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diff --git a/old/62421-0.txt b/old/62421-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 631fcb4..0000000 --- a/old/62421-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11647 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Frank Merriwell, Jr.'s, Helping Hand, by Burt L. Standish - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Frank Merriwell, Jr.'s, Helping Hand - Fair Play and No Favors - -Author: Burt L. Standish - -Release Date: June 18, 2020 [EBook #62421] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRANK MERRIWELL, JR.'S, HELPING HAND *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Les Galloway and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - -Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations -in hyphenation and accents have been standardised but all other -spelling and punctuation remains unchanged. - -The author has used the phrase ‘chip of the old block’ several times -and the more usual ‘chip off’ once. This has not been changed. - -Italics are represented thus _italic_. - - - - - BOOKS FOR YOUNG MEN - - MERRIWELL SERIES - - ALL BY BURT L. STANDISH - - Stories of Frank and Dick Merriwell - - 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_ - - 101—Frank Merriwell’s Nomads - 102—Dick Merriwell on the Gridiron - 103—Dick Merriwell’s Disguise - 104—Dick Merriwell’s Test - 105—Frank Merriwell’s Trump Card - 106—Frank Merriwell’s Strategy - 107—Frank Merriwell’s Triumph - 108—Dick Merriwell’s Grit - 109—Dick Merriwell’s Assurance - 110—Dick Merriwell’s Long Slide - 111—Frank Merriwell’s Rough Deal - 112—Dick Merriwell’s Threat - 113—Dick Merriwell’s Persistence - 114—Dick Merriwell’s Day - 115—Frank Merriwell’s Peril - 116—Dick Merriwell’s Downfall - 117—Frank Merriwell’s Pursuit - 118—Dick Merriwell Abroad - 119—Frank Merriwell in the Rockies - 120—Dick Merriwell’s Pranks - 121—Frank Merriwell’s Pride - 122—Frank Merriwell’s Challengers - 123—Frank Merriwell’s Endurance - 124—Dick Merriwell’s Cleverness - 125—Frank Merriwell’s Marriage - 126—Dick Merriwell, the Wizard - 127—Dick Merriwell’s Stroke - 128—Dick Merriwell’s Return - 129—Dick Merriwell’s Resource - 130—Dick Merriwell’s Five - 131—Frank Merriwell’s Tigers - 132—Dick Merriwell’s Polo Team - 133—Frank Merriwell’s Pupils - 134—Frank Merriwell’s New Boy - 135—Dick Merriwell’s Home Run - 136—Dick Merriwell’s Dare - 137—Frank Merriwell’s Son - 138—Dick Merriwell’s Team Mate - 139—Frank Merriwell’s Leaguers - 140—Frank Merriwell’s Happy Camp - 141—Dick Merriwell’s Influence - 142—Dick Merriwell, Freshman - 143—Dick Merriwell’s Staying Power - 144—Dick Merriwell’s Joke - 145—Frank Merriwell’s Talisman - 146—Frank Merriwell’s Horse - 147—Dick Merriwell’s Regret - 148—Dick Merriwell’s Magnetism - 149—Dick Merriwell’s Backers - 150—Dick Merriwell’s Best Work - 151—Dick Merriwell’s Distrust - 152—Dick Merriwell’s Debt - 153—Dick Merriwell’s Mastery - 154—Dick Merriwell Adrift - 155—Frank Merriwell’s Worst Boy - 156—Dick Merriwell’s Close Call - 157—Frank Merriwell’s Air Voyage - 158—Dick Merriwell’s Black Star - 159—Frank Merriwell in Wall Street - 160—Frank Merriwell Facing His Foes - 161—Dick Merriwell’s Stanchness - 162—Frank Merriwell’s Hard Case - 163—Dick Merriwell’s Stand - 164—Dick Merriwell Doubted - 165—Frank Merriwell’s Steadying Hand - 166—Dick Merriwell’s Example - 167—Dick Merriwell in the Wilds - 168—Frank Merriwell’s Ranch - 169—Dick Merriwell’s Way - 170—Frank Merriwell’s Lesson - 171—Dick Merriwell’s Reputation - 172—Frank Merriwell’s Encouragement - 173—Dick Merriwell’s Honors - 174—Frank Merriwell’s Wizard - 175—Dick Merriwell’s Race - 176—Dick Merriwell’s Star Play - 177—Frank Merriwell at Phantom Lake - 178—Dick Merriwell a Winner - 179—Dick Merriwell at the County Fair - 180—Frank Merriwell’s Grit - 181—Dick Merriwell’s Power - 182—Frank Merriwell in Peru - 183—Frank Merriwell’s Long Chance - 184—Frank Merriwell’s Old Form - 185—Frank Merriwell’s Treasure Hunt - 186—Dick Merriwell Game to the Last - 187—Dick Merriwell, Motor King - 188—Dick Merriwell’s Tussle - 189—Dick Merriwell’s Aero Dash - 190—Dick Merriwell’s Intuition - 191—Dick Merriwell’s Placer Find - 192—Dick Merriwell’s Fighting Chance - 193—Frank Merriwell’s Tact - 194—Frank Merriwell’s Puzzle - 195—Frank Merriwell’s Mystery - 196—Frank Merriwell, the Lionhearted - 197—Frank Merriwell’s Tenacity - 198—Dick Merriwell’s Perception - 199—Dick Merriwell’s Detective Work - 200—Dick Merriwell’s Commencement - 201—Dick Merriwell’s Decision - 202—Dick Merriwell’s Coolness - 203—Dick Merriwell’s Reliance - 204—Frank Merriwell’s Young Warriors - 205—Frank Merriwell’s Lads - 206—Dick Merriwell in Panama - 207—Dick Merriwell in South America - 208—Dick Merriwell’s Counsel - - -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 January, 1929. - 209—Dick Merriwell, Universal Coach - 210—Dick Merriwell’s Varsity Nine - - To be published in February, 1929. - 211—Dick Merriwell’s Heroic Players - 212—Dick Merriwell at the Olympics - - To be published in March, 1929. - 213—Frank Merriwell, Jr., Tested - 214—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Conquests - 215—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Rivals - - To be published in April, 1929. - 216—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Helping Hand - 217—Frank Merriwell, Jr., in Arizona - - To be published in May, 1929. - 218—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Mission - 219—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Iceboat Adventure - - To be published in June, 1929. - 