultantly and come on. Indeed, he was making ready -to attack even now. - -“Pick up the weapon!” commanded the French youth. “Do your best, for I’m -going to pink you—I swear I am!” - -Bertrand’s heart was full of mad joy, for he believed his opportunity to -obtain revenge on Hodge for past grievances had come, and he meant to -make the most of it. Laughing savagely, he started to advance. - -Hodge’s hand rested on the back of a chair, and he had not altered his -position when the other youth sprang to the wall and tore down the -rapiers. - -Now, without the least warning and with such strength and quickness as -only a trained athlete could command, he grasped the chair with both -hands, swung it aloft, and hurled it straight at Bertrand’s head. - -Defarge had no time to dodge, but he put up his arm to protect his face, -and the chair sent him reeling against the wall. Hodge followed the -chair with two swift bounds, and was on the French youth instantly. - -He grasped Bertrand’s right wrist with one hand and his throat with the -other, pinning the fellow against the wall and holding him there. - -“You devil’s whelp!” grated Hodge. “You would not hesitate at murder! -I’ll guarantee that you land in prison yet!” - -Defarge had been shocked by the impact of the chair, and for a few -seconds he seemed quite helpless and unresisting. Then he suddenly -gathered himself and tried to hurl Bart off. - -Hodge kept his hold, attempting to twist the fellow’s wrist, and thus -force him to drop the rapier. But Bertrand’s hold was not broken thus -easily, and with his left hand he tore Bart’s fingers from his throat. - -“Dog!” he huskily hissed. “Throw a chair at me, will you? Now I am going -to fix you!” - -Then the struggle for the possession of the rapier began, Defarge doing -his best to cast Bart away long enough to lift and thrust with the -weapon. - -Bart knew it was a fight for his very life, as the French youth was -wrought to a pitch of rage that robbed him entirely of his reason. There -was a terrible glare in his eyes. His teeth were set and a white froth -began to form on his parted lips. - -With all his strength he strove to twist away from Bart’s grip, but -Hodge held fast. - -“Steady!” Bart growled. “You can’t do it!” - -“I will! I will!” panted Defarge. “I’ll kill you!” - -“You may find that I’m quite as hard to kill as Frank Merriwell.” - -“What do you mean?” - -“You know what I mean!” - -“You lie! You came here to insult me and make lying charges against me. -You shall pay for it!” - -Again Defarge gave a mighty twist and tried to fling Hodge off. They -reeled against a chair, which was overturned. Then Bart’s feet struck -against the chair, and he fell backward to the floor, his grip on -Defarge’s wrist being broken as he went down. - -Down upon Hodge came his antagonist, but he tore himself away from the -fingers that tried to clutch and hold him. With a quick spring, Bertrand -rose to his feet and stood over Hodge with the rapier uplifted. - -“Now!” he hissed, with a savage laugh—“now you get it for fair!” - -Then he lunged as if meaning to pin Hodge to the floor. - -With a squirming movement to one side, Bart barely avoided being run -through by the blade. - -“A miss is as good as a mile!” he thought, and at the same time he again -cast the chair at Defarge. - -Bertrand’s legs were struck and he was confused and disconcerted for a -moment, and that was enough to give Bart time to spring up. - -As he rose, Hodge had the other rapier gripped in his hand. At last he -realized that there was no way to avoid such an encounter, and so he -hurled himself into it with the furious energy of a creature at bay. - -Clash! clash! rang out the meeting blades. - -Probably no stranger encounter ever occurred at Yale than this night -battle between two students armed with deadly rapiers. The expressions -on their faces told that the struggle was of the most serious nature. - -This was no mere fencing-bout for sport. On one side, at least, it was a -duel with the most deadly import. - -But Defarge had been astounded by the escape of Hodge from that thrust. -The crack of the chair against his knees had confused him. And then he -was dazed when Bart leaped up like a supple panther, gripping the -rapier, and attacked him with the gleaming blade. - -The fierceness of Bart’s assault was something impossible to withstand -long. - -Sparks flew from the meeting weapons, which gleamed and flashed and -hissed through the air. - -The look on the face of Bart Hodge was one of such furious determination -that the French youth involuntarily gave way before him. - -“You would have it, you devil’s whelp!” came through Bart’s teeth. -“Stand up and fight! You forced it on me, now make good—or take the -consequences!” - -With a twisting stroke, Bart had torn the weapon from the hand of his -adversary and sent it spinning in a far corner, where it fell rattling -to the floor. - -The next instant, with his left hand, Frank Merriwell’s friend and -champion seized the unarmed youth by the throat and hurled him backward -upon the table that stood in the middle of the room. - -As Defarge lay there helpless and terrified, Bart stood over him, his -gleaming rapier raised as if to make the final and fatal thrust of this -most remarkable encounter. - -The helpless youth turned chalky white with fear. - -“Don’t strike!” he gasped. - -“Why not?” demanded the other, quivering with the excitement of the -encounter. - -“You’ll kill me!” - -“Just as you tried to kill me when I lay on the floor helpless and -unarmed, you cowardly sneak!” - -“I didn’t mean to——” - -“Don’t lie! If you lie, I’ll be tempted to finish you off anyhow!” - -“I was crazy!” - -“Well, I’m rather excited myself! Why, it would be a mercy to puncture -you now! You are a miserable, crawling snake, and you’ve tried to kill -the best man that ever lived!” - -“No! no!” - -“Don’t lie, I say! You tried to kill Merriwell this day!” - -“I did not!” - -The look of fury on Bart’s face seemed to become more intense. - -“The truth is the only thing that can save your worthless life now!” he -panted. - -“I shall shout for help!” - -“That won’t save you! No one could reach you in time. If you shout, I -swear by my life I’ll stick you once for luck!” - -There could be no doubt concerning Bart’s sincerity in this threat, and -Defarge decided not to shout. - -“Confess that you tried to kill Merriwell to-day with a stone, which you -threw at his head.” - -“I’ll not confess to a lie—not even to save my life!” - -“But you must confess the truth. You cannot help it. I have the proof -against you.” - -“The proof?” - -“Yes.” - -“Where?” - -“Here!” - -With his left hand, Hodge took out and held up before Bertrand’s staring -eyes the handkerchief he had found that night with the aid of the -lantern. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - THE FALSE CONFESSION. - - -“What is it?” - -“Your handkerchief.” - -“Where did you get it?” - -“I found it. See, here are your initials on the corner. I have been to -the laundry where you take your linen, and there I compared this with -one of your handkerchiefs in the place. It is your mark, and you cannot -dispute it.” - -“Well, let me up. What if I do not dispute it? What about that?” - -“It proves beyond a doubt that you threw the stone at Merriwell with -deadly intent, for I found it on the spot where you stood when you did -the trick, just behind the bushes on that high ridge beside the road.” - -Something like a mumbled curse came from Bertrand’s lips. - -“Let me up,” he begged. - -“Will you confess?” - -“How can I confess down here this way? Let me up.” - -“All right, but you must sit down beside the table here and sign a -written confession. If you try any tricks, I shall prick you a little -with this sticker. If you know much about me, you realize now that I -mean business and I’ll make good every threat. If you were harmed and -made charges against me I should swear that you attacked me with -murderous intent after I came here and accused you, and that I did the -trick in self-defense. Even if you were able to swear to the contrary, -which is not likely after I jabbed you with this dainty tool, my word -would be as good as yours. Now, get up—and sit down there!” - -Hodge stood with the weapon held ready for instant use, and Defarge, -like a whipped child, meekly obeyed. - -“That’s right,” nodded the victor, with satisfaction. “Now, don’t dare -to wriggle, for if you try to get hold of that sticker over in the -corner I’ll be on top of you like a catamount, and I’ll finish the job -instanter.” - -Then Bart stepped over to a desk, still keeping nearer than Defarge to -the weapon in the distant corner, and brought over an ink-well and -writing-materials. - -“What do you think you can make me do?” asked Defarge, with a sneer. - -“You are going to write out and sign a confession.” - -“Why should I?” - -“Because you must. Now I know the whole business, and you can’t deceive -me by making any false statements. I know who was behind you in what you -did—who got you to do the trick.” - -Defarge was silent, filled with surprise. - -“Don’t try to shield that snake,” urged Bart. “It will be better for you -if you do not. You may claim that he hypnotized you, or anything you -like, but you must confess that he was behind you in what you did.” - -“Who?” asked Bertrand. - -“Why, Morgan, of course! Didn’t he suggest this piece of business? Own -up!” - -The French youth caught his breath and then said: - -“Yes!” - -“I knew it!” cried Bart exultantly. “I saw him speak to you in the cage! -I knew something was up then.” - -A sudden idea had taken possession of Defarge. He felt that he was -caught in the net, and he would not go down without pulling Morgan with -him. He had gradually learned to dislike Dade almost as much as he did -Frank Merriwell. Of late it had been impossible for him to interest Dade -in his crooked schemes and tricks, which had brought about the strong -dislike he now harbored. - -“But you don’t know the kind of fellow Morgan is,” declared Defarge. -“Oh, those eyes of his! They have such an influence over me!” - -“His uncle was a hypnotist!” - -“He must have hypnotized me, for I made a pledge that I’d never lift my -hand against Merriwell again, yet, when he ordered me to do so, I could -not refuse.” - -Bart’s heart was throbbing wildly. - -“It’s just as I thought!” he declared, feeling almost friendly toward -Defarge for this statement. “But there’s only one way for me to prove it -against him.” - -“I can’t make a charge against him—I can’t!” - -“You must!” - -“If he is present, it will be impossible. He’ll throw his power over me, -and I’ll be helpless to tell the truth.” - -“You shall do it here and now!” - -“Please don’t make me do that! It will ruin me! I shall be expelled from -college, and all on account of Morgan! Think of that! I could not help -doing what he told me to do. If he were not here I’d never think of -harming Merriwell. I know I did try to do so long ago, but he was -generous to me, and I vowed never to lift my hand against him again.” - -Hodge was silent a moment, and then he said: - -“Merriwell is always generous, you know. I might kick you both out of -Yale, having such a chance; but I think he will be easy with you. What I -want is for him to refuse to take that dog Morgan onto the nine, and -Morgan will make it unless Merriwell objects. With your confession, I -can convince Merriwell of the whelp’s perfidy, and Morgan will be -dropped immediately.” - -This was a very simple matter, and Defarge had feared Bart would use the -confession to cause both of them to leave college. If this was the only -thing Hodge wanted the confession for, he should have it in short order. -Inwardly, the French youth was chucking with satisfaction. - -“I told the fellow his head would come off before the Easter trip!” he -mentally chuckled. “Now, he’ll find out!” - -Aloud he said: - -“If you will promise me to show the confession to no one but Merriwell -I’ll give it to you; but you must tell him I could not help doing just -what Morgan commanded. Ask him to be easy with me. It will ruin me if I -have to leave college before I finish my course.” - -“I’ll do it,” agreed Bart, readily enough, delighted to get the -accusation against Morgan on such terms. - -Defarge pretended to hesitate, but Hodge forced him on, and he took up -the pen and wrote as Bart dictated, now and then making a suggestion. He -stated that Morgan possessed some sort of hypnotic power, and this power -Dade had exercised to compel Bertrand to obey his commands. He had -commanded the French youth to hide beside the road and hurl the stone -down at Frank as Merry came along. Bertrand had begged Morgan not to -compel him to do that, but Dade had remained unyielding. Thus it came -about that Defarge did the trick against his own will, and he was very, -very sorry for it and profoundly thankful that Merriwell had not been -harmed. - -“Now sign it!” cried Bart exultantly. “We’ll see if Merriwell will have -any compassion on that whelp after this.” - -“What will Morgan do?” whispered Defarge, seeming to hesitate, with the -pen uplifted. - -“No matter what he does!” - -“But you do not think of me! He will be furious! I dare not sign it!” - -He was playing his part very well. - -“By Heaven! you must sign!” roared Bart. - -“But Morgan’s power over me—what revenge will he take? He will be sure -to seek revenge on me!” - -Under other circumstances, Bart might have seen that Defarge was -overdoing the terrified act. - -But Bart was blinded by his own hatred of Morgan and his desire to get -this signed confession which must convince Merriwell of Dade’s dastardy. - -“Sign it!” he cried, “and I’ll protect you from Morgan! Perhaps Morgan -will never know how it came about.” - -“He must not know—he must not!” panted the other. “You cannot help me if -he finds it out. He will put me under his influence and command me to -commit suicide, perhaps! Promise me that you will make Merriwell agree -not to let Morgan know I revealed the truth about him.” - -After a little hesitation, Bart said: - -“I’ll do what I can. Go ahead and sign. You must throw yourself on -Merriwell’s generosity, and I know you will not do so in vain.” - -Then Defarge signed the lying confession, which Bart soon folded and -placed in his pocket. - -“That’s all, Mr. Defarge,” said Hodge, as he rose to his feet and walked -to the door, taking out the key. “I have obtained just what I came for, -though I must say you gave me quite a lively little time before I got -it.” - -He inserted the key and threw back the bolt of the lock. - -“Good night,” he said. - -Then he opened the door, flung down the rapier, and went out. - -Alone in his room, Defarge laughed softly with satisfaction. - -“You are welcome to all you got,” he said. "Now, Mr. Dade Morgan, you’ll -find that I told you the truth when I said your head would come off, and -perhaps you’ll learn to hate Merriwell again as intensely as you did not -long ago. We’ll see if he will make a friend of you, as he has of so -many others who began by hating him. - -“Bah, Bart Hodge! you thought you had forced an unwilling confession -from me; but, instead of that, you played right into my hands. I owe you -something for helping me along with my little schemes. Why, I have -really enjoyed this call from you!” - -And he laughed again, softly, with a hissing sound through his white -teeth. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - FRANK FORCES THE TRUTH. - - -Bart went straight to Merriwell’s room and turned over the confession. -He watched Merriwell’s face, glowing with exultation, as Frank read the -remarkable statement of Defarge. - -“Where did you get this?” Merry asked, when he had finished. - -Bart explained, and Frank listened. - -“Well, this is rather astonishing, to say the least,” Merry admitted, -frowning over it. - -“It proves beyond the least doubt that Morgan is still your enemy, -though he is trying to strike you in the most dastardly way without -becoming implicated himself.” - -“It seems to prove that,” Frank admitted. - -“Well, now you have him in your power. But Defarge is mortally afraid of -the fellow.” - -Then Hodge explained the promises he had made to the French youth. - -“That being the case,” said Merry, as he folded the confession and put -it into his pocket, “I don’t see how we are going to use this document -against Morgan. Do you?” - -“You must drop Morgan from the ball-team. That will hurt him as much as -anything.” - -“How can I do that without an explanation? Would it be right?” - -“Right? How can you stop to think of such a thing in connection with -that fellow? He ought to be forced to leave college!” - -“I agree with you in that, but it cannot be done now, as you have given -Defarge those promises, and Defarge might fall with Morgan.” - -“Then hang the promises to Defarge! That fellow is a scoundrel, and -promises to such dogs do not hold!” - -“Yes, they do! With me a promise to any man, high or low, honest or -dishonest, saint or scoundrel, holds good!” - -“But you don’t mean to say that you will not do a thing?” snarled Bart, -in bitter disappointment. - -“No, I do not say that; but I shall wait a while before I make a move. I -may find some other thing by which I can drop Morgan from the -team—something that will permit me to be square and open in whatever I -do. Wait and see, Bart.” - -The work in the cage went on regularly day after day, and each day the -poorer men were weeded out from the great mass and dropped. From nearly -a hundred men the squad thinned down to fifty, to forty, to thirty. - -Still Dade Morgan remained, though Defarge had been dropped. The latter -could not understand it. Apparently Merriwell had made not the slightest -move after receiving the confession. One day Bertrand ventured to ask -Hodge if he had given the confession to Frank, but Bart snarled at him -furiously and would not answer. - -Indeed, Hodge was in a most disagreeable humor, kept so by the manner in -which Morgan hung on. Fully believing the fellow a wretch of the most -dastardly dye, Bart could not understand Merry’s laxity in not forcing -Dade to get out, and this served to put Hodge in anything but an -agreeable temper. - -Many times Frank had studied the confession of Defarge. He did so while -quite alone in his own room, and he found something about it that -convinced him of falseness and insincerity. - -At least ten more men would be dropped before the team would start on -the Southern trip, and out of the eighteen or twenty men who were to -play during the Easter holidays would come the regular nine. - -There was still time enough to drop Morgan, but Frank did not wish to -drop him without being satisfied of the absolute justice of such a move. -He had watched Morgan closely, and saw there was good baseball-material -in the lithe, supple youth. More than that, he saw that Morgan might -develop into a clever pitcher, and Frank greatly needed assistance in -the box, for he could not pitch all the games. - -One night, while sitting alone and meditating over the remarkable -confession, Frank began to think of the time he had quelled and -controlled Defarge by the power of his eyes. He remembered that the -French youth had seemed absolutely helpless beneath his influence. - -All at once, Merry sprang to his feet, exclaiming: - -“It’s worth trying!” - -Two minutes later he had left his room. He found Hodge and said: - -“I want you. Come along with me, and don’t say a word.” - -Bart was ready enough, for he fancied Frank had decided at last to act -against Morgan. But Merriwell led the way to the rooms occupied by -Bertrand Defarge, and, by rare good luck, they found the French youth -there alone. - -Defarge was astonished when both Merriwell and Hodge entered without -stopping to knock. He was more astonished when Hodge again closed and -locked the door. - -What were they after? With pale face, Defarge rose, and faced Frank -Merriwell. Frank’s eyes met his squarely, and in their depths the -accuser of Morgan saw something that made him shiver. - -“What—what do you want?” he weakly asked. - -“We have called to see you a few moments,” said Frank, in a calm, -soothing tone. “Don’t be alarmed. We have not the least intention of -harming you physically.” He had advanced to the table as he spoke, still -keeping his eyes fastened on Bertrand’s, who seemed to feel a strange -power creeping over him and pervading his entire being. “Let’s sit down -here by the table where we can talk,” urged Frank. - -Defarge sank into a chair, still staring at Frank’s eyes. As the French -youth sank, so sank Merriwell, and Hodge saw them sit looking at each -other over the table. Bart held his breath, wondering what was to -follow. - -Frank seemed to put his very soul into that look, and Defarge gradually -paled and took on a limp and lifeless expression, although he sat there -looking at Merry. - -With a gentle motion, Frank leaned over and lightly touched Bertrand on -the forehead. Defarge remained motionless, without winking. - -“It is well,” said Merry. “You must now answer my questions faithfully -and truly. You will do so!” - -It was a command. - -“I will.” - -Bertrand’s voice was hollow and listless. - -“Now,” said Frank, turning to Bart, with a smile, “We’ll find out the -real truth. He cannot lie to me if he wishes.” - -“What in the name of all that’s wonderful have you done to him?” gasped -the astounded fellow, approaching the table. “Have you——” - -“Yes,” nodded Merry. “You remember the time he tried to stab me while -intoxicated. I discovered then that I possessed this power over him. -To-night I resolved to exercise it to make him speak the truth.” - -Then he turned to Bertrand, while Bart looked on and listened -expectantly: - -“Defarge, do you regard Morgan as a friend?” - -“No.” - -“Do you like him?” - -“No.” - -“Do you hate him?” - -“Yes.” - -“Why do you hate him?” - -“Because he was once friendly toward me, but now seems to be ready to -become your friend.” - -“Would you like to do him an injury?” - -“Yes.” - -“Has he any influence over you?” - -“No.” - -“Not the slightest?” - -“Not the slightest.” - -“Then he cannot compel you to do anything he commands?” - -“No.” - -“He did not force you to conceal yourself beside the road one night when -the squad took a run into the suburbs and throw a stone at me?” - -“No.” - -“You did that of your own accord?” - -“I did.” - -Frank took the confession from his pocket and held it before Bertrand’s -eyes. - -“Then this confession is false?” - -“Every word of it.” - -“That’s all,” said Frank quietly, as he tore the paper into shreds. “I -have nothing further to ask you. But now, while you are in this -condition, I want to force upon you the knowledge that you cannot harm -me if you try. More than that, I want you to know that you can never try -to harm me again. I hold absolute power over you, and you will never -again lift a hand to do me an injury.” - -Defarge bowed slightly. - -Merry rose and passed his hand before Bertrand’s eyes. - -“Wake up!” he said sharply. “I’ve finished with you!” - -The French youth gave a start, rubbed his eyes, stared at Frank and -Bart, and mumbled: - -“Why, what—what—where-—-” - -Merriwell and Hodge were retreating. Bart turned the key in the lock. - -“Good night,” said Merriwell, as the door closed behind them. - -“Well, I’ll be hanged!” muttered Hodge, when they were outside. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - A PLOT AGAINST FRANK. - - -Bart, of course, had no further objection to offer to Dade Morgan as a -member of the nine, and the work of choosing the players went on without -any other unpleasant incidents. When the final selections were made, -Frank was satisfied that the Yale team was competent to put up a good -game of ball and would more than hold its own against its Southern -rivals, and his judgment was confirmed on the field. - -The date scheduled for the game at Charlottesville, Virginia, proved to -be a beautiful, mild day, early in April. It was near noon, and among -the crowd gathered to greet the players on the platform of the -railroad-station were two men strikingly unlike in appearance. One was -tall, raw-boned, sinewy; the other was of medium height, young, slender, -and flashily dressed. The taller of the two was rough, and plainly given -to dissipation. He was about forty years of age and a tough-looking -customer. The other was in his early twenties, but he had the face of a -youthful drinker, and there was about him an offensive air of conceit. - -The elder man was Jack Cunningham, brother of Bill Cunningham, the -famous Blue Ridge moonshiner and outlaw. The younger was Roland Ditson, -once a student at Yale College. - -Cunningham was listening to the guarded talk of his youthful companion. -He had reddish hair and beard. His trousers were tucked in the tops of -his boots, and he wore a woolen shirt that was open at the neck. His -build was that of a man possessing great strength and endurance. - -“I reckon yo’ don’t love this Frank Merriwell much,” said Cunningham. - -“I hate him,” replied Ditson, who was smoking a cigarette and nervously -handling his cane. The first two fingers of his right hand were stained -a sickly yellow. - -“What makes yo’ hate him so ver’ much?” asked Cunningham. - -“I can’t tell the whole story; it’s too long.” - -“Did he steal a girl away from yo’ some time?” - -“No. We were at college together. He’s still going to college. He set -himself up as a leader as soon as he entered.” - -“An’ yo’ didn’t approve of that?” - -“Well, I didn’t like it much. You can bet your life I did not bow before -him, same as most of the fellows came to do.” - -“Bucked agin’ him, did yo’, boy?” - -“Dicidedly.” - -“An’ he slammed yo’ down hard?” - -“Confound him! he always had a way of coming out on top. But I’ve got a -score to settle, and I’m going to settle it! He disgraced me before the -whole crowd one night, and I swore then that I’d find a way of getting -even before I died. Oh, I suppose I’ve got the best reason for hating -him that a fellow ever had! No matter just what it is; I don’t like to -talk about that. He did me dirt, and I’m going to get back at him.” - -“Yo’ say he’s comin’ here?” - -“Yes. He’s the pitcher on the Yale baseball-team, which plays Virginia -here this afternoon.” - -“Well, what’s your game?” - -“Virginia must win. I have learned that Merriwell will pitch here -to-day, for Yale means to take no chances.” - -“Well?” - -“Virginia can’t win with Merriwell pitching for Yale.” - -“Why not?” - -“Because it is impossible. The fellow is one of the most remarkable -twirlers who ever threw a ball. He has a curve that no batter can hit, -and I understand that he is in perfect form this season. Virginia has -not a ghost of a show with Merriwell pitching.” - -Ditson puffed fiercely at the cigarette, blowing some of the smoke into -Cunningham’s face. The giant coughed and fanned it aside with his huge -paw. - -“What in thunder any human being wants to smoke anything like that for -is mo’ than I can understand!” he blurted, in disgust. “The smell of it -would make a pig sick!” - -“Excuse me,” said Ditson, who did not wish to offend the fellow. - -“Why don’t yo’ be a man an’ smoke a pipe?” demanded the other. “Does -this Merriwell smoke them?” - -“I believe he does not smoke at all. He’s one of the goody-good kind -that never does anything bad. Oh, he’s a most sickening and disgusting -fellow.” - -“Kind of a mammy’s boy, eh?” - -“In some ways, yes; but you do not want to make a mistake by getting to -think he’s weak, for he isn’t. He is one of the strongest men at -Yale—he’s an athlete.” - -“Haw!” blurted Cunningham, with a gesture of contempt. “I judge I know -what that means. Them college athletes don’t amount to anything. The -best of them would be a child in my hands.” - -“Now, don’t make the mistake of underrating college athletes,” Ditson -hastened to say. “Some of them are wonderfully strong and expert, and -this Merriwell is a leader among such men.” - -“All right; have it that way if yo’ want to. I don’t care.” - -“If Merriwell does not play with the Yale team Virginia will win, for -she has a good nine, and Virgil Paragon, her pitcher, is clever. I want -her to win the worst way. It will make Merriwell feel mean, for he’s -captain of the Yale team.” - -“Well, how yo’ goin’ to do the trick?” - -“That’s why I sent for you. That’s why I had you to come here with your -team.” - -“Yo’ ain’t made it clear yet.” - -“I want you to carry this Merriwell off.” - -“Is that all?” - -“Don’t you know some place about two or three miles outside of town -where you can take him and keep him till about six o’clock this -afternoon?” - -“I judge I do. I could take him out to Ben Shannon’s place.” - -“That’s all right.” - -“But how’m I goin’ to get him to go, suh? I can’t jest openly nab him -right here befo’ everybody and carry him off without raisin’ a row.” - -“I’ll fix that all right so he will go along with you without a word. -When you get him out there you must take care of him and see that he -doesn’t come back.” - -“Oh, I can do that all right if I can get him to come along without -raising a fuss. But how’m I to get him to come along, suh?” - -“I’ll explain. There is a girl stopping in this town, whom he knows. Her -name is Elsie Bellwood, and she is stopping out at the Parker -plantation. Merriwell is more or less smashed on her, and he always -stands ready to fly to her at her call.” - -Cunningham rolled his quid of tobacco over his tongue, and winked at -Roland, as he observed: - -“I begin to see yo’ game. I’m ter tell him she wants to see him, git him -inter my turnout, an’ whisk off.” - -“Something like that, but I’ve prepared something that will make it dead -easy to fool him. I happened to get hold of some of her handwriting, and -I’ve written a note for you to give him. I’ve imitated her writing and -signed her name, and I think it will fool him. He won’t be looking out -for tricks, so it will be dead easy.” - -“How much money did yo’ say there was in it?” - -“Fifty dollars.” - -“Cash in advance?” - -“Twenty-five in advance; twenty-five afterward.” - -“I’ll do it. Where’s the letter an’ the money?” - -“Wait. I don’t want anybody to see me give you the letter or the money. -Let’s walk out here a piece where we’ll be alone.” - -“All right.” - -They made a strangely mated pair as they walked down the -station-platform and passed round behind the freight-building. - -“Here is the letter,” said Roland, as he took a square envelope from his -pocket and passed it over to Cunningham. - -On the envelope was written: “Mr. Frank Merriwell, kindness of Mr. -Muldoon.” - -“Who’s Mr. Muldoon?” demanded Cunningham. - -“You’re Mr. Muldoon,” explained Ditson, with a crafty smile. “That’s so -he will not get onto your real name at once. He’s posted, and he may -have heard of you, or your brother. Best not to wake up his suspicions -too quick.” - -“S’pose that’s right,” nodded the giant, as he thrust the letter into -his pocket. “Seems to me I’ve heard of a strong man by the name of -Muldoon.” - -“There is such a man—William Muldoon, and he’s a wonder.” - -“Then I’m his brother, an’ I can throw Willie four times out of five, -with one hand tied behind me. Mr. Frank Merriwell will think so when I -lay fingers on him.” - -Again Roland warned the confident ruffian not to underestimate -Merriwell’s prowess. - -“If you do, he’ll surprise you, just as true as you live. He is a -wonder.” - -“That’s all right,” grinned Cunningham. “I know all about them kind of -wonders. Where’s yoah money, suh?” - -Ditson produced a roll of bills, the sight of which caused the eyes of -the rascal to glitter and his fingers to twitch. In that moment it is -likely he was tempted to snatch the whole amount, run for it, and let -Frank Merriwell go his way. - -“Here’s twenty-five,” said Roland, stripping off two tens and a five and -handing them over. “I’ll give you the rest to-night after you have done -the job. When the train comes in all you have to do is go right in among -the Yale men and ask for Merriwell. They’ll point him out to you. Give -him the letter and get him into your wagon as soon as you can. After -that it’s for you to make sure he doesn’t show up again till after the -ball-game is over.” - -The train whistled in the distance. - -“There she comes!” exclaimed Cunningham. - -“Yes, there she comes!” palpitated Ditson. “Get back to the platform and -be ready for your work. Don’t make a fizzle of it.” - -“There ain’t the least danger of that, suh,” confidently declared -Cunningham, as he strode away. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - THE GREETING AT THE STATION. - - -Of course, the expected arrival of the Yale baseball-team brought out a -crowd to see the team come in. The fact that Frank Merriwell, the model -young American, and the pride of the youth of the whole country, was -captain of the Yale nine, had something to do with the gathering of a -throng of young men at the station-platform. The students from the -college had come down to greet the Yale men, and there was more or less -excitement as the train drew up at the station. - -Nor were the colors of Virginia the only ones to be seen in the -gathering at the station. One freckle-faced, but athletic-appearing, -youngster, whose clothes were somewhat shabby, had somehow procured a -knot of dark-blue ribbon, which he wore conspicuously. - -“Say, Jimmy,” called another boy, as a crowd of youngsters gathered -round the wearer of the blue, “what do you think you’re doing, anyhow? -What’s them colors ye’re wearin’?” - -“Them’s Yale colors,” was the proud and defiant reply. “What have you -got to say about it, Scrubby Watson?” - -“We want to know what you’re wearin’ them for! Ain’t you for the home -team?” - -“Well, any other time I am, but not to-day.” - -“Why not?” - -“Because the Yale nine is run by Frank Merriwell, and I’m for him first, -last, and all the time. He’s the boss jim-dandy, and don’t you forget -it! Why, I’ll bet a thousand dollars that he just wipes up the earth -with U. V. to-day. There ain’t anybody can beat him, and don’t you -forget that, either!” - -“Go on! He’s pretty good, but Paragon will show him some tricks to-day. -You’re a traitor, else you wouldn’t be wearin’ that ribbon.” - -“You’re a big fibber, Scrub! I’ve always been for Frank Merriwell, and -I’d be a traitor to him if I went back on him to-day. His friends never -go back on him!” - -“Well, I guess you’ve worn that long enough.” - -Then the boy called Watson suddenly snatched the ribbon from the ragged -coat of the other lad. A moment later Watson got it good and hard on the -point of the jaw, and he went down with a thud. - -“That’s one of Frank Merriwell’s settlers,” declared Jimmy, as he -snatched up the ribbon. “I read all about how he did it, an’ I’m willing -to give any of you other fellers some of the same. Come on, if you want -it.” - -But by this time the train had come to a stop, and the Virginia students -gave a cheer on catching sight of the Yale men. Instantly every lad was -pushing and crowding in a mad endeavor to get nearer the car, the -trouble between Watson and Jimmy being forgotten. - -The Yale men were a lusty-looking set of fellows as they descended from -the car. The crowd swayed and pushed and commented. - -“There’s Browning—the big fellow!” - -“Who’s that farmerish-looking fellow? Can he play ball?” - -“Where is Merriwell?” - -“That big fellow with the light hair must be Merriwell.” - -“No, that’s Starbright, the freshman who made such a football record -last fall.” - -“Where’s Merriwell?” - -“Who’s that black-eyed chap? He looks as if he might sprint.” - -“That’s Morgan. He’s a freshman, but he was on the eleven last fall.” - -“Where’s Merriwell?” - -“Here he comes! That’s Frank Merriwell! Hurrah for Merriwell!” - -“Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!” roared the crowd. - -A look of dismay came to the handsome face of the captain of the Yale -nine as the crowd broke into a great cheer when he appeared on the -platform of the car. - -The little fellow with the freckled face and the knot of dark-blue -ribbon pinned on his jacket shinned to the shoulders of a man and -shrieked: - -“There he is! There he is! There he is! That’s Frank Merriwell, the -greatest pitcher that ever lived! Hoop-ee! Yee! Hoo-ray!” - -Frank saw this excited youthful admirer, whose freckled face fairly -gleamed with joyous admiration, and he was forced to laugh outright. -That laugh won to Merriwell many friends in the crowd. Indeed, there was -something so magnetic and winning about this handsome youth that his -mere appearance on the platform of the car was enough to make him -friends. - -Many in the crowd had heard of Frank and conceived a prejudice against -him, fancying him a college youth with a swelled head, but even these -were struck by his handsome proportions, his graceful, muscular figure, -his fine head and that look of clean manliness which stamped him as a -fellow with lofty thoughts and ambitions. - -No one could mistake any other for Frank now that Frank had appeared. -The word “leader” was written all over him. And yet, remarkable to say, -there was not about him the least suggestion of conceit. To be sure, he -regarded himself with a certain amount of self-esteem, and it is -requisite that any man should so look upon himself if he wishes to win -the esteem of others. But the fact that his appearance in any place -should create so much excitement and enthusiasm was something he could -not understand, and he never ceased wondering over it. It seemed quite -inexplicable, for he could not believe that he had ever done anything -extraordinary enough to make himself thus well known and admired. - -As Frank descended the car-steps he was met by Phil Drake, the captain -of the U. V. nine, who grasped his hand, uttering some words of welcome. - -But Merry looked round for the little freckled fellow who had uttered -such a joyous shriek on seeing him. He found the boy in the clutch of -the man upon whose shoulders he had perched, and the man was shaking him -roughly, growling: - -“Climb me for a tree, will yo’? I’ll teach yo’ better manners, yo’ -brat!” - -With a sweep of his arm, Frank thrust aside all who stood between him -and the man. With a stride he was at the man’s side. Quick and firm was -his grasp on the man’s arm. - -“Don’t hurt that boy! Stop it, sir!” - -With a snarl, the man whirled and—— - -Jack Cunningham and Frank Merriwell were face to face! - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - KING JIMMY THE FIRST. - - -“Mind yoah business, suh! The youngster climbed all over me, an’ I’m -goin’ to——” - -“I wouldn’t hurt him, if I were you. He didn’t mean any harm.” - -Frank spoke quietly, softly, smoothly, looking into the fierce eyes of -the ruffian. - -“That settles it!” breathed the delighted boy. “Now I reckon you’ll let -me go! If you don’t, Frank Merriwell will do something to you!” - -“Frank Merriwell?” - -Cunningham repeated the name, his manner changing. - -“Are you Frank Merriwell?” - -“Yes.” - -“An’ he can wallop the stuffing out of two of you, if you are big and do -chew tobacco!” instantly declared the boy. “If you don’t think he can, -just give him a chance. Hit me a good cuff side of the head, and I’ll -bet a hundred dollars he’ll throw you clean over the train!” - -Frank could not resist his laughter at this declaration of the -freckle-faced fellow. Cunningham laughed, also. - -“Haw! haw!” he roared. “’Pears to me the youngster is mightily stuck on -yo’, mister.” - -“Stuck on him!” burst from Jimmy. “You can bet your life I am! He’s made -himself what he is, the boss athlete of the United States, and I’m going -to be just as much like him as I can. I know some other fellows that -feel the same way about it, too.” - -“Why, yo’ don’t s’pose he could wallop me, do yo’, boy?” - -“Don’t I! Say, he can do it with one hand tied behind him, for he’s -Frank Merriwell.” - -“But he ain’t got any whiskers.” - -“He don’t need ’em; he’s got muscle, and he knows just how to use it.” - -“Haw! haw!” roared Cunningham again. “It sure makes me laff at the idea, -an’ feelin’ tickled so I can’t hit yo’, so I’ll let yo’ go.” - -The boy seemed disappointed. - -“I’d just like to see what Frank Merriwell would done to you if you had -basted me again,” he sighed. “Won’t you please hit me a good one?” - -At this Cunningham roared once more, slapping his thigh. - -“Why, yo’re a queer little staver!” he said, with a great show of good -nature. “Yo’ want to get me inter trouble, but I refuse to be caught.” - -“Well, it’s a mighty good thing for you that you had sense enough to -refuse,” nodded Jimmy. - -The crowd all about was laughing, and somebody cried: - -“Those are the kind of admirers you have, Merriwell.” - -Then Frank reached down, grasped the boy, and swung him lightly up to -his shoulder. - -“And I am proud to have such admirers,” he gravely declared, a look of -earnestness on his face. “I had rather have the love and admiration of -the boys of this nation than all the wealth of the Klondike! This boy -says he wants to grow up and be like me and that there are others who -have the same desire. Those words will serve to make me still more -careful in regard to my actions, for more than ever I realize that the -example of every man affects others.” - -The crowd was suddenly silent. From some other these words might have -made no impression, or might have sounded stilted and egotistical; from -the lips of this splendid specimen of perfect manhood they made a deep -and lasting impression on many who heard them. - -“My boy,” said Merry, “what is your name?” - -“James Lee, sir; usually called Jimmy for short.” - -“Well, James Lee, I thank you for your great faith in my prowess, but -I’m glad you did not involve me in a fight, for I dislike fighting more -than anything else—unless it is lying and cheating, and things of that -sort. I prefer a fighter to a liar any day.” - -“I don’t s’pose you ever told a lie in your life?” - -Frank laughed again. - -“I fear I have,” he confessed. “I am not a second George Washington in -that respect, but I hope I have never told a malicious or harmful lie, -and I hope I may never again tell a lie of any sort. I see you are -wearing our colors to-day. Do you live here?