220—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Timely Aid - 221—Frank Merriwell, Jr., in the Desert - - - - - Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Helping Hand - - OR - - FAIR PLAY AND NO FAVORS - - - By - BURT L. STANDISH - Author of the famous Merriwell Stories. - - - [Illustration: Publisher’s Device] - - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION - PUBLISHERS - 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York - - - - - Copyright, 1912 - By STREET & SMITH - - Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Helping Hand - - - All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign - languages, including the Scandinavian. - - Printed in the U. S. A. - - - - - FRANK MERRIWELL, JR.’S, HELPING HAND. - - - CHAPTER I. - - THE HOUSEBREAKER. - - -In one of the residence streets of Gold Hill, Arizona, stood—and no -doubt still stands at this moment—a rather pretentious, two-story -dwelling. Six low-growing, broad-leaved palms were marshaled in two -rows before the front door, and to right and left of the palms were -umbrella and pepper trees. Extending from one corner of the house, -almost to the pickets that fenced in the premises, was a rank growth of -oleanders. - -This was the home of Colonel Alvah G. Hawtrey, an ex-army officer. In -the service of his country Hawtrey had chased and fought the murderous -Apaches all over that part of the Southwest; and now, at the age of -sixty, the colonel, with an honorable discharge from the service, was -giving his attention to various mining enterprises and was reputed to -be a very wealthy man. - -He was broad-minded and public-spirited, and the prosperity of Gold -Hill owed more to the old colonel than to any other citizen. He had -built the Bristow Hotel and several brick business blocks; he had -founded a social club, a cattlemen’s association, and a miners’ relief -society. It was known that he paid, out of his own pocket, the salary -of one of the local ministers; he owned a bank, and, last but not -least, he had organized and brought into successful operation the Gold -Hill Athletic Club. For nothing was the colonel more honored than for -his love of manly sports, and for his zeal in seeing that the youth of -Gold Hill received proper physical training. - -On a night in late October a spectral figure crept along the fence in -front of Colonel Hawtrey’s house. The house was dark, and apparently -deserted. After surveying the house carefully for a few moments, the -figure leaped the fence noiselessly and gracefully and faded into the -deep shadow of the oleanders. - -Very carefully the prowler made his way through the bushes to the -corner of the house. Here again he paused and listened. Seemingly -satisfied that the coast was clear, he glided to the nearest window, -opened the thin blade of a pocketknife, climbed to the sill, forced the -blade between the upper and lower sash, and deftly opened the lock. -Another moment and he had raised the lower half of the window and -dropped through into the dark room beyond. - -Evidently this prowler was not on unfamiliar ground. Without striking -a light, he groped his way to a door and into a hall; through the hall -he passed, and to a stairway, then up the stairs to the hall above, and -down the corridor to a room at the rear of the house. He had a key to -the door of the room, and he opened it. Once across the threshold, he -scratched a match, stepped to an electric-light button, and touched it -with his finger. Instantly the room was flooded with a glow of light -from incandescent bulbs. - -It was a small room, with banners and pennants on the walls. Several -of the flags bore the letters, “G. H. H. S.”—official emblems of -Gold Hill “High.” Others bore the initials “G. H. A. C.” and had -once figured in athletic-club events. Foils were also crossed on the -wall, boxing gloves hung from pegs, a catcher’s mask lay on a shelf, -and a breast protector hung beneath it. On the same shelf with the -mask stood a tarnished silver cup, bearing an inscription to the -effect that it had been presented to one Ellis Darrel for winning a -two-hundred-and-twenty-yard dash under the auspices of the Gold Hill -Athletic Club. Dumb-bells and Indian clubs stood on the floor close to -the wall. - -Thick dust covered everything. The prowler stood in the center of the -room as though in a trance, and slowly allowed his eyes to wander about -him. - -He was a young fellow, not much over seventeen, slender and with a body -remarkably well set-up. His hair was light and curly, his eyes blue, -and his face was handsome and winning, although clouded with melancholy -and a certain haunting sadness. - -The long, wavering survey of the room seemed to overcome the intruder. -Suddenly he sank down into a dusty morris chair, bowed his head, and -covered his face with his hands. As suddenly, he roused himself again, -shook his shoulders as though to free them of a grievous burden, and -made his way toward the door of a closet. - -From the closet he removed a suit case, lettered with the initials -“E. D.,” and followed with the address, “Gold Hill, Ariz.” Kneeling -beside the bit of luggage, he opened it and took out a sleeveless -shirt, a pair of running pants, and a pair of spiked shoes. A couple -of cork grips rattled around in the suit case as he removed the other -contents, but he left them, closed the grip, and returned it to the -closet. Then he carefully closed the closet door. - -Rolling his sprinting outfit into a compact bundle, the intruder rose -to his feet and started for the hall door. On his way he paused. Below -the cross foils hung a picture, turned with its face to the wall. - -A flash of white ran through the lad’s bronzed cheeks. With his bundle -under his arm, he put out one trembling hand to the picture and turned -it around. - -It was a framed photograph of a young fellow in running costume, taken -on a cinder path. The lad in the photo was holding a silver cup—the -same cup that stood on the shelf in that room. And it was more than -evident that the youngster in the picture was the very same lad who had -entered that house like a thief in the night, and was now staring at a -kodak testimonial of a former track victory. - -Why was the photograph turned to the wall? Why was the dust lying -thick upon every object in the room? The cause was no mystery to the -intruder. His lip quivered and a mist rose in his eyes as he turned the -photograph to the wall once more. - -He peered around to make sure that he had left nothing which might -prove a clew to his presence in the room, then turned off the light, -passed into the hall, and shut and locked the door behind him. As he -had come gropingly to the upper floor, so now he felt his way down the -stairs and to the opened window. To climb through the window and lower -the sash from the outside required but a few moments. - -He tried to relock the sash, but found it impossible. Hesitating a -moment by the unlocked window, he turned finally and made his way -through the oleanders to the fence; then, leaping the pickets as he had -done before, he vanished along the gloomy street. - -He had come from Nowhere, this mysterious lad who had come prowling by -night into the house of Colonel Hawtrey; but he was going Somewhere, -and, for the first time in months, he had a destination and a fixed -object in mind. Although he believed that he had left no clews behind -him, and that he had not been seen coming or going from the house, yet -he was mistaken. - -Some one, leaving the dwelling by the front door, had passed along -the walk between the shadowy palms just at the moment the intruder -was standing by the fence. At the very moment the prowler leaped the -pickets, this other person was at the gate and had caught sight of the -figure disappearing into the oleanders. - -The person who had left the house repressed a cry of alarm and stood, -for a few moments, leaning over the gatepost. It had seemed to him as -though, in the starlight, he had recognized the form that had leaped -the fence. A gasp escaped his tense lips, and it was plain that he was -gripped hard with astonishment and dismay. While he stood there, slowly -recovering control of himself, he heard muffled sounds from within -the house; then, leaving the gate, he passed through the oleander -bushes and found the open window. He was on the point of following the -intruder into the house when a glow of light shone out from the second -floor. Hurrying to a pepper tree that grew near a rear corner of the -building, the spy climbed swiftly upward until he was on a level with -the window through which came the light. The prowler had not drawn the -shade, so all that went on in the upper room came under the eyes of the -spy. - -One look at the lad in the house, under the electric light, convinced -the person in the tree that the prowler was really the one whom he had -at first supposed him to be. The spy gritted his teeth and his hands -clutched the tree limbs convulsively. When the intruder had left the -house and vanished down the street, the spy came down from the tree, -hurried around to the front door, and let himself into the building. -Quickly he turned on the lights and made his way to the room, through -the window of which the intruder had gained entrance into the house. - -This room was the colonel’s study. A desk stood in the center of it, -the walls were lined with books, and in one corner was a massive iron -safe. - -In the light it could be seen that this second youth was not more than -two years the senior of the lad who had come and gone. But the face of -this second youth was dark and sinister, and the puzzled light in his -shifty eyes was gradually taking on a cunning gleam. - -“What is he back here for?” he was asking himself, half aloud. “Just -getting his old running suit, eh?” and there was something of a sneer -in the voice. “There’s money in the safe, and I thought——” Just what -the lad thought did not appear. A look at the safe showed it had not -been tampered with. “Has he returned to soft soap the old gent and get -back into his good graces? That’s what he has on his mind, and I’ll bet -on it! He stole in here like a thief—just to get his old track clothes! -I wonder——” - -The youth paused, the cunning light growing in his eyes. On the floor, -below the window, lay an open pocketknife. He picked it up and looked -at it. On a piece of worn silver in the handle was marked, “E. D., -from Uncle Alvah.” - -“By Jupiter,” whispered the lad, “I’ll do it! Here’s a chance to cinch -the situation—for me. I can make it impossible for that soft-sawdering -beggar to get back into Uncle Alvah’s confidence. I’ll fix him, by -thunder!” - -Swiftly the schemer darted to the safe. Kneeling before it, he turned -the knob of the combination back and forth for a few moments, and then -pulled open the heavy door. The inner door was drawn out easily, and -a package of bills, wound with a paper band and marked “$1,000” was -removed. The boy hesitated, the package of bills in his hand. - -“Hang it,” he muttered, “it’s now or never. There’s nothing else for -it!” - -With that, he pushed the bills into his pocket and got up. - -“It will look like a clear case,” he went on. “The old gent will come -here to-morrow