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“And you are for Yale?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Why?” - -“Because you are captain of the Yale team, and I know U. V. can’t beat -you!” - -“Hooray for Jimmy Lee!” roared Bruce Browning, aroused by the words of -the boy. - -Then from those Yale men rose a cheer, to the end of which was tacked -the name of Jimmy Lee. - -And Jimmy—well, you should have seen him! He was the happiest youngster -in all Virginia. He tingled from his head to his heels. His eyes shone -and his freckled face gleamed. These Yale men, these handsome, athletic -fellows, these followers of Frank Merriwell, were cheering for him! Why -shouldn’t he be happy? Why shouldn’t he thrill with unspeakable delight? - -And back at a distance stood Scrubby Watson and his followers, looking -on in unspeakable envy. Was this little Jimmy Lee, whom they had often -bullied? They had been astounded when he dared hit Watson, the king-pin -of their set, for that showed a great change had come over Jimmy. He had -been following in the footsteps of Frank Merriwell, and the result was a -shock to them. But now—well, now he would be a god among them for some -time to come! Watson was deposed; the mighty had fallen; the idol of the -past was dust. Up with the new king! All hail King Jimmy, the “man” who -had sat upon Frank Merriwell’s shoulder while the Yale team cheered for -him! - -Jimmy looked about and saw them and smiled upon them. Forgotten was his -shabby clothes, his ragged jacket, and patched trousers. He was clothed -in robes of royal dignity now. Oh, never would he forget that day as -long as he lived. It would always remain the proudest day of his life. -He would tell his children and his grandchildren how, when he was a -little boy, he had sat upon the shoulder of the great Frank Merriwell -while the Yale ball-team had cheered for him! That was glory enough to -last a lifetime! - -And certain it is that this little event of that day was to have an -influence on Jimmy’s entire life. It was to make him a more -self-respecting man; it was to give him new and greater ambitions; it -was to urge him onward and upward. - -Yes, King Jimmy had risen, and it was not likely that he would be -deposed. He had been working for some time to develop himself and -emulate Frank Merriwell; he would work harder now. He would become a -leader among the smaller boys in athletic sports and games, for the man -who had sat upon Frank Merriwell’s shoulder must know how to tell them -the proper way to develop their muscles! And they would follow in his -lead, all of them taking new interest in the work of developing their -bodies—the work that is the greatest and happiest play for a boy. - -Thus the little event there at the station-platform had wrought a vast -amount of good in that handsome Virginia town. Thus it was that the -influence of Frank Merriwell spread and broadened so that in after-years -it must astound Frank himself. - -“Well, well, well!” cried Jack Cunningham. “I judge it ain’t often a kid -like you gets cheered in that way.” - -Jack Ready, with apple cheeks aglow, pranced forward and posed before -Jimmy. - -“Ah-ha!” cried the queer fellow, “I salute you, James the First of -Charlottesville. May your power never wane, and may your subjects be as -numerous as your freckles. James, you have a level head on your youthful -shoulders, and I will give you the great and exceeding honor of gently -touching my lily-white hand.” - -Then he grasped Jimmy’s hand and shook it vigorously. - -Other Yale men followed Jack’s example, so that Jimmy received a grand -greeting as he sat there upon the shoulder of the young American he -admired more than any other living human being. As they pressed forward -to shake Jimmy’s hand the Yale men made jolly remarks and the crowd in -the background began to cheer. - -Why, these Yale chaps were all right! Nothing rowdyish about them! Were -they fair samples of what physical training made young men? Then great -was physical training. They had life and spirit; their eyes were bright -and their cheeks glowed. There could be no mistaking that clear eye and -healthy cheek; alcoholic drink had nothing whatever to do with that. The -color of the cheek was not the congested flesh of false stimulation; it -was the true tint of health which every youth should have. - -“See Jimmy!” gasped the former followers of Watson. - -“They’re shakin’ hands with him!” - -“My goodness, fellers, don’t you wish you was him!” - -“Settin’ up there on Frank Merriwell’s shoulder——” - -“And shakin’ hands with the Yale ball-team!” - -“O-o-o-oh!” - -And “O-o-o-oh!” groaned Watson himself, fairly green with envy. - -“I’d like to lick him!” thought Watson. Then he put his hand to his jaw -and mentally added: “But he can hit like thunder! I never s’posed he -could slug that way. Don’t know as I could lick him if I tried.” - -You couldn’t, Watson; you’ve lost confidence in yourself, and your day -has passed, the sun of your glory has set to rise no more. You are -deposed, Watson, and all your feeble struggles will make no difference -now. King Jimmy the First is on the throne! - -“Say, this is a right good lot of fun,” put in Jack Cunningham; “but if -you’re Frank Merriwell, you’re the very feller I’m lookin’ for.” - -“Looking for me?” asked Frank. - -“Yes.” - -“All right; I’ll give you my attention in a minute. Jimmy, I want that -knot of blue ribbon. I believe it will be a mascot for me if I wear it -to-day, and I’ll give it back to you to-night.” - -Off came the knot of ribbon and Jimmy handed it over to Frank. - -“I don’t want it back,” he declared. “Keep it, won’t you, sir?” - -Frank put him down. - -“Yes,” he said, “I’ll keep it; but how can I pay you for it? If there is -anything——” - -“I don’t want pay; but I’d like to have something to remember you -by—anything you’ll give me.” - -Frank pinned Jimmy’s ribbon to his breast, while Jimmy looked on with -mist-dimmed eyes, feeling so proud that it did not seem that there was -room enough in his breast for his swelling heart. - -Then Merry felt in his pockets for something. He paused and thought a -moment. All at once it came to him, and he quickly found a small ribbon -badge, having crossed batsticks at the top, a bit of blue with a white Y -upon it, and a silver baseball dangling at the bottom. - -How Jimmy’s eyes danced when he saw that! He almost shouted for joy. -Then came the apprehension that Frank did not really and truly mean to -give it to him, and his heart stood still in anxious dread. - -“Will that do?” Merry asked. - -“Will it?” gasped Jimmy. “Will it do! Just ask me! Oh, say! I’ll keep it -just as long as I live!” - -Then Frank stooped and pinned it over the heart of the happiest and -proudest boy south of Mason and Dixon’s line. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - THE RUNAWAY. - - -“Now, sir, what can I do for you?” - -Standing at a distance, watching with anxious impatience and taking care -to keep out of sight, Roland Ditson muttered a little exclamation of -satisfaction as he saw Frank Merriwell turn to Jack Cunningham, speaking -these words. - -The train was starting to pull out from the station. - -“I came here to see yo’, suh,” declared Cunningham, turning his chew of -tobacco. “I’ve brought ye somethin’.” - -“What is it?” - -“This.” - -He handed over the forged letter. A moment later Frank was reading: - - “DEAR FRANK: I am in serious trouble, and I wish you to come to me - alone without a moment’s delay. I know I shall not appeal to you in - vain. Tell no one where you are going, for I do not wish it known that - I would trouble you at such a time, but I must see you—I must! Don’t - lose a minute! Mr. Muldoon will take you in the carriage direct to the - house where I am stopping, and you will have plenty of time before the - game. Do come, dear Frank. Yours, as ever, - - ”ELSIE." - -Frank was not looking for a trick, and his hasty glance over the letter -gave him no warning of anything wrong. Ditson had performed a very -clever job in imitating Elsie Bellwood’s handwriting. - -Merry was aware that Elsie had returned from Florida and was stopping in -Charlottesville, a fact which Roland had somehow learned, so the note -gave him no surprise. He had anticipated seeing her while in the place. -Hodge also anticipated that pleasure—or pain. She had taken care to let -the knowledge reach him that she was in Charlottesville. - -For a moment Merry seemed to hesitate. In the distance Ditson held his -breath. - -“Will the fool refuse?” he inwardly cried. “Why, no! for he is in love -with the girl!” - -Frank turned to Cunningham again. - -“Mr. Muldoon?” he said. - -“Yes, suh,” declared the ruffian, though he feared some one might hear -and expose him. But Jack Cunningham was known and feared in -Charlottesville. And King Jimmy was proudly displaying to his admiring -subjects the decoration of honor conferred upon him by Merriwell the -Great, therefore he did not get at what was going on. - -“You have a carriage here?” asked Frank. - -“Yes, suh; right over yander.” - -“How far must we go?” - -“Oh, just out beyond the town a short distance.” - -“How many miles?” - -“Something over two, perhaps.” - -Frank looked at his watch. - -“All right,” he said. “Fellows, I’ll have to leave you for a short time, -but I won’t be gone much over an hour.” - -Then without further explanation he motioned for Cunningham to lead the -way. - -Roland Ditson chuckled when he saw Frank follow the ruffian out round -the station to the place where the team was watched by a colored man. - -“He’s going into the trap!” muttered Roland. “And I’ll make a big pot on -the ball-game to-day, besides getting even with Merriwell to some -extent. My fifty dollars to that big whelp Cunningham will be well -spent, for I’ll make more than five hundred if U. V. beats Yale to-day. -And I can get more bets, too, with plenty of odds, for it seems the -general impression that Yale is bound to win, for all of Paragon’s skill -as a pitcher.” - -He had taken pains not to explain to his hired tool his full reason for -wishing to get Merriwell out of the way, well knowing Cunningham would -strike him for more money if he knew he was to win a large sum if Yale -met with defeat. - -“All right, Sam,” said Cunningham, as he took the reins. “Here’s a plug -of tobacco for you.” - -He threw a piece of tobacco toward the colored man, who caught it -skilfully. - -“Thank yo’, suh,” grinned the negro. “Dat off hoss am po’erful nervous, -suh, when der cayars come along, suh.” - -“Jump right in, Mr. Merriwell,” invited Cunningham. - -Frank did so, and the ruffian followed suit, swinging the horses toward -the road that led from the station. - -The Yale men had started for the nearest hotel, followed by a throng of -men and boys, both white and black. At the head of this throng marched -King Jimmy, with his head erect and the Yale badge secure upon his -breast. After him flocked his new subjects, while behind them walked the -deposed king, Scrubby Watson, with his hands thrust into his pockets, -his hat pulled over his eyes, and his entire aspect one of hopeless -dejection. - -Jimmy stared as Cunningham’s team went past with Frank Merriwell seated -beside the sandy-haired giant, then off came the little fellow’s hat in -a profound salute. - -And off came the caps of the followers of King Jimmy. - -Frank waved his hand, and away went the team through the outskirts of -Charlottesville, soon turning from the town to the country. - -April in Virginia is fair and beautiful. The world was green and fresh, -and in the purple haze of the west the Blue Ridge rose against the sky. -Frank drew in great breaths of the pure air, his eyes glowing as he -looked about at the attractive scene. The negro huts were picturesque, -and the colored men and women smoking in the shade, with dancing -pickaninnies here and there, were sights to delight the eye of an -artist. - -“Beautiful!” said Frank. - -“Hey?” grunted Cunningham. - -“I say this is a beautiful section.” - -“Yes, I s’pose it is.” - -“I presume it does not look as beautiful to you because of long -familiarity with it.” - -“I dunno. I ain’t been here so long, yo’ see.” - -“Haven’t? Are you employed by the Parkers?” - -“The Parkers? No, suh.” - -“Then how does it happen that you came to the station for me?” - -“Oh,” said Cunningham, “she just asked me, an’ I come. I’d do anything -fo’ her, suh.” - -“That is likely. Any one who knows Miss Bellwood is usually ready to do -anything possible for her. Is this your own team, Mr. Muldoon?” - -“Yes, suh. Great pair of hosses. Git, there, Demon! Hi, there, Ginger! -Yes! Take ’er out!” - -Cunningham cracked his whip over the horses, and put them both into a -mad run, while with a leering grin he looked sideways at Frank to see -the college chap get pale and frightened. - -“What do yo’ think of this fer goin’?” he demanded. - -“Oh, it’s fair,” answered Frank, “but you haven’t the right kind of a -carriage for it.” - -“Hey?” roared Cunningham, in astonishment. “Ain’t you satisfied with -this? Well, I’ll touch ’em up a little more, suh!” - -Then he rose to his feet and—swish, cut! swish, cut!—the whip whistled -through the air and twined about the horses. The animals tried to go out -of their harnesses, and the carriage careened along the road at a wild -rate of speed. - -But when Cunningham looked to see the effect on his companion he was -astonished to discover that the “college chap” was still unruffled and -serene. - -“How does this suit yo’, suh?” inquired the ruffian. - -“This is very fair, if your horses can do no better.” - -“Almighty gizzards!” gasped the brother of the notorious Blue Ridge -outlaw. “What do you want, suh?” - -“I wouldn’t whip the horses any more, if I were you,” said Frank -quietly. “They are already doing their level best. Besides, it is cruel -to hit them that way.” - -This seemed to make the man furious, for he shouted: - -“I judge, suh, I have a right to hit my own hosses! I’ll give yo’ the -liveliest ride yo’ evah took, by smoke!” - -Then he arose and cut both the frightened horses again. The animals made -a mad leap, and—snap!—one of the reins broke in Cunningham’s hand. - -The angry man dropped back with a gasp. - -“Good Lord!” he said. “The rein is broke, an’ them critters are going to -raise some dust now! Whillikens! what a scrape!” - -Now he showed alarm himself, but still the youth at his side was -perfectly calm. - -“You made a fool of yourself, Mr. Muldoon,” Frank grimly observed. “In -your attempt to frighten me you have done a very bad job.” - -“Them hosses will never stop runnin’ now till they’ve smashed thunder -out of this rig!” the man observed. “Yo’ had better jump for it, -youngster.” - -Then, from another road, an old negro appeared, seated on a -wabble-wheeled cart and driving a decrepit horse. The colored man turned -into the road directly in front of them. - -“Jump!” yelled Cunningham. “Things are goin’ to smash in a jiffy! Jump!” - -He rose to leap out, but Frank’s strong hand grasped him and flung him -back on the seat, while Frank’s clear voice rang out: - -“If you want to escape a broken leg or neck keep still! There is one -chance to stop the horses!” - -Then, having risen to his feet, with a long clean leap he flung himself -over the dasher of the carriage and landed astride of the “near” horse. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - IN THE TRAP. - - -The astounded man expected to see the college youth flung headlong to -the ground, but to his still greater amazement, Frank landed fairly on -the back of the horse, where he clung with perfect ease. - -But not a moment was to be lost, for they were close upon the old negro, -who was vainly trying to rein his horse out of the road. Still, Frank -Merriwell did not seem at all nervous or excited. With a swift, sure -grasp he caught both the reins and then he turned the madly running -horses to one side. - -Just in time. One of the carriage hubs clicked against the car as they -whirled past. But a catastrophe had been averted for the time, at least. - -Jack Cunningham stared as the “college chap” clung to the galloping -horses, drawing strong and sure on the reins, and talking in soothing -tones to the badly frightened animals. - -It was a revelation to Cunningham, but he had no hope that the youth -would be able to handle and stop the runaways. - -However, although not seeming to be making great efforts to stop them, -Merriwell continued to talk to the terrified creatures, his voice -rhythmical, soothing, and pleasant. - -For a considerable distance the runaways continued at their mad pace, -but at last they began to slacken little by little, reassured and -checked by that soothing voice. - -And so, watched by the amazed man in the carriage, Frank slowly quieted -them down until he was able to bring them to a halt upon the road, -although they were trembling and nervous. - -Merry had them by the heads the moment they stopped, having leaped to -the ground. - -Jack Cunningham jumped out of the wagon, declaring, in very picturesque -language, that the trick had been well done. - -“Yo’ must have been raised with hosses, young feller?” said the -wondering ruffian. - -“Not exactly,” said Frank, “but I have had some experience with them, -and I have learned that no sensible man ever uses a whip on a horse -without reason.” - -“Do yo’ mean to call me a fool, youngster?” - -“Well, I did not state it in exactly that language, but I think you were -foolish to whip the horses in order to try to frighten me. That is -plain.” - -Cunningham glared at Merry, longing to put his hands on the cool youth -who dared talk to him thus plainly. - -“That’s sassy!” he growled. - -“But it’s true, Mr. Muldoon.” - -“Well, I don’t ’low everybody to tell me the truth, so yo’ had better be -careful in the future.” - -“As long as it is my misfortune to be in your society, I shall not -hesitate to tell you the truth, sir.” - -Frank was gently stroking the muzzles of the horses and patting their -necks while he talked, and the animals became calmer and calmer beneath -his touch. - -“Well, yo’ are a mighty queer chap!” blurted Cunningham, who was -beginning to realize that he did not understand Merriwell at all. - -“Splice that rein somehow,” said Frank, “and we’ll go on, for I have no -time to waste.” - -When the horses were thoroughly quieted, Cunningham found a piece of -stout twine in his pocket. Merriwell had a jack-knife that was also a -handy kit of tools, and with these the rein was securely spliced, Frank -doing most of the work. - -“Yo’ are clever at some things,” the ruffian was forced to confess; “an’ -I judge yo’ don’t scare very easy.” - -To this Frank deigned no retort, but asked: - -“How much farther have we to go?” - -“Not more than a mile, suh.” - -“A mile? Why, you said it was not over two miles at the start, and I’m -sure we’ve covered a longer distance than that already.” - -“Well, suh, Virginyah miles are pretty long.” - -“I should say so! Well, make it as soon as you can, for I must get back -to town, but don’t use your whip on the horses again.” - -Frank vaulted lightly into the carriage, and Cunningham followed him. -Then they drove along once more. Reaching a piece of timber, they turned -into a road that seemed little used. After driving some distance they -came in sight of a ramshackle-looking house with some outbuildings near. - -“Is that the place?” asked Frank wonderingly. - -“Yes, suh; that’s the place,” averred Cunningham. “The girl is waiting -for yo’ there.” - -Elsie in such a place as that! It seemed impossible. No wonder she had -appealed to Frank for help! She must be in dire distress. - -But was this the home of the rich Mrs. Parker with whom Elsie had been -traveling in the South? It could not be! - -“Does Mrs. Parker live here?” - -“Yes, I reckon that’s her name,” answered the man. Then he gave a sharp -whistle, and a colored man loafed deliberately round a corner of the old -house. - -“Take care of the hosses, Toby,” ordered Cunningham. “You know what to -do, you black rascal. Give them a good rubbing down, or I’ll tan your -hide!” - -“Yes, suh; all right, suh!” said Toby, moving with greater alacrity when -he recognized the man in the carriage. - -Cunningham jumped out. - -“Come on, suh,” he said to Frank. - -Feeling bewildered, as well as dismayed, Frank obeyed. - -Where was Elsie? Why did she not appear at the door to welcome him? -Perhaps she was ill! The thought was startling. He had not asked -“Muldoon” about that. - -“Come right in,” invited Cunningham, as he led the way. - -Frank followed. The front door had been closed, but Cunningham thrust it -open and entered. When that door closed with a bang behind Frank, a -sudden presentiment of danger seized upon him. - -Up to that time there had been nothing to arouse his suspicions, and, -knowing Elsie was in Charlottesville, it is not at all strange that he -had failed to penetrate the deception. Had there seemed to be any reason -why any one should wish to do him harm, Merriwell would have been on his -guard before, and it is certain he must have penetrated Cunningham’s -trickery. - -Now, having proceeded thus far, Frank quickly resolved to see the matter -through. He would not retreat until he knew what was “doing,” but he -would be on his guard. - -“She’s up-stairs,” said Cunningham. - -Up-stairs Frank followed the ruffian, striding along in advance in a -careless manner. - -“She’s right in this room,” declared the man, flinging open a door. -“Walk in.” - -But Frank did not walk. In that room he had caught a glimpse of two men -who were playing cards at a rough table. - -Instantly Cunningham turned round and grasped Merry’s collar. - -“Walk in!” he repeated commandingly. “Here, Ben, I’ve got a visitor to -see yo’.” - -“Remove your hand!” said Frank, in a low, cold tone. “Remove it -instantly!” - -And then, when Cunningham failed to obey, Merry struck the man a blow -that sent him up against the partition with a terrible thud that seemed -to shake the whole house. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - CUNNINGHAM MEETS HIS MASTER. - - -But Jack Cunningham had a hard head, and he was not a man to be knocked -out by the first blow. Somehow he continued to cling to Frank’s collar. - -Recovering quickly from the shock of Merry’s blow, he uttered a snarl -and swung back. Frank ducked, and the huge fist of the giant went over -his shoulder. - -The two men who had been playing cards came running out. - -“Hey, Jack, what’s the matter?” they cried. “Want some help?” - -“No, I don’t want any help!” roared Cunningham. “Just yo’ keep back an’ -watch me knock some of the conceit out of this college chap.” - -Then he gave Frank a thrust away and spat on his hands. - -“I’m goin’ to everlastingly knock the corners off yo’, youngster!” he -declared. “Yo’ thumped me, an’ no man ever does that without gittin’ -licked, and licked good!” - -Frank saw that he was in for a hand-to-hand encounter with the big -ruffian. - -Knowing now that he had been tricked and brought to that old house for -some evil reason, Merry was inwardly seething with anger, though -outwardly he seemed perfectly cool. - -“Before we engage in this little racket,” he said, “supposing you tell -me what your name is. I’m all in the dark. Why have you lied to me and -brought me out here?” - -“Oh, just to have fun with yo’,” declared Cunningham, tearing off his -coat and flinging it down. “Yo’ are a conceited college chap, an’ I’ve -taken all this bother just to have a good chance to thump some of the -conceit out of yo’.” - -“Muldoon, I told you when you used the whip on your horses that you were -a fool, but now I am forced to add that you are a liar!” - -“Muldoon?” cried one of the other men. “What’s he callin’ yo’ that fer, -Jack?” - -“Why, because I’m Muldoon, brother to the strong man,” returned -Cunningham. “An’ I’m goin’ to break this feller plumb in two. Look out, -youngster!” - -The upper hall, like the lower, was wide and roomy, giving them a very -fair chance for the battle. - -Cunningham rushed at Merry, but Frank side-stepped, avoiding him easily, -and he gave the fellow a body-blow that knocked a great puff of wind out -of him. - -“Stand up, hang yo’!” grunted Cunningham. “Don’t try any of yoah -monkey-tricks!” - -“He hit you a thumper, Jack!” cried one of the watching men. - -Cunningham recovered, but he was surprised when the beardless youth took -the initiative and came at him, leaping aside and then diving in. - -Once more Frank landed, and this time his hard knuckles cut the cheek of -the man who had led him into the trap. - -“Why don’t you smash him, Jack?” shouted the watching men. - -“I’m goin’ to!” was the fierce retort. “Just you see!” - -But he soon found it was not such an easy task to “smash” the young Yale -athlete, who was a scientific boxer and knew all the tricks of the -professional fighter. Just when Cunningham thought he had the youth -cornered—biff! biff! biff!—he got it in such swift succession that he -was dazed and the nimble-footed lad slipped away. It was not long before -the ruffian began to lose his head and try to “rush.” - -“Steady, Jack!” shouted one of the men. “Yo’ can’t do him that way!” - -“I’ll kill him!” grated Cunningham. “I’ll smash him!” - -“Smash him!” shouted the men again. - -Not a word came from the youth, whose lips were pressed together, whose -jaws were set, and whose eyes flashed. - -Frank was determined to punish this man for the trick, and he soon had -the fellow’s face bruised and bleeding in a dozen places. But Cunningham -was hard as iron, and he possessed the “wind” and endurance of a -mountaineer. It was not an easy thing to wear such a man out. - -Once Merriwell found a good opening, went in, his fists flashed, and the -man went down heavily. One of the ruffian’s companions assisted him to -rise, saying: - -“We’ll all jump on him, Jack! We’ll do him in short order!” - -“Keep off!” roared the giant, his eyes gleaming fiercely, while blood -began to trickle from his chin. “No whiskerless kid like that can whip -Jack Cunningham!” - -He swept his would-be assistant back with one arm and advanced on -Merriwell again. - -“Dern yo’!” he panted, his great breast heaving. “What right have yo’ to -fight like this! You’re nothing but a boy!” - -No reply. The college youth was standing there, his arms hanging by his -sides, his bosom not seeming to heave to any great extent from the -exertion. He was utterly fearless in his aspect, causing those men to -wonder greatly, for never before had they encountered a lad just like -this one. - -If there was anything Frank Merriwell detested it was fighting; but he -had perfected himself in the art of self-defense for such an occasion as -this, and now, highly indignant at the deception practised upon him, he -was resolved to teach this ruffian a lesson. - -Had Merriwell not been a skilful boxer he must have fallen before the -savage assaults of the ruffian long before this. - -Could he defeat Cunningham, he felt that he would then be ready to meet -the other men, even though they both came at him at once, for something -told him they were no such savage fighters as the man with whom he was -battling. - -Frank did not wait for Cunningham, but suddenly his hands went up and he -sprang forward. The ruffian was on guard, but Merry quickly retreated, -without offering to strike a blow. - -Then the man did the very thing Frank had hoped to lead him into. He -rushed once more. - -The youth halted and met that rush. Cunningham struck a ponderous blow, -but the Yale youth’s head went to the left and the hairy fist shot over -his shoulder. Frank’s left fist landed on the man’s ribs. Had Cunningham -been stripped it would have proved a much more effective blow, but as it -was his ribs seemed to crack. - -“Oh!” grunted the watching men. - -Cunningham stood stock-still, an expression of pain on his face. Frank -had gone under his arm and whirled, and he struck again, hitting his -opponent in the back of the neck, almost at the base. - -With outstretched arms, the ruffian staggered forward and was caught in -the arms of one of his friends. - -“That was an awful one, Jack!” gasped this man. “Better let us fix him!” - -“Keep off!” cried the giant once more. “Jack Cunningham can’t have it -said he was licked by a kid!” - -Frank was waiting when he turned. For a moment Merry fancied the ruffian -thought of drawing a weapon, but it is possible that Cunningham’s pride -kept him from being forced to use a knife in order to do up an unarmed -lad. - -“Yo’re the devil!” snarled the man; “but I’ll finish yo’ yet!” - -Indeed, he recuperated quickly, soon being ready to resume the fight. - -“That kid in town said yo’ could fight,” muttered the man; “but I didn’t -believe it. He was right, but I swear I’ll down yo’ in the end!” - -Now, however, Merriwell closed in on the man and gave him not a moment’s -rest. He saw that the only way to put Cunningham out was to never let up -until able to strike the knock-out blow. - -The man had learned a very painful lesson, and he was not as careless as -he had been; but the skill of the athletic young boxer was far too much -for him. - -Again and again Frank reached Cunningham’s face, which would bear the -marks of that encounter for many days. One of the man’s eyes was -swelling fast, threatening to close entirely. - -Again Cunningham’s friends begged to be permitted to take a hand, -plainly not daring to strike in without permission as long as he -remained on his feet. - -Frank gave the ruffian no chance to reply. He was pressing Cunningham -hard. A blow that reached the fellow’s solar plexus caused his hands to -fall. - -Then Merriwell found the opening he wanted, and he struck Cunningham a -fearful blow on the point of the jaw. - -The ruffian went down—and “out.” - -But as he fell one of his mates struck Frank over the head with a piece -of lead pipe that was wrapped about with several folds of cloth. - -Struck down in this cowardly manner from behind, the champion athlete of -Yale fell limply across the body of the ruffian he had whipped. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - BART AND ELSIE. - - -In the suburbs of Charlottesville, sitting at the window of a handsome -house, was a pretty, blue-eyed, fair-haired girl, whose sweet face told -of the great beauty of her character. - -The window at which the girl sat commanded a view of the distant highway -and the winding walk that led up from the gate through the shrubbery of -a beautiful garden lawn. - -The girl was watching the road and the walk, her face expressing both -eagerness and anxiety. She surveyed every pedestrian that passed along -the street, and her heart fluttered, sending the pink flush of hope into -her cheeks, when a swiftly driven carriage appeared coming rapidly along -the street. The flush died when the carriage passed, and a sigh of -disappointment escaped her. - -The girl was Elsie Bellwood, looking fairer and sweeter than ever, if -possible. - -“Will he come?” she murmured. - -Of whom was she thinking? Was it Frank Merriwell, or—— - -Two persons appeared, coming from another street, and soon turned in by -the gate to the grounds of the handsome mansion. - -One of them was a sturdy-looking boy with freckled face, who walked -proudly, carrying his head high, while upon his outthrust chest might be -seen what to him was far more precious than the medal of the Legion of -Honor—a Yale baseball-badge. - -The other was dark-eyed, dark-haired, finely formed, handsome, stern. -Bart Hodge was coming, escorted and directed by King Jimmy the First. - -The girl was standing on the broad veranda, a bright smile on her face, -when they came up. - -“There she is, suh,” said King Jimmy, taking off his torn old hat, -pressing his hand to his heart, over which hung that ensign of royalty, -and bowing low with courtly grace. “This is Miss Bellwood, suh.” - -Bart Hodge did not speak. His face was very pale, but there was a -glowing light in his dark eyes. She held out her hands to him, and they -trembled a little. - -“Bart,” she said, “I am so glad to see you!” - -With a bound he went up the steps to the veranda, he clasped those small -hands in a grasp that was almost crushing, he looked deep into her open -blue eyes, as if he would read her very soul. - -“Are you glad—are you really glad?” he breathed, his strong body -beginning to shake a little in spite of his efforts to hold himself in -control. - -“I am really and truly glad, Bart,” she honestly answered, and who could -doubt the sincerity of Elsie Bellwood when she spoke like that! - -He longed to clasp her in his arms, to hold her to his throbbing heart -as he had in that terrible yet joyous moment on the burning steamer when -he poured into her ears the tale of his long-smothered love. He longed -to hold her thus and press a kiss on those sweet lips—to smother that -beautiful mouth in kisses. - -But Bart Hodge, who had once been unable to govern himself and his -desires, had learned the value and art of self-control from his dearest -friend, Frank Merriwell, so that he now was able to hold himself in -check. - -But the eyes of King Jimmy were keen, and the tact of King Jimmy was -great, for he deliberately turned his back upon them and seemed -intensely and wondrously interested in the beauties of the -well-cultivated lawn and the efforts of the gardener who was laboring on -a distant flower-bed. But to himself the king whispered: - -“My stars! but ain’t he just completely smashed on her! It’s a dead gone -case!” - -Elsie read the truth of Bart’s continued love in his looks; she realized -that it had grown still stronger and deeper. If she had hoped that he -would put it away from him she now saw that there was no possibility of -his making an effort to do such a thing. And, while it enchanted her, -still there was a strange intensity about it that made her afraid. - -Still, a man who could love like this was a man who would make a most -devoted husband. He would be ready to shield from all harm the prize he -had won. He would devote the remainder of his life to her without -reservation and without selfishness, no matter what his past record -showed him to be. - -At least, thoughts like these flitted vaguely through the mind of the -girl who had met him there upon the veranda of that beautiful Virginian -home. - -“Yes, I’m awfully glad you’ve come!” declared Elsie, smiling even though -it seemed that he would crush her slender fingers in his fierce, -thoughtless grasp. “But where is—Frank?” - -He dropped her hands suddenly. - -“Frank?” he said, and there was a strange hoarseness in his voice. “You -are disappointed because he did not come instead of me!” - -“Crickets!” thought His Royal Highness, still maintaining his position -with his back toward them, although he would have given the wealth of -half his kingdom to peep at them then. “That feller is jealous! My! my! -but he’s a hot one!” - -“Oh, no!” Elsie quickly declared, putting both her hands on Bart’s arms -and looking again into his eyes; “not that. I am disappointed because he -did not come with you.” - -“Wonder which one she’s worse smashed on,” speculated the king to -himself. “Frank? Why, she must mean Frank Merriwell! Jeroosalam! If -that’s the case, this feller don’t stand a ghost of a show! Why, of -course she cares most for Frank!” - -King Jimmy the First was loyal to the core. - -“Do you wish to see him so much?” asked Hodge, still with the wound of -jealousy rankling in his heart. - -“Of course I do, Bart. You know what a true friend he has been to me. -You know I never could have obtained my fortune if it had not been for -him. You know he has saved my life more than once.” - -“Yes, I know,” muttered Hodge. “I know he saved your life that time when -he was rowing with you and Inza. When the boat was capsized, he saved -you, instead of Inza. Why did he do that unless he loved you most?” - -“How foolish you are, Bart! It is always Frank’s way to help first those -less able to help themselves. He did so in that case.” - -“It was his choice between you!” - -“Nonsense! It was nothing of the sort! Inza is an athletic girl, and he -knew she was a splendid swimmer, therefore she was better able to take -care of herself. At least, he thought so, and that was why he came to my -rescue first. Now, don’t be foolish, Bart—please don’t!” - -Their loyal companion, still standing with his back toward them, was -forgotten for the time being. But his ears were wide open, and his -wisdom that had made him king was brought to bear on this case. - -“That’s what she thinks about it,” he mentally commented. “She’s honest -in thinkin’ so, but I guess she’s wrong. If Frank saved her first, I’ll -bet my new pair of suspenders that she’s the one he’s most stuck on.” - -However, even the wisdom of a king may sometimes be unwise. - -“Perhaps you are right,” admitted Hodge; “but I don’t believe it. Let’s -not talk of that.” - -“That’s where you’re sensible, young feller,” whispered James the First -to himself. “If you want to stand the least show, don’t get her to -sizing you up alongside of Frank Merriwell, ’cause you ain’t in it for a -minute. You’re a pretty good feller, but yo’ ain’t in his class, suh.” - -“But I wrote—I wanted him to come, you know,” said Elsie, with some -hesitation. “I suppose he was so busy he did not have time, but I’ll see -him at the game this afternoon.” - -“I don’t understand just what happened,” said Bart, “but a man—a big, -red-headed fellow——” - -“Regular darned old pirate!” was King Jimmy’s unspoken comment. - -“——met him at the station when we arrived,” Hodge went on, “and gave him -a letter. Frank read it, told us he must leave us for a while, jumped -into a double team with the man, and was driven off. He didn’t tell a -soul where he was going or anything about it. It’s rather queer, I -think.” - -Elsie looked suddenly worried. - -“I’m afraid, Bart,” she said, “that something is wrong.” - -“Wrong? Why? What can be wrong?” - -“Well, I don’t just know, but my heart seems to tell me that Frank is in -serious trouble.” - -“Jee-whill-i-kins!” gasped King Jimmy, almost staggering with the shock. -“I wonder if that’s so!” - -“What trouble could he get into here?” said Hodge. “He has no enemy who -would wish to do him harm—that is, none in this place.” - -“Yes he has!” exclaimed Elsie earnestly. - -“Has?” - -“Yes.” - -“Why, who——” - -“One of his old enemies at college is right here in this place!” - -“Great horn spoon!” muttered the now thoroughly excited king. “This is -getting mighty interesting.” - -“Who is it?” asked Bart, also interested. - -“Do you remember Roland Ditson?” - -“Do I? I should say I did! Why, he was one of the most contemptible -sneaks I ever saw!” - -“Roland Ditson is in Charlottesville.” - -“But he hasn’t courage enough to do anything. No one need ever fear -him.” - -“He might not have courage enough himself, but there are desperate men -in these parts who will do almost anything for money. We do not see many -of them here in town, but we hear of them. You know there is an outlaw -by the name of Cunningham who defies officers to capture him and who has -carried on a perfect reign of terror not more than a hundred miles from -here.” - -Bart laughed, trying to reassure her. - -“Oh, well, it’s not at all likely Mr. Cunningham has had anything to do -with Roland Ditson or is in this vicinity. Don’t get alarmed, Elsie. -Frank can take care of himself.” - -“But Roland Ditson has been so confident that U. V. would defeat Yale! -It has seemed strange. You know he comes here to this house, and I have -been compelled to meet him and treat him decently. He has made some -talk, and it has been his boast that Virgil Paragon, the great U. V. -pitcher, would ‘make Yale look sick.’ I understand that he has bet lots -of money against Yale.” - -“Well, he’ll lose it,” said Bart. - -“You bet your boots he will,” mentally agreed King Jimmy. - -“Not if Frank does not pitch.” - -“Oh, I don’t know! We’ve developed two good men on this trip. You know -Merriwell is doing only just enough pitching to get into perfect form. -When a game looks bad, of course, he goes in and pulls us out. We’ve -found a good man in Morgan.” - -“Morgan?” - -“Yes.” - -“Why, I thought——” - -“That he was Frank’s worst enemy and would not be taken onto the nine? -Well, a change has come over Morgan since that villainous old uncle of -his died. I don’t like the fellow at all, but I have been compelled to -confess to Merriwell that there is a prospect of Morgan becoming a great -pitcher.” - -“The other——” - -“Is Starbright. He can pitch, but he does not forge ahead quite as fast -as Morgan.” - -“What do I care about them chaps?” King Jimmy whispered. “They ain’t in -it with Frank Merriwell. He’s the only feller that can beat Virgil -Paragon, and if anything’s happened to him, Yale will get walloped out -of her boots to-day.” - -“But I tell you Virginia will win to-day if Frank does not pitch. I -believe Ditson is satisfied of that, and I fear he has done something to -get Frank out of the way.” - -“I hardly think that, Elsie. Don’t get nervous about Frank. I’ll look -him up when I go back to the hotel. I must have a little chat with you -first.” - -“Won’t you come in?” she invited. “Mrs. Parker will be glad to see you.” - -That was no inducement, but Hodge was ready enough to go in. However, as -they were moving away, a violent cough attracted their attention, and -they turned to perceive King Jimmy, who still stood with his back -squarely toward them. - -“By Jove! I nearly forgot him!” exclaimed Bart, diving into a pocket. -“Here, young man, is the quarter I promised you for showing me the way.” - -Jimmy turned and caught the shining piece of silver which Bart tossed to -him. - -“Thank yo’, suh,” he said, as he bowed low, floppy hat in hand. “I’ll be -at the ball-ground this afternoon with all the fellers, and you can bet -Yale will have some rooters in this town.” - -“That’s the stuff!” smiled Bart. “Give us some encouragement, James. -Good-by.” - -“Farewell,” said the king, with a stately wave of his hand. “Good day, -lady.” And once more he bowed, with his hand touching the decoration of -glory and honor over his heart. - -“What a polite little chap!” said Elsie, as she entered the house with -Bart. “And so dignified!” - -Had they looked back they would have seen that all the king’s dignity -had vanished and that the king had taken to his heels and was scudding -away as fast as his legs could carry him. - -And to himself the king was communing thus as he ran: - -“Great jumping Jingoes! I’ll bet two hundred thousand dollars that -something has happened to Frank Merriwell! I’ll bet that was a trick to -get him out of the way! I’m goin’ to find out, and if he’s in any -trouble he can rely on me! I’ll stand by him to the death!” - -Hurrah for King Jimmy, the loyal! - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - HODGE AND DITSON. - - -Bart and Elsie were quite alone at last. He had seen Mrs. Parker and -chatted with her a few moments, after which, making some excuse, she -retired from the airy sitting-room and left them there. The doors were -open, but the house was quiet, and there seemed to be no one near to -overhear what might pass between them. - -Then Bart hesitated. He had come there with the determination of again -assaulting the fortress and making a desperate attempt to carry it by -storm, but now his heart was filled with forebodings of defeat. - -Elsie was looking downward, tapping the carpet lightly with one small -foot. He gazed at her with his heart seeming to pound madly in his -throat. - -Surely she was the sweetest and most beautiful of all girls! He could -not doubt it. He thought of other girls, and to him the fairest of them -were as common clay beside her. - -“I love her!” he told himself. “I must win her—I will!” - -How could he begin to say what he wished to express? With sudden -determination, he rose and walked over to the window near her. - -“This is a beautiful place, Elsie,” he said, looking out of the window. - -“Very beautiful,” she answered, rising. “Virginia is delightful in the -spring time.” - -“You like it here?” - -“Oh, yes.” - -“You have not been lonesome?” - -“Ah, but I have,” she confessed. “You know I was quite a stranger here, -and I could not help being lonesome a little. Besides, I used to long to -see you all at New Haven.” - -He drew nearer to her. - -“Whom do you mean by ‘you all’?” he asked. - -“Why, you and Frank, and all the friends I know there.” - -“But most of all?” - -“You and Frank.” - -“If Frank were to ask you that question, you would answer, ‘You and -Bart.’” - -“Why, yes, I suppose I would.” - -He showed a shadow of disappointment. - -“I thought you did not intentionally place me first,” he said; “but I -hoped you did.” - -She looked up quickly, and that glance made his heart beat still more -swiftly. - -“Bart,” she said, “I would not intentionally place either one of you -before the other.” - -His heart seemed to drop back into his bosom with a thud. - -“I had hoped you did,” he repeated. - -He knew he must brace up at once. He looked on her, and the fire -returned to his heart. - -“Elsie,” he said swiftly, yet gently, taking her hand, “I love you! You -know that, for I have told you so before now. My love has not changed in -the least, unless it has grown stronger. I know it has taken a firmer -hold on me, for now I feel that I cannot live without you!” - -The hot blood had rushed to his face, and he was trembling again. He -drew her toward him, and she felt his panting breath on her cheek, which -had paled as he grew flushed. - -“Don’t stop me, Elsie—please listen! You must listen! This love is -filling my heart with fire! It is burning out my soul! Elsie, if you -could love me in return! I would do anything for you, sweetheart! I -would give you my life’s devotion! I would protect you from every storm -and hardship! I would take you in my arms and bear you tenderly over all -the rough places in the journey of life! I know I am not worthy of you, -dear girl—I know it, but still I cannot give up the thought that I may -win you! It is like giving up my very life! I will try to make myself -worthy! I will do everything to bring myself nearer your level, which I -know I can never reach!” - -“Now, stop, Bart!” she exclaimed, with sudden firmness. “I will not hear -you talk that way about yourself. Don’t try to make me out such a -paragon of perfection, for I know I have my faults, just like any other -girl, and I——” - -He stopped her. - -“You are not like other girls in any way,” he declared, with all the -intense infatuation of youth. “You are wholly and entirely different. -You are as far above them as——” - -“Don’t, Bart!” she protested, her face crimson. “Truly you are -mistaken!” - -She was laughing and confused, but she looked prettier than ever before. -He tried to draw her into his arms, but she would not permit it. - -“I don’t care!” he declared, with that same intense earnestness. “To me -you are different, and that is enough! To me you are everything! Elsie, -answer me one question, answer me honestly: Are you still in love with -Frank?” - -She hesitated with bowed head, her laughter stopped now, the blushes -fading from her face. - -His heart seemed to stand quite still while he waited for her to answer, -for he felt that his future happiness depended on the words her lips -would speak. - -It was plain that she was trying to analyze her own feelings; she was -trying to read the secret depths of her heart. He could see that, and a -fearful dread of the result rose up and grasped him with a grip of iron. -He was not a coward in any sense, yet, aware as he was of the new -understanding between Frank and Inza, he felt that he dared permit Elsie -to speak without knowing what had taken place. - -For what if Elsie were to confess that she still cared for Frank as of -old? Then he could not tell her. And he had sought permission from Frank -to tell Elsie what had occurred. - -Having made such a profession, would not Elsie be too proud to ever -alter her mind, and might it not raise up still greater barriers between -them? - -“Wait!” he panted, as he fancied she was on the point of speaking. “I -want to give you more time, dear girl. I want you to know just what your -answer means to me. Frank is my friend, and he is the finest fellow in -the world, so I am not——” - -“That’s your opinion, Mr. Hodge. Beg pardon for intruding. I am looking -for Ned, and, happening to hear voices here, I strayed in.” - -The speaker was Roland Ditson, calm, cool, swaggering. - -Hodge, furious at the intrusion, gave the fellow a black look, while -Elsie drew back a little. - -“Don’t let me interrupt your enjoyment,” said Ditson, with a laughing -sneer. “I’m going right out; but before I do, I want to say that the -opinion of Mr. Hodge in regard to Merriwell is not shared by everybody.” - -Bart took two steps toward Roland, hoarsely demanding: - -“What do you mean?” - -“Just what I said,” declared Ditson, with cool defiance. “I do not -regard Merriwell as the finest fellow in the world, but far from it. In -fact, I think he is——” - -“Hold on!” Bart’s hand was outflung. “Be careful what you say!” - -“Whew!” whistled Roland. “This is a free country, and my tongue is my -own. You can’t muzzle me here, Hodge, and I shall express my opinion of -Merriwell if I wish.” - -“Don’t do it! There is a lady present.” - -“Well, it is true that I couldn’t properly say just what I think of -Merriwell in the presence of a lady.” - -Bart was beginning to tremble again, but this time it was for an emotion -entirely different from the one that had possessed him a short time -before. He longed to walk to Roland and knock him down without another -word. - -“I shall be glad to go outside with you and hear you express yourself,” -said Bart, in a manner that Roland could not misunderstand. - -Now Ditson had no fancy for getting into a fight with Hodge, who had a -reputation as a chap who had as soon fight as eat. - -“Excuse me,” he said airily. “I haven’t time, you know. I’m looking for -Ned Parker. I want to tell him that Virginia is dead sure to win the -ball-game to-day. Yale will not be in the game at all.” - -“Your wisdom does you credit!” returned Bart scornfully. - -“That’s all right,” returned Roland. “You’ll see pretty soon that I know -what I know. Yale can’t win to-day. The die is cast, and Virginia drags -her feathers in the dust.” - -Hodge became convinced that he understood the fellow’s meaning. He -remembered Elsie’s words of a short time before. Why was Ditson so -confident? For once in his life, Bart resolved to be diplomatic. He -would seek to draw the fellow out. - -“With Merriwell in the box, there is a possibility that Virginia will -not score,” he said. - -“With Merriwell in the box!” laughed Ditson. “Ha! ha! ha! Why, is that -so? Well, wait and see what Mr. Merriwell does to-day. It is my private -opinion that he will not do any pitching worth mentioning. I tell you -Virginia will bury you.” - -There was that in the fellow’s manner that added to Bart’s conviction -that something was wrong. For the first time Hodge began to be alarmed. - -“What do you mean?” he demanded. “Merriwell is in first-class trim. He -is sure to do good work to-day.” - -“Is he? Ha! ha! ha! Wait and see!” - -“What is up?” hissed Hodge, unable to control himself longer. “Have you -been at your old dirty tricks, Ditson? If you have—if the least harm has -befallen Frank Merriwell——” - -“Don’t say it,” warned Roland, with a careless gesture of his cane. “I -don’t mind your bluffing talk, Hodge. I know nothing about anything that -has happened to your pet, Merriwell. I only know that he is a——” - -“Come outside and say it—come outside!” begged Bart. “Don’t force me to -hit you here!” - -“Why, you big blower! you wouldn’t dare to strike me!” - -“Wouldn’t I?” - -With that exclamation, Bart went forward. Roland lifted his cane to -strike. Like a panther Hodge leaped, clutched the cane, tore it from the -rascal’s grasp, and broke it over his knee. - -“That’s all!” breathed the dark-eyed lad, as he flung the broken cane at -Roland’s feet. “I won’t hit you, though you deserve it. But if I find -that you have been at any dirty work, look out for me! I’ll give you the -worst thrashing you ever had!” - -“The threat of a bully,” declared Roland. “I don’t mind anything you may -say. You had better keep away from me. But I want you to pay me for my -cane.” - -“You do? Well, it’s likely you will take it out in wanting.” - -“We’ll see about that!” - -With these words Roland turned and left the room. - -Elsie had not interfered, but now she came forward swiftly, and suddenly -she put her arms about Bart’s neck, crying: - -“I know now that he has done something to Frank! Bart, you must find out -about it—you must! If anything has happened to Frank——” - -She stopped, but already she had said enough—too much, Bart thought. -There was a feeling of intense pain in his heart, and he mentally cried: - -“She loves him—she loves him still!” - -But aloud he said: - -“Elsie, I will do everything I can. You know that. He is my friend—my -dearest friend, and I’ll do anything for him.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - JIMMY ON THE TRAIL. - - -King Jimmy the First had thrown aside the robes of royalty for the time. -He was on the trail! He was also in disguise! From his bosom he had -removed the ensign of his exalted station, he had turned up his -coat-collar, and his old hat was pulled far down over his eyes, while -upon his upper lip was a smooch of charcoal that was intended to -represent a mustache. He was now Old Ferret, the Sleepless Detective. - -Already his investigations had revealed that the name of the man with -whom Frank Merriwell had departed from the railway-station was -Cunningham. Cunningham—ha! why, that was the name of the desperate Blue -Ridge outlaw! S’death! Here was a clue! It was enough for Old Ferret. -The Sleepless Detective would track the outlaw to his lair. The victim -of the outlaw’s perfidious machinations should be rescued at all -hazards. - -So Old Ferret set about his task of tracking the outlaw down. He found -that the man’s associates in town were a most disreputable set, indeed; -but he went among them boldly and told them that he had been given an -important letter to deliver to Mr. Cunningham. It was not Jimmy Lee, of -Charlottesville, who told this falsehood, mind you; it was Old Ferret, -the Sleepless Detective, and he did it for a good cause. - -One man offered to take the letter to Cunningham, but Old Ferret -declined to transfer such an important message into the care of any -other person. He must deliver it himself as a sacred duty. Then somebody -told the detective that Cunningham hung out at Ben Shannon’s a great -deal. Where was Ben Shannon’s? The information was obtained, and the -Sleepless Detective took the trail afoot and alone. - -On the way the great sleuth made inquiries, and he learned that a man -driving such a team as Cunningham’s and accompanied by a smooth-faced -youth had passed along that road. Farther on he also learned that the -team had run away on that road, and the beardless youth had leaped -astride one of the horses and pulled the animals down to a walk. - -Ah, but this was information, indeed! It was the heart of Jimmy Lee, of -Charlottesville, that thrilled with delighted admiration when he heard -of this daring feat of his idol; but it was Old Ferret, the detective, -who muttered, “He cannot escape me, for I’ll not rest night or day till -he is in the toils!” And he was referring to Cunningham, not Frank -Merriwell, when he muttered those words. - -Sometimes the trailer paused to examine with a critical eye the tracks -on the dusty road, and the look of wisdom on his charcoal-mustached face -would have done you good to see. When he met a wayfarer, he turned his -collar still higher, pulled his hat still lower, and so, safe in his -disguise, passed on. Perchance the wayfarer smiled at him; but what of -that so long as he was not recognized as the great detective, Old -Ferret! - -And so, at last, he came to the strip of timber in which he had learned -was the home of Ben Shannon, standing at a considerable distance from -the public road. And in due time he arrived at what he knew without -doubt was the private road that led to Shannon’s, the lair of the -outlaw. - -Even a great detective must be cautious, and so Old Ferret slipped into -the woods at a distance from the private road, the course of which he -pursued without venturing into it. - -At times he stopped and crouched in the shelter of some shrubbery bushes -or behind the bole of a tree, while he peered through the forest and -listened. Being satisfied with his investigations, he went on till he -saw through the trees the ramshackle resort of the outlaw. - -What was to be done now? Already midday was long past. The sun was in -the western sky. Old Ferret had not eaten since early morning, but -little cared he for that. His iron frame gave no heed to fatigue or -hunger while he was on the trail. - -Should he wait in hiding until night and see what he could do then? -Night! Why, that would be too late, for then the base design of the -outlaw would be accomplished. Beyond a doubt that design was to keep -Frank Merriwell from the ball-field that afternoon. There could be no -delay. Onward, Old Ferret, to the rescue! - -The house looked silent and deserted. There were not even dogs around -it, for which the great detective was thankful enough, for dogs always -raise a rumpus at the wrong time. - -However, while Old Ferret was meditating on the next move, a colored man -came out of the house, leaving the front door open as he did so. He was -singing thickly to himself, and his steps were not quite steady as he -walked toward some distant sheds. Before he reached the sheds he paused, -took a bottle from his pocket, and drank from it. - -“Ha!” hissed the watchful sleuth. “Methinks I smell something!” - -It would not have been the contents of the bottle, for he was much too -far away. - -However, as intoxicated colored men are seldom seen coming from the -front door of the homes of white people in Virginia, it is possible that -Old Ferret did smell something, metaphorically speaking. And that -something gave him great encouragement to move without delay. - -Nevertheless, he waited till the colored man had disappeared in the -shed. Then he worked round till he was very near that shed. After a time -he slipped up to the door and peered in. - -The colored man was fast asleep on some straw in a corner, his bottle by -his side. Standing in the shed were two horses. They were the very ones -Cunningham had driven when, with Frank Merriwell at his side, he left -the railway-station that day. - -Old Ferret was well satisfied. Thus far he had not made one false step. -Now he surveyed the house. - -Still, as before, there were no signs of life about it. It was strangely -silent and deserted. - -The daring detective slipped up close under the shelter of its walls, -and, with one ear pressed against the moss-grown shingles, he listened -as a physician listens to the beating of a patient’s heart. - -No sound from within. - -Still thinking how that colored man who was sleeping in the shed had -issued from the front door, which he had left ajar, Old Ferret was led -to advance round the corner and approach the sagging steps. - -He knew he was taking his life in his hand when he ventured into the -retreat of a desperado like Cunningham, the outlaw, but what recked he -of that! Had not his life been in peril thousands of times as he tracked -down the minions of crime! - -And at the very foot of those sagging steps, lying on the ground, Old -Ferret found something to cause his eyes to glitter. He quickly stooped -and picked it up. - -It was a knot of dark-blue ribbon, the same modest knot that had been -worn by Jimmy Lee when the train bearing the Yale team drew in at the -railway-station that day. - -There was now no longer the least doubt but that the great detective was -on the right track. However, the most desperate and daring part of his -work lay before him. - -It must be confessed that his heart was performing queer capers in his -bosom as he mounted those steps and paused to peep into the hall that -the partly open door revealed. - -It was a forbidding-looking hall, too. No wonder he felt like drawing -back. Unpapered, unpainted, and dirty it seemed on close examination. - -But Old Ferret bethought himself of his disguise and turned not back. If -he were seen, he would have recourse to his ready wit to get himself out -of the scrape. Any detective could do that, and when did the ready wit -of the real detective ever fail him in time of emergency! - -Into the hall he slipped, with the velvet tread of the panther. Never -mind if one of his shoes did squeak a little, it was just the same, “the -velvet tread of the panther.” Great detectives always walked that way in -a place like this. - -Still the silence of the place was unbroken. He wondered greatly at it, -and he longed to call to Frank Merriwell. This inclination to shout, -however, he knew was very unprofessional, and he sternly repressed it. - -From room to room he went with the same cautious tread, peering into -first one and then another. Apparently all were empty save of the -battered old furniture. There seemed to be no woman about the place. -Plainly Ben Shannon was not partial toward women. - -The lower part of the house was explored. There was no cellar. Even Old -Ferret, for all of his wonderful nerve, might have hesitated in the -teeth of a dark cellar that abounded with rats. - -There being no cellar, it was necessary for him to proceed to the upper -story of the house. The stairs complained and tried to shout a warning, -and it must be that their vociferousness caused him to pause several -times in the ascent. - -But at last the top was reached, and then, as he halted there to survey -his surroundings, he distinctly heard a sound that made him crouch with -every nerve strained and every separate hair threatening to kick his hat -off. - -A strange and awesome sound it was, coming from whence he could not -tell. A shuddering, nerve-trying sound, like the growl of some fierce -wild beast preparing to leap upon its prey. - -What could it be? Was it possible the outlaw was guarded by tame lions? -Even that thought was not enough to break the iron nerve of Old Ferret, -although it must be confessed that it gave his nerve a mighty wrench. - -Then he heard it again. - -It was a snore! - -The tenseness went out of the great detective’s body, his hair permitted -his old hat to settle back upon his head, and he straightened up with a -deep sigh of relief. - -“Well,” he said, “this seems to be about the sleepiest place I ever -struck. Everybody is taking a snooze. That’s first-class! I like it.” - -But even then, knowing some one was near, it was some time before he -could summon his strength to go on. He saw an open door, and, still with -his professional panther-tread, he slipped up to it. - -The room into which Old Ferret peered was the same one in which Frank -Merriwell had caught a glimpse of two men who were sitting at a table -and playing cards. The table was there, the men were there; but they -were not playing cards. On the table were empty bottles that had once -contained moonshine whisky, but which were empty now. Glasses were also -there. One man lay sprawled forward on the table, though still seated on -a chair. He was sound asleep and snoring. Another man had slipped from -his chair and lay beneath the table in a most uncomfortable position, -which he did not seem to mind in the least. - -In a corner lay yet a third man, and this was the mighty outlaw himself, -although—ye gods!—what a face he had! He was recognizable more by his -red hair and beard than anything else. His face was battered and -disfigured by blood, which had run down upon his clothes, and, taken all -together, he was a most pitiful-looking object. - -Old Ferret stared when he saw this fellow. What did it mean? Something -had happened to Cunningham, and it had happened very much, too! - -“I know!” thought the detective, in triumph. “Jiminy goshfry! Didn’t -Frank Merriwell give it to him good! Oh, say! Um-um! Didn’t he just -paralyze Mr. Outlaw! I’d give fourteen thousand dollars just to have -seen that scrap!” - -Then came a horrible and blood-chilling thought. What had happened to -Frank Merriwell? - -Old Ferret shivered in his boots, only they were not exactly boots, and -they had holes enough in them to cause anybody to shiver. - -Where was Frank Merriwell? Had these ruffians killed him? This was the -fear that caused even the freckles of the great detective to turn pale. - -“If he is dead, I will avenge him!” vowed Old Ferret, through his -clenched teeth. - -Then he resumed his search, though it was with his heart filled with -dread at what he expected to discover. - -Almost the first room he peered into contained the object of his search. - -Not dead! Not dying! - -Bound hands and feet and tied to the floor, spikes having been driven -down to hold the ropes. Bound and gagged! - -Old Ferret hopped into that room and softly closed the door behind him. -He felt like whooping for joy, but no great detective ever whooped, so -he did not whoop. - -But he said, “Ha! I have accomplished me purpose!” and his unutterable -satisfaction was shown on his face. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - FACING CERTAIN DEFEAT. - - -Six innings of the game between Yale and Virginia had been played, and -Virginia was three scores in the lead, the tally standing four to one. - -The game had been begun without Merriwell, for all efforts on the part -of Hodge and others of the nine to find Frank had failed. - -Roland Ditson was triumphant. His heart was filled with great joy, for -it was his disposition to regard this as a great victory for him. -Besides that, was he not going to make a lot of money through the defeat -of Yale? - -The distress of the Yale team without its captain and leader was -apparent, though it made a fierce fight under command of Bart Hodge, who -had been given charge by the manager. - -But Hodge was so worried that he could not do his best, and to him had -been due the giving of Virginia her first score on a passed ball. - -That was in the fourth inning, Yale having made her only score in the -first. Then Morgan seemed to get rattled, and two more scores came in on -clean hits. - -Without the least hesitation Hodge set Starbright to “warming up,” -intending to put him into the box and take Morgan out. - -The sight of Starbright preparing to pitch did not rattle Dade Morgan. -Instead of that, it seemed to cause him to brace up in a most wonderful -manner. He clenched his teeth, pressed his lips together, and struck out -the next man. The man who followed put up a little fly that Morgan -captured, and the side was retired. - -But where was Merriwell? That was the cry that filled the heart of every -man on the Yale bench. With Merriwell absent they felt that Virginia was -bound to carry off the game. And Virginia had a team that was in no way -comparable with Yale’s. Paragon was the only great man U. V. had, and he -really was a wizard, else how had he kept the slugging Yale men down to -three hits and one score in six innings? His support had been far from -gilt-edged. - -In the sixth Virginia had obtained another score, and Morgan had pulled -himself together again after filling the bases with one out, and had -permitted no more tallying. - -There was one knot of youngsters who gathered by themselves and looked -very miserable. Early that day they had been the followers of King -Watson, but with the accession of King Jimmy they transferred their -allegiance to him, and King Jimmy was faithful to the great Frank -Merriwell. It made no difference that he was strangely missing, it made -no difference that Watson taunted them and sneered at them, they -remained faithful to him who had won the glory of sitting upon the -shoulder of Frank Merriwell. - -Therefore they were very miserable, and they told themselves that -“things would be different if Frank Merriwell was here.” And they -wondered and speculated at the absence of both Frank and King Jimmy from -the ball-field. - -Hodge had been compelled to give up the search for Frank and go into the -game. He was satisfied that Ditson’s trick was simply to keep Merry out -of the way till U. V. could win, and he firmly believed that the fellow -would take good care that no real harm befell the captain of the Yale -team. - -Then Bart resolved to defeat Ditson’s purpose by encouraging the men to -win, even though Frank was not there to pitch. But Virgil Paragon, the -Virginia pitcher, proved to be the great stumbling-block. They could not -seem to get safe hits off him when hits were needed. - -Ditson, who had obtained odds when he bet on Virginia earlier in the -day, was now offering odds, and with no takers. - -Had Frank Merriwell been there, he would have found plenty who were -ready to cover his money; but without Frank Merriwell the Yale men -seemed to lack heart and confidence. - -“Just hear that blower!” growled one of the disgusted subjects of King -Jimmy. “If Frank Merriwell was here, I’d shut him up! But I reckon it -ain’t any use as long as he ain’t here.” - -Then they resigned themselves to fate. - -In the sixth Morgan had again seemed on the point of going to pieces, -and Hodge feared the third time this should happen; therefore he -resolved to put in Starbright. - -So Dick was again set to “warming up,” and Morgan knew he was to be -taken out. If he felt angry over this, he held his temper. He had -learned that pitchers might be changed any time during the game on a -trip like this, and no pitcher was liable to win the satisfaction of -claiming truthfully that he had carried off a game without assistance. - -In the first of the seventh the Yale men were at the bat, but Paragon -toyed with them as before, not permitting a man to reach second. - -Deep was the gloom of the men from the North when they moved out onto -the field beneath that smiling blue Virginian sky. - -The crowd was delighted, as it had a right to be, for it was an honor to -defeat Yale. - -Oh, where was Merriwell! - -Morgan sat on the bench and saw Starbright go into the box. - -“Ha! ha!” laughed Ditson. “Our boys will make short work of that big -duffer! Why, he can’t pitch!” - -Now Starbright had been doing very good work during the trip, but on -this occasion he felt the absence of Merriwell as much as any one, not -even Hodge being excepted. - -Somehow it seemed to Dick that Merriwell had always given him strength -and courage in whatever he undertook since entering college. A look from -Frank’s eye was enough to brace him up and give him unbounded -confidence. - -He could not receive that look now, and even Hodge’s words of -instruction spoken to him just before he entered the box were not enough -to steady his nerves and put him on his mettle. - -Elsie Bellwood, her face pale, was there amid the spectators. Inwardly -she was almost frantic, but what could she do? Bart had tried to soothe -her by telling her that Merriwell would not be harmed, but her fears -could not be so easily allayed. - -Starbright was in his position. The batter came up to strike. Hodge was -under the bat, with his mask adjusted. - -Then Dick sent in the first ball, and the batter lined it out with a -tremendous crack. - -The crowd rose as the man who had hit the ball sped down to first. Gamp, -Yale’s center-fielder, was doing his best to get near the place where -the ball must fall, but it went far over his head and he chased it into -the distance, while the runner circled the bases and came home, with the -crowd roaring. - -Dick Starbright was white as chalk. With difficulty Bart choked back a -groan. - -“It’s all over!” he told himself. “Where is Merriwell? If he would come -now?” - -Roland Ditson shouted with laughter and waved his hat in the air. - -“I told you he could not pitch!” he cried. “Oh, Virginia will pound him -all over the lot!” - -“And I’ll pound you a few after the game!” muttered Hodge, with deep -fury in his heart. - -The next batter advanced to the plate. The ball had been returned to -Starbright, but the big fellow seemed dismayed. He stood there, looking -around. - -“Pitch the ball!” cried somebody in the crowd. - -Starbright did not stir. - -“Pitch the ball!” again was the cry. - -The batsman was waiting. - -“One ball!” declared the umpire, when more than twenty seconds had -elapsed without Dick making an offer to deliver. - -Then the giant freshman shook himself together, hearing, however, the -guying of the crowd and feeling it keenly. - -He began to pitch, and the batter soon got a clean hit off him, making -first. - -The next batter followed with a hit. Then an error filled the bases. - -“Virginia does it right here!” said Ditson. “A good hit now means two or -three more scores, which will clinch the game.” - -What was that commotion amid the crowd? Men were standing and gazing -down the road. A murmur arose; it swelled louder and louder. - -“What is it? Who is it?” the crowd cried. - -Two horses were coming at a mad gallop along the road, their hoofs -ringing clear, a cloud of dust rising behind them. - -The riders were urging their horses to the highest rate of speed, racing -along side by side. - -One was a man, a handsome, determined, beardless youth, who, though the -horse he bestrode was without a saddle, rode like a centaur. - -The other was a boy, and he clung like a monkey to the back of his -horse, his eyes gleaming with excitement, every freckle on his face -seeming to sparkle with excitement. On his upper lip was a strange black -smooch. - -“Here he comes!” - -Then Dick Starbright uttered a little sigh of relief. But the batter -sprang to his place, crying: - -“Make him deliver the ball, Mr. Umpire, according to the rules. Don’t -let him delay the game!” - -A hit now meant the winning of the game. - -Dick saw—Dick knew. Down to the ground he dropped, writhing in apparent -pain, seemingly seized with cramps, while nearer and nearer came the -hoofbeats of the galloping horses. - -“Call a ball on him, Mr. Umpire!” cried the batter. - -“You can’t make a sick man pitch,” said the umpire, with a strange grin. -“Mr. Hodge, where is your next pitcher?” - -Into the enclosure by the open gate dashed the horses and their riders. - -“He is here!” rang out the clear voice of Hodge, as Frank Merriwell -flung himself from the back of one of those horses and advanced. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - “THE MAN WHO WON THE GAME.” - - -“Yee-ee-ee!” screamed King Jimmy, the Conqueror, as he waved his -tattered hat over his head. “Here he is, fellers!” - -Then King Jimmy’s loyal subjects danced and capered and yelled and stood -on their heads and turned cart-wheels. - -Oh, it was a great and thrilling moment! Proud? Why, Jimmy hardly -deigned to breathe just plain ordinary every-day air! It was not good -enough for him! - -The Yale men were wild with delight, and the crowd was thrilled with the -intensity of it all. - -Roland Ditson sneered. - -“He’s arrived too late,” Ditson declared. “The game is lost already, and -he cannot save it.” - -“How does the score stand?” Frank asked, as he met Hodge, who grasped -his hand. - -“Five to one, in their favor,” was the answer, “and it is the last of -the seventh, with not a man out and the bases full.” - -“Give me the ball!” - -Frank walked into the box, and, although their sympathies were with -Virginia, the crowd cheered him. He wore no ball-suit, but he had simply -flung aside his coat and prepared to pitch that inning just as he was. -There was no time for him to “warm up.” - -Every man was ready now. Yale was herself again. A little while before -those men had believed it impossible to win that game. Now, with Frank -in the box, they regarded it as won already. - -Frank began to pitch. He knew the situation was desperate, and he did -not dally. He used all his skill at the very outset. He dealt out the -double-shoot in liberal portions, and the first man to face him had soon -fanned the air to the limit and retired. The next one met the same fate. -The third fared no better, and Virginia obtained no more scores that -inning. - -Those Yale men gathered about Merry seeking an explanation, but he -declined to make it until after the game. - -“No time to talk now,” he said. “We’ve got to win this game, and that -will keep us busy.” - -“But we’ll win it!” they declared. - -King Jimmy was surrounded by his subjects. Happy? Why, it didn’t seem -that there was room enough for his swelling heart in his bosom. - -The Yale men went to bat, and it happened that Merriwell was the first -to come up. He got a two-bagger off the second ball Paragon delivered, -and that brought the head of the batting-list, its strongest portion, -against the U. V. pitcher. - -Strange how fortune will seem to turn in a game of ball, the same as in -a game of cards. A little while before none of those men seemed able to -hit the ball; now they came up one after another and biffed it. Frank -scored; Ready followed him; Castleman came round in turn—three scores -before a man went out. Then, with Hodge and Browning ahead of him on the -bags, Gamp put a fly into the hands of the left-fielder. Carson came up -and was thrown out at first. - -The score was five to four, and it seemed that Yale had suddenly come to -a stand. - -Carker got a good drive into right field, and Browning came puffing -home. - -The score was tied, and the inning ended with it that way. - -The coming of Merriwell saved the game for Yale, the final score -standing six to five. It was a tight squeeze, but one score was quite -enough. - -“And I owe everything to Jimmy Lee,” Merry declared, when the men -gathered around him after the game. - -Then he told how Jimmy, disguised as Old Ferret, the Sleepless -Detective, had come to his rescue. And Jimmy was dragged forward and -made a hero, while his subjects looked on and yelled like wildcats in -their delight. - -But when Frank sent an officer to look for the ruffians, they had -awakened from their drunken slumbers, taken the alarm, and disappeared. - -Hodge, however, had better luck in finding Ditson. He had a very -agreeable interview with Ditson—that is, it was agreeable to him. It may -have been somewhat painful to Ditson. - -As Bart was washing the blood from his knuckles at the hotel somebody -asked him what he had been doing. - -“Licking the meanest cur in Virginia,” he replied. - -When the Yale team departed for the North, a great crowd gathered at the -station and cheered them off. Elsie was there, and she pressed the hands -of both Frank and Bart, smiling upon them. - -Just as Frank was about to step onto the train, somebody cried: - -Three cheers for Frank Merriwell, the man who won the game!” - -As they finished giving the cheers, Merry lifted in his arms a ragged, -freckle-faced, blushing boy, crying: - -“Here, gentlemen, is the man who won the game! Three cheers for Jimmy -Lee!” - -And the Yale men cheered handsomely. Then they gave him a regular Yale -yell. - -And he thought he was going to die right there from happiness. - -Not until the train had rolled away did he come out of a trancelike -state. Then somebody told him to wake up, for Frank Merriwell was gone. - -“But he’s great!” said King Jimmy. “He’s the greatest feller that ever -lived in all the whole world, and I can lick the man who says he ain’t, -I don’t care if it is Jim Jeffries!” - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - DEFARGE PLOTTING AGAIN. - - -Although Bertrand Defarge had failed in his attempt to injure Merriwell -and prevent him from leading the Yale nine to victory in the South, his -malice had in no wise abated, and the team had scarcely returned to New -Haven before he was again plotting darkly against the young athlete. - -This time he felt confident of success, but he needed assistance to -carry out the scheme, which he finally evolved for the undoing of -Merriwell. He thought long over the men on whom he believed he could -depend, but the list of Frank’s enemies had been considerably thinned -and there were few to whom he could look for aid in his dastardly plans -or whom he dared to take into his confidence. - -At last he decided upon Roland Packard as a safe man, strong in his -hatred of Merriwell. With his malicious plot well matured, he sent for -Packard, without divulging anything of his purpose, but hinting -mysteriously about “mutual interests” and “a man we both hate,” which he -was confident would bring Roland to his room even though he might -otherwise have ignored the invitation; for Packard was not an admirer of -Defarge, and their hatred of Frank was the only common ground between -them. - -But, as Defarge had hoped, the hint that the man they both were desirous -of injuring was the reason for the summons was sufficient. - -As usual, Packard was in anything but a pleasant mood when he entered -Defarge’s room, and also, as usual, he had been drinking heavily. - -“Well, you sent for me,” was Packard’s greeting. “What do you want?” - -“Don’t!” whispered Defarge, slipping across the room and closing the -door securely. “Be careful not to talk too loud. I would not have him -catch on for the world, and some one might hear us.” - -“Who is ‘him’?” - -“You know.” - -“Merriwell?” - -“Of course.” - -“I supposed so. If I remember correctly, you have not been in love with -Frank Merriwell in the past.” - -“Hardly,” admitted Defarge, although he took care to keep his voice -lowered. “You know I have hated him. Sit down, Packard, and we will talk -this matter over.” - -Packard finally accepted the chair which Bertrand urged him to take. It -was near a little table, on which sat a cut-glass decanter that -contained a reddish-amber liquid. Defarge had placed that decanter in a -conspicuous position for the purpose of having it fall beneath the eyes -of his visitor. - -Roland Packard, a Yale “medic,” had within a short time made a -reputation for himself as a heavy drinker. On entering college he had -seemed no worse than scores of other students in this respect, but -circumstances and his own disposition had led him into bad ways. This -Defarge knew very well, and he had rightly fancied that the sight of -that decanter and its contents would attract Roland. - -Defarge drew another chair near the table on which sat the decanter. -There were glasses on it also. The curtains of the window were closely -drawn. - -Bertrand studied the face of his visitor closely for a moment, and what -he saw there seemed to trouble him a little, for he shrugged his -shoulders with an unconscious gesture of dismay. He even hesitated about -offering Packard any of the contents of the decanter. The latter seemed -to understand that something was the matter, and he frowned blackly. - -“What is it?” he demanded. “Spit it right out!” - -“Oh, nothing—nothing at all!” assured Bertrand, with a quick gesture. “I -happened to think—of him!” - -“Why are you so confoundedly afraid to speak his name?” - -“Because I do not wish to be overheard. You do not know everything that -has happened, Packard.” - -“So you are afraid of him? Well, I’m not! I’m not afraid of a whole -regiment of Merriwells!” - -“Sh! That is why I sent for you. You are about the only one left who has -not surrendered to him.” - -“That’s right!” grated Roland. “It used to be different. Now everybody -is bowing down to him and worshiping him. If a man opens his mouth about -Merriwell in a public place he has every one who hears him on his back -in a moment. Yale has gone Merriwell mad, Defarge! Even the instructors -and professors take off their hats to him! Think of that! Why, he’s a -regular little tin god! Isn’t it enough to make anybody sick! Isn’t it -enough to drive a man to drink!” - -“I am afraid it has driven you there too frequently.” - -“What do you mean?” - -“You are drinking pretty hard, Packard.” - -“That’s nobody’s business but my own.” - -“People will talk about it; besides, it’s beginning to show on you.” - -As he made this remark, Bertrand glanced at Packard’s purplish -countenance. - -And this was a medical student! This man was one who should know that -when he took alcohol into his stomach he was introducing it by a -roundabout course to his brain! - -Packard growled like a dog. - -“Don’t get so personal in your remarks!” he retorted. “I don’t like it, -especially from a fellow who is so afraid of Merriwell.” - -Defarge flushed. - -“You do not understand,” he declared. “Merriwell has a strange power -over me. I don’t know what it is, but he can make me do anything he -likes.” - -“Hypnotism,” declared Packard. - -“No!” cried the French youth. “I do not believe in hypnotism!” - -“That doesn’t make any difference. Hypnotism is an actuality, whether -you believe in it or not. I have known for some time that Merriwell -possessed some sort of hypnotic power, else how does he always succeed -in turning his enemies into friends?” - -“He does not always succeed. He has not succeeded in your case—or in -mine.” - -“He’s come near it as far as you are concerned.” - -“No! It’s not true!” panted Bertrand hotly. “Here, here,” beating on his -chest, “I feel the same hatred for him slumbering! But he can read my -secrets! I have to avoid him! I am afraid of a man who can read my mind, -for sometimes I think of things I would not have any one but myself -know.” - -“Haven’t a doubt of that. We all do. I wouldn’t like to have all my -thoughts published in the Lit.” - -“That’s it. Besides, he holds me under his thumb.” - -“That’s bad,” said Packard, with a sneering laugh. “No man can hold me -there.” - -“If he could read your thoughts he might. You do not know everything -that has happened since Merriwell returned to college.” - -“You mean since the Southern trip of the ball-team?” - -“No; before that—while the men were training for the team. You know I -trained and tried to get on.” - -“Yes.” - -“I failed.” - -“Merriwell kept you off.” - -“I ruined my chances one day when I tried to spoil Merriwell for any use -this spring. I laid for him out along the road when the men took their -run into the country. Had not the devil protected him, I’d fixed him by -dropping a stone on his head. He fell down, and the stone missed his -head by about an inch. Had he not fallen just at that instant—well, -Frank Merriwell would not be running the Yale nine now.” - -“He certainly has Satan’s luck! He’s a man who would not fall down once -in five years, yet he fell just then.” - -“Exactly. I thought I had fixed him all right, for it was rather dark, -being in the early part of the evening. I hustled away from that place -and got into the road behind him without being seen, coming up to him -with others. And there he was, all right and well. But the stone——” - -“Ah! the stone,” said Packard. “Did it recognize you and sing out, -‘Hello, Defarge?’” - -“It had caused him to stop. He knew somebody had thrown it. He told -them.” - -“But you had been coming along the road far behind with others. How -could it have been you who threw the stone? My dear fellow, you must -have given yourself away by your actions.” - -“Not at all. But I had been at the tail-end of the party when I dropped -off and cut across through a lane to reach the road by which I knew they -would return to town. Two of the fellows saw me sit down beside the road -as if to fix my shoe. They came up while I was there with the gang -around Merriwell, and one of them spoke up and asked me how the dickens -I got ahead of them.” - -“Bad!” commented Packard. “Dead give away. Put Merriwell on the scent.” - -“No; Hodge.” - -“The devil!” - -“Just as bad! He went back there that very night with a lantern and -found my handkerchief which I had dropped on the spot where I stood when -I threw the stone.” - -Packard nodded. - -“A man who throws a stone at an enemy always makes a fool of himself by -dropping a handkerchief or doing some other foolish thing to give -himself away. I wonder why that is? I don’t understand it.” - -“Well, Hodge demanded my exposure to the fac.,” said Defarge. - -“Like Hodge.” - -“To save myself, I faked up a pretty little story about being compelled -by Morgan to do what I did. I thought Merriwell would come down on -Morgan’s neck, and I had it in for Morgan.” - -“He’s like all the others—beginning to crawl before Merriwell.” - -“That’s why I hate him! I thought he would stand out, but he has thrown -up the sponge. He’s even said sharp things to me. I told him he could -not make the ball-team. I expected Merriwell would drop him from that, -at least. Instead of that, he came upon me one night here in this room -and forced me to acknowledge that I had lied about Morgan. More than -that, he made me promise that I would never again lift a hand to harm -him. And,” finished Defarge, in a husky whisper, “may I drop dead if -I’ve ever been able to do so from that time to this!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - MERRIWELL’S RESERVE POWER. - - -“Fancy,” said Packard. - -“Nothing of the sort!” declared Defarge. - -“Then beyond a doubt you have been hypnotized by the fellow. It is -useless for you to squirm and deny it, that’s just what has happened. I -know he has hypnotic power, although he does not make a practise of -displaying it. You cannot make a physical move to do him harm?” - -“No.” - -“But mentally——” - -“I dislike him as much as ever. I fear him more than ever, and I keep -away from him. But it is not natural for a Defarge to fear anybody, and -my heart grows hot when I think he has brought me to this pitiful state. -I would harm him somehow! If I cannot do it with my own hand, at least I -can use my brain to do it.” - -“And succeed as you have in the past—by getting it in the neck.” - -“Not this time.” - -“Why not?” - -“Because I shall bring to bear on him something of which he has no -knowledge, and, so long as I keep out of his way, can have no -intimation. But I need assistance.” - -“That’s why you sent for me?” - -“Exactly.” - -“Do you mean that I am to pull your chestnuts out of the fire?” - -“Not that. You dislike him as much as I.” - -“Well?” - -“And there is nothing to hinder you from helping along any scheme to -reach him.” - -“In other words, you will do the brain-work and I will be your tool?” - -“No, no, no! Why do you put it that way? Have I not in the past always -been ready enough to strike when I could? My time is past. If I make -another open move that fellow will expose me, and out of Yale I’ll have -to go. But I can’t do anything if I would.” - -Roland eyed the decanter. - -“Do you keep that stuff to look at?” he asked. - -“No, of course not—but you—I thought you——” - -“Don’t say anything nasty now, Defarge. I’m not drunk, but I am mighty -dry. I can talk better if my throat is oiled a little.” - -“Help yourself,” invited Bertrand, rising to place the glasses and -decanter nearer his visitor. - -Packard’s hand shook a little as he poured out a brimming glass of -whisky. Defarge shrugged his shoulders again as he noticed this, and -went over to a sideboard, from which he brought a pitcher of ice-water. -Defarge poured a very little of the liquor for himself, mixing it with -double the amount of water. - -“Here’s hoping you’ll have better luck,” said Packard, lifting his -glass. - -“Amen!” said the French youth, with almost ludicrous solemnity, and -their glasses clinked. - -Packard tossed off the liquor without blinking, taking a small swallow -of water as a “chaser.” It seemed to make him feel better, for he rubbed -his hands together and brightened somewhat. - -“Anyhow, you know good stuff, Defarge,” he nodded. “Now I’m ready to -hear you unfold your scheme, but I make no promises in advance.” - -“You will promise not to say anything about it if you do not go into it -with me?” - -“Oh, yes, of course. I didn’t mean promises of that sort. I know -Merriwell, and I know that it does seem as if Satan himself could not -get the best of the fellow. Therefore, I look askance on any scheme to -strike him till I am satisfied that it is good. His position is so -secure now that there seems little prospect of shaking it in the least. -He is king at Yale.” - -“But kings have been deposed, you know. ‘Uneasy lies the head that wears -a crown,’ and so forth. The Easter trip of the nine has covered -Merriwell all over with the glory he loves to bask in. The prospects for -Yale on the diamond are better this year than ever before. But the nine -is made up to a large extent of Merriwell’s friends, and no one can -dispute that. Hodge, Browning, Ready, Gamp, Carson, and Carker are all -of his flock. Lots of good fellows have been left out in the cold in -order to squeeze those chaps in. The ones left out are hollering for -Yale and the nine just the same, but, if I know anything of human -nature, they are simply hiding their wounds, which rankle all the -while.” - -“But what has this to do with your scheme?” asked the medical student -impatiently. “Those fellows who did not make places on the nine can’t -say a word, for Merriwell has made no blunders thus far. You cannot -count on a single one of them standing in with you. The only men in Yale -to-day who are known to dislike Merriwell belong to Rupert Chickering’s -set of asses. They are worse than nothing and nobody. They have won the -contempt of everybody outside their own circle.” - -“I am not counting on them, or on any man in Yale. But I know a man who -can take the starch out of Merriwell.” - -“I doubt it.” - -“I’ll convince you.” - -“Who is he?” - -“His name is Hawkins. I met him in Paris last summer. It happened that -my father was able to do him a favor, as he had gotten into some trouble -through a duel in which he came within an ace of killing his man. Father -had a pull, and enabled him to get off and leave the country. Naturally, -he feels under obligations. He is here in New Haven.” - -Packard snapped his fingers. - -“What of all that?” he asked. - -“Wait a little. This fellow is not over twenty-two or three years of -age, but he is the most wonderful swordsman I ever saw. You know I can -handle a rapier a little myself. Well, this chap can toy with me as a -cat toys with a mouse. And he can fight with his fists and feet. You -know Merriwell learned in France to fight with his feet as well as with -his fists. Here is a man who can box as well as Merriwell, and can kick -better. It is marvelous the way he can handle those feet. He is the only -fellow I ever saw in America who could defeat Merriwell at that trick. -He can do it! I know it! But that is not the limit. As an athlete my man -is a wonder. I have no hesitation in saying that he can outpoint -Merriwell in any feat of strength.” - -“How do you know about that last? Merriwell, you know, believes it is a -mistake for any athlete to be continually performing great feats of -strength. It is his argument that any athlete who follows up such a -practise must overstrain and weaken himself some time, which will do him -permanent injury. I don’t like Merriwell, but I have a belief that the -fellow never displays the full capacity of his athletic powers.” - -“And I,” cried Defarge, “believe he is much overrated in that respect.” - -“I used to think so; but I have come to change my mind. I was forced to -change my mind, to tell the truth. I didn’t like to, but I couldn’t help -it.” - -“And now you think he really is a wonder?” - -“I think he is a remarkable athlete. Mind you, I dislike the fellow just -as much as I ever did; but I have been forced to acknowledge to myself -that he is a wonder.” - -“Well, hanged if I’ll ever acknowledge that, even to myself! He is -athletic, I know; but he is no wonder. I won’t believe he is a wonder!” - -“That will not make him any less so, Defarge. He has a great amount of -reserve force. By that I mean that he seldom calls into play the full -amount of his will-power and strength. When he does so, the result is -something astonishing.” - -“Tell me when he has ever done it and accomplished anything -astonishing.” - -"Do you remember the football-game with Harvard? Of course you do! No -Yale or Harvard man will ever forget that game. Well, you must remember -that, on the very morning of the day of that game, Frank Merriwell was -ill in bed. He had been delirious, and in his delirium he had fancied he -was playing the game against Harvard. He kept giving signals and calling -on the team to take the ball over the Harvard line, to block the Harvard -rush, to hold Harvard or die. A fellow who was at his bedside a few -minutes told me all about it. He writhed and strained, and sweat poured -off him in streams. - -“He was fighting that game there in bed, and the terrible exertion, -according to what the doctors said, was enough to kill any man—that is, -any ordinary man. The doctors thought the fever must turn against him on -account of that. But it turned in his favor, and he grew better so fast -that everybody was amazed. If he had not been an athlete with perfect -development, marvelous strength, and almost perfect natural health, he -must have been left weak and limp for a week or more after that fever -turned—he could not have got onto the football-field for a month or -more.” - -“Go on,” laughed Defarge, with curling lip. “I rather enjoy hearing you -crack up Merriwell.” - -Packard frowned and looked displeased. - -“I am not cracking up Merriwell; I am simply telling you the actual -facts. On the morning of the day of that game Merriwell was in bed, kept -there by the doctors, who fancied it might prove fatal for him to get -up. But he would get up, and he did so. Then he called the men of the -team to his room and talked to them there. As he talked, so those men -say, his eyes began to shine, a healthy glow came into his face, he -stood erect amid them, and when he grasped their hands as they were -about to leave the room, his grip was strong and firm, as usual. In -fact, it hardly seemed that anything ailed him at all. That was the -reserve force of the man asserting itself. I have studied enough to -understand the meaning of it. Every athlete has to a certain extent the -same reserve force, though it may not be fully developed, or may be -impaired by some organic weakness. In Merriwell it is at its full -meridian.” - -“By heavens!” cried Defarge, smiting the fist of one hand into the open -palm of the other. “You are becoming an admirer of Frank Merriwell, -Packard!” - -“Nothing of the sort. I have been studying the fellow, to discover the -secret of his marvelous power, and I believe I have discovered it. -That’s all. He is a man worth studying, and I’m not going to let his -personal friends be the only ones to do so.” - -Bertrand shook his head, as if he did not quite understand this -hard-drinking medical student who made a study of his enemies as well as -his friends. - -“To go on,” continued Roland, toying with his whisky-glass, "and to show -in the man the remarkable extent of this great reserve power of which I -speak, just think of what followed on the day of that game. Merriwell -insisted on having reports of the progress of the game brought to him -constantly, and half a dozen messengers were kept busy running from the -telegraph-office to his room in Vanderbilt. He sat there watching the -progress of the game, tracing out every move on a diagram, and he knew -just what was taking place. - -“In his mind he saw Harvard slamming Yale all over the field in the -first half, while Yale made desperate stands at critical times, and so -kept the crimson from scoring. To watch that, for a man in his position, -captain of the Yale team, should have been enough to put him back into -bed. Did it? No! He grew stronger! He felt that he could go onto the -field and lead his men. He began to walk the floor of his room like a -caged panther, and with every minute he felt the reserve force taking -fuller possession of him.” - -Defarge was silent now, held thus by the singular earnestness of the -speaker, who had been one of Merriwell’s most active and bitter enemies. - -“The second half of the game began,” pursued Packard, "and Merriwell -soon saw that the case had become even more desperate. Yale was swept -down before Harvard’s rushes. In short order Harvard got a goal from the -field. When the message telling of that was brought to Merriwell it -changed him completely. He sent the messenger for a cab, and he -literally flung himself into his football-suit. Then he went leaping -down to that cab, flung himself in, and gave the driver ten dollars to -drive like the devil to the field. You know what happened when he -arrived. Yale was making a last-ditch stand, with Harvard having things -her own way. It looked like a touch-down for Harvard. Then Merriwell -came rushing onto the field, yelling for Yale to ‘tear ’em up.’ - -“The whole Yale side saw and recognized him, and you must remember that -ten thousand people rose up as one man and roared his name. Then he -ordered one of the men out and went in himself, despite the protests of -his friends. And that fellow, who had been sick and delirious a short -time before, was a holy terror the moment he reached the field. Nothing -could stop him. He set everybody mad with excitement. He made perfect -Trojans of his exhausted men. He dumfounded Harvard. He caused those ten -thousand watching spectators on the Yale side to yell like ten thousand -maniacs. And, last of all, he got the ball himself, went through -Harvard’s tacklers, ran the length of the field, leaped square over the -head of a Harvard man who was in his path, and made a touch-down! You -remember that, Defarge?” - -Bertrand groaned and nodded. - -“I guess I do!” he muttered. “Oh, if any other man had done it!” - -“No other man on the Yale team could have done it,” asserted Packard. -“When he had kicked a goal and knew the game was won for Yale, his great -reserve power gave out and he toppled over. Now, that is the kind of man -you are up against when you buck Merriwell. If you put a man against -him, you must have a wonder who can overcome the most remarkable fellow -Yale College has ever developed. I, his bitter enemy, tell you this. -Now, do you think for a single moment that you have such a man?” - -“I know it!” declared Defarge loudly and confidently. “I can prove it!” - -“Where is he?” - -“Here!” - -The door had opened to admit a remarkable-appearing youth. - -CHAPTER XXII. - -THE SCAR-FACED ATHLETE. - -Packard started to his feet and turned. He saw a well-dressed, -splendidly formed youth. But it was the face of the newcomer that -instantly attracted the notice of the medical student. - -Such a face! It was wrinkled and scarred and disfigured with red and -purple discolorations. Plainly it had been burned in the most horrible -manner. - -The stranger paused, but Defarge immediately said: - -“Come right in, Hawkins. This is the gentleman I wished you to meet.” - -The stranger closed the door and came forward. There was something -suggestive of confidence and power in his walk, in his every movement. -Packard immediately realized that he was in the presence of a remarkable -man. - -“Mr. Packard, this is my friend Mr. Hawkins,” said Defarge. - -Hawkins put out his hand, which the medical student accepted. The grip -of the scar-faced youth was soft as velvet, yet hard as iron. His hand -was the hand of a trained athlete, with every inch of him in perfect -condition. More and more Packard realized that the stranger was -uncommon. - -“I have just been telling Mr. Packard of you,” said Defarge. “That is, I -mentioned you to him. Mr. Packard is a medico.” - -“Indeed?” said the stranger, in a voice that was pleasant, yet suggested -power. “Why is it that medical students seem prone to indulge in -stimulants? Is it because they acquire the habit by taking liquor to -brace their nerves before going into the dissecting-room?” - -He had looked at Packard with a pair of intensely piercing eyes, and -Roland shivered a bit before that deep stare. - -“I presume you judge by the decanter here,” said Packard, with a motion -toward the table. “Well, your friend Defarge put that there.” - -“I judge from your appearance,” said the newcomer frankly. “Your face -shows that you drink more than is good for you.” - -Packard frowned. He did not fancy being told his failings thus directly -by a stranger. - -“That is my business,” he said. “I presume I have a right to drink as -much as I like!” - -“No, you have not.” - -Roland was astounded. - -“Have not?” he gasped. - -“I said that.” - -“Why not?” - -“Because any man who has a taste for liquor, and drinks as much as he -likes, makes himself troublesome to others in some way, and no man has a -right to trouble others unnecessarily. Besides, you set a bad example -for other students. Although we may not know it, every one of us does -good, or works harm, by our example.” - -Packard broke into a harsh laugh. - -“What the devil have you here, Defarge?” he cried. “Is this a temperance -crank?” - -The effect of this speech on the stranger was not discernible, for his -scarred face remained strangely inexpressive. - -“I am no crank,” he said; “but I simply tell you the truth. Ever since -the world began, the man who has dared to tell the truth has been called -a crank. Lots of these cranks have suffered and died for their -convictions. Many of them were put to death because they believed and -preached things which the world soon after accepted as scientific -truths.” - -Packard gave himself a shake. Surely this was a remarkable chap. All at -once Roland seized the decanter and poured out a glass of whisky, which -he offered to the scar-faced youth. - -“Here,” he said, “take this. It will cheer you up. You must be dead sore -on yourself. I’ll drink with you; Defarge will join us. Let’s be -agreeable.” - -The one invited shook his head. - -“No,” he said; “I am one of those peculiar persons who practises what he -preaches.” - -“You do not drink?” - -“No.” - -“Not even beer?” - -“Not a drop of anything that has alcohol in it. I am an athlete, and no -man who seeks to reach his highest ability as an athlete should -deliberately poison himself with alcohol.” - -“But a little is good for a man. At least, it is good just when he is on -the point of making some great exertion.” - -“It is not!” positively declared the other. “It is the very worst thing -he can take.” - -“Oh, get out! Anybody knows it gives him a feeling of strength.” - -“A false feeling, sir. Tests and investigations have shown that a man -can lift greater weights and perform severer feats of strength when he -has not taken a single drop of liquor than he can when he has taken a -moderate amount to stimulate him. The liquor makes him believe himself -stronger and makes him want to display his power, but every swallow robs -him of vital energy. Now, in your case, your face plainly shows that you -are swiftly becoming an habitual drinker. You must stop it soon, or you -will go straight to the devil, sir.” - -Packard had been standing with the glass of whisky in his hand. As the -man talked, Roland observed his hand beginning to shake. - -“Well,” he said, “at least it is good to steady the nerves.” And he -dashed off the fiery stuff at one great swallow. - -“That’s another mistaken belief,” declared Hawkins quietly. “See! are -your nerves any steadier than mine? You drink; I do not. Are your nerves -steadier to-day than they were before you began to drink? Can you not -remember the time when your hand never trembled?” - -“Yes, but——” - -“But now your nerves shake at times, and you drink whisky to steady -them. The whisky has weakened them already by putting a strain upon -them, and that is why they shake. When you drink more whisky you steady -them with a renewed strain; but that strain simply results eventually in -making them still weaker. Being a student of medicine, you ought to know -that.” - -Packard did know it, but it seemed that he had never thought of it -seriously before. He knew plenty of medical students who were steady -drinkers, and they seemed careless of the final result. They were a -jovial set of fellows now; but Packard suddenly realized that the future -must hold disappointment and failure for many of them. - -For one single instant a grisly phantom of future ruin rose before -Packard himself, but he quickly brushed it aside, forcing a laugh. - -“I believe in living while we live,” he declared. “What’s the use of -denying ourselves every good thing of life in order to live a year or -two longer?” - -“Every good thing of life! My dear Mr. Packard, you are making one of -the greatest errors a man can make. Look at me. I deny myself no good -thing of life. Whisky is not good. Alcohol is not good in any form. It -is only the boy with the inherited taste for it that ever relishes his -first drink. To a perfectly healthy fellow that first drink is -repulsive. You know it, Mr. Packard. You say you believe in living and -enjoying life. Man, you do not know what it is to enjoy life! You cannot -know what it is as long as you do not feel perfect health pulsing all -through your body. No drinker ever feels like that. Under the influence -of the stuff he takes into his stomach, he may feel good for a short -time, but the reaction always follows, and he suffers for his short -enjoyment. It is not a case of shortening life a year or two, but most -drinkers shorten it from ten to thirty years. And they die wretched -wrecks. What’s the use to talk about it?” - -“Didn’t you ever drink?” asked Roland wonderingly. - -“Yes.” - -“Ah!” - -“Long ago I was fool enough to do so. I was a boy then, and I thought it -manly. But I learned my lesson and learned it well. See this face! It -marks me for life and makes me an object of repulsion. If I had never -touched liquor, I doubt if I should have been thus disfigured now. I -entered a burning building, in an attempt to rescue a man. Another boy -was with me. We flung open the door of a room, and fire shot out and -enveloped me. It seemed as if my very breath took flame. I fell to the -floor, and the other chap dragged me away.” - -“Wasn’t he burned?” - -“No.” - -“It just happened that way. It was fate.” - -“It seemed to be punishment. I hated the other fellow, and I had tried -to do him harm. He was an athletic chap, and he would not drink. I hated -him because he seemed to think himself too good to drink. He had been -given a medal for saving a life. I got hold of that medal. Another boy -was accused of stealing it. As I did not like the other fellow, I should -have remained quiet and let things go; but when I was burned I thought -my time had come. I confessed. Of course, all the odium of the affair -fell on me when I recovered, and I was compelled to leave school. But I -swore then and there that I would never touch a drink again, and that I -would become an athlete capable of defeating the fellow I had tried to -down. From that day to this I have worked steadily to build myself up -and reach a state of perfection. I believe I have succeeded, and now I -am ready for the test. All I ask is to meet my old enemy in any kind of -a contest.” - -“And this enemy of whom you speak—what is his name?” - -“Frank Merriwell!” declared the youthful athlete with the scarred face. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - A MAGNIFICENT ATHLETE. - - -“Ah! I suspected it!” exclaimed Packard, sitting down. - -Bertrand Defarge smiled with satisfaction, and pushed along a chair for -Hawkins, who accepted it, permitting Defarge to take his hat. - -“He is here,” said the scar-faced youth. “I learn that he is something -of an athlete, and that he is rated as a king among you. I shall never -be satisfied until I have defeated him. It has been my controlling -desire since those days at Fardale. I have never permitted it to lessen. -I have looked at my face and said to myself: ‘Let that aid you to -remember.’” - -Packard rubbed his hands with satisfaction. He was beginning to like -this fellow. - -“And you have worked hard to become strong and skilful?” - -“I have worked hard in every way. I have had the best instructors a man -could have. My muscles are firm as iron, my nerves are steady as the -earth itself, and I believe there is no man living who can meet and -defeat me in every department. I can shoot with the best experts, either -rifle or pistol. I can fence with masters of the art and defeat them. I -have thrown some of the greatest amateur wrestlers. As an unknown, I -have defeated professional pugilists who were regarded as wonders. I am -satisfied that I have reached the highest point possible for me to -attain, and now all I ask is to meet this man Merriwell.” - -Defarge had drawn up a chair, and was smiling his satisfaction. - -Packard’s interest had increased rapidly. To himself he now acknowledged -that this youth with the scarred face was decidedly fascinating, to say -the least. - -“Of course, you realize the kind of a man Merriwell has become?” said -Roland. “He has never met his match since entering Yale, and he has -escaped unscathed from all the traps and snares laid for him.” - -Hawkins nodded grimly. - -“That is just the kind of a man I have been training to defeat,” he -said. “All I ask now is the opportunity.” - -“And you and I,” said Defarge, speaking to Packard, “must furnish the -opportunity for him.” - -“How can we do it?” asked Roland, growing more and more interested. - -“Have you heard that Merriwell is going to give a big supper to his -friends? He calls it an athletic supper. Do you know anything about -that?” - -“I’ve heard something about it.” - -“That is the time to strike him. He should be led into the trap in the -presence of his great gathering of friends.” - -“But I fail to see how I am to help bring that about.” - -“Your brother is one of Merriwell’s particular friends.” - -“Not exactly a particular friend, as he has never belonged to -Merriwell’s flock; still, I think he is regarded by Merriwell as a -friend.” - -“Exactly. That is what I have been counting on. Your brother is almost -certain to receive an invitation to this supper.” - -“It is very likely that he may.” - -“Well, you have been mistaken for him hundreds of times. In fact, your -very best friends have trouble in telling you apart. Now, can’t you fix -it some way that the invitation will not reach the hand of your -brother?” - -Roland whistled. - -“I begin to see your little game,” he said. “It is rather daring, to say -the least.” - -“But you have worked just as daring games before. You have impersonated -your brother more than once. Dressed in his clothes, who can say you -are—not—Oliver?” - -Defarge’s voice sank, and he spoke the final words slowly, staring hard -at Roland. Packard noticed this queer look and caught the strange -hesitation in the French youth’s voice. - -“Well, what the dickens is the matter with you?” he exclaimed harshly. -“Why are you staring at me like that?” - -“I—I was thinking,” faltered Bertrand. - -“Thinking what?” - -“That you are beginning to look different from your brother.” - -“Different? How?” - -“Why, your face—it is flushed. The whisky you drink——” - -But that was not all. Bertrand could discern a greater difference than -that made by the unnatural flush brought to Packard’s face by the -intoxicants he drank. The fellow’s countenance was somehow losing its -refinement and delicacy, and was taking on a faint suggestion of -grossness and brutality, telling that drink had lowered Packard’s morals -and filled his mind with evil thoughts. - -It is a fact that the thoughts of any boy are finally written on his -face in lines that all may read. If he has kind, elevating, noble -thoughts, his face becomes handsome and attractive in its expression; -but, no matter how handsome he may have grown to be, if he begins to -indulge in evil, brutal thoughts, the result will be a gradual but -certain change of countenance that will plainly indicate the trend of -his mind. - -Defarge had detected the growing difference in the looks of the -brothers. - -“Oh, Oliver is a pale-faced fool!” petulantly exclaimed Roland. “I’ve -told him so.” - -“But your flushed countenance would betray you,” said Bertrand. -“Merriwell may have been deceived in the past, but he would not be this -time. He would recognize the difference between you and Oliver. That -would ruin the game.” - -“I fail to see quite through the game, anyhow. Even if I were to obtain -possession of my brother’s invitation to this supper, and should attend -in his place, how could I bring about the purpose we wish to -accomplish?” - -“Every guest is permitted to bring a friend to the supper. I have heard -that they are urged to bring a friend along. That would give you the -chance to take Hawkins to that supper.” - -“That’s so,” nodded Roland. “By Jove! you have quite a clear head on -you, Defarge.” - -“Oh, I can plan, even if I cannot make a direct move against Merriwell.” - -“And at the supper Hawkins could challenge Merriwell to various feats.” - -“That’s the idea.” - -“It could be brought about very cleverly.” - -“There should be no trouble.” - -“And Merriwell could not refuse to accept the challenge.” - -“Of course not.” - -“Defarge, it is worth considering! I believe it may be done.” - -“But your looks—your flushed face——” - -“Oh, don’t worry about that. I know a little drug that will take all the -color out of my face and make me look as pale as my goody-good brother.” - -“And would you use it?” - -“In a minute!” - -“Then I believe you can carry out my plan.” - -Packard rubbed his hands together again. - -“It’s worth trying—worth trying!” he muttered. “Oh, it would be great -sport to have Merriwell defeated in feats of strength before all his -friends!” - -“But the best thing to do would be to have him defeated at boxing first, -following that with a fencing-bout. In this bout Hawkins could——” - -Defarge leaned over and whispered the rest of the sentence in Packard’s -ear: - -“Run Merriwell through the body!” - -“Whew!” whistled Packard once more. “Will he do it?” - -“He hates Merriwell. Why shouldn’t he? Look at that face!” - -Packard seized the decanter and turned whisky into two glasses. - -“Here!” he cried, passing one to Defarge. “To the downfall of Merriwell! -Drink it!” - -Quickly the strange youth caught a glass, into which he poured some -water from the pitcher. - -“I drink with you!” he exclaimed. “To the downfall of Frank Merriwell!” - -“But now,” said Packard, “before I go any farther, before I take this -step, I must be convinced that Mr. Hawkins can stand a show with -Merriwell—that there is a possibility of his defeating Merriwell.” - -“How do you wish to be convinced?” asked Hawkins, rising. - -“With my eyes.” - -“You shall be.” - -Hawkins turned to Defarge, who nodded. Immediately the youth with the -scarred face began to strip. He tossed aside his coat and vest and -peeled down to his underclothes in short order. - -Packard gasped with astonishment and admiration, for the stranger was -magnificently developed, and his muscles were those of the perfect -athlete. His legs were lithe, yet powerful and muscular; his waist was -strong and slender; his chest was full and deep; his shoulders were -broad and handsome; his arms—ah, what arms they were! They might have -belonged to Samson! And his neck was the neck of the fully developed -athlete. - -But above this superbly handsome body rose that horribly scarred face. -Packard shuddered when he looked at it. - -“Do I strip all right?” asked the stranger quietly. - -“By Jupiter! you are a physical marvel!” cried the bewildered medical -student. “Apollo could not have had a more perfect figure!” - -Was it a smile of satisfaction that contorted the scarred face of -Hawkins? - -“The beauty of my body is all I possess,” he said bitterly. “My face -frightens people. Sometimes, in my own room, I put a mask over my face, -tear off my clothes, and stand before a long mirror to admire my -muscular body. Then I try to fancy myself with a face suited to this -body—such a face as I must have had but for that fire. Oh, it is -terrible to know that I must always wear this disfigured face! I have no -real friends! I have but one ambition in life.” - -“And that is——” - -“To defeat and conquer Frank Merriwell! I shall do it, too!