morning, find the safe open, the window unlocked, -the money gone—_and Darrel’s knife on the floor_! I’ll bet a row of -’dobies,” he added fiercely, “that will fix Darrel for good. What did -he want to come back here for, anyhow? He ought to have had better -sense. Lucky thing I had to run into town from Mohave Cañon, in order -to fix up a scheme to knock Frank Merriwell out; and it’s lucky I was -leaving the house and saw Darrel, and spied on him instead of giving a -yell and facing him down. Oh, I reckon things are coming my way, all -right! But Darrel—here! Who’d have dreamed of such a thing? There’ll be -merry blazes when the old gent gets home to-morrow!” - -Chuckling to himself, the plotter put out the lights, made his way to -the front door, and was soon clear of the house and in the street. He -had laid an evil train of circumstantial evidence, designed to benefit -himself at the expense of Darrel. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - A STRANGER IN CAMP. - - -Frank Merriwell, junior, and his two chums, Owen Clancy and Billy -Ballard, were camping at Tinaja Wells with the football squad of the -Ophir Athletic Club. Besides Frank and his friends there were fifteen -campers in the grove at the Wells, enumerated by Ballard as one -professor, one Mexican, one Dutchman, and twelve knights of the pigskin. - -The professor was Phineas Borrodaile. He hailed originally from a prep -school in the middle West, had come to Arizona for his health, and, -aided by the two Merriwells, senior and junior, had found wealth as -well. The professor was now being retained as instructor by young Frank -and his chums, thus enabling them to keep up with their studies while -“roughing it” in the Southwest. - -The Mexican was Silva, the packer. Silva had a burro train, and had -packed the equipment of the campers over the fifteen miles separating -Ophir from Tinaja Wells. For ten miles the trail was a good wagon road; -but from Dolliver’s, at the mouth of Mohave Cañon, up the cañon to -Tinaja Wells, the trail was a mere bridle path, and only pack animals -could get over it. Hence the lads had found it necessary to make use of -Silva and his burros. - -The Mexican had hired out as cook, as well as packer; but two days -of Silva’s red-hot Mexican cooking, with garlic trimmings, made it -necessary for the boys either to line themselves with asbestos or get -another cook. Clancy was sent in to Ophir and he came back with Fritz -Gesundheit, the Dutchman. Fritz had presided over a chuck shanty in the -cattle country, and carried recommendations which highly extolled his -sour-dough bread, flap jacks, and crullers. - -Fritz was nearly as broad as he was high, but he proved a chef of rare -attainments. He would roll around between the stove and the chuck tent, -and play an errorless game in his cooking and serving; but let him -waddle out of his culinary environment and he was as full of blunders -as a porcupine is of quills. For a lot of skylarking boys, he was an -everlasting joy and a perpetual delight. - -Silva resented the loss of his cooking job. He burned to revenge -himself on the fat _gringo chingado_ who had kicked the red peppers -and the garlic out of camp and preëmpted the culinary department. Less -than an hour after Fritz had evolved his first meal for the campers and -covered himself with glory, the Mexican’s dark plots came to a head. -Placing the professor’s mule, Uncle Sam, between two clumps of cholla -cactus, he smilingly invited Fritz to take a ride. - -“Carrots,” as Fritz had instantly been christened by the lads on -account of his hair, accepted the invitation and climbed to Uncle Sam’s -hurricane deck. Thereupon the vengeful Silva twisted Uncle Sam’s tail -with direful results. Carrots made a froglike leap over the mule’s head -into one clump of cactus, and Silva, caught by the mule’s heels before -he could get out of the way, sat down in another clump. - -The campers were not long in finding out that Carrots was the subject -of weird hallucinations. His latest delusion concerned buried treasure. -It cropped out in the afternoon of his second day in camp. Merry -had taken the football players out for a “breather”—down the cañon -to Dolliver’s, and back. Silva was out with a shovel and hornspoon, -somewhere in the hills, hunting a placer, and incidentally nursing his -grievances. The professor was reading in the shade of a cottonwood. In -the shade of another cottonwood, Carrots was mooning over a pipe of -tobacco. - -“Brofessor,” called the Dutchman, knocking the ashes out of his -pipe and putting it carefully away in his pocket, “vill you told me -someding?” - -The professor looked up from his book and over his spectacles at Fritz. - -“What is it that you desire to know?” he asked. - -“Ask me dot.” - -The professor showed signs of impatience. - -“Simpleton! Am I not putting the query? What shall I tell you?” - -“Py chiminy Grismus! Oof I know vat you vas to told me, for vy should I -make der rekvest for informations?” - -Borrodaile gave a grunt of disgust and hunted the shade of another -cottonwood. Fritz was persistent, however, and followed him up. - -“I hat a tream mit meinselluf der oder night, brofessor,” continued -Fritz, coming up from behind, “und you bed my life it vas der keveerest -tream vat I know. Iss treams someding or nodding? Tell me dot, oof you -blease. Ballard, he say it iss; aber you know more as anypody, so tell -me, iss it?” - -“Go away,” said the professor severely; “you annoy me.” - -“I peen annoyed like anyding mit dot tream,” went on Fritz, not in the -least disturbed by the professor’s ill humor. “Dis iss der vay I ged -it: Fairst, I valk along der moonlight in, mit der dark around, und I -see a shtone mit a gross on der top. Yah, so hellup me, I see him so -blain as nodding; und I pull oop dot shtone, und I tig, and vat you -dink?” - -“I am not interested at all in your foolish delusions!” came tartly -from the professor. “If you have business anywhere else, do not let me -detain you a moment.” - -“Make some guesses aboudt dot!” persisted Fritz. “Vat you dink is der -shtone under mit der gross on, hey? Shpeak it oudt.” - -The professor, goaded to desperation, merely glared. - -“Py shinks!” cried Fritz, “I findt me so mooch goldt dot shtone under -mit der gross on dot I cannot carry him avay!” He leaned down and -whispered huskily, his eyes wide with excitement: “Puried dreasure it -vas, brofessor, so hellup me! Come, blease, und hellup me look for der -shtone mit der gross on. Ven I findt me der dreasure, I gif you haluf.” - -With an explosion of anger, the professor leaped to his feet, flung -his book at Fritz, and dove head-first into a tent. Fritz turned away -wonderingly. - -“Vat a foolishness,” he muttered, “for der brofessor to gif oop haluf -der dreasure like dot! Vell, I go look for der goldt meinselluf, und -ven I findt him, I haf him all.” - -Now, Fritz might have walked his legs off looking for a stone “mit a -gross on,” had not Silva grown tired of hunting a placer and returned -suddenly to the Wells. He saw Fritz in close converse with the -professor, crept to a point within earshot, and listened. Creeping -away as silently as he had approached, he showed his teeth in a smile -of savage cunning as he pulled a half-burned stick from the smoldering -fire and dogged the Dutchman down the gulch. - -Apparently there was not a doubt in the mind of Fritz but that he would -find what he was looking for. With a shovel over his shoulder, he -puffed, and wheezed, and stumbled along the trail, eying the rocks on -each side of him and singing as he went. - -Silva, chuckling with unholy glee, made a detour from the trail and -got back into it ahead of Fritz; and then, with the burned stick, he -marked a rough cross on one of the bowlders and retired behind a screen -of mesquite bushes to enjoy the sight of his fat enemy, working and -sweating to such little purpose. - -When Fritz saw that marked rock, he let go a howl of delight and -triumph that echoed far down the cañon. It reached the ears of Merry -and his friends, who, in their running clothes, were strung out in a -long line on their way back from Dolliver’s. - -The lads halted, bunched together, and made up their minds that the -noise they had heard should be investigated. Proceeding cautiously -forward, they peered around a ridge of bowlders and saw Fritz digging -into the hard ground like mad. So feverishly did the fat Dutchman work -that one could hardly see him for the cloud of sand and gravel he kept -in the air. - -Not more than ten feet away from the sweating Fritz was the Mexican, -Silva. He was in a flutter of delight. - -“What the deuce is going on, Chip?” inquired Clancy. - -“I can tell you, Clan,” spoke up Ballard, stifling a laugh. “Fritz had -a dream last night that he found a rock with a cross on it, and that he -rolled away the rock, dug up the ground, and found more gold than he -could carry. He told me about it. I’ll bet a farm he thinks he’s found -the rock. Silva’s in on the deal somewhere, although Carrots doesn’t -know it.” - -“This is rich!” gulped Hannibal Bradlaugh, shaking with the fun of it. -“Say, Chip, can’t you ring in a little twist to the situation and turn -the tables on the greaser?” - -“Throw your voice, Chip!” suggested Clan. “Make Carrots think he’s -digging up more than he bargained for. Go on!” - -“All right,” laughed Merry. “Let’s see what happens.” - -The boys, caught at once with the idea, suppressed their delight, and -peered over the top and sides of the ridge. Suddenly a nerve-wracking -groan was heard, and seemingly it came from the depths of the shallow -hole in which Fritz was working. The Dutchman paused in his labor, -mopped the sweat from his face, and looked around. - -“Vat iss dot?” he puffed. “Vat I hear all at vonce? Who shpoke mit me?” - -Again Merry caused a hair-raising groan to come from the hole. A yell -of fear escaped Fritz. Dropping his shovel, he pawed out of the hole, -and got behind a rock a dozen feet away. From this point of vantage he -stared cautiously back at the hole and, his voice shaking with fear, -inquired: - -“Who shpoke mit me? Vat it iss, blease? I don’d hear nodding like dot -in der tream, py chiminy grickeds!” - -“How dare you disturb my bones, looking for treasure?” came a hollow -voice from the ragged opening in the earth. “I am the big Indian chief, -Hoop-en-de-doo, and I will haunt you and take your scalp! I shall call -all my braves from the happy hunting grounds, and we will dance the -medicine and go on the war trail; we will——” - -Merry was interrupted by a wild shriek that went clattering up and down -the gulch in terrifying echoes. Fritz was not the author of it, for he -seemed stricken dumb and rooted to the ground. It was the Mexican who -had given vent to the blood-curdling cry. Frightened out of his wits, -Silva, still emitting yell after yell, bounded like a deer for the -trail and the home camp. - -Fritz did not see Silva, but the fierce howling, coming nearer and -nearer, must have given him the idea that Chief Hoop-en-de-doo and all -his shadowy band of warriors were after him. Fritz awoke to feverish -activity in less than a second. He whirled, and, with remarkable speed -considering his size, scrambled for