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - PACKARD IS SATISFIED. - - -Having made this statement, the young athlete of the scarred face turned -to his clothing, as if he would dress. - -“I am not yet satisfied,” said Packard. “Let me see you display some of -your powers and skill.” - -“Sit down,” invited the one addressed. “Sit on that chair.” - -He pointed at a plain wooden chair, and Packard sat on it, as directed. - -Immediately the youth of the hideous face stooped, thrust his arm under -the front crosspiece of the chair-frame, grasped the back piece, and -said: - -“Hold fast to the chair and sit quite still.” - -The medic did as directed. Hawkins took a deep breath, and then his -muscles began to swell and strain as he rose. And as he straightened up -he lifted the chair from the floor with Packard upon it—up, up, up! The -muscles of that magnificent upper arm and shoulder stood out hard and -rigid! They swelled and grew taut across the back! Up, up, till Packard -was lifted shoulder-high and held at arm’s length, still sitting on that -chair! - -It was a most astounding feat of strength, and Packard was breathless -with admiration. - -But how was the fellow to put him down? - -After a moment Hawkins began to stoop, lowering his body gradually, -still balancing Packard on the chair as he let him down. Slowly, gently, -deliberately the athlete lowered that chair and its human burden, -depositing it lightly upon the floor. - -“There!” cried Defarge triumphantly; “what do you think of that?” - -“It was simply astounding!” admitted Roland, jumping up and drawing a -deep breath. - -“Are you satisfied?” asked Hawkins quietly. - -“As to your strength, yes.” - -“You believe I am stronger than Merriwell?” - -“You must be. I know Merriwell seldom exhibits the full extent of his -strength, but I cannot conceive that he is stronger than that. Can you -wrestle?” - -“Yes, in any style you may name. I have taken lessons from masters of -the art.” - -“Then you should be able to throw Merriwell. But the fellow is skilful -in many other ways.” - -“For instance?” - -“He can handle his fists and feet, as I have said.” - -“There are a set of boxing-gloves on the wall. You may put on one pair -and Defarge the other. Then you may both come at me and try to hit me.” - -“What will you do?” - -“I will not permit either of you to hit me once.” - -“Oh, come off!” laughed Packard. “We can get you between us, and you -can’t help being hit.” - -“If either of you are able to hit me one fair blow in five minutes’ -time, I will admit that I am not yet prepared to meet Merriwell.” - -“All right; we’ll show you!” cried Packard. “Move the furniture out of -the way. But, before you begin, I want you to know that I am something -of a boxer. Once on a time I took lessons from Buster Kelley, New -Haven’s great fighter, for the purpose of getting into shape for a go -with Merriwell.” - -“So much the better,” nodded the undisturbed athlete, “for it will serve -as a more satisfactory test.” - -So the furniture was moved back from the center of the room, and Packard -and Defarge threw off coats and vests, drew on the gloves, and prepared -for the encounter. - -When they were ready, the athlete said: - -“Before we begin I will warn you that I may often defend myself with my -feet, as well as with my hands. I shall strike neither of you with my -clenched fists, but I may push you with either feet or hands.” - -“That’s all right,” grinned Roland. “I’ll risk but I can dodge your -feet.” - -“You may find it more difficult than you think. Are you ready?” - -“Ready,” said Packard. - -“Ready,” said Defarge. - -“Then come at me, and make it as hot as you like.” - -They accepted the invitation, both springing forward. He was away before -them, dancing to one side, quickly leading them to separate. Then, like -a flash, he flitted between them. - -Both struck at him—and missed! - -He laughed in their faces. Packard followed him up closely and struck -again and again. The wonderful youth of the scarred face parried or -dodged every blow. But Defarge came rushing in, and they seemed to have -the fellow cornered. Then, quick as a flash, Hawkins placed one foot -against Packard’s breast and gave him a push that flung him with a heavy -thud to the floor. Defarge was tripped up and sent sprawling over -Packard, and the athlete stood back, his arms folded, a chuckling laugh -escaping his lips. - -Packard got up, uttering words of mingled anger and wonder. Why, it -seemed utterly impossible to corner the fellow! Roland vowed he’d not be -caught again by that foot-trick. - -Defarge was up. - -“Now!” cried Packard, “both together!” - -Again they rushed; again that handsomely built youth easily avoided -them. They were separated, and once more he flitted between them. -Neither touched him, though both tried to do so. - -Packard set his teeth and followed the fellow up once more. The athlete -put his hands behind his back and stood quite still, without guarding. - -Packard struck at his head. That head moved to one side with the -quickness of a flash, and Packard missed. - -Packard struck at the man’s body. That body leaped backward like a -panther, and it was untouched. - -The medical student gasped. Never in his life had he seen a man he -fancied could handle himself like that. - -Then Defarge came charging in, and both struck at Hawkins together. -Hawkins parried the blows of one with his left hand and the blows of the -other with his right. Then, with his left hand, he gave one of them a -thrust, at the same time pushing the other with his right foot, and -again he skipped between them and was away. - -Packard stopped and said: - -“He’s a wizard! Confound him! can’t we corner him, anyhow?” - -But they could not, though for five minutes they did their level best. -When five minutes had elapsed by the little clock on the mantel, the -scar-faced athlete stopped, saying: - -“The time is up. Are you satisfied?” - -“More than satisfied in this line. You are the quickest man I ever saw. -Your foot-work is something marvelous.” - -Was that strange contortion of the scarred face a smile caused by Roland -Packard’s words? - -“You say you can fence?” Packard went on. “Merriwell is the champion -here since he defeated Defarge.” - -“Defarge was the champion before?” - -“So called.” - -“But Merriwell has a thrust of his own that I am unable to avoid,” -Defarge confessed. “I have practised it since till I am sure I can make -the lead quite as well as Merriwell himself.” - -“Try it on me,” invited the stranger. “Have you a suit I can get into? I -see you have a set of foils, masks, and protectors.” - -Defarge had several suits. He brought two of them out, and ten minutes -later the two young men were prepared for a fencing-bout, while Packard -had retired to a corner, where he sat on a chair and watched. - -“On guard,” said Hawkins. - -They were ready. - -“Salute.” - -They did so. - -“Engage.” - -Clash! They were at it. - -“Do your best,” urged the strange youth. “Press me as hard as you like. -Give me Frank Merriwell’s pet thrust when you get—ah!” - -Defarge had shortened his guard like a flash, dropped till the fingers -of his left hand rested lightly on the floor, with his body straightened -out, thrusting then with a movement that seemed too swift to avoid. - -Hawkins parried with a circular movement of his wrist, moving just one -foot to one side as he did so, and the thrust was avoided. - -“By heavens!” cried Defarge, as he came up with a spring. “He caught me -with that every time.” - -“And you came near catching me,” confessed Hawkins. “To tell the truth, -if you had not warned me in advance of a peculiar movement, I believe I -should have been caught.” - -“See if you are as lucky next time.” - -They were at it again, and Defarge improved the very first opportunity -to try that thrust again. But his success was no greater than before, -his opponent seeming to escape with ease. - -Then Hawkins showed that he could play with Defarge, counting on the -French youth almost at will. - -With an exclamation of rage, Bertrand flung down his foil at last. - -“It makes me too mad to fence!” he snarled. “Here I’ve spent years at -it, and I find myself like a baby in your hands!” - -“And you gave Merriwell something of a go, if I have been informed -correctly,” said Packard. - -“I kept him busy,” declared Defarge. - -“I’m more than satisfied,” asserted the medical student. “Hawkins is the -most wonderful athlete alive, and I’ll bank on it! He can defeat -Merriwell at anything!” - -“I thought you would come to that conclusion,” said the French youth. -“Will you try to help carry out the plan I proposed?” - -“Sure thing,” nodded Packard. “You may count on me! At last I believe I -shall live to see the day when Merriwell’s colors will be lowered in the -dust! It will be the happiest day of my life!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - MORGAN’S WARNING. - - -Frank Merriwell was busy writing in his room. It was the night following -the incidents just related, and the hour was late. So intent was he upon -his work that he did not hear the first knock on his door. After a time -the knock was repeated. - -Merry gathered up the scattered pages of manuscript before crossing the -room and opening the door. - -Dade Morgan stood outside. - -“Hello, Morgan!” exclaimed Frank, when he saw who was there. “Will you -come in?” - -“Yes,” said Morgan, “if you do not object. I wish to have a little talk -with you. Did I disturb you at your studies?” - -“No; I have completed studying for to-night.” - -“Writing letters?” - -“No. I was writing a——” Frank checked himself. “I was writing for my own -present amusement,” he declared. - -“Queer occupation,” commented Morgan, with a deep look at Merry. “Fellow -seldom writes for amusement. But you are different from most fellows.” - -“Thank you,” said Merry. “I think I may return the compliment. Take a -chair.” - -He closed the door, and Morgan accepted the invitation. - -“I believe this is the first time I have ever visited you in your room, -Mr. Merriwell,” said Dade. - -“I believe so.” - -Morgan was pale. His training had seemed to rob him of color, if -anything. He glanced at Frank, and then veiled his eyes with those dark, -silky lashes. Only for a moment, however, for he looked up again with an -expression of open honesty. - -“Merriwell,” he said, “I know you have good reason to hate me. My -greatest wonder is that you permitted me to remain in college.” - -Frank wondered what Morgan was driving at. - -“Do you wish to talk about that?” he asked quietly. “I fancied it might -be unpleasant to you.” - -“It is; but of late I have been seized by a growing desire to set myself -right in your eyes. I doubt if we can ever become friends, but I do not -want you to continue to think me a dirty dog. Oh, I know you must have -thought that about me in the past!” - -“I have,” admitted Merry, with perfect candor. “I had a right to think -so.” - -“Admitted; but not of late—not since——” - -“You refer to Santenel?” - -“Yes; not since his death. I gave you a promise then, and I have kept -it.” - -“I believe you have.” - -“I have wondered if you quite believed me when I told you of the power -Santenel held over me. He was my guardian, and he brought me up to hate -you, Frank Merriwell. He led me to believe that your father did him the -greatest wrong one man could do another, and that you were the worthy -son of such a father. Before I ever saw you I was led to hate you with -all my heart, and a Morgan hates intensely when he hates at all.” - -“I believe you.” - -“He trained me, as far as he could, to meet you in any manner, and it -was his fondest hope that I might accomplish your overthrow by fair -means or foul. He taught me that, in this case, foul means would be -quite as honorable as fair. I came to believe it, for I looked on you as -one who would hesitate at nothing to gain your ends. It took a long time -for me to realize that I had been falsely instructed. When I had learned -that, I had begun to hate you because I could not get the best of you. -Nothing galls a Morgan worse than defeat, and you had left the bitter -taste of defeat in my mouth many times.” - -Frank was wondering what the fellow could be leading toward. - -“The death of my uncle left me utterly in your power,” Morgan continued, -looking at Merry from beneath those dark lashes, something like a faint, -sad smile coming to his face. “I have the tattered remnants of his -fortune left me, which will be enough to carry me through college. I was -forced to beg for mercy, and you agreed to withhold your hand for a -time. Since then there has been a truce between us. I hope that truce -may never be broken. But I know you have a particular friend who hates -me like poison, and who has tried to hurt me in your eyes. I mean Hodge. -He has told you that I am still at work against you. I do not think you -have accepted his statements, for I was permitted to remain on the -ball-team.” - -“Which was in need of just such a man as you are,” said Frank. - -“Thank you. It is kind of you to say that. I don’t know how you induced -Hodge to catch my pitching, but you did that. And now I am anxious to -show that I appreciate what you have done. I think I have detected a -plot against you, and I have come to put you on the scent.” - -“More plots?” exclaimed Merry, with an air of weariness. “Morgan, I had -hoped plotting against me was at an end while I remained at Yale.” - -“I fear you hoped in vain. You are going to give a supper to your -friends to-morrow night?” - -“Yes.” - -“Well, I have discovered enough to know that the plot is going to be put -into operation at that time.” - -“What’s the game?” - -“Just what it is I cannot tell. I am not given to listening at keyholes, -Merriwell; but having scented this thing last night, I did a little -listening. I could not get at the bottom of the whole matter, but what I -heard told me there was something wrong.” - -“Who owned the door, Morgan?” - -“Defarge.” - -“No!” - -Frank looked surprised. - -“It’s true.” - -“But he—why, he can’t do anything!” - -“He may not try, but the plot was laid in his room. I watched afterward, -and saw two men leave that room.” - -“Who were they?” - -“One was one of the Packards.” - -“Roland?” - -“I presume so; but I can’t tell them apart.” - -“It must have been Roland; Oliver would not be up to such work. Roland -is an old enemy of mine.” - -“Then I suppose it was Roland.” - -“And the other—who was he?” - -“I do not know.” - -“Didn’t you see his face?” - -“Yes; I got a fair look at it under a street-lamp. It startled me, for -it was the most hideous face I have ever seen. It looks as if all the -flesh had been burned off it at some time.” - -“Then he was not a Yale man?” - -“No.” - -“Well, I’d like to know what sort of nasty work Defarge and Packard are -planning. Defarge! Why, the fellow is sitting over a slumbering volcano! -I have told him what would happen. But he cannot take an active part -against me if he wishes.” - -“I don’t know what he is doing,” said Dade; “but I’m certain that a plot -to injure you was concocted in that room last night. More than that, I -am certain the blow will be struck at your banquet to-morrow evening. I -came here to warn you, so that you may be ready.” - -“Thank you, Morgan,” said Frank; “I appreciate it.” - -Dade rose to go, but seemed to hesitate. - -"If I ever am able to do anything more"—he spoke a trifle huskily—“you -may be sure I shall do it. I’m going to try to even up for the past.” - -Then he stopped, turned away, turned back, faltered, held out his hand. - -“Will you take it, Merriwell?” he asked, flushing painfully. - -Frank grasped it instantly. - -“I’m willing to let the past die with Santenel,” he earnestly declared. - -“So am I!” said Dade sincerely. “I shall never try to resurrect it, you -may be sure. Good night, Mr. Merriwell.” - -“Good night, Morgan.” - -Frank opened the door, and Morgan passed out. He came near running into -Hodge, who was coming in. Bart stood still and looked at Dade, who -stepped aside and passed on, without a word. - -There was a strange look on the face of Bart Hodge when he entered -Merriwell’s room. - -Frank closed the door, and Bart walked over and stood with his back to -the open fireplace. - -Merry had one of the handsomest rooms in Vanderbilt, but the beauty of -the place was nothing to Bart then. He stood with his hands thrust deep -into his pockets, a scowl on his dark face, staring down at the Persian -rug beneath his feet. - -Merry knew something was the matter with Hodge, and he divined what that -something must be. - -“You’re up late to-night, old man,” said Frank. “And you look tired. You -should be in bed. You know how we have had the law laid down to us. Yale -must win in all directions this spring. It is our last with her, and we -must wind up and sever our connections in a blaze of glory. Sit down, -Bart; you look tired.” - -“I’m not,” Hodge growled. - -“Something is the matter?” - -“Perhaps so.” - -“What?” - -“You ought to know.” - -Frank did know, but he pretended that he did not understand. - -“Is it anything about the nine?” - -“Look here, Merriwell,” said Hodge sharply, lifting his eyes and looking -straight at Frank, “has it come to taking Morgan into the circle? You -know what that man is. I do not deny that he is a rather clever athlete, -or that he can play ball; but you cannot tame a snake enough to make it -anything but a snake.” - -“Even a snake may have its fangs drawn.” - -“But the disposition to coil and strike remains in the snake. Morgan has -the eyes of a snake. Haven’t you ever seen them glitter? He knows when -that snaky look gets into his eyes, and he hides it with his drooping -eyelashes. He can smile, but a man may smile and smile, and be a villain -still. I told myself some time ago that I’d never mention Morgan’s name -to you like this again; but, by the eternal skies! when I find him -coming from your room at an hour close on to midnight, it is too much -for me! I have to open my mouth.” - -Bart was almost shaking with the intensity of his feelings. Without -permitting Frank to speak, he went on: - -“I have tried to conquer my hatred for that fellow for your sake, Frank; -I have even brought myself to catch his pitching, which I once swore I’d -never do. When I hate a man I hate him for all time. Don’t speak of -Badger! I know I disliked him, but, somehow, I never hated him in the -way I hate Morgan. My hatred for Morgan is all through me—it is in every -part of me. I can never make myself feel any other way toward him. I did -bring myself to use Badger decently, though I must confess that I know I -can never really like him. But he is as much different from Morgan as -day is from night. Badger is something like me. Perhaps that was why I -disliked him so. I haven’t any use for a fellow like me. I’ve wondered -many times why you should have any use for such a chap.” - -“Hodge!” - -“Oh, I know—I know, Frank! I appreciate it! I was a rascal when we first -met, but I was not a natural-born snake like Morgan! I had become -degraded through self-indulgence and associating with bad companions. My -mother——” - -“Is one of the sweetest women in the world, God bless her!” broke in -Frank. - -Bart was touched, but he went on: - -“She tried to bring me up right, Merriwell. It was not her fault that I -came so near going to the dogs. She loves you, Merry, because you have -been my true friend. I have stuck by you through thick and thin, and——” - -“Bart, you have been my truest friend!” exclaimed Frank sincerely, -advancing and placing his hands on the shoulders of the frowning, -excited youth. “I have understood you when others have not, and I knew -the full depths of your friendship.” - -Hodge choked a little, but went on with forced calmness: - -“If that is true, are you ready to sacrifice me now, Merriwell? I -solemnly swear to you that I must step out of the circle of your friends -when Morgan steps in. And I have heard it rumored that the fellow will -be taken into your flock directly.” - -“You believed the rumor?” - -“Well, I did not until—until just now. What am I to think when I find -him coming from your room at this hour, Merriwell? What can I think?” - -“So that was all the trouble. Bart, Morgan told me here to my face that -he doubted if we could ever become friends. He has no desire to be taken -into the flock.” - -“Trickery! Deception! He is full of it! He knows that is the best way to -get in! If he showed eagerness to be admitted, he knows you might turn -him down.” - -“I do not think so. At any rate, Bart, I have no thought of taking him -into the circle.” - -“Frank!” - -“That is true, Bart.” - -“And he will not be invited to your supper?” - -“No.” - -“I feared he might be there. I could not sit at the same board with him. -But didn’t he come here to say something about that?” - -“Yes.” - -“What?” - -“He claimed that he came to warn me.” - -“Of what?” - -“A fresh plot against me.” - -“Morgan warning you of a plot! The heavens will fall next!” - -“He thinks he has scented a plot to do something at the dinner, but he -does not know what that something is.” - -“Little good the warning will do you!” - -“But I believe I’ll be able to find out all about it, and I’m glad you -have dropped in just now. I want you to go with me to the room of -Defarge.” - -“Another snake!” - -“I believe you have made no mistake as far as Defarge is concerned.” - -“Is he in the plot?” - -“According to Morgan, the plot was concocted in the room of Defarge, who -knows all about it.” - -“But I thought you had that fellow in such shape that he could not make -a move against you?” - -“He can make no direct move himself, but he may take part in a plot -against me.” - -“Who else is in it?” - -“Packard.” - -“Roland?” - -“Of course. Oliver is all right.” - -“Who else?” - -“A man with a scarred face. Morgan did not know him, but he said he -obtained a fair look at his face, and it was horribly disfigured.” - -“I have seen that man!” exclaimed Hodge. “He has visited Defarge more -than once. But what can any one of those three do? Not one of them will -be present at the supper.” - -“That question is one I wish to answer to my own satisfaction. You -remember that I caused Defarge to give me a key to his door. It is -here.” - -Frank displayed the key, and Bart nodded. - -“Defarge does not know he gave me this key,” said Merry. “It will admit -us to his room to-night. If he is asleep, I shall place him under the -spell and question him without waking him at all. He will never know we -have been there, and we’ll learn the full extent of the plot. Then we’ll -be prepared to meet it, and somebody will receive a surprise.” - -The face of Bart Hodge was flushed with excitement. - -“Merriwell,” he cried, “you are a wonder! If you can make one of the -plotters tell you all about the plot, without knowing he has told it, it -will be something marvelous! I do not believe such a thing can be done.” - -Frank smiled. - -“Are you ready to accompany me to the room of Defarge?” he asked. - -“Sure thing!” - -“Then I will convince you. Come on.” - -They went out, and Merry closed and locked the door of his room. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - FRANK TURNS THE TABLES. - - -Frank Merriwell’s “athletic spread” at the New Haven House was a great -success. Probably never before had there been given such a supper in the -“College City,” for meat or fish in any form was not served. The hearty -food consisted of eggs and nuts prepared in the most tempting manner, so -that it was sometimes impossible to tell what a dish consisted of before -tasting it. - -Fruits of all sorts abounded, there being great heaps of bananas, -grapes, oranges, and things tempting to the eye as well as the palate. -There were no pies, cakes, nor pastry of any sort on the table. Fresh -strawberries in abundance were supplied. Whole wheat bread, corn bread, -and rye bread might be had to any amount. The liquid refreshments -consisted of pure water, milk, or “coffee” made from browned barley. In -fact, it was a “vegetarian” banquet, but never had any one present -relished a feast more than they did that one. - -“So help me,” said Jack Ready blandly, “I never supposed vegetarian -cranks had so many good, hearty things to live on. I always imagined -them as blue-nosed, pinched, and nearly starved to death. A man couldn’t -starve on this variety of stuff if he tried. Anyhow, if he could, I’d be -willing to starve on it a while.” - -“Mum-mum-me, too, b’gosh,” agreed Joe Gamp. “I ain’t never had such a -sus-sus-slappin’ good time eatin’ sence I came down here to -cuc-cuc-college.” - -“Out on a ranch,” said Berlin Carson, “we can’t get all these things to -eat, and we have to live on beef.” - -“I believe,” put in Greg Carker solemnly, “that along with the coming -social revolution will come a revolution in eating.” - -“Oh, don’t you hear the earthquakes?” shouted a dozen fellows, in -chorus, and Carker’s jaws came together with a snap. - -“That’s too bad!” said Jim Hooker sympathetically. “A fellow ought to -have a right to air his views occasionally.” - -“But not to air his earthquake at a social function like this,” said -Ready. “I have no use for earthquakes at a dinner. Give me grub, -instead!” - -“Good Lord!” muttered Browning to his nearest neighbor on the right, who -happened to be Hock Mason. “If I eat any more, I shall explode, and -still this stuff don’t seem to give me that stuffed feeling I get when I -fill up on roast beef, or meat of any kind.” - -“That’s right, sah,” nodded the youth from South Carolina. “This supper -has been a revelation to me, for I never knew before how many good -things there were outside meat diet.” - -“If a fellow could lose flesh on such feed, it might be a good thing for -me,” put in Ralph Bingham. - -“Where are the smokes to follow it?” inquired Bert Dashleigh, looking -round. “A banquet is never complete without cigars and cigarettes to -follow, while the speeches are being made.” - -“Gentlemen,” said Frank, “I think we will dispense with tobacco -to-night, just as we have dispensed with its twin poison, alcohol. If we -do so, I think none of us will feel the worse, and to-morrow we’ll all -feel better.” - -“But I need a smoke to help me digest my food,” murmured Dashleigh. - -“That is where you make a great error,” declared Frank smilingly. -“Smoking does not help you digest your food. The soothing influence of -the narcotic on your nerves gives you the impression that it has helped -you, but it is a false impression, and it has done harm instead of good. -You all know I am not a crank, for I do not go round prating about my -beliefs to everybody I meet and annoying them. I know better, for I -realize that such a course will work more harm than good. Still, when -the right opportunity comes, I am never afraid to speak out and defend -my convictions.” - -“Do you believe a strict vegetarian diet is more beneficial than a meat -diet?” asked Mat Mullen. - -“I believe we are prone to eat too much meat in these days,” Frank -unhesitatingly replied. “Vegetarians put up a strong argument, and they -often show that abstainers from meat have greater endurance than -meat-eaters. Still, I am not prepared to say that man should abstain -entirely from meat-eating. He has eaten meat since the days when -primeval man hunted the reindeer with his stone spear and flint-headed -arrows. Such being the case, even though nature may not have intended -that he should eat meat, man has become so accustomed to a meat diet -that an abrupt change to vegetarianism might not prove entirely -beneficial.” - -“Those are words of wisdom,” said the youth with a hideously scarred -face, who, with Roland Packard at his side, sat at a distance from -Frank. - -This was the first time the stranger had seemed to address Merry -directly. Bart Hodge looked at Frank, and he saw a singular smile play -about the corners of Merry’s mouth. - -“Friends,” said Merry, rising, “my original plan was to follow this -feast with music and song, but certain things caused me to change my -plans. We have with us to-night a wonderful athlete, who has come here -for the sole purpose of pitting himself against me and bringing about my -downfall.” - -Roland Packard gave a gasp of astonishment, while the scar-faced -stranger straightened up rigidly, his eyes fastened on the cool, -handsome youth who was speaking. - -“The plan was,” Merry went on, “to take me by surprise, to challenge me -across this table, to force me into tests of strength and skill, and to -show before this assembled party of my select friends that I am in many -ways an impostor—that I am not the athlete I pretend to be. Now, -gentlemen, I have never made any false pretensions. I do not go about -displaying my ability for the sake of winning applause. I never lift -heavy weights in the presence of great crowds. In fact, as far as -possible, I shun all dime-museum tricks. But I have been examined to-day -by an expert, who has pronounced me in perfect form, and, therefore, I -shall meet this wonderful athlete in the presence of you all, if he -wishes to force the test. I have made full preparations for such a -meeting, and I, like the athlete to whom I refer, have not eaten -heartily at this meal. Gentlemen, I think you will not need to leave -your seats to witness this little affair.” - -Merry touched a bell, and at the signal a pair of folding doors at one -side of the room rolled back, showing another room, which had been -cleared of furniture. On the floor of that room a huge mat was spread. -Against the farther wall hung a pair of foils, masks, and a set of -boxing-gloves. - -There was a buzz of excitement around the table. Truly, this was a -sensation. - -“Who the dickens is the great athlete?” gasped Dick Starbright, staring -round. - -“Is it a joke?” questioned Bert Dashleigh. - -“Bet he has a lot of chorus-girls trip into that room and dance for us!” -grunted Browning. - -“Behold!” said Jack Ready. “No man knoweth the things Frank Merriwell -may do! And I’ll guarantee he’ll do any old athlete that bucks up -against him. He’s the real stuff. Trot out your blooming athlete!” - -Frank now stepped from the table. - -“In a room just off the one adjoining,” he said, “are suits for -wrestling, fencing, or boxing. It will not take us long to dress to -carry out the remainder of this program. Mr. Hawkins, are you ready, -sir?” - -His eyes were fastened on the scar-faced youth. - -Roland Packard, who was strangely pale, whispered in Hawkins’ ear: - -“Remember that you are to injure him some way, so that he will be unable -to pitch any more. He has taken you by surprise, so that you cannot run -him through the shoulder with your own trick rapier, but you ought to be -able to twist that arm or shoulder somehow in wrestling. Don’t underrate -him.” - -“You, Roland Packard,” said Frank, “may act as the second of your -friend.” - -“Roland Packard?” exclaimed several, in surprise. “Why I thought he was -Oliver!” - -Brian Hawkins rose to his feet, his scarred face contorted by a strange -smile, while his bright eyes glittered. - -“To a certain extent, Mr. Merriwell,” he said, “you have turned the -tables on me; but the final result will be unaltered. How you tumbled to -the game is something I cannot understand. As you have tumbled to it, I -confess that I am here to defeat you. I did mean to challenge you across -this table, but you got ahead of me. Do you remember me?” - -“No.” - -“I am Brian Hawkins, and I was at Fardale with you.” - -“Hawkins—good Lord!” - -Bart Hodge was on his feet, staring at the youth with the scarred face. - -“Yes, Hawkins,” nodded the strange athlete. “You remember me, Hodge. We -had some trouble at Fardale, and I believe you came out the victor; but -to-night I will show you that you are no longer in my class by defeating -your friend and superior. I have worked steadily to put myself in -condition to accomplish this design, and the time has come.” - -“Oh, say!” cried Jack Ready, “just wait till the little affair is over! -I’ll bet my enormous fortune that you sneak away, with your tail between -your legs, like a whipped dog! Yea, verily! So mote it be, for it’s -bound to ’mote’ so.” - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -THE FENCING-BOUT. - -There was a buzzing hum of excitement round that table when Merriwell -and the strange athlete with the scarred face had disappeared into the -dressing-room. - -All had seemed to feel that something unusual was to take place at this -feast, but not one of them seemed to have suspected anything like this. - -Merriwell had a way of doing remarkable things, but the termination of -this “athletic dinner” was an event to be long talked of at Yale. - -And the fact that Roland Packard had been permitted to sit at that table -was also very surprising, for Merriwell had permitted it, knowing all -the time the fellow was Roland, while others had supposed him Oliver, -with the exceptions of the youth with the scarred face and Bart Hodge. - -But a short time elapsed before Frank and the stranger both appeared, -attired in light suits fit for almost any athletic task. - -Hodge and Packard were the seconds, and, for the time, Bart put aside -his intense hatred for the medical student who hated Frank—that is, he -put it aside enough to confer with Packard and come to an understanding -about what was to take place. - -It had been the intention of the plotters to make the fencing-bout the -last thing to take place between Merriwell and the stranger, and -preparations had been made for the use of a special foil, from which the -button could be snatched when the time came for Hawkins to puncture -Frank through the right shoulder; but this discovery of the plot by -Merry upset all these plans, and Packard was compelled to agree to -Bart’s demand that the fencing-bout should be first and the -boxing-contest last, with a wrestling-match between. - -The students gathered about the table moved their seats so that all -could look into the adjoining room with ease. - -As the principals and their respective seconds drew aside for a moment -before the fencing-bout, Packard said to Hawkins in a low tone: - -“It’s infernally strange that Merriwell should have found out about our -trap!” - -“That’s right,” nodded Hawkins, looking searchingly at Roland. “But -three persons knew of it. Two of us are here.” - -“Good gracious! You can’t suspect that I told anything about it, man?” - -“Somebody must have told.” - -“But I hate this fellow Merriwell. Don’t think I’d let him get onto -anything like that!” - -“You drink too much whisky at times, Mr. Packard.” - -“But I have not since this plot was formed—I have not been under the -influence of drink for a moment! I swear to you that no hint of this has -escaped my lips!” - -“Then there was but one other way for it to reach Merriwell. Defarge has -said that Merriwell had the power to force him to anything. He must have -blabbed!” - -“That’s right!” grated Packard. “It has put us in a mighty awkward -place, for it gave Merriwell the chance to