Tinaja Wells. Silva chased him -clear to the camp, where Fritz, utterly exhausted, dropped in a heap -and rolled into the chuck tent. The Mexican vanished into some other -spot that he considered safe. - -When the boys, roaring with laughter, finally reached the grove, they -were met by the professor and a young fellow with blue eyes and light, -curling hair. There was a stranger in camp, it seemed, and Merry and -his companions smothered their merriment to give Borrodaile a chance to -free his mind. - -“Merriwell,” said the professor, “this hilarity is most untimely. This -young gentleman, I fear, will think you are a lot of hoodlums. Allow me -to present Mr. Ellis Darrel, who has just arrived from Gold Hill and is -earnestly in search of information respecting the Gold Hill Athletic -Club. Darrel, Frank Merriwell, junior.” - -Darrel was smiling. There was something about him which, at the very -first glance, appealed to Merry. The two shook hands cordially. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - A FRIEND IN NEED. - - -“Well, fellows,” said Ellis Darrel, after Merry had introduced him to -all the other fellows, “it looks a whole lot as though I had dropped -into the wrong pew. If I haven’t forgotten the country hereabouts, this -is sure Tinaja Wells.” - -“Surest thing you know, Darrel,” smiled Frank. - -“I was told in Gold Hill that a bunch of athletes belonging to the Gold -Hill Athletic Club had gone into camp here.” - -“Some one got mixed,” put in Clancy. “It’s an Ophir outfit that’s taken -over the Wells.” - -“Blamed queer,” muttered Darrel, “and I’ll be hanged if I can _sabe_ -the layout at all. The man in Gold Hill who gave me the information is -an officer of the club there. It’s a cinch that he ought to know.” - -“We’ve been here for four days,” observed Ballard, “and we haven’t seen -a thing of the Gold Hill chaps.” - -“Live in the town, Darrel?” asked Frank. - -“Used to,” was the answer. “Don’t live much of anywhere now. Home’s -wherever I hang my hat. I——” He broke off abruptly, hesitated, then -recovered himself and went on. “I trained with the Gold Hill crowd -something like a year ago. When I drifted into town last night and -heard the gang was off in Mohave Cañon, I kind of warmed up on the -subject of athletics, bundled up my track clothes, and moseyed in this -direction.” - -Darrel’s announcement that he was, or had been, a member of the Gold -Hill club, caused the Ophir fellows to draw back into their shells -somewhat, and to eye him with distrust. Their altered demeanor was so -plain that Darrel noticed it. - -“What’s the trouble?” he asked, looking blankly into the faces that -surrounded him. “Have I stepped on the tail of somebody’s coat, or -trampled on somebody’s toes?” - -“Never mind, Darrel,” laughed Frank. “Professor,” he added, to -Borrodaile, “take Darrel to our wickiup and make him comfortable. I’ll -have a talk with him as soon as we take a dip in the pool.” - -The professor led the puzzled Darrel away, while Merry and his -companions hurried off for a short swim after their dusty run. - -“Don’t like the way this Darrel is shaping up,” grumbled Spink, -splashing around in the water. - -“Nor I,” seconded Handy. “How do we know but that the Gold Hill crowd -have steered him this way to spy on us?” - -“If he’s a spy, Handy,” said Frank, “then he’s a good deal of a fool. -Would a spy talk like he did?” - -“He would not!” declared Ballard. - -“The last time we went up against Gold Hill at football,” remarked -Bradlaugh, “we found that they had all our signals down pat. Maybe -they’re making another play of that kind.” - -As hurriedly as he could, Frank gave himself a rub-down and got into -his clothes. - -“Take it from me, Brad.” said he, “Darrel isn’t that kind of a chap. -He’s straight goods, and I’ll bet on it.” - -When he got back to the camp he found Darrel sitting on a blanket just -within the open front of the tent. He was peering off across the cañon, -with a thoughtful, almost a sad, look on his face. He turned his head -quickly when he heard Frank, and the thoughtfulness and the sadness -vanished in a bright smile. - -“You needn’t have rushed things on my account, Merriwell,” said he. - -“All I wanted was a plunge,” answered Frank, dropping down beside him. -“If you were in Gold Hill, even as long as a year ago,” he proceeded, -“you must have known that there is a hot rivalry between the athletic -club in that town and the one in Ophir.” - -A grim expression flashed through Darrel’s eyes. - -“Haven’t they got over that, yet?” he asked. “Why can’t they act -like good sports instead of a lot of kids? I had a notion that Uncle -Alvah——” He bit his words short. “I had a notion,” he finished, “that -they’d see what a rotten exhibition they were making of themselves, and -get together and play the game as it ought to be played.” - -“Probably they will, some time. Just now, though, if you mention Gold -Hill in an Ophir crowd, it’s like a spark in a powder magazine. That’s -why the fellows suddenly got back of their barriers when you said -that you were a Gold Hiller, and had once trained with the Gold Hill -Athletic Club.” - -“Well, strike me lucky!” grinned Darrel. “It’s plain enough, now. -They’re afraid I’m here to do a little dirty work, eh? ’Pon honor, -Merriwell, such a thought never entered my noodle. As far as that goes, -I doubt whether I’m on very good terms with the Gold Hill bunch. My -half brother, Jode Lenning, is a big, high boy among the Gold Hillers, -and—and—well, Jode hasn’t much use for me,” Darrel flushed. “Haven’t -seen Jode for a year—nor any of the other fellows, for that matter—and -I