turn the tables on us.” - -“Yes; but I shall defeat him at everything, just the same, so we will be -triumphant in the end.” - -“I pray you do!” muttered Roland. “I shall be guyed to death if you -don’t.” - -“Don’t worry. I’ll soon show you that I can count on him at will in -fencing; I will throw him twice out of three times when we wrestle, and -I’ll wind up by putting him out in the boxing-match.” - -“Do it!” panted Packard, “and this will be the happiest day I’ve seen in -a year!” - -“Are you ready?” called the voice of Hodge. - -“We are,” answered Packard. - -The foils were offered for Hawkins to make his selection, which he -quickly did. Then the masks were adjusted, and the two young athletes -stood face to face, with Merriwell’s breathless friends looking on. - -“Gentlemen, salute!” sounded the clear voice of Hodge, to whom had -fallen the privilege of giving the signal. - -The contestants responded with a sweep of their foils. - -“On guard!” - -The proper positions were assumed. - -“Engage!” - -Click! The foils touched and slid along each other lightly. - -Then followed such a display of light-footedness, agility, and skill as -those present had never before witnessed. In a very few seconds it -became evident to all that the stranger with the scarred face was -wonderfully clever, but, with all his cleverness, he failed in his first -four attempts to count on Merriwell. A backward leap, a quick side-step, -or a simple turn of the wrist sufficed to enable Frank to escape in each -instance. - -But in the meantime Merry had made two attempts, and each had been -balked with equal ease. - -“Ye gods!” breathed Jack Ready. “Here is where we get the real article, -and no discount!” - -Then, of a sudden, to the astonishment of every spectator, the stranger -tried Frank Merriwell’s own particular and peculiar thrust. With -shortened guard, he dropped like a flash, his body straightening out and -the fingers of his left hand resting on the floor, while his foil -flashed straight out in a long thrust. - -It counted! - -The first point had been made by Hawkins. - -It was with difficulty that Bart Hodge choked back an expression of rage -and dismay. - -Packard smiled. So did Frank Merriwell! The scarred face of the strange -youth remained hideously expressionless. - -They were at it again instantly, but both seemed more on the alert, more -skilful, more determined. - -Franks turned two lightning thrusts, and with the second one he -countered so swiftly that the eye could hardly follow his movement. - -And he counted fairly! - -“Honors are even,” said the stranger. “Now look out for yourself.” - -He became a perfect whirlwind. Round and round Frank he worked, striving -to find an opening, but obtaining none, for all of his great skill. The -work of Merriwell was quite as amazing as that of Hawkins. - -Then came the moment when Hawkins dropped to the floor again and made -that thrust. - -Merriwell had seemed waiting for that very moment. With a long leap to -the left he was out of the way. The moment his feet touched the floor he -flung himself forward. Hawkins was recovering with an upward and -backward spring as Merriwell dropped, using the same thrust, and counted -beautifully. - -Frank’s friends could not keep still, and there was a volley of -hand-clapping. - -“Try Merry’s tricks, will you?” muttered Hodge, his eyes glittering. -“Well, he’ll show you how he meets his own style of fighting. How do you -like it?” - -These words were not intended for the ears of Hawkins, but Packard heard -them and cursed inwardly. - -Merriwell now had the advantage, and that seemed to anger the stranger -somewhat. The youth with the scarred face became fiercer than ever in -his assaults, and Frank’s skill in escaping every form of attack did not -serve to soothe his wounded vanity. - -Was it possible that Merriwell was his equal with the foils? The thought -that this might be true enraged Hawkins, who exposed himself somewhat in -his next reckless attempt to push Frank. - -Merriwell had been waiting for the time when his antagonist should -become impatient and anxious. In fact, in certain ways he had been -seeking to provoke Hawkins somewhat. Now he took advantage of the -fellow’s carelessness, and, almost before the youth with the scarred -face realized it, Frank had counted on him three times in succession. - -Roland Packard was pale and angry. He had reckoned on a great triumph, -but everything was going against his man. - -Hodge was beginning to look intensely satisfied, and Jack Ready chirped -up cheerfully: - -“I’m afraid Mr. Hawkins has bitten off more than he can masticate. -Merriwell is simply making a holy show of the gentleman.” - -Hawkins heard, and his heart seethed with bitter disappointment. Was it -for this he had worked all these years? He had fancied himself perfected -in the arts required to defeat Merriwell, but he found himself -vulnerable where he had believed he was the strongest. For a moment he -was seized with a fear that Merriwell might defeat him, and in that -moment his downfall came. It seemed that Frank read his thoughts, for he -seized the occasion to make such an attack on Hawkins that the youth -with the scarred face was placed entirely on the defensive. - -In vain Hawkins tried to hold his own. Merriwell had several original -and peculiar tricks, all of which were new to Hawkins and proved -effective. Had they been tried by an ordinary fencer, they might have -failed, but Merriwell made them count. - -The time of the bout passed swiftly, but Hawkins was kept on the -defensive from the turning-point to the end. When the end came, -Merriwell had scored three times the number of points of Hawkins, and -was easily the victor. - -Hawkins threw down his foil. - -“This is merely the beginning,” he said, though there was a trace of -bitter disappointment in his voice and manner. “I shall defeat you, -Merriwell, in the next two matches. I have no doubt of it.” - -“La, la!” said Jack Ready. “How nice a fellow must feel when he owns -such a large stock of conceit! But let’s possess our souls in patience, -and see how he will feel when the little circus is over.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - HAWKINS CRIES “ENOUGH.” - - -If possible, Roland Packard was more disappointed in the result of the -fencing-bout than was Brian Hawkins. At least, the youth of the scarred -face was able to better repress and hide his feelings. Packard’s face -was white and drawn, lines of anger and disappointment marking it -plainly. - -“It’s always the way!” he thought. “Now I know Satan helps that fellow -Merriwell!” - -Hodge came forward, speaking to Packard. - -“Mr. Merriwell will permit you to name the style of wrestling,” he said. - -“Allow us a few moments,” bowed Packard, attempting to be coolly polite. - -“Certainly,” said Hodge, with something like a grim smile playing about -his mouth. - -Packard stepped over to Hawkins, who was standing with folded arms at -one side of the mat. After a brief conference between them, Packard came -back to Bart, observing: - -“Mr. Hawkins says he prefers to wrestle catch-as-catch-can, the winner -to be the one who throws his antagonist twice out of three times. Is -that satisfactory?” - -“Anything is satisfactory to Mr. Merriwell,” declared Bart, who well -knew that Frank was particularly skilful at that style of wrestling, -being successful in getting an advantageous hold on his opponent, or -having a way of turning what seemed weak holds to his advantage. - -If Frank was pleased, he made no display of it, and two minutes later -the antagonists were crouching, facing each other at opposite sides of -the mat. Then they began to work swiftly round, each one moving to the -right, after the style of boxers, both watching for an opening. - -The spectators scarcely breathed. It was a picture worthy of the brush -of an artist. Those youthful athletes were like crouching panthers, -their eyes shining, their muscles taut, their nerves on edge. - -Merriwell’s jaw seemed square and firmer than usual; his mouth was -firmly closed and his lips pressed together; his nostrils were -distended, and his look before the struggle began was that of the -determined conqueror. - -The look on the scarred face of Merriwell’s antagonist cannot be -described. It was savage and terrible enough to daunt a timid person. - -Of a sudden, with one great spring at each other, they closed. - -“Fair hold and no advantage!” cried Jack Ready, as he saw they had -closed evenly, chest to chest, each man having his chin over his -opponent’s right shoulder, while there was no advantage of either one -having a low hold with both arms. - -Such a hold as this is seldom obtained in the catch-as-catch-can style -of wrestling, and it seemed to indicate that both men were alert and -skilful, neither having permitted the other the slightest advantage. - -Then came the furious and skilful struggle which set the heart of every -witness to thumping madly. The play of their magnificent muscles could -be seen beneath their athletic suits. So swift were some of the -movements of the men that the spectators did not catch the significance -of every attempt made. From one end of the mat to the other they went, -straining, twisting, writhing. And then—— - -“There goes Merriwell!” - -Hawkins had succeeded at last in back-heeling Frank, who went down. The -athlete of the scarred face flung his full weight onto Merry, thinking -to crush him to the floor, for the shoulders of the loser must strike -the floor flatly and fairly. - -How did it happen? When it was all over there was not a man among the -witnesses who could tell just how Merriwell did it, but, somehow, as he -was falling, he turned aside with a twisting movement, and both men -struck on their sides. - -Their holds had been broken, but, like a flash, Hawkins’ arms closed -round Merry, whom he attempted to turn upon his back. - -The strange athlete had the best hold, but Frank resisted with all his -strength. However, he could not keep Hawkins from turning him. - -Then Merriwell’s body made a “bridge.” That is, his heels were on the -floor, and also the back of his head, but from his heels to his head not -a part of his body touched the mat. Hawkins would not be the victor till -he had forced Merry’s shoulders down upon the mat. - -Still holding Frank in that position with a “lockhold,” the youth of the -scarred face lifted his own body and flung its full weight upon Merry’s -chest. - -“Ah!” cried the witnesses. - -But not a particle did Merry’s body give! It seemed rigid as a bent hoop -of so much iron! - -Again Hawkins lifted himself and flung himself down upon that arched -chest, but with a like result. - -Four times did Hawkins repeat this desperate attempt to crush the -shoulders of the Yale man to the mat, and still there was not a sign -that he had made any impression on that rigid form. - -But, in his desperation, Hawkins relaxed his vigilance somewhat. There -was a sudden writhing, turning movement. Hawkins’ hold was broken, and -Merry had turned and partly risen, getting a grip on his opponent. - -Frank’s movements were swift and sure, and he literally flung Hawkins -across his back, the heels of the scar-faced youth seeming to whistle -through the air overhead and coming down with a terrible thump upon the -floor. - -The shock was so great that Hawkins had no time to recover and “bridge” -before Merry had driven his shoulders flat on the mat. - -A great shout went up, for Merriwell had thus snatched victory from -defeat and won the first fall. - -“La, la!” said Jack Ready, as the sound subsided. “Wasn’t it just -perfectly lovely?” - -Frank rose to his feet, and Hawkins got up slowly. Both were breathing -heavily, for the exertion had been terrific. - -Frank showed no elation as he walked over to his side of the mat, but, -despite his efforts to appear otherwise, Hawkins could not conceal his -bitter disappointment. - -Roland Packard tried to speak to the youth of the scarred face, but his -lips were dry and parched, and no words came at his command. - -“You did it!” said Hodge, in a low tone, looking into Merry’s flushed -and dripping face. - -“Yes; but he’s the worst customer I ever tackled,” confessed Frank. “I -thought he had me once.” - -“I, too, was afraid he had you,” acknowledged Hodge. “He is a great -wrestler. And to think that he is Brian Hawkins, of Fardale!” - -“He has wonderful strength and skill,” said Frank. “His muscles feel -like iron as they strain and play.” - -“Don’t let him throw you once!” begged Bart. “If you down him the next -time, that settles the wrestling-match.” - -After a few minutes of rest the wrestlers faced each other once more. -Fire seemed burning deep in the eyes of the scar-faced youth. Round and -round they circled, ready, crouching, watching. - -Then they closed! But Merriwell was the swifter, catching the other’s -right wrist with his left hand and thrusting his right hand under -Hawkins’ left arm, getting a hold on his neck. - -“The half-nelson!” cried several of the witnesses. - -It was, in truth, the famous hold of Olsen, the great wrestler, and -Hawkins was in a dangerous position. - -Merriwell quickly released the fellow’s right wrist, grasped him round -the waist, following with the Cornish “heave,” which landed the -scar-faced athlete on his back in a twinkling. - -And Merriwell came down upon his chest with force enough to drive the -fellow’s shoulders hardly and firmly down upon the mat. - -Frank had not been thrown at all, and he had won two throws in -succession, which made him the victor in the wrestling-match. - -Roland Packard would have given almost any amount of money had he been -somewhere else just then. The triumphant shouts of the excited and -delighted witnesses were most hateful in his ears. - -This was not what Roland had come there to witness, and it was something -he had not anticipated seeing. His mouth tasted bitter, and everything -seemed to swim around him. He actually gasped for air. - -Hawkins got up slowly, as if he could not quite realize that the -wrestling-match was over and he had been defeated. He looked at -Merriwell in a strange, dazed manner. - -“How did he do it?” were the words he whispered to himself. “Is this a -dream?” - -But it was stern reality. The hour of triumph for which Hawkins had -toiled many years in building up his body was swiftly turning to an hour -of galling defeat. - -Hawkins walked over to his side of the mat, his appearance being that of -a man whose every hope is shattered. - -“He’s defeated at everything!” muttered Packard, when he saw that look -of dejection. “For Heaven’s sake, brace up! Don’t let his gang see you -looking like this!” - -“Wasted years!” muttered Hawkins thickly. “I can never conquer him -unless I do now, for I have reached the highest point attainable.” - -“Then go in and knock his head off in the boxing-match!” panted the -medical student. “That will be sufficient to give you satisfaction. If -you defeat him at anything, his friends will die with shame, and it will -break his heart.” - -“A heart like his is not easily broken. I’ll guarantee that he can take -defeat without a murmur.” - -“Well, test him—see if he can! You are not done up yet! He was lucky in -getting that half-nelson on you. It was pure luck, and nothing else.” - -“You are right, and yet—I should not have let him get it! I was trying -for the same hold on him.” - -“That was how you happened to be thrown off your guard. You were -thinking of the hold you wanted more than of preventing him from getting -the one he was after.” - -“That’s true.” - -“If you were to wrestle with him again, you could defeat him. If you -beat him at one of the three contests, you will have an opportunity to -challenge him for another trial at everything. Your only hope now is to -do him up in the boxing-match.” - -Packard’s words gave Hawkins hope, and the fellow swiftly braced up. - -After a short rest, preparations were made for the final encounter. -Hawkins was permitted to select his gloves. By mutual understanding, it -was decided that the rules governing amateur glove-contests should be -obeyed, and there should be none of the French method of “boxing with -the feet.” - -They advanced and stood face to face. Their hands touched, and then they -were on guard, sparring for an opening. - -Again Hawkins was at his best, for he realized that his only hope for -another trial with Frank lay in the success of this encounter. - -Round to the right both men worked, sparring gently. Then they closed a -little, and the work became swifter and more exciting. Merry feinted and -sought an opening, but Hawkins guarded cleverly. Then the scar-faced -youth came in like a flash, making a deceptive move with his right and -getting in a body-blow with his left. He danced away before Frank could -counter, and the first point belonged to Hawkins. - -Packard breathed again. But his satisfaction was short, for Merry -followed Hawkins closely, giving him no time to recover. The work became -swifter and more savage, and Hawkins struck, reaching Frank’s cheek -lightly. - -That blow was disastrous to the scar-faced youth, however, for Merriwell -countered with such terrible force that Hawkins was knocked prostrate on -the mat. - -“First down for Merriwell!” laughed Jack Ready. “Now we are getting -right down to business!” - -“You’ve reached him twice to his once, Hawkins!” cried Packard, his -excitement making it impossible for him to keep still. “That shows you -can do the trick. Up and at him!” - -Already Hawkins was up, and quickly he went at Frank. Then the -spectators saw some work that thrilled them. The play of fists was -astonishingly swift, while those two young athletes leaped and danced -about each other. Now they closed in, now one retreated, now the other -fell back; but never was there a moment of rest until one of them found -the opening he sought and again a heavy blow was struck. - -Again it was Hawkins who dropped, but he came up like a flash, his -scarred face contorted into an almost fiendish expression. The rage of -the fighter was on him now, and he longed to tear Merriwell into strips. - -“My, my!” said Jack Ready. “This is perfectly awful!” - -But he was hugging himself and grinning with a look of intense delight. - -“On, on!” panted Packard. “At him again, Hawkins! He can’t stand before -that long!” - -But Frank Merriwell remained as calm as ever, though he was able to move -with the swiftness of a flash of light. His powerful arms gave play to -his gloved hands, which seemed everywhere in the way of his opponent. - -Hawkins was determined, and he forced the fighting. He wondered if he -could not wear Merriwell out, but he was wearing himself out. He fancied -that his own strength was greater than that of Merriwell, but the -demands he was making on it were too great. - -Frank knew the time must come when Hawkins would slacken that swift -pace, and he was waiting for that time. With everything else he had -learned, the youth had not learned to husband his strength and make the -very most of it in such an encounter as this. - -Merriwell possessed a clear brain and good judgment under all -circumstances, and a finely developed and well-balanced mind is a -requisite of him who would be successful as an athlete, the same as of -the man who would succeed at all things. The athlete who possesses the -splendid body and the undeveloped mind is just as much deformed as the -hunchback who has a splendid education. - -All his life Merriwell had used his brains in whatever he undertook. -This, to a large extent, was the secret of his phenomenal success. So, -now that he was battling with this man who had vowed to defeat him, and -who had spent years training for that purpose, Frank used his brain and -led the other to exhaust himself. When Hawkins showed a sign of slacking -up, Frank pretended to give an opening that lured him on again and kept -him straining for victory. - -At last the time came when Merry believed Hawkins had reached the limit -and was weakening. Then, when the man tried to rest, Frank pressed him -in turn, giving him no chance. - -Now Merriwell became a perfect whirlwind. He was on all sides of -Hawkins, who could only remain on the defensive. And at length the guard -of the scar-faced youth was beaten down, and Merry stretched him for the -third time upon the floor. - -“It is becoming still more awful!” gasped Jack Ready, grinning like a -monkey. - -Hawkins sprang up, but barely was he on his feet when Frank knocked him -flat again. - -Five times was this repeated, Merriwell giving the other no chance to -recover and get ready for defense. - -With the final fall, Hawkins lay panting on the mat. After a moment he -sat up slowly, all the confidence and conceit having departed from him. - -“It’s no use,” he said, tearing off the gloves and flinging them aside. -“I give up!” - -Instantly Frank had flung off his gloves and offered Hawkins his hand. -That hand was taken, and Merry assisted the other to his feet, saying: - -“You gave me a stiff go at everything, old man! You are a wonder, and -that’s all right! One time I thought——” - -“Never mind what you thought,” said Hawkins. “I confess now that you are -my superior. I may as well own up honestly, for everybody here would -know it, whether I said so or not.” - -“But you are a good one, Hawkie, old fel!” chirped Jack Ready. “Still, -you were up against the real thing. Fellows, three yoops for Frank -Merriwell!” - -“Stop!” cried Merry quickly. “You are all my friends here, and I would -not have you rejoice openly over the defeat of another. I propose three -cheers for Brian Hawkins.” - -The cheers were given at once and most heartily. - -“As for Roland Packard,” said Merry, looking round. “He——” - -But Packard had found an opportunity to slip away, without being -observed, and was gone. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - ON NEUTRAL GROUND. - - -The sensational climax of Merriwell’s dinner was the talk of the college -for many days, and it seemed now that Frank’s enemies must admit that -they had met their Waterloo. - -Roland Packard was bitter in his resentment toward Defarge for having -lured him into a plot that had been so completely turned against him. - -Hawkins, deeply humiliated by his defeat and the generous manner in -which Frank had treated him, had disappeared promptly from New Haven, -leaving the two chief conspirators to bear the burden of their signal -failure. - -But Frank was not vindictive, and, satisfied with the result as it had -worked out, he discouraged any further reference to the matter among his -friends. Merriwell was ever generous to a defeated enemy, and it was -particularly gratifying to him to think that, of the long list of men -who had arrayed themselves against him, because of a spirit of jealousy, -so few now remained his foes. It was with this warm feeling in his heart -that he looked now with a smile of pleasure at the gathering of his -friends in his room. - -Frank Merriwell’s room was the neutral ground on which—or in which—all -classes and conditions of Yale men met. The air of that room, perhaps -one of the finest rooms in splendid Vanderbilt, was thoroughly -democratic. There the man with money, or with ancestry, cut no better -figure than any other man, unless he had done something. To be a notable -in Merriwell’s room, the student must have accomplished something worthy -of his efforts. Of course, the “good fellow” was not barred, but he -could not hope to be a central figure merely because he was a good -fellow. - -The Merriwell spirit was “a do-something spirit,” and it was strangely -infectious, for all who associated with him regularly soon acquired the -habit of doing things. Even big, lazy Browning awoke at times and -astonished everybody by the accomplishment of some marvel. Hodge was a -perfect engine of energy, although at times he became liable to break -loose and run wild, like an untamed mustang. Jack Ready, the eccentric -sophomore, was as restless and full of ginger as a young colt, or a -half-grown kitten. - -Berlin Carson, the Westerner, possessed all the breadth and sweep of the -cattle-range and the plains, and he was fast making himself notable -since coming “under Merry’s wing.” Hock Mason, the man from South -Carolina, had once perverted his energy and been reckoned a bully, but -after the days of his reformation he used his energy in the right -direction, and accomplished things far more worthy than beating an -enemy. - -Joe Gamp, right down from New Hampshire, long, lank, awkward, hesitating -in speech, had shown that he had sterling qualities and could fill an -emergency on the ball-field or in the classroom. Greg Carker, the -socialistic young millionaire, whose head continually buzzed with -schemes for the elevation of the masses and the leveling of the -aristocracy, could forget his schemes at times, could cease to rant -about “the coming earthquake,” and could do things worthy of a young -twentieth century Yale man. - -Jim Hooker, who had been rescued from ostracism by Merriwell, and given -a chance to hold his head up before all men, showed that he possessed -manly qualities and would not hesitate in the face of necessity. -Starbright, the young freshman giant and wonder, had been brought to the -fore as Merriwell’s protégé, and no man could say he had not proved -himself worthy. - -But only Starbright and Merriwell knew how worthy he had been as a -friend, for it was the big, yellow-haired man from Andover who opened -Frank’s eyes to the fact that Inza Burrage had never changed in her -devotion since the old days at far-off Fardale. Not only that, but Dick -had caused Merry to look inward and discover that his heart, also, -remained unchanged, and that Inza was dear to him as in the days of his -boyhood. And then Dick stepped aside, making the greatest sacrifice of -his life—all for Merry! What nobler friend could Frank have? Truly, -Starbright had done something to win for himself the seat of highest -honor amid that group of true-blue Merriwell men. - -And then there was Dashleigh—he could do something. He could play the -mandolin and sing divinely. He had been playing just now, and he lightly -strummed the strings as the gathered students fell to chatting and -joking. - -“Dashleigh,” said Jack Ready, posing with assumed grace before the -freshman, “your playing is remarkable for its simplicity. Why shouldn’t -it be? It is perfectly characteristic of you.” - -“You’re a critic of music, I believe!” retorted Bert scornfully. - -“Why shouldn’t I be?” came solemnly from the queer sophomore. “I have -traveled a great deal with a band.” - -“You have?” - -“Yes, I have a habit of wearing a band round my hat. Besides that, I -have a lovely drum in my ear. Such advantages as those have given me the -right to be critical in musical matters.” - -“I know a better critic than you who is deaf and dumb,” declared the -freshman. - -“Poor fellow!” sighed Jack. “Deaf and dumb?” - -“Yes.” - -“What an unspeakable affliction!” - -Dashleigh started to say something, and then flourished his mandolin at -Ready, as if to smite him. But the queer fellow waltzed away. - -“Say, fellows!” he cried, “I was down to Traeger’s, with Ned Donovan and -his friends, last night, and we had a corking good time.” - -“By the bottles you had around you when I dropped in there last evening, -I fancied you were having an uncorking good time,” observed Berlin -Carson. - -“Now, that’s not bad for a tenderfoot from the wild and woolly,” nodded -Jack, regarding Carson approvingly. “My boy, you are coming. Why, -gentlemen, when he struck New Haven he was a walking arsenal! He carried -a gun on each hip, three bowie-knives in his belt, two more in his -boots, and had derringers in his sleeves. The first night at Old Lady -Harrington’s retreat for freshmen he went to bed with his spurs on. Just -forgot to unshackle them from his boots, you know. Of course, Mrs. -Harrington made a gentle kick in the morning, when she found his -spur-tracks in her sheets, and I understand he had to settle for the -sheets. That taught him a lesson. After that he remembered to take his -spurs off his boots before rolling in. Oh, there’s nothing like -experience as a teacher. I have heard that he sometimes removes his -boots on going to bed now.” - -Carson took this guying good-naturedly. - -“That’s all right,” he said. “At least, I don’t do one trick that I hear -is customary with you. Fellows, why do you suppose Ready puts his -pocketbook under his pillow every night when he goes to bed?” - -“He cuc-cuc-can’t be afraid of ru-ru-robbers,” grinned Joe Gamp, -“’cuc-’cuc-’cause he never has enough mum-money to tut-tempt a robber -who was lul-lul-looking for the price of a drink.” - -“Still he does put his pocketbook under his pillow, I’ve heard,” -declared Berlin. “And for that very reason he reminds me of a thrifty -business man.” - -“How is that?” asked Boxer. - -“Why,” said Carson, “he wants to feel that he has money to retire on.” - -Ready threw up his hands, uttered a terrible groan, and fell heavily on -Bruce Browning, who was stretched on the couch. He rebounded with a -springing movement, however, and leaped away in time to escape a kick -from the big senior’s heavy foot. - -“Please have your fits elsewhere!” rumbled Bruce, with a glare at Jack, -who was bowing profoundly and humbly craving pardon. - -“I don’t know where else I can find anything so soft to fall on,” -declared Ready. - -“Say,” smiled Bruce, “will you find a way to repress your idiocy for a -short time?” - -“Idiocy!” exclaimed Jack, with an expression of despair. “Did I hear -aright? And only yesterday I had not been talking to him five minutes -before he called me an ass.” - -“Why the delay?” grunted Browning. - -“That reminds me of something I said the last time I attended the -theater,” Ready asserted. “The play was over, the orchestra was playing -a lively march, all the people were moving toward the doors. I looked -up, and right over one of those doors I saw the word ’exit’ in large -gilt letters. Then I said something real witty.” - -“What could it be?” murmured Dashleigh. - -“I said, ‘That lets me out,’” explained Jack. “Ha! ha! ha! That’s what -you call pure, unadulterated wit. Have a laugh with me! Ha! ha! Why, I’m -budding into a second Sydney Smith, and Syd was the real thing.” - -“You will be nipped in the bud if you’re not careful,” said Frank. “Sit -down, Jack, and let up for a while. You’ve had your mouth open long -enough to thoroughly ventilate your system for an hour, at least.” - -“And there has been an awful escape of gas,” said Carson. - -“You’ve run your race,” declared Greg Carker, with a solemn wave of his -hand. “Stand aside now.” - -“Is the earthquake coming?” awesomely inquired Jack. “If so, I’ll get -out of the old thing’s track in a hurry, Cark.” - -“Speaking about races,” put in Bingham, the sophomore, “I heard a -strange rumor to-day. It was to the effect that Merry has been asked by -the freshmen to give them a little coaching, and has agreed to do so. I -can’t believe it, for it seems to me that he has his hands full without -bothering with the freshmen crew. I’m sure it isn’t true, is it, -Merriwell?” - -“Yes,” said Frank quietly, “it is.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXX. - THE FRESHMAN COXSWAIN. - - -There was a moment of silence, and then Ready was heard sobbing -violently, as if his heart were breaking. - -“What makes you feel so bad, Jack?” asked Bingham. “Is it because we -didn’t get Merriwell to coach our crew?” - -“Not that, not that!” asserted Jack, pressing his handkerchief to his -eyes and flopping one hand in a gesture of intense sadness. “I’m so -sorry for him! I love him even as I love a nice, juicy steak, and to -think this terrible disappointment must be his! Alas! alas!” - -“What ails you?” cried Dashleigh. “Don’t get a foolish notion into your -head that the sophs will beat us.” - -“It is written in the stars,” solemnly declared Ready. “As far as that -race is concerned, you’ll not be in it this year.” - -“We’ll have a walkover,” put in Starbright, who had been keeping still -and listening to the others, but who was aroused now. “Merry says we -have the finest freshman crew since his day in the freshman boat.” - -“Taffy,” said Jack. “But it’s a poor coach that makes such talk to his -men.” - -“He made it before he knew he was to coach us.” - -“Well, then it is certain that he will now find you in a very sloppy -condition. There is nothing surer to spoil a freshman crew than praise. -Freshmen fall easy subjects to that terrible disease known as the -swellidus headedus, and it makes monkeys of them.” - -“You don’t need to have it,” said Starbright. “Nature got ahead of the -disease.” - -“Young man,” said Jack, severely glaring at Dick’s muscular figure, “if -you were not so small I’d thrash you for that insult! As it is, fearing -lest I do you permanent injury, I withhold my hand. But we’ll literally -bury you out at Lake Whitney, for all of your new coach.” - -Starbright laughed heartily. - -“That’s the greatest joke you’ve cracked this evening, Ready,” he cried, -in his hearty way. - -“Why, your old crew is made up in a crazy manner!” declared Ready, who -was a little touched and dropped his bantering style for a time. “You’ve -got a coxswain as heavy as I am—yes, heavier than I am. What sort of -crazy notion is that?” - -“Don’t let it worry you,” advised Dick. - -“It isn’t worrying me, fellow. It’s delighting my soul. If you are crazy -to pull around that amount of dead weight in the stern of your boat, go -ahead. But I don’t see how Merriwell can say you have a good crew. I -think he is overworked, poor fellow! I fear I see in my mind’s eye an -asylum for the insane looming darkly before him.” - -“Sh!” said Bingham, with a cautioning motion toward Jack. “Don’t alarm -him, or it may send him off at once. Say something soothing to him, -Ready.” - -“Don’t worry, gentlemen,” said Frank, standing up and stretching his -splendid arms above his head. “I am sure I was never in better condition -than at this minute, and I’m glad to be able to give a little time to -the freshmen. I feel it my duty to give the time to the new class, just -as I gave it to your class last year, Ready.” - -“Don’t apologize! don’t apologize!” cried Jack. “It isn’t necessary. You -had good stuff to work on last year; but just look at it this year! Oh, -Laura! Think of a boat being pulled by such Indians as Starbright, -Dashleigh, Morgan, and others of the same ilk, with a big duffer like -Earl Knight in the stern! Merriwell, get Knight out of that boat! I -beg—I implore you to do it! The poor freshmen! My tender heart bleeds -for them, and their defeat will be bad enough without making it worse by -giving them a man like that to drag around.” - -“When he wants your advice I think he’ll ask for it!” snapped Dashleigh, -who did not fancy this free-and-easy style of Ready with Merriwell. - -“He may not know how bad he needs it till the race is over,” said Jack. -“Besides that, if I remember correctly, he is not in the habit of asking -much advice.” - -“Why are you not going to row this year, Ready?” asked Carson. - -“Oh, the boys wanted to give the freshmen a chance!” said Jack. “I was -urged to row, but I said, ’What’s the use to make it a dead sure thing -at the start?’ So they left me out. Besides, baseball is just about all -I can attend to. I’m no steam-engine, like Merriwell. He’s the only one -of his kind. He’s the only fellow I ever saw who was able to do anything -and everything without ever making a muff. But he can’t make a winning -freshman crew out of a lot of wooden cigar-store signs. Nay, nay, sweet -one; ’tis impossible.” - -“Tell you what,” cried Dashleigh; “I’ll bet you a hundred dollars we -beat your old crew!” - -“Now, that is not money enough to pay me for the trouble of putting it -up. If you had said one thousand dollars, I might have considered it.” - -“You haven’t seen a thousand dollars since you looked in a window of a -New York bank during the trip of the ball-team,” said Starbright. - -“And that’s the only time you ever saw so much money,” put in Dashleigh. - -“Base calumny!” declared Jack. “But I so little regard such false -statements that I will not even draw my purse to disprove them. But I’ll -take that bet of yours, if you will call it fifty cents, which I happen -to have convenient in my waistcoat pocket.” - -With a languid air he brought forth a silver half-dollar, which he -triumphantly displayed. - -Carson snatched the piece and looked at it. - -“Plugged!” he remarked, as he passed it back to Jack. “I thought it -could not be possible that you had all that good money.” - -Ready looked distressed. - -“Plugged?” he gasped, examining the money. “Alas, too true! But I happen -to know a near-sighted beer-slinger. I shall give the half to you, -Carson, and let you go round there and enjoy yourself. The change will -do you good.” - -“I couldn’t think of leaving you penniless,” declared the Westerner, -with a wave of his hand. - -“They’re onto you!” cried Dashleigh, laughing. - -There was a rap at the door, and Frank called “Come in.” The door -opened, and a young man with a splendid figure entered the room with -some hesitation. - -“Hello, Knight!” cried Merry. “Come right in. You’re welcome.” - -“There,” said Ready to Starbright and Dashleigh, “comes the handicap -that will make you look like thirty cents in the little affair we have -been discussing. Think of dragging around a coxswain like that! Haven’t -you a small man in your whole class that can steer a boat?” - -“Shut up, please!” warned Dick, in a low tone. “Knight is sensitive, and -he’ll think you’re making some observation about his face.” - -For Earl Knight had a terrible bluish scar that ran the whole length of -his left cheek from temple to chin. Otherwise he was quite a -good-looking fellow. But that scar was enough to attract and fascinate -any one who saw it for the first time, and it caused strangers to stare -at Knight wherever he went, so that in time he became very sensitive -about his misfortune. - -This scar had made Knight very retiring when he first entered college, -but he was a fine, strong, athletic-looking fellow, and his classmates -finally drew him out and induced him to take part in athletics. - -When it came to rowing, it was found that Knight had once been a -coxswain on a high-school crew, or something of the sort, and some -combination of circumstances gave him the stern of the freshman boat. - -It was not long before the discovery was made that Knight knew his -business. He could steer a boat, and he could keep a crew in trim at -those times when they were not beneath the eye of a coach. He had an -encouraging way of calling a man down pleasantly and putting new life -and effort into him, instead of getting him mad and sulky, which is an -art in itself. - -Merriwell met Knight cordially, and soon had him feeling somewhat more -at ease in the midst of this strange and remarkable gathering of -students from all classes. - -Because of his diffidence, Knight was scarcely known outside his own -class. In fact, until he began working with the freshman crew, not even -Merriwell had known there was such a man in college. - -“Why, he’s as large as Merriwell!” muttered Ready, who could not be -repressed. “Say, Dashleigh, I’d like to make that thousand-dollar bet -two thousand. You can never win with a man like that in the stern of -your old scow. I’ll bet my life on it!” - -“Make it something of value,” said Bert. “Put up that plugged half!” - -“Now, look here,” growled Ready; “I’m the only chap who has a license to -be fresh in this crowd, so you had better quit. You can’t follow it up -without getting into trouble. I have studied the art of being fresh and -remaining alive; but an ordinary man who tries to follow in my footsteps -should take out a large life-insurance and make his will.” - -After a time, Frank plainly stated that he would excuse all who had not -been specially requested to remain, laughing as he did so. - -“Fired out!” murmured Ready sadly. “Methinks I scent a secret conclave, -and I wouldst rubber, if I could. But I must hie myself away.” - -So they filed out, bidding Frank good night, and not one took offense at -being thus plainly told that they were to go. Starbright, Dashleigh, and -Knight remained. - -Some time later other members of the freshman crew found their way to -Frank’s room, where they remained for at least an hour behind locked -doors. - -“It’s no use,” declared Ready; “he can’t talk victory into them.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI. - THE TEMPTER AND THE TRAITOR. - - -Frank Merriwell’s energy and the amount of work he was able to -accomplish astonished every one. It seemed that he must have his hands -pretty full as captain of the ball-team, but he found time to coach the -freshmen, who relied on him far more than they did on any one else. - -It had been predicted that Merriwell would remove Knight from the boat -and put a lighter man in his place, and there was no little surprise -when he failed to do so. - -As far as possible, Frank’s work with the freshmen was carried on -privately. It seemed too early to get out on the harbor at night, but -the weather came on warm and delightful, which gave the four crews the -opportunity they desired. - -The freshmen were the first to take advantage of a warm evening, and, -under cover of darkness, they put in an hour of hard work. - -The next day Orson Arnold withdrew from the freshman crew, and Ben -Snodgrass took himself out of the sophomore eight. Frank Merriwell was -responsible for both resignations. - -Merry was a great character-reader, and somehow he had suspected Arnold -the first time he talked with the fellow. Arnold was one who made a -great pretense of frankness and honesty, and he was forever calling -attention to these traits of character, which he wished people to -suppose he possessed. He had a way of telling how much he despised -deceit, and Frank soon decided that the fellow was a bluffer and needed -watching. - -Then, without delay, he had set Jim Hooker to watching the suspect. -Ordinarily, Hooker would not have relished the job, for he remembered -how he had once been suspected and spied upon, but he was ready to do -anything for Merriwell. - -Hooker proved a good detective. He soon brought Merriwell information -that made Frank look both grim and regretful. - -“I thought it,” said Merry; “but I hoped I was wrong.” - -“They meet in the old back room in Jackson’s,” said Hooker. “They do not -choose to be seen together, you know, for that would create comment. -Freshmen and sophomores do not become chums, especially if they belong -to rival class crews.” - -“Jackson keeps a bad place,” said Frank. “He should not be permitted in -the city. I believe more crooked work has been planned in his joint than -in any other place in New Haven, and I’m sorry to say that Yale men have -been in many of the plots.” - -“Jackson knows you?” - -Frank flushed a little, but promptly said: - -“Yes, he knows me. I used to wander in there sometimes. I have found it -necessary to go there in search of friends, and I’ve had one or two -little encounters there. I once threatened Jackson with police -investigation if he did not refuse to let certain men play cards for -money in that famous little back room of his. I had him on his knees -before I was done with him, and he’s been very respectful since. He -always lifts his hat to me on the street, even though I may not choose -to speak.” - -“Then you have a grip on him?” - -“Not now, I fancy.” - -“Still, you might go there and have your way to a certain extent.” - -“Perhaps so.” - -“Then I’ll find out the time, and you may see what you can do.” - -The night the freshmen took their men on the harbor, Orson Arnold and -Ben Snodgrass met in the little back room at Jackson’s. They sneaked -into the place by the side door, taking care not to be seen, for their -days on their respective crews would terminate if they were known to -frequent that resort. - -Arnold was a fellow with a fine pair of shoulders, coal-black hair, and -eyes that seldom looked any one squarely in the face. That is, they -seldom looked higher than the chin of another. He had a way of looking -at the chin of any person with whom he was talking, but he looked higher -only for instants. He was not a bad-looking chap, and he considered -himself something of a lady’s man, and it was his ambition to cut a -figure at Yale. His ambition was altogether beyond his means, as his -grandmother was sending him to college, and she had limited him to an -allowance, having repeatedly warned him that overstepping that allowance -meant the termination of his college-course. - -Snodgrass had muscular arms and a broad back, but his chest was not -properly developed. His shoulders seemed burdened by too much muscle, -and already they were beginning to roll inward somewhat. He was a -rowing-crank. Since the day he entered Yale he had done nothing but row, -row, row. It was his one engrossing ambition to finally make the -varsity. Thus far he had succeeded only in getting onto the sophomore -eight. In his first year he had not found a place in the freshman boat. - -The fellow craved attention and admiration, and he was determined that -the sophomore crew should attract attention this year by defeating the -freshmen. Almost always the freshmen were the winners in the class races -at Lake Whitney, being given far greater attention than the sophomores; -but this year Snodgrass had sworn to himself that there should be a -change about of the usual order of things. If the sophs won, attention -would be drawn to their men, and that might mean that he, Snodgrass, -would be observed at last and rated for what he believed himself worth. -In such a case, he would go onto the varsity with a bound. - -Now, it happened that Snodgrass had just what Arnold wanted—money. He -spent it freely on himself, but Arnold was the only man to whom he lent -it freely. A mutual attraction seemed to draw these fellows together, -and somehow they came to an understanding. Snodgrass found Arnold could -be bought, and then there were secret meetings between them. - -This night, having slipped into that dingy back room, with the green -baize table in the middle of the narrow floor, they took care to bolt -the door behind them. Then they sat down at the table and Snodgrass -pushed the button. Pretty soon a panel in the door at the opposite side -of the room slid open, and the face of one of the barkeepers appeared. - -“What’s yours, Ors, old boy?” asked Ben. - -“A gin fizz,” said Arnold. - -“Ginger ale for me,” said Snodgrass. - -The slide went shut with a little bang. - -“Well,” said Snodgrass eagerly, “you’ve got something to tell me?” - -“Sure thing,” nodded Arnold. “That’s why I’m here.” - -“Important?” - -“Rather.” - -“Out with it.” - -“My throat’s too dry to talk. Wait till I get that fizz.” - -“You hadn’t ought to drink it, you know. You’re in training.” - -“Training be—jiggered! What am I training for?” - -“The regatta at Whitney.” - -“Come off! You know I’m training to help lose that race. Why shouldn’t I -take a fizz? I’m awful dry.” - -“But you’d be fired off the crew if anybody found out you were drinking -fizzes in here.” - -“So I’d be fired if anybody found out I was here talking with you. Might -as well go the whole hog, to use an elegant phrase. So I’m going to -drink, and I’m going to have a smoke.” - -The slide went back and the barkeeper appeared with the drinks. -Snodgrass paid for them and placed them on the table. Then the slide -slammed again, and they were alone. - -“I’m a little thirsty myself,” said Snodgrass, taking up the ginger ale. - -“Let me get my face into that fizz!” exclaimed Arnold. - -When he had drained the glass, he lighted a cigarette, and elevated his -feet to the top of the table. - -“I’m tired,” he declared. “It tells on me, this infernally hard work -Merriwell is giving us. The fellow seems to think we’re made of -iron—like himself.” - -“He must be made of iron to do all the things he does,” said Snodgrass; -“but I am not stuck on him much, for I know he kept me off the varsity -last year.” - -“What? Why, you were a freshman.” - -“I don’t care,” growled Ben, scowling. “I was a better man than some who -made the eight, but Merriwell ran in his particular friends, just as he -has run them onto the nine this year. He had a pull then.” - -“Well, he’s got a bigger pull now. He seems to be the only pebble.” - -“His advice is taken in everything,” complained the sophomore bitterly. -“He actually seems king of the sporting field here. They seem to regard -him as authority on the subjects of football, baseball, rowing, hockey, -and everything else. If he was like other fellows and simply made a -specialty of something! But he goes into everything and leads at -whatever he tries.” - -Arnold took out a pair of gloves and put them on. - -“What’s that for?” asked Snodgrass curiously. - -“Precaution,” grinned Orson wisely. - -“Precaution against what?” - -“Cig tracks. You know how they stain a fellow’s fingers. Well, Merriwell -would be sure to see the yellow. He has the cursedest, sharpest eyes I -ever knew a man to have! Don’t seem to look at you so hard, but he sees -everything. Not a blamed thing escapes his notice. If he saw yellow on -my fingers—well, that would be my finish.” - -“Then look out if you want to square that debt with me. It’s a great -chance for you, Arnold. You must help me out by doing what I say, or I -shall have to have the money.” - -Arnold turned somewhat pale. - -“Don’t threaten, Snodgrass!” he exclaimed. “You know I can’t pay the -money back now. I’ve told you so.” - -“And I gave you a chance to square the whole business.” - -“By throwing the race. I’m a square chap, Snodgrass, and it was gall and -wormwood for me to agree to your terms: but you had me foul, and what -could I do but agree?” - -“Oh, nothing, of course!” - -“Of course not! Why, my old chump of a grandmother would yank me out of -Yale in a hurry if she found I had run into debt over two hundred. It’s -the first time in my life I ever did anything dishonest, and the thought -of it has driven me to drink.” - -Arnold tried to squeeze out a tear, but it was plain to his companion -that he was making a weak bluff. - -“Well, if you stick to your agreement there will be no need to worry; -but you must look out to keep your place on the crew. If you are -dropped, the whole scheme goes to smash. That’s why I say be careful -about your smoking and drinking. Merriwell’s keen eyes will soon -discover it if you get a little out of condition and keep so.” - -“Oh, blow Merriwell! I’d like to thump him. I wish we might catch him -alone, Snodgrass, and give him a good drubbing. Why can’t we do it? We -might lay for him some night and take him in a dark place.” - -“If he recognized us, we’d be spotted as his enemies, and you know it -isn’t healthy to be the enemy of Merriwell. The Chickering set are his -enemies, and they are ostracized.” - -“They would be anyhow.” - -“Oh, I don’t know. They have rich parents; and money counts.” - -“Money counts less at Yale than at any other college in the world.” - -“I know it’s claimed so, but I believe it counts here just the same as -elsewhere. Still, I will admit that I do not care to become openly rated -as the enemy of Merriwell.” - -Arnold inhaled the poisonous fumes of the cigarette with great relish, -taking it deep into his lungs and breathing it out in a thin blue cloud, -sometimes letting a little escape with each word. - -“Well, you haven’t told me what you were going to tell, old man,” said -Snodgrass. “What has Merriwell been doing to-night?” - -“Guess!” - -“I can’t.” - -“That’s true; you couldn’t guess!” - -“Well, what is it? You have me anxious now.” - -“You know he ordered us out for a pull to-night.” - -“Yes.” - -“Well, how do you suppose he did the coaching?” - -“From another boat.” - -“Chased us round?” - -“Yes.” - -“Not much!” - -“How, then?” - -“From the boat.” - -“The boat?” - -“Yes; he took Knight’s place and was coxswain!” - -Snodgrass whistled. - -“Well, I must say that’s a new idea!” he exclaimed. “What did Knight -do?” - -“Waited on a wharf.” - -“This is news!” nodded the sophomore. “I wonder if that is just the -proper thing? It strikes me as being rather queer, to say the least. I -don’t think he’d want it to be known.” - -“Of course not! We are to say nothing about it.” - -“By Cæsar!” exclaimed Snodgrass, smiting the table. “It will be a double -victory to defeat the freshmen! It will be defeating Merriwell! How that -will cut him! We must do it without fail! I depend on you, Ors.” - -“And I am in such a predicament that I cannot refuse. If I could, you -may be sure, Snodgrass, I’d not be here with you to-night, telling you -all this stuff. My conscience will never cease pricking me. But what can -a man in my place do!” - -“Oh, drop it! You make me tired with that holler!” - -“I can’t help speaking of it. I have sold myself for a few paltry -dollars! No, no—not that! I sold myself to keep myself from disgrace! -There was no other way! I had to do it! It’s the first dishonest act of -my life.” - -“You’ve told me that before, I think,” remarked the sophomore dryly. - -“Perhaps so. But I’m broke again, old man. Let me have another tenner. I -must have it.” - -“You’re getting too frequent. Ors, I can’t do it.” - -“Can’t?” Arnold dropped his feet from the table and flung aside the -cigarette. - -“No; I haven’t ten with me. I’ll let you have five.” - -“But I need ten.” - -“I tell you I haven’t got it! See here—that is all the money I have.” - -Snodgrass displayed the contents of his pockets, and there was less than -six dollars in all. He had known well enough that Arnold would want -money and had come prepared. - -“Well, then, I’ll have to make that five do for the time being,” said -the traitorous freshman regretfully, as he reached over and cooly took -from the money the five dollars Snodgrass had agreed to let him have. -“Now, let’s have some more drinks and get out of here.” - -“You’ll have to pay for the drinks,” said Snodgrass. “You have all the -money now.” - -“But you have just about enough left for one more round,” said the -freshman serenely. “Go ahead and push the button. I need this in my -business. Why don’t—you—do——” - -Arnold stopped, staring suspiciously at the little slide in the door. He -fancied it had moved. - -“Snodgrass,” he said, leaning forward and whispering the words, “I -believe somebody has been spying on us!” - -The sophomore looked startled. - -“What makes you think so?” he asked, glancing nervously round the room. - -“I think I saw that slide in the door move. It was open on a crack, so -somebody on the other side could hear what we were saying.” - -Snodgrass uttered an oath and sprang up. - -“We’ll see about that!” he muttered. “If some fellow has been spying on -us, we’ll thump the stuffing out of him!” - -He sprang toward the door, meaning to see if the slide would open at his -touch. - -Instead of that, the door swung open and Frank Merriwell stepped into -the room! - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII. - FRANK MAKES HIS TERMS. - - -With a gasp of dismay, Ben Snodgrass reeled back, staring at the -intruder. - -Arnold had started up, his face white as parchment, while he shook in -every limb. - -“Merriwell!” they both gasped. - -Frank closed the door behind him. - -“Sit down!” he said sternly, pointing to the chairs by the table. - -Arnold dropped back with another gasp. Snodgrass seemed to hesitate, and -then he stiffened up, as if in refusal. - -Frank fixed his steady eyes on those of Ben Snodgrass. The sophomore -made a mistake in glaring straight back. If he had desired to refuse to -obey Merriwell he should not have looked Merriwell in the eye. It was -not often any man looked Frank squarely in the eye and declined to obey -any command he gave. - -“Sit down,” said Merry, more gently than before. - -And Snodgrass suddenly wilted, sliding to the chair, upon which he sank. - -But he had taken his eyes from those of Merriwell, and now he could -speak. He said: - -“So you played the eavesdropper—the great and honorable Frank Merriwell -played the eavesdropper!” - -“Don’t defile the word honor with your lips!” said Merry, without -lifting his voice in the least, yet with such deep scorn in his low tone -that Snodgrass shrank before it. - -Still the fellow kept his eyes from meeting Frank’s, and thus he was -able to speak. - -“You can’t deny it! You played the sneak and the spy!” - -Arnold was wondering how his companion dared utter such words to -Merriwell. But the fact that Snodgrass did dare seemed to give Orson -back some of the courage that had been shocked out of his body by the -sudden and astonishing appearance of the man about whom they had been -talking a short time before. - -Arnold knew he was well built; he knew he was rather muscular; he knew -he ought to be independent and fearless; but it took a man with nerve to -be independent and fearless in the presence of Frank Merriwell after -being caught under such circumstances. - -Orson had never been thoroughly brave, and smoking cigarettes had not -added to his stock of self-reliance. Perhaps if he had never touched -them he would not have been caught there in that room with Snodgrass -giving away secrets about the freshman crew. - -Alcohol and cigarettes! Twin destroyers of all that is noble in human -nature! We shudder sometimes at the ruin wrought by alcohol, and we turn -in disgust or pity from the reeling drunkard; but as true as truth -exists, cigarettes to-day are working as great havoc among the boys and -young men of our land as is alcohol! - -All know that alcohol is dangerous and a thing to be shunned, and no -youth need become its victim without realizing just what is happening. - -With cigarettes it is different. Surely there can be no harm in smoking -one of the tiny, clean-looking rolls? Why shouldn’t a lad smoke them? -All the fellows seem to be smoking them. Oh, yes; some of the fellows -acknowledge they cannot get along without them, but that is simply -ridiculous. Certainly there is nothing in those harmless little things -that get hold of a man and make it impossible to leave them off! It’s -easy enough to prove that by smoking a few of them and then stopping. -Just watch him, and see him prove it beyond dispute. So he begins with -his first cigarette. - -And the fellow who smokes travels with the fast set. He frequents the -places they frequent. At first he slips in and out with a guilty -feeling, hoping he will not be observed; but after a time that feeling -passes off and he enters boldly, careless, or proud, or indifferent. He -is making rapid strides on the road. Clear the track for him and watch -his pace! It’s all downhill now, and he is gaining momentum right along. - -The fellow who smokes must drink a little, of course. Why not? The crowd -he’s drifted into all do it. A little beer, perhaps, to start with. -Nasty stuff, but he gulps it down, keeps his face straight, and pretends -that he’s happy. The second glass goes down harder than the first. It -makes him feel queer. He laughs at silly things, and he smokes one -cigarette after another. Oh, say! but this is having a time of it! - -When it’s all over he won’t feel so well. It’s likely he’ll swear over -and over again never, never to do it again. But a half-consumed package -of cigarettes is in his pocket, and when he begins to feel a little -better, so that he sits up and takes notice, he finds those cigarettes, -and habit puts one into his mouth. - -When he realizes at last that he is going the pace, he finds he cannot -stop. He says he will smoke no more, but he hangs to the partly used -package till he has puffed out the last little white-robed seducer. If -he had been strong, if there had been a modicum of his strength -remaining, he would have flung them away. - -Arnold had begun to smoke at preparatory school. Before that he had -taken active part in manly sports of all kinds, and thus he developed -those magnificent shoulders and splendid arms. Smoking could ruin his -moral sense and stop his advancement, but it could not undo at once all -that he had done for himself before he began to smoke. - -When he started in to train for the freshman crew at Yale he tried to -put cigarettes aside. There was nothing else to be done. He seemed to -leave them off completely, but he continued to smoke secretly right -along. - -Snodgrass had known how to work on Arnold’s weak points. The sophomore -was crafty. He did not smoke, and he did not drink anything -intoxicating. Snodgrass was looking out for Number One. He knew a man -who smoked and drank did not stand as good a chance of making the -varsity as one who did neither, and so he did neither. No better man -than Arnold at the outset, cigarettes gave Arnold into his power. - -“Don’t talk to me about sneaks and spies!” said Merriwell, with -unspeakable scorn. “Two greater sneaks than you I have never had the -pleasure of seeing!” - -“Be careful!” snarled Ben blackly. “I won’t stand for it!” - -“You will sit still till I tell you just what I think of you. You are a -cur, Snodgrass, and you know it! You, Arnold, are a pitiful traitor, and -I’m rather sorry for you; but you have only yourself to blame that you -are in this rascal’s power.” - -Arnold’s breast began to heave. How could he save himself? Was there a -way? Might he not break down now and throw himself on Frank’s sympathy? -He thought of that, and straightway set about compelling the tears to -come to his eyes. Perhaps the sight of tears would be enough to melt -Merriwell. - -“I had to do it!” he choked. “There was no other way to save myself.” - -Snodgrass uttered a curse and looked at Arnold with scorn and contempt. - -“For Heaven’s sake, don’t let Merriwell see you snivel!” he hissed. - -Then he smote the table with his clenched fist, saying: - -“Jackson shall answer to me for this trick! He shall pay dearly for -permitting any one to play the eavesdropper on me. He did it, for no one -could reach that door without his permission.” - -“I advise you to keep your mouth closed as far as Jackson is concerned,” -said Merry. “If you tackle him and raise a dust, it may get out that you -were here.” - -Arnold gasped again. Then Merriwell did not mean to expose them? He was -not going to make the whole matter public? It was a great relief. Even -Snodgrass pulled in his horns somewhat. - -“It was a dirty trick!” he declared. “I didn’t think Jackson would -permit it. If I were to tell the fellows about it, it would hurt his old -place.” - -“But I know you’ll say nothing about it, Snodgrass.” - -“Why not?” - -“Because it will be a dead give-away on yourself.” - -“You’ll give it away! You’ll go out and tell your story. We’ll say you -lied about it, but that Jackson let you in to that door, where you -listened without overhearing anything in particular.” - -“How will you explain your presence here? Every man of your crew, and of -the freshmen, is forbidden to come here.” - -“That’s right,” muttered Arnold. - -“Oh, well, one slip——” began Ben weakly. - -“You know my statement would be believed.” - -“Not against us both.” - -“I think so.” - -“We would swear you lied.” - -“And you know deep down in your heart that I would be believed.” - -“We’d swear you were trying to get us thrown off our crews in order to -work your particular friends on.” - -“Think it over a little, Snodgrass, before you try it. Of course, if -that is the course you choose, I shall permit you to have your own way -about it. Anyhow, off the crew you will come, sir.” - -“I’m against it!” cried Arnold, resolved to play into Frank’s hand, -though not quite understanding the move to make. “I do not fancy having -a smell raised about it.” - -Ben gave him a look of scorn. - -“There is only one way for you two fellows to save yourselves,” said -Frank. - -“That is—how?” - -“You must both withdraw from your crews. If you do that at once, I’ll -say nothing about what has happened. If you do not withdraw at once, I -shall expose you. Those are the terms; they are unalterable. You may -choose.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII. - A NEW COMPACT. - - -They were forced to agree to the terms, though Snodgrass did so with -such bitterness in his heart as he had never before known. Merry saw the -fellow look at him with a glance of unspeakable hatred, and he knew -Snodgrass would be his enemy from that day. - -“I know you are bound the freshmen shall win,” muttered Ben, “and that’s -one reason why you are going to force me to leave the sophomore crew. -With me in the boat there was less chance for your crew to come in -ahead.” - -“Conceit is not lacking in your make-up, Snodgrass,” said Merry, unable -to repress his amusement. “You seem to fancy yourself the biggest part -of the crew.” - -“You can’t deny that I’ve told you the truth!” hissed the sophomore, -showing his teeth. - -“I wouldn’t take the trouble to deny anything so ridiculous. Arnold, if -he’d let cigarettes and drink alone, might be a better man than you -to-day, yet he has to get out of the freshman boat.” - -“To let in some friend of yours.” - -“I have two friends among the freshmen—two particular friends, I mean. -They are Starbright and Dashleigh, and both of them are already in the -boat. I demand that you fellows get out because you are both crooked and -unworthy to battle for the honor of your classes. That’s what I think of -you.” - -“I’m not going to say what I think of you,” muttered Ben. - -“Perhaps it is just as well for you that you do not,” came meaningly -from Merry’s lips. “As I stood behind that door listening to your talk -here, I felt like jumping in and giving you both the thrashing you -deserved; but I decided not to put my hands on you, and I do not wish to -go back on that resolution. However, Snodgrass, if you were to become -too insulting, I might forget myself and give you a little jolting.” - -“You’re a bully!” - -“Is that so? As a rule, I believe bullies seek to have the odds in their -favor. I didn’t count on that when I entered here.” - -“You entered because Arnold had discovered you were behind the door.” - -“In a certain degree that is true. Yet I was ready to come in just then, -having heard enough to put me onto your game. With Arnold out of the -freshman boat, there will be no chance for such a fluke as was planned. -With you out of the sophomore boat, you will win no unmerited glory.” - -Snodgrass ground his teeth in fury. For the time his ambition to make -the varsity was dished. But, thank goodness! Merriwell would not be in -Yale next year, and then he would have his chance once more. With -Merriwell away he would make the crew—he was confident of it. Surely he -had reason enough to hate Merriwell, for had not Frank kept him from -forging to the front? - -But Merry, who had so many friends, was not afraid of making an enemy. -The man who fears to make an enemy is not worthy to have friends. The -man who fears to make an enemy seldom has friends who are stanch and -true. - -In a just cause Merry had never failed to make enemies, and he had made -many of them in the past; but about him there was a particular something -that finally won those enemies over to friends, even when he seemed -careless, or undesirous of such a result. - -“Now, as you both understand the terms on which I remain silent -concerning this business,” said Frank, “I’ll bid you good night. I shall -expect you to hand in your resignations by noon to-morrow.” - -With clenched teeth, Snodgrass half-started, as if to leap at Frank’s -back, Merry having turned carelessly away. But Frank, without so much as -turning his head to glance back, said: - -“Don’t try it, Snodgrass! I shall do you harm if you do!” - -Then the muscles of the sophomore relaxed, and he settled back on his -chair, glaring till the door had closed behind Frank. - -For some moments the detected rascals were silent. Then Arnold ventured -to look at the chin of his companion. That chin frightened him. - -Snodgrass was a tempest of fury. He raved at Arnold and reviled him. He -raved at himself. Then he fell to expressing himself concerning Frank -Merriwell, and his words were lurid in the extreme. - -Arnold, to tell the truth, felt glad to escape thus easily. One thing he -dreaded was exposure and disgrace, and he had feared that was to follow -Merriwell’s discovery. Snodgrass seemed to understand the relief of his -companion, and he snarled: - -“Well, you can pay up now, and pay up in a hurry! I want my money, and -you’ll have to fork over.” - -“But I can’t, and you know it!” - -“I’ve got your paper, and your grandmother will have to pay.” - -Arnold was frightened. - -“Don’t force me to the wall, Snodgrass!” he implored. “She’ll take me -out of college! I don’t believe she’ll pay you, anyhow. Give me time, -and I’ll find a way to pay you. You must give me time, old man!” - -“Time! time! time! You can’t pay if I do give you time, and you know it! -I know it! I’ve known it all along!” - -“You’ve known it?” - -“Of course I have!” - -“Yet you let me have the money! You did it to get me in a trap!” - -“Well, perhaps I did. I wanted to make use of you. Now you are no -earthly use to me, and I want my money.” - -“Wait,” urged Arnold shakingly. “Don’t say I’m no use to you. You can’t -tell yet.” - -“What do you mean?” - -“Are you going to give up? Are you going to let Merriwell triumph over -you?” - -“No; by thunder, no!” - -“I thought not. But we’ve both got to obey his command, or get it in the -neck. I’m a freshman, but he is coaching the freshmen, and I hate him. -Therefore, I don’t want them to win.” - -“It would hit him hard if they failed!” panted Snodgrass. - -“Sure thing,” nodded Arnold, lowering his voice to a whisper. “We can’t -make any plans here, old man, but I believe in getting back at him, and -I’ll help you do it.” - -“How can it be done?” - -“Don’t know yet; but we ought to be able to find a way. We must keep the -freshmen from winning, somehow.” - -The face of Snodgrass took on a look of vindictive resolve. - -“That’s right!” he grated. “The freshmen shall not win now! It will hurt -Merriwell if they fail! We will prevent them, Arnold.” - -“If I help you, will you cancel the account against me?” - -“In case we succeed—yes.” - -“Then shake on it!” - -They shook hands over the table. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV. - SNODGRASS SEEKS SATISFACTION. - - -Of course the unexpected withdrawal of Arnold and Snodgrass from their -respective crews created comment. Both men manufactured excuses, but -these excuses proved to be rather flimsy when investigated. They seemed -to have suddenly lost their sand in the face of the rigid training, and -decided to get out. This caused many to regard them with contempt, and -Snodgrass ate his heart out with rage toward the one he regarded as the -author of all his trouble. Never for a moment did he regard himself as -in any way to blame. - -Arnold was afraid of Merriwell; but, if possible, just then he was more -afraid of Snodgrass, who was desperate enough for any move. The -sophomore swore by various things he was supposed to regard as sacred -that he would get even with Merriwell. He vowed that the freshmen should -meet with defeat, but when he came to meditate on the matter some time -it did not seem to him that the simple defeat of the freshmen would be -revenge enough on Merriwell. - -No; he longed for blood! He pictured himself as jumping on Frank and -giving him a terrible drubbing. In this fanciful encounter he knocked -Merriwell down again and again. Oh, how he quivered with satisfaction as -he felt his fists beating Merriwell’s handsome face into a mass of cuts -and bruises! How he laughed and gloated. And at last, when he had -knocked down and out the fellow he hated, he stood and sneered at him, -with arms folded and a heart full of triumph. - -This was a glorious battle and a glorious victory; but, unfortunately -for the feelings of the revengeful Snodgrass, he knew it could happen -only in his mind. He knew that he was no match for Merriwell, and it -made him grind his teeth with fury. He even thought of sand-bags, brass -knuckles, clubs, and such things. - -He didn’t wish to kill Merriwell; not at all. The desire to do so may -have possessed him, but fear of the consequences was enough to make him -cast such a thought aside at once. He wanted simply to have the -satisfaction of maiming and hurting Frank. Oh, it would be great to do -him up so he could not get out to the ball-ground! In that case, of -course, he would be unable to coach the freshmen. - -Arnold was frightened when Snodgrass imparted his desires. He feared -that Ben might be foolish enough to set out to do the trick, taking him -along as a witness. He expostulated with Snodgrass. - -“Forget it!” he said. “Other fellows have tried to do Merriwell like -that, and they’ve always got it in the neck themselves. You can’t get -even with him that way.” - -“I can and will!” grated the vindictive sophomore. - -“You’ll get the worst thrashing you ever had.” - -“Don’t you think it. I’ll not do the job myself. I can find a way.” - -Then Snodgrass proceeded to the loafing-place of a certain gang of young -thugs. Buster Bill, the leader of the gang, had “done time,” and, taken -all together, the thugs were a disgrace to the college city. - -Snodgrass put on his old clothes, and away he went to the vicinity of -the wharves. Down there, near where he knew Buster Bill hung out, he -collared a street urchin and questioned him. - -At first the boy didn’t know anything that Snodgrass wanted to know. He -would not answer questions. He bawled: “Leggo, you big slob! Watcher -think ye’re doin’, anyhow?” But Snodgrass persevered. - -“I want to see my friend Bill Riley,” he said. “I know he hangs out -here. I’ll give you a quarter if you’ll find Bill for me.” - -“G’wan! yer can’t fool me!” said the boy. “I dunno no Bill Riley, an’ I -don’t believe you’d fork over a quarter, annyhow.” - -Snodgrass took out the money, and held it up before the eyes of the -dirty, squirming lad. The squirming ceased, and the boy eyed the piece -of silver greedily. - -“There it is,” said the college youth. “Now, show me Bill Riley, and -it’s yours.” - -The boy seemed to be contemplating making a grab for the money. - -“I dunno Bill Riley,” he persisted. “What’s he do?” - -“He’s a gent,” declared Snodgrass, with assumed loftiness. “He don’t do -a thing. He lives on the interest of his money. I met him last summer in -jail.” - -“Hey?” said the boy. “Where was dat?” - -“Blackwell’s Island. Ever heard of it?” - -“Sure, Mike! I know a feller that’s been there, and the gang calls him -Bill.” - -“What’s his last name?” - -“I dunno. Alwus heard him called der Buster.” - -“That’s the man I want to find!” exclaimed Snodgrass. “He told me to -hunt him up if I ever came this way.” - -The boy looked incredulous. - -“Why, youse ain’t like anny of his gang,” he declared. “Anny of ’em -could eat youse.” - -“Perhaps so; perhaps not. But I want to find Bill, and this quarter is -yours if you take me to him.” - -The urchin reflected. He was in mortal fear of Buster Bill and “der -gang,” but he wanted that quarter. It was possible that this stranger -told the truth. It might be he knew Bill, and Bill would be glad to see -him. Did he dare to chance it for the quarter? - -Snodgrass kept still, knowing it might be a mistake to seem too anxious. - -“Annyhow,” said the boy, “Bill an’ his gang will knock the stuffin’s out -of you if you’re a stranger. Dey don’t like to be bothered when dey’re -havin’ a little settin’.” - -So the boy knew where Buster Bill was to be found, and Snodgrass -tightened his hold. - -“I’ll make it fifty cents,” he declared. “Two good, new quarters. What -do you say?” - -“I tell ye you’ll git your face broke sure if Bill don’t know yer.” - -“I’ll chance it.” - -“Den I’ll take yer to ’em. Come on. Leggo my collar. Gimme der money -first.” - -“Not on your life! I’ll pay the minute I put my eyes on Bill—not -before.” - -The urchin led him amid the wharf buildings, where the smell of the -water was strong. Through an old lumber-yard they went, coming out at -last to a sagging building. - -“Sh!” cautioned the boy, as he stole forward on his toes. - -Snodgrass stepped lightly, but did not hesitate to follow. - -The boy opened an old door, and they entered the lower part of the -building. There they paused, and the mumbling sound of voices reached -them from some place up above. - -Still motioning for Snodgrass to be still, the boy led the way to a -ladder that led up through a square scuttle-hole above. Up the ladder -the lad softly skipped, and Snodgrass followed at his heels. The heart -of the college man was thumping heavily in his bosom, for this was more -of an adventure than he had counted on when he started out. - -“Dey’re at it!” whispered the boy, pausing on the top of the ladder. - -He looked to see if his companion showed signs of alarm, but Snodgrass -appeared as eager as ever, and the boy slipped off the ladder to the -floor of the loft. - -Barely had Snodgrass followed when there arose a sudden commotion beyond -a dark door that could scarcely be seen in that gloomy, cobwebby place. -There was a volley of oaths, a blow, and a fall. - -“That’s him!” hissed the boy. “He’s knocked somebody down! Oh, but he’s -a holy terror, an’ he’ll be red-hot now! Don’t yer t’ink ye’d better -turn round?” - -“Not much!” - -“Den gimme der fifty. I’ve kept my part of der bargain. He’s in dere, so -jest walk in.” - -Snodgrass gave the boy half a dollar, and, one second later, the -youngster went down the ladder like a frightened cat, leaving Ben there -alone. - -The desperate sophomore shuddered a bit and shrugged his shoulders. - -“He’s just the kind of a man I must have!” he thought. “I’d be a fool to -back out now! Brace up, Ben, and walk right in. Your reception may not -be cordial, but you must set yourself right. It’s to down Merriwell, and -I’m ready to face the devil to do that!” - -Then he advanced to the door and thrust it open. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV. - ANOTHER COMPACT. - - -The light from one dingy and dirty window shone into the place. Where -the light of the window fell on it was a rough table, about which four -persons had been sitting. Just now one of them was standing, while -another still lay on the floor, having raised himself to his elbow, but -without daring to rise. The one on the floor had been knocked down by -the one who was standing. - -On the table were cards, money, and two bottles of whisky. There were no -glasses to drink from. These men drank directly from the bottle. - -Rough-looking fellows they were. Plainly, at a glance, they were young -thugs of the city slums. - -They had been gambling for money. The cards were scattered carelessly, -as they had been dropped when the sudden quarrel began over the game. - -The fellow standing was six feet tall, with broad shoulders, thick, -muscular arms, deep chest, heavy legs, and the face of the genuine young -ruffian. His jaw was square, protruding, and brutal. Still, in a certain -way, there was something handsome about him. - -At a glance Snodgrass knew that man was Buster Bill. No one could doubt -that he was the leader of the gang. - -When the door opened, and Snodgrass appeared before the startled eyes of -the gang, they turned and glared at him. - -“I beg your pardon, gentlemen,” said the college man. “I am looking for -William Riley.” - -“The blazes you are!” said Buster Bill. “Who in thunder are you?” - -“A spy!” cried one of the others excitedly. - -“We’re pinched!” exclaimed another. - -The gang seemed ready to make a fight on the spot. Their hands sought -hidden weapons. Snodgrass was uneasy, but he did not shrink or retreat, -which was a very good thing for him. If he had betrayed signs of alarm -just then he could not have escaped without broken bones. Instead, he -calmly said: - -“I am no spy, and the police are not behind me. I came here on business -of importance, and my business is with Mr. Riley.” - -Mr. Riley! That was odd enough. William Riley had been a shocker, but -Mr. Riley was worse still. They looked at Snodgrass in doubt. - -What sort of business could this man, this beardless chap, have with -Buster Bill? Generally the man who hunted for Bill on the pretext of -business carried a warrant and a pair of handcuffs. - -“Well, why in thunder don’t yer come in?” demanded Bill himself. - -Then Snodgrass entered, though he felt much more like making a dash to -get out. He walked into the room with an assumed air of nonchalance. - -Barely was he well into the room, however, when Buster Bill made one -leap, slammed the door shut, and put his back against it. - -“Well,” he said, as he faced round, “we’ve got ye now, anyhow!” - -“That’s right,” said Snodgrass, calmly sitting down on a box. - -The other men were on their feet. The one who had been knocked down -stood over the college man, demanding: - -“Wot shall we do with him. Bill? Give der word an’ we’ll kick der -packin’ out of him!” - -“Wait a little,” said the leader. “We’ll find out wot ther bloke wants -here.” - -The fellow standing over Snodgrass looked disappointed. He had been -struck, and he longed to retaliate on somebody. He had been eager to -strike, beat, and kick the intruder. - -Buster Bill stepped toward the college man. Despite his size and weight, -his step was light. Snodgrass sized him up and nodded to himself with -satisfaction. Surely here was a fellow who could give Frank Merriwell a -go “all by his lonesome.” With his gang at his back he could wipe -Merriwell off the map. All that was needed now was to strike a bargain. - -Bill pulled a chair out in front of Snodgrass and sat down, making a -motion that the others understood. They pulled their seats out and sat -all about the intruder. He was in the midst of them, and they had him -foul. Let him whistle now, and they could pounce on him and kick him -into jelly before the police could reach them. - -When they had seated themselves, Buster Bill seemed to think of -something, and he said: - -“Skip, just take a sneak out and look round. Come back and tell us if -you see anything.” - -The smallest man of the gang, a wiry young thug, arose and slipped out -of the room. - -“I am sorry I interrupted your little game,” said Snodgrass pleasantly. - -“Don’t mention it,” growled Riley. - -“You have a very comfortable place here,” declared the college man. - -“Uh-ha!” grunted Riley. - -“Nobody likely to bother you here,” declared the college man. - -“You did,” reminded Riley. - -“Well, I had hard enough work finding you.” - -Skip came back and informed them that everything seemed to be all right, -with nobody round to bother them. - -“I hope you are satisfied, gentlemen,” said Snodgrass, “that I am not a -spy. I told you the truth when I said I came here on business.” - -“Wot’s in it?” - -“Money,” was the answer. “I have heard of Mr. Riley’s powers, and——” - -“Call me Bill.” - -“Well, I’ve heard that Bill is a holy terror and can lick his weight in -grizzly bears. That report is what brought me here.” - -Buster Bill relaxed somewhat. - -“Yer want somebody t’umped?” he asked. - -“You’ve guessed it first shot.” - -“Wot’s der price?” - -“Fifty.” - -“Fifty wot?” - -“Dollars.” - -“Got der dough?” - -“Sure.” - -“In yer clothes?” - -“No; I’m not fool enough to carry so much round with me. I don’t think I -have more than two dollars in my pockets.” - -The ruffians exchanged looks of disappointment. - -Ben Snodgrass had been very wise when he left his money behind him this -day. - -“Are youse one of dem college guys?” asked Riley. - -“Yes, I am a student.” - -“I was beginning to t’ink so. Got it in fer annodder dub an’ wants ter -have him cropped, eh? Well, I’ll do der trick fer fifty, but I’ll have -ter have der dough in advance.” - -“Even you, Bill, may not find the job a cinch,” said Snodgrass. “He’s a -bad man.” - -“Oh, wot yer givin’ me! If I can have a good chance at him I’ll polish -der duck off in one minute.” - -“You may have as good a chance as you want. He goes out to the -ball-field every afternoon lately, and he has taken to walking in alone -just at dark. He always returns to Vanderbilt a certain way. There are -some scattering houses and an open spot. No lights there to speak of. A -fine chance to come on him suddenly.” - -“Well, say! you oughter be able ter do him yerself widout callin’ on me -fer help. Wot’s der matter wid layin’ for him dere an’ soakin’ him wid a -club?” - -“I have to be somewhere else when it happens. If I’m suspected, I want -to prove an alibi.” - -“Is dat it? Don’t s’pose it’s ’cause yer lacks der nerve? Of course -not!” - -The thugs laughed roughly, and Snodgrass flushed a little. - -“It would be no disgrace to be afraid of this man,” he asserted, -somewhat haughtily. - -“Well, who der blazes can it be?” cried Buster Bill. - -“His name is Frank Merriwell,” said the student. - -“Wot!” cried the leader of the gang. “Why, you don’t mean der feller wot -everybody is makin’ such a fuss over? Not der cap’n of der ball-team?” - -“Yes.” - -“Yer wants me ter smash him?” - -“Yes.” - -“An’ you’ll pay fifty for the job?” - -“Yes.” - -“In advance?” - -“Twenty-five in advance, and the balance the day following the -completion of the job.” - -“That’s the easiest way of makin’ a fifty stroke I’ve heard of lately! -It’ll be pie for me. An’, say, I’ve been wantin’ to get a lick at him -fer some time. He makes me sick! Dey talk about him bein’ a great -athlete! I’ve seen him, an’ I know I can break him clean in two!” - -“If you have a notion that Merriwell is soft, you are making a big -mistake, and you’ll receive a severe surprise when you tackle him. He -may look soft, but he is the hardest man you ever went against, and he -has astonishing luck. It will be well for you to have your men along to -see the sport. Perhaps you may need their assistance before you are done -with Merriwell.” - -Riley was offended. - -“Look here,” he cried, “I don’t like that kind of talk! I ain’t never -run against der bloke wot could do me. An’ I’ll have der advantage of -dis feller by takin’ him by surprise. Why, I’ll pulverize him before he -can lift a finger!” - -“I hope so.” - -“How bad do you want him done?” - -“I want him sent to the hospital. If you could manage to break a few of -his ribs it would please me greatly. At any rate, I want him thumped so -badly that he’ll have to keep under cover for four days. That’s all I -ask.” - -“It’s a snap! But w’en do I git der twenty-five? Dat has ter come down -before I go inter de game.” - -“I’ll pay you that to-night. I will meet you at ten o’clock at the west -end of Barnsville Bridge and give you the money there. Is that -satisfactory?” - -Riley looked at Snodgrass sharply, as if a doubt had entered his mind, -but he finally nodded, saying: - -“Dat’s all right. I guess ye’re on der level, pal.” - -“You needn’t worry about that. I want Merriwell done up, and I’m ready -to pay. You’ll find me on hand with the other twenty-five at the same -place the very night you jump him. It makes no difference to you just -why I want him downed.” - -“Not a blamed bit, pal! I’m out for der dough.” - -“Then the bargain is made. Let’s shake hands on it.” - -Snodgrass rose and offered his hand, which the big thug accepted, and -gave a grip to seal the dastardly compact. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVI. - BUSTER BILL SURPRISED. - - -Frank was methodical in everything he did, and that was how he -accomplished so much without being swamped. He gave just so much time to -everything. When the work of the day was all done, he ventured to spend -a little time in idleness, but not till then. - -No man ever accomplishes great things and performs great labors unless -he is methodical. The person who goes at any task by fits and starts -does not make rapid progress. It is persistent hammering away at -anything that counts in the end. In the fable the tortoise beat the -hare; so the slow, plodding, determined man often beats the brilliant, -flighty, erratic man of genius in the race of life. - -Steady hammering at one kind of work becomes monotonous after a time, it -is true, and a man may wear himself out before his time in such a -manner. But give him variety, let him change at certain hours of the day -from one thing to another, and the amount he can accomplish will amaze -those who look on and never put their powers to the full test. - -Frank Merriwell’s life was one of constant change and variety. The -classroom, the gymnasium, the ball-field, the rowing-tank, or the shell -led him from one thing to another at certain hours, and so he performed -an amount of labor that astounded lazy students. - -Each afternoon he reached the field at a certain hour. He entered into -the work there with vim and vigor. When it was over, he had a way of -starting off by himself to walk back to Vanderbilt. He preferred to make -this little walk quite alone. His friends had found this out, and they -permitted him to do so. - -There may have been a secret reason why Frank chose to walk back -unaccompanied from the field. Perhaps it would seem impolite to pry into -some of his secrets. All day long he was thinking of studies, lectures, -gymnastics, baseball, and rowing—all day except during this walk by -himself in the dusk of early evening. - -Of what was he thinking then? Why was it that he often smiled fondly to -himself, as if looking into the face of some one very dear? Why was it -that he seemed utterly oblivious to his surroundings as he swung along -with that beautiful, easy stride? Why was it that sometimes his lips -moved, and—listen! did he murmur a name? Was it—Inza? - -But we’ll not pry into his secrets, although we understand now how it -was that, with his mind far away, he walked straight into the trap that -had been prepared for him. At another time he might not have been taken -so by surprise, for, as a rule, he seemed constantly on the alert. Now, -before he realized anything was wrong, a man had jumped out at him from -the corner and struck him a terrible blow on the side of the head. - -That blow knocked Frank down! - -Buster Bill had started in to earn his money, and it must be confessed -that he had made a good beginning. - -He had intended to jump on Merriwell instantly, but now he paused, -astonished that even a college athlete could be popped over so easily. -That pause was fatal to the ruffian’s plans. - -Although the shock had been terrible, although his head was ringing and -he was somewhat dazed, Merriwell quickly recovered and started to rise. - -Then, with a snarl, the thug made another spring and a kick. He meant to -earn his money by fracturing a rib with his heavy boot. - -In a crouching position Frank Merriwell sprang aside with a froglike -hop. Then he straightened up. The violence of that kick, which had -reached nothing but empty air, had thrown Buster Bill down. - -When Bill, astonished beyond measure, scrambled to his feet, he found -Frank Merriwell, the Yale athlete, waiting for him. - -Not a word passed Merry’s lips, but he sailed into that fellow in a -manner that meant business. He swung at Bill’s head, and Bill did not -entirely avoid the blow. He was hit pretty hard, but not hard enough to -knock him off his pins. - -Then a hot time followed. If Buster Bill had underrated his antagonist -at the start, he soon experienced a change of opinion. The Yale man, for -all of the blow he had received, became the aggressor in less than -thirty seconds. - -Bill, you are in trouble for fair. There you have it, fair and square on -the nose, and it was a solid jolt, too. It started your nose to -bleeding, but you don’t mind that, of course! only boys mind when they -get a crack on the nose that starts the claret. But there is another in -the eye. That will be likely to give you a very pretty eye to show your -friends to-morrow. You’ll be proud of it, Bill, and you will enjoy -exhibiting it to the gang. - -Brace up, Buster Bill; it won’t do to let this smooth-faced, clear-eyed, -handsome fellow get in many more like that one on the cheek. If he does, -you’ll have a mug that will arouse doubts in regard to your veracity -when you explain to-morrow that you fell down on the hard ground just by -accident. People may listen to you, Bill; but inwardly they will be -asking if you fell or were pushed. - -What ails the fellow, anyhow? Why won’t he keep still and let you hit -him back a few times, gentle William? It doesn’t seem hardly fair for -him to do all the hitting, with the exception of that first blow; now, -does it? If you had dreamed he was going to act this way, you would have -hit him with a brick, wouldn’t you, Bill? - -Great Scott! but that was an awful jab in the wind, Bill! It doubled you -up beautifully. And then he was rude enough to give you another one on -the ear. What are you doing down there, William? You’ll get your clothes -dirty rolling round on the ground. - -That’s right, sir; get right up, like a little man. He’ll accommodate -you by knocking you down again. How long can you keep it up, Bill? Your -head is pretty hard, but even a wooden head must get tired of being -biffed round in such a manner. - -Don’t froth, man! It’ll not do you a bit of good. Don’t gnash your -teeth, for you’ll not frighten him that way. He doesn’t seem a bit -afraid of you, and he keeps coming right after you all the time. At -least, he might have the decency to give you a rest. - -What’s that, you mighty thug, you slayer of men? Can it be that you -realize you have met your master in this college chap at whom you -sneered? Who are you shouting to? On my life, I believe you are calling -to your friends for help! - -Yes, it is true! And here they come through the dusk on the run, four of -them in all! Well, well! you’ve surely got the college chap in a bad -place now; but if you down him at last, Bill, you can’t brag that you -did it alone, and I do not fancy that you’ll feel very proud of the job. - -CHAPTER XXXVII. - -HIS FOES “SCATTERED AROUND.” - -Buster Bill had met the surprise of his life. He had not dreamed of -anything like this. Why, he would have bet his life that he could whip -any man in Yale with one hand tied behind his back! That was before the -encounter. After the encounter he felt differently about it. - -Never in all his life had he found a man so hard to hit as this fellow -Merriwell. Never in all his career at the ringside had he seen a man who -could do such lively foot-work. The manner in which Merriwell got in, -punched, and got away was something very exasperating to Mr. Riley. - -At first the ruffian had fancied he was doing the rushing, and he tried -to follow his nimble antagonist about; but the time quickly came when he -discovered that he was not doing nearly as much rushing as he had -fancied. - -The college man was a perfect tempest. He was here, there, everywhere. -He went under Riley’s arm with a ducking leap, came up behind the fellow -and smote him a staggerer on the back of the head. - -When that happened Mr. Riley got down on his knees. It was a most -unusual position for him, and he wondered to find himself there. With an -expression of dissatisfaction at the way things were occurring, he -hoisted himself in time to get a lovely jolt on the jaw. - -Riley tried to induce the other chap to stand still and be hit a few -times, just to even things up a little; but Frank Merriwell proved to be -a most unaccommodating fellow at this point. He declined to let Riley -get in another blow. - -Then it was that Buster Bill began to be sorry that he had not used a -brick when he hit the fellow at the start. A brick would have settled it -at once, and there would have been no taking chances. - -But he had not fancied he was taking chances, anyhow. We have all to -live and learn. To-morrow Mr. Riley and his friends were to make remarks -about Frank Merriwell, and, even though those remarks would not do for -printing in the program of a Sunday-school concert, they were to be -highly complimentary. - -Bill snarled and frothed, but all that amounted to nothing. He found it -was no use; he could not hit Merriwell, and he was swiftly getting cut -all to pieces. When his wind gave out, he began to feel unspeakable -alarm. - -I hate to confess it about such a brave scoundrel as Bill, but there was -a moment when he actually thought of taking to his heels and running for -it. - -Then he remembered that this Merriwell had the reputation of being a -sprinter. Whatever he had ever said about college men, he had never -denied that they could run. - -Besides that, there were the fellows back there behind the old building, -waiting for him to do the job. They were peering wonderingly through the -gloom, he knew, speculating over the astonishing encounter that was -taking place. If he ran away his days of leadership would be over with -“the gang.” - -Then he thought of shouting to them, but it seemed almost equally as -disgraceful to call for help, and his pride held his lips for a time. - -Merriwell improved that time of silence by hitting the thug some jabs -that made him somewhat weary. Not until he found himself groggy and -going to pieces swiftly did Bill yell for his companions. - -Up to that time Frank Merriwell had fancied his assailant was there -quite by himself; but with that first cry Merriwell realized there might -be other ruffians there. - -Then Merry redoubled his efforts to finish Bill before the others -appeared. He heard their footsteps, and from a corner of his eyes he saw -dark forms coming swiftly toward him. - -Then Merry did his level best to dispose of Bill before the others came -up. He got in two terrible blows, and the second one stretched the thug -senseless on the ground. - -But he did not try to avoid the encounter with Buster Bill’s friends. He -met them, actually springing forward to do so. - -The one in advance received a surprise in the shape of a hard fist on -the chin, and he lay down to think it over and wonder just what had -happened. There were three left, and they went at Merriwell with intense -ferocity. - -Surely by this time Merriwell must be pretty well played out. It looks -bad for him. These fellows are likely to find him an easy victim now. - -But are they? Merry seemed just as fierce, just as lively, just as -terrible as he had been when at his best in the little affair with Mr. -Riley. He was not aware that he felt the least fatigue, and the way he -met and smashed into those fellows was as much a surprise to them as his -same style of conduct had been to Buster Bill. - -Where was Bill? They called to him, but he did not answer. Could that be -him on the ground? What was he doing down there? It must be that he had -been knocked out with a slung-shot. No other explanation could be -accepted. - -The same kind of slung-shot was coming at them. Look out for it, you -thugs of the long docks, or you’ll find yourselves imitating your -leader! - -Why was it they could not seem to get at him and crush him at once? Why -was it that he seemed able to keep them in the way of one another, so -that they were bothered to reach him? When one of them opened his arms -to grasp Merriwell around the waist from behind he succeeded in clasping -a friend and throwing him down. And while he was doing this Merriwell -got in a crack at the third man that caused him to seek a reclining -position beside Buster Bill and the other “gent” that had hastened at -the call for aid to bump into Frank. - -Then they found there were but two of them left to down this Yale man -who should be such an easy mark for any one of them. Perhaps two would -be able to do a better job than more of them. Two would not get in each -other’s way so often. - -They were not given much time to think about this, for Merriwell -followed up the fight and waded into them. - -This put the ruffians on the defensive, which was something quite -against their liking. He knocked one of them up against the other, and -then tried to drop them both with a swinging right and left. - -They separated and closed in on him from opposite sides. He struck one -and kicked the other in the stomach. That kick had been most surprising, -for the fellow was coming up behind Frank, and looked for nothing of the -sort. It doubled him up gasping, and while he gasped, Merriwell went in -to polish off the other chap. He found that fellow easy beside Buster -Bill, and he took pains to swing accurately without chancing it. The -blow was perfect, and the fourth thug went down and out. - -This left but one man on his pins, and he was just recovering his -breath, which had been knocked out of him by that terrible kick. He -straightened up as Frank turned on him. Then he saw four dark forms on -the ground, and his desire was to be a long distance away from that -vicinity. - -But he knew his wind would not let him run fast, and so he was compelled -to stand up and take his medicine like the others. He put up his guard -and ducked Merry’s first blow. In following the fellow up, Frank caught -his toe over the prostrate body of one of the men on the ground, and -went down to his knees. - -Uttering a snarl of joy, the last thug sprang in. This was his chance. -He would get the best of this remarkable college man now. He would upset -him, jump on him with both feet, half-kill him! Then, when the others -sat up and took notice of things, he would say: “Behold, I did it!” or -words to that effect. - -It was a real pleasant dream, but it proved to be nothing but a dream. -He did not even hit Merriwell, who dodged, leaped up, closed in, and -kicked him reeling. - -It was amazing how the Yale man could follow up an advantage. As that -fellow staggered, he went in on him, deliberately selected the knock-out -spot, and let him have it. - -That ended the fight, for the fifth one of the gang joined his weary -friends on the ground. - -Frank stood in the midst of his fallen assailants, looking about. - -Two men came rushing up through the darkness. They were Starbright and -Hodge, who had decided to walk in from the field, and happened to be -coming along behind him. They had heard the sounds of battle as they -approached, and fancying Frank might be in it, rushed forward to offer -assistance. - -“Merry,” cried Bart, “is that you?” - -“Yes,” said Frank, in a calm, undisturbed tone, “I think it is.” - -“You—you’ve been attacked?” palpitated the giant freshman, who -accompanied Hodge. - -“Something of the kind happened,” admitted Merry. - -“Your assailants—where are they?” demanded Hodge. - -“You’ll find them scattered around here,” answered Frank, as, with one -hand in his pocket, he made a gentle, sweeping gesture with the other. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII. - BEFORE THE RACE. - - -The day of the spring regatta at Lake Whitney arrived at last, and a -perfect day it was—mild, sunny, balmy, and sweet. It seems that the sun, -by some perennial contract, always shines on this day of days at New -Haven. The trees were putting out their bright green leaves, and there -was an odor of sweetness, like the breath of spring, in the air. - -The lake was almost as smooth as a mirror. Near the shores there were no -ripples. Out in the middle of the lake a tiny breeze stirred the water -and made it take on a deeper blue. - -A vast crowd had gathered and lined the shore of the lake to witness -this contest between picked crews from the four classes. Men were -there—men of all ages—fathers, brothers, and sons. - -But pause a moment to observe the pretty girls! Don’t you know that New -Haven on any kind of a fête day seems to be the Mecca of pretty girls? -One finds himself wondering where they all come from. It seems that some -one with an eye to artistic beauty of varying styles must have traveled -over the country, gathering up all the pretty girls to be found, and -then rushed them on to New Haven. - -The dresses of the ladies made the crowd lively with touches of color. -Of course, they were disporting the colors of the various classes. - -Yale men could be told from visitors and townies. They were discussing -the probable result of the race. The Chickering set had found a -comfortable and sightly spot, and there they were gathered in a body, -waiting for the excitement to begin. - -“Weally, felloth,” said Lew Veazie, removing the head of his cane from -his mouth in order to speak, “I believe the juniorth will win thith -wace.” - -“I hope so,” said Chickering, “though I shall feel sorry for Merriwell, -who has put so much hard work upon the freshmen. It will be a great -disappointment for him.” - -“That’s right!” nodded Gene Skelding, with a harsh laugh, having thrust -back his cap to permit the sun to fall fairly on his beautiful brow. -“It’s going to be a jolt for Merriwell, but I have it straight, the -freshmen can’t win.” - -“I’m afraid I don’t understand why not,” said Ollie Lord, lighting a -fresh cigarette. - -“Why, because it is written on the Book of Fate that they are not to -win,” said Tilton Hull, looking solemnly over his high collar, as a boy -might peer over a whitewashed board fence. - -“But that doesn’t explain it to me. Does it to you, chummie?” asked -Ollie, turning to Lew. - -“Hawdly,” confessed Veazie. “There mutht be thomething going on that we -don’t know anything about.” - -“I only received a hint of it,” said Hull, lowering his voice to a -whisper, which he seemed to shoot upward into the air, his collar held -his chin so high. “We’re willing to let the freshies and the sophs fight -it out. We have done nothing.” - -“And if the sophs choose to steal one of the freshman crew, why, that is -none of our business,” said Skelding. - -“But it is not honorable!” exclaimed Rupert, with an expression of -horror. - -“Don’t let that jar you,” said Gene. “The sophs may do the stealing, -while we’ll do the winning, and Merriwell will get left all round.” - -“That ith all I care for,” nodded Veazie. “Oh, I hate that fellow! I’d -like to give him a weal hard hit with the heavy end of my cane!” - -Not a great distance from the Chickering crowd were gathered Hodge, -Mason, Hooker, Browning, and Carker. Hodge was looking strangely -worried, though he had nothing to say. - -“A glorious day, gentlemen,” said Mason. “Why, it’s like a day in the -South; yes, sah. A perfect day for such a race.” - -“But I’ve got an idea something is going wrong,” put in Carker. “I don’t -know why I feel that way, but I can’t help it.” - -“Oh, say!” grunted Browning; “do you ever feel any other way? Why don’t -you try to be cheerful and hopeful one day, just for a change?” - -“There is too much careless cheerfulness and hopeless hopefulness in -this world,” sighed Greg. “I tell you we are rushing into grave and -terrible dangers, yet sober-minded men of to-day scarcely ever pause to -scan the black storm-cloud that is gathering. Some day it will burst in -all its fury.” - -“It’s a thunder-storm this time!” grumbled Bruce. “Well, at least that -is a relief from your tiresome old earthquake, Cark.” - -“You are like all the others,” sighed Greg. “Some day you may awaken to -the truth, but I fear it will then be too late. The storm will have -burst. It is coming with the swiftness of——” - -“Oh, for Heaven’s sake, shut up!” growled Hodge, who was watching the -starting-point with an expression of anxiety on his face. “This is a -time to think of something else. I swear I believe there is something -the matter!” - -Berlin Carson came rushing up. - -“Hello, fellows!” he panted. “Where is Merry?” - -They did not know. - -“What’s the matter?” asked Hodge. “Has anything happened?” - -“Sh!” cautioned Carson. “The sophs have stolen the freshman coxswain.” - -“Knight?” - -“Yes.” - -“The dickens! What will the freshmen do?” - -“They are in a mess, and they want advice from Merriwell. That’s why -I’ve been out looking for him. But it’s no use to look farther.” - -“Not a bit.” - -“It’s time for the race to start now.” - -“Past time.” - -“Well, we’ll have to let the freshies go it the best they can. I guess -the sophs have got them, all right. It’s too bad, after Merry has given -them so much of his time.” - -“This business has been hanging fire right along,” said Bart. “I knew -there were some men who meant that the freshmen should not win, anyhow. -I think Merriwell knew it, too, and I’m sorry he should let those chaps -get ahead of him. They’ll have it to crow over for a month.” - -Carson sat down. - -“It’ll be the first time Frank has been tripped up,” he said. - -If any one of them had turned about and looked behind them at this -moment he might have seen two fellows who disappeared into a thick mass -of shrubbery, amid which they met. - -“The trick is done,” said one. “That’s why there is a delay about the -start. Give me the notes you hold against me, Snodgrass.” - -“Wait a little, Arnold,” said Ben Snodgrass. “I’ve ceased paying in -advance since I forked over twenty-five plunks to Buster Bill, and he -failed to carry out his part of the bargain.” - -“He did the best he could. It wasn’t his fault.” - -“Yes, it was.” - -“How?” - -“I warned him what Merriwell was, but he sneered at college athletes.” - -“And Merriwell literally whipped him and his whole gang.” - -“That’s what Starbright reported. Said he had five of them laid out at -once.” - -“Well, Merriwell will meet defeat, after all, for Earl Knight is ten -miles from here at this minute, safely held under lock and key till the -race is over. I know that, Snodgrass; so you may as well fork over the -paper.” - -“You’ll get the paper, all right, after the race.” - -“If the freshmen win, it’s not my fault. I’ve carried out my part of the -agreement by leading Knight into the trap.” - -“If the freshmen win without Knight, you’ll get your money; but they -can’t do it, for there isn’t another man who can take Knight’s place and -fill it as he did. People got over sneering at Knight as a coxswain. He -was the great man of the crew, for, somehow, he put spirit and life and -confidence in them.” - -“And he could steer.” - -“He was an expert. Oh, yes, you’ll get your paper after the race! What’s -that? Listen!” - -A shout came from the shore. - -“The race has begun!” exclaimed Arnold. - -Snodgrass did not pause to say a word, but made a break for the shore. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIX. - VICTORY OF THE STROKE. - - -The race was on! Down the lake they came, the freshmen and sophomores -neck and neck. The great crowd shouted and cheered. Colors waved -everywhere. - -It was a beautiful sight to see those rival crews, their broad backs -bending in perfect unison, their strong arms extended and drawn back -with the muscular heave that was regular as clockwork. The dripping -oar-blades flashed in the sunshine. - -Who is the coxswain in the freshman boat? Everybody is anxious to know. -It’s not a little fellow. Why, it’s a man as large as Knight! Look -closer! - -“Great mavericks!” muttered Berlin Carson. “Am I dreaming? Why, that -is——” - -“I thought you said Knight had disappeared!” rumbled Browning. “Who gave -you that fairy-story?” - -“That is Knight in the stern of the freshman boat, sah,” put in Hock -Mason. - -Of course it was Knight! There could be no mistaking that terrible scar -down his left cheek, which was plainly visible through their glasses. - -“Well, it’s hard work to get ahead of Frank Merriwell!” chuckled Berlin -Carson. “He must have found a way to trace Knight and rescue him. The -freshmen will win!” - -“It looks that way,” admitted Carker; “but in times of greatest -prosperity have come upon us our greatest calamities.” - -They felt like punching him, but of a sudden their attention was wholly -given to the race. Surely something was wrong! See! the freshman stroke -reels in his seat! It is Starbright! Something has fallen to the bottom -of the shell—something that sounds suspiciously like a stone. - -Then the sophomores begin to forge ahead. - -The consternation in the freshman boat has spread to the shore. The race -is ruined. Something had knocked the stroke-oar out, and that settles -it. - -But look again! A strange thing is happening. The coxswain, with amazing -skill, grasps the senseless stroke and swings him aft, taking his place -and his oar. - -As he seized the oar the new stroke cries: - -“Pull!” - -Never before on Lake Whitney had such a remarkable thing happened. The -freshmen quickly recover, and their oars rise and fall. With tremendous -energy they almost fling the boat out of the water. - -The race is near the end. There can be no hope for the unfortunate -freshmen, who now have no coxswain, save a senseless man. - -The great crowd of spectators thrill with wildest excitement. The new -stroke has given that crew such life as they had not exhibited before at -any stage of the race. They forge ahead, recovering the lost distance -with remarkable speed. - -In a moment they will be neck and neck again. Is it possible that the -race will be a draw? - -Now they are together, and the spectators are cheering wildly, while -hats, handkerchiefs, and flags wave everywhere. - -And then, despite everything the sophomores can do, the boat of the -freshmen forges slowly into the lead. - -Over the line they go, with the nose of the freshman boat one foot in -advance, and the race is won—the most remarkable race ever witnessed on -Lake Whitney. - -There were ugly rumors about that stone. Of course, somebody threw it, -and, of course, the object had been to knock out Starbright and give the -race to the sophomores. But for the remarkable work of the coxswain, -this dastardly trick would have resulted in the defeat of the freshmen. - -The name of the coxswain was on every lip. Earl Knight had become famous -for his wonderful action. He had saved the race—a fact which no man -disputed. - -Of course, Merriwell’s friends were well satisfied with the termination -of this exciting contest, while his enemies were equally depressed. - -But his friends were vowing they would find out who had thrown that -stone. - -“It was a dastardly piece of business!” declared Bart Hodge hotly. “The -fellow ought to be hanged!” - -“I think it would be a very good thing to give him a coat of tar and -feathers,” grunted Browning, who was not a little aroused himself. - -“Some one must have seen him do it,” said Mason. “It’s our duty to find -out who it was.” - -So they set out to investigate, but everybody seemed too excited to -really know anything about it. Some declared no stone had been thrown, -but that Starbright had fainted in the boat. Starbright’s friends, -however, knew better than that. - -The Chickering set was disgusted. The result had added another laurel to -the cap of Frank Merriwell, they thought, and they felt very bad about -it. They were among those who declared no stone had been thrown. - -Perhaps the most disgusted man was Ben Snodgrass, who had found a spot -on a high piece of land, not far from the finishing-point. When the race -was over he vanished from that spot, and he hoped that no one had seen -him there. - -He encountered Arnold, who was looking miserable enough. Snodgrass was -furious. - -“Oh, you’re a dandy!” he grated. “You did a nice piece of business, -didn’t you? I thought Earl Knight was ten miles away when the race -began, safely held under lock and key!” - -“So did I,” muttered Orson huskily. - -“To-morrow you pay those notes, or they go to your grandmother for -collection!” snarled Snodgrass, as he shook them at Arnold, having taken -them from his pockets. - -Arnold was white as a sheet. With his teeth clenched, he leaped on -Snodgrass, struck him down, snatched the notes from his hand, and tore -them up. Then he took to his heels, while the baffled plotter arose, -shaking with the rage of defeat and shame. - -But at the boat-house a strange thing was happening. The coxswain who -had steered and rowed the freshman boat to victory was bending over Dick -Starbright, whom he was seeking to restore to consciousness. His face -was beaded with perspiration, and down his left cheek from that -remarkable scar ran streaks of blue. - -Starbright opened his eyes and saw the other bending over him. - -“How are you, Dick?” asked the coxswain. - -“You, Frank?” gasped the big stroke, in amazement. “Why, what—what does -it mean?” - -Then there was great excitement in the boat-house, for the coxswain, -whom no man observed closely in the rush at getting started, was none -other than Frank Merriwell, who had made a grease-paint scar down his -left cheek and taken the place of Knight. - -But the race was won, and Merriwell remained invincible. - - THE END. - - - - -No. 71 of the MERRIWELL SERIES, entitled “Frank Merriwell’s Strong Arm,” -by Burt L. Standish, has a thrill on every page, and tells of some games -that the reader will never forget. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - =RATTLING GOOD ADVENTURE= - - =SPORT STORIES= - - =Price, Fifteen Cents= - - ------- - - _Stories of the Big Outdoors_ - - ------- - -There has been a big demand for outdoor stories, and a very considerable -portion of it has been for the Maxwell Stevens stories about Jack -Lightfoot, the athlete. - -These stories are of interest to old and young. 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Y. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note - -On p. 311, a paragraph which appears to be dialogue is lacking an -opening quotation mark. However, it is equally probable that it is -intended to be in the voice of the narrator. The unmatched closing -quotation mark has been removed. - -Errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and -are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original. -The following issues should be noted, along with the resolutions. - - 33.6 to make the necess[s]ary progress Removed. - 40.25 Practice it all the time.[”] Added. - 50.4 “What has hap[p]ened?” Inserted. - 68.17 an ink-well and writing-materials[.] Added. - 78.11 Defarge remained motion[e]less Removed. - 78.13 [“]You will do so!” Removed. - 92.14 [“]No one could mistake Removed. - 94.14 “Yes[,/.”] Replaced. - 161.12 [“]Three cheers for Frank Merriwell Added. - 182.20 It will cheer you up[.] Added. - 208.30 to make it anything but a snake[.]” Added. - 228.12 the style of wrestling[./,] Replaced. - 254.16 gave the four crews the op[p]ortunity Inserted. - 277.4 Are you [y/g]oing Replaced. - 311.12 Look closer![”] Removed. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Frank Merriwell's False Friend, by Burt L. 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