was bound for their camp to see what sort of a reception they’d give -me.” - -A strained silence fell over the two boys. Darrel was touching upon -personal matters, and he was doing it in a way that made Merry -uncomfortable. - -“You see,” Darrel went on, a touch of sadness again showing in his -face, “it’s been a year since I had a home. For more than twelve months -I’ve been knocking around the West, and—and——” - -“You don’t have to dig down into your personal history, Darrel,” said -Frank, “in order to convince me that you’re straight goods. I’ll take -your word for it.” - -“Much obliged, Merriwell. Not many fellows would take the word of a -perfect stranger—especially as you’re from Ophir, and I was from Gold -Hill—once.” - -“I’m only temporarily from Ophir.” laughed Frank. “Mr. Bradlaugh asked -me to coach the Ophir eleven for the Thanksgiving Day game with Gold -Hill, and we’re doing a certain amount of practice work every afternoon -up on the mesa back of camp.” - -“Wow! And I came right along and jumped into the thick of you! Well, -anyhow, there’s something about you that makes a big hit with me; and -it’s been so long since I’ve had a friend I could trust that I’d like -to have a heart-to-heart talk with you. You see, I’ve been in a heap -of trouble, and now that I’m back from Nowhere, I’m guessing a lot as -to which way the cat’s going to jump. I’d like to get a little of that -trouble out of my system, and, if you don’t mind, I’ll begin to unload.” - -“Go ahead,” said Frank. “I’m sure you’re the right sort, and if I can -help you any I will be glad to do it.” - -“Shake!” exclaimed Darrel, reaching out his hand. - -The professor was under a cottonwood with his book, and the rest of the -campers, seeming to realize that Merriwell’s talk with Darrel was of a -private nature, kept away from them. Darrel pushed farther back into -the tent and sat on a cot. Merriwell fallowed him and took possession -of a camp stool. - -“I’ve been over a good bit of the country during the past year,” said -Darrel, “but in all my wanderings I’ve never let out a whisper of what -I’m going to tell you. I said that Jode Lenning was my half brother. My -father, John Darrel, died when I was a little shaver, and a year later -my mother followed him. Darrel was my mother’s second husband, and -David Lenning, Jode’s father, was her first. I’m over seventeen, and -Jode’s close to twenty. My mother’s maiden name was Hawtrey, and after -her death, Jode and I went to live with her brother, Colonel Alvah -Hawtrey.” - -“Why,” exclaimed Frank, “Colonel Hawtrey is a big man over in Gold -Hill! There’d be nothing to the Gold Hill Athletic Club if you took the -colonel out of it. At least,” he added, “that’s what I’ve heard over in -Ophir.” - -“Well, that about hits the thing off. Uncle Alvah is a fine old chap. -He saw to it that Jode and I got our share of physical training. I -was just a little bit better than Jode at pretty nearly everything in -the athletic line, although he could give me cards and spades in book -learning, and then leave me at the quarter post. The colonel insisted -that our mental and physical training should go on side by side, but -he’s got a sportsman’s love for athletics, and I think he was secretly -pleased because of my good showing on the field and track. While -he tried to be impartial in his dealings with Jode and me, yet it -became pretty clear that I was his favorite nephew. Jode didn’t like -that at all; and when the colonel took us to an athletic meet in Los -Angeles, and I won a silver cup in the two-twenty dash, Jode was soured -completely. - -“I reckon I hadn’t ought to talk like this, Merriwell, and it may look -to you like mighty poor policy for me to run my half brother down, but -I can’t put this business up to you in a way that you’ll understand if -I’m not frank in telling what I know.” - -“I guess I understand how you feel,” said Frank, “so push ahead.” - -“Just after winning that silver cup,” proceeded Darrel, “I made the -mistake of my life. Jode was drinking a little and gambling a whole lot -on the sly, and I was young and foolish and thought I’d have a little -of the same fun on my own hook. I hadn’t savvy enough to understand -that by keeping away from drink and tobacco, while Jode was taking them -aboard a little on the q. t., I’d been able to do a fair amount of -successful work in athletics. That’s where I had the best of Jode, you -see, but didn’t realize it. Well, I got into Jode’s crowd, went from -bad to worse, and woke up one day to find that I’d forged the colonel’s -name to a check for five hundred dollars. Anyhow, that’s what they said -I’d done, and as I had been rather hazy from liquor at the time the -forging was done, I couldn’t deny it. I wish I could forget the bad -half hour I had with the colonel when he found it out!” - -Darrel shivered. - -“Uncle Alvah’s notions of honor are pretty high,” he continued, “and -he had always prided himself on the fact that Jode and I never smoked, -or drank, or gambled. The blow was a tough one for him. He used to -be in the army, and he’s as bluff and stern as any old martinet you -ever heard of. When he told me to clear out and never let him see my -face again, I—I cleared. That was a little over a year ago, and I’ve -been running loose all over the Pacific slope ever since, earning a -living at whatever turned up, and was honest and square. But I’d had my -lesson; and drink, cards, or tobacco couldn’t land on me again. I’m -physically more fit than ever I was in my life, for the batting around -I’ve had has toughened me a heap. What’s more, I’ve had a year to think -over that forgery business, and I’ve got a notion that I didn’t—that -I _couldn’t_—have done such a thing, no matter how hazy I was. It was -up in Spokane that I was struck with the idea that I’d better stop -drifting, come back to Gold Hill, and look into matters a little. I -don’t know what I can find, nor what I can do, but, if it’s possible, -I’m going to prove to the colonel that I didn’t put his name to that -check for five hundred. The first thing I wanted to do was to see Jode. -I was told that he had come to Tinaja Wells, with a camping party, so -I——” - -Footsteps, approaching quickly, were heard outside the tent, and Darrel -suddenly ceased speaking. The next moment Clancy, his freckled, homely -face filled with excitement, showed himself at the tent opening. - -“Say, Chip,” he cried, “here’s a go! A crowd of Gold Hillers have just -reached the Wells, bag and baggage, and claim that they’re entitled to -this camping site and are going to have it. It’s an ugly mess, and I’m -looking for all kinds of trouble. Better come out and see what you can -do.” - -Without a moment’s delay, Merriwell jumped up from his seat and hurried -out of the tent. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - A CLASH OF AUTHORITY. - - -The sight that met Merriwell’s eyes, as he came out of the tent and -followed Clancy toward the edge of the camp, was vastly disturbing. A -train of pack animals was being unloaded in the grove, while fifteen -or twenty saddle horses were being stripped of their gear, watered in -Mohave Creek, and staked out in the “bottoms” among the picketed Ophir -stock. - -A swarm of youngsters overran the flat, some looking after the horses, -some helping the packer, and some beginning the erection of tents. -Merry judged that there were at least twenty members in the party that -had just arrived. - -“Here’s a pretty fair-sized bunch of Indians, Chip,” said Clancy, “and -they’ve got their tomahawks out. Well,” he added grimly, “while we’re -not looking for trouble, you can bet we won’t dodge any.” - -A worried look crossed Merriwell’s face. - -“With the two clubs at loggerheads, like they are,” said he, “it would -be a mighty bad move, all around, for the Gold Hillers to camp so close -to us.” - -“Bad?” echoed Clancy. “Say, Chip, how the mischief could we do any -practice work with the fellows we’re to fight hanging around and -looking on?” - -“We couldn’t,” was the answer. - -The Ophir contingent was drawn up in compact formation, at the edge of -the flat, watching angrily while the Gold Hillers went calmly on with -their preparations for a permanent camp at Tinaja Wells. Bradlaugh, -whose father was president of the O. A. C., was stumping up and down -and spouting wrathfully. - -As Merriwell and Clancy walked toward the Ophir fellows, a youth -approached Bradlaugh from the direction of the Gold Hill crowd. He was -ragged out in gray corduroy riding breeches, tan shoes and leggings, -Norfolk jacket, and a fancy brown sombrero with carved leather band and -silver ornaments jingling at the brim. He carried a riding crop under -his arm and was removing a pair of gauntlet gloves. - -“Look here, Lenning,” shouted Bradlaugh, plunging straight at this -rather startling figure, “what are you trying to do here, anyhow? What -business have you got bringing a Gold Hill crowd to Tinaja Wells?” - -Lenning turned a pair of shifty, insolent eyes upon Bradlaugh. - -“We’ve a right here,” said he sharply, “or we shouldn’t be here. Pull -in your horns before you make a fool of yourself. Bradlaugh—that’s my -advice to you. Where’s this big chief, Merriwell?” A sneer there was -no mistaking came with the words “big chief.” “Trot him out,” Lenning -finished, “and it won’t take two minutes for me to show him where you -Ophirites get off.” - -Lenning’s manner was insulting, to the last degree. A bitter partizan -spirit was already flaming in the Ophir ranks, aroused by the plain -determination of the Gold Hillers to take possession of the camping -ground. Brad’s temper had been strained to the breaking point even -before the appearance of Lenning, and now, under the weight of -Lenning’s insolence, it gave way utterly. - -“You pup!” shouted Brad, leaping at Lenning with clenched fists. “It’s -a cinch you’ve got some dirty trick up your sleeve or you wouldn’t blow -in here in this high-and-mighty fashion. I’ve a notion to punch your -head on general principles.” - -Lenning jumped back and lifted the riding crop. - -“Try it on,” he snarled, “and I’ll rip off some of your hide!” - -A number of Gold Hillers, scenting trouble, hastened to run out of the -grove and line up back of their champion. The Ophir fellows pressed -forward to back up Bradlaugh. Fritz Gesundheit, who loved excitement -in any form, showed himself for the first time since being chased up -the cañon by the spook of old Chief Hoop-en-de-doo. Rolling out of the -chuck tent, he waddled toward Bradlaugh. - -“Gif him fits mit himselluf, Prad!” he called. “I bet you someding for -nodding he iss some pad eggs.” - -The Gold Hill packer was a Mexican, and already he and Silva had come -to blows. They could be heard screeching and floundering around in the -underbrush. It was a moment rife with many disagreeable possibilities, -and only quick and judicious action on Merriwell’s part could prevent a -general row. - -“Clan,” said he, “you and Ballard go over and separate those greasers -before they get to knifing each other. I’ll take care of this end of -the ruction. Do your best to smooth things out, or we’ll all be in hot -water.” - -While Clancy grabbed Ballard and hustled away with him, Merriwell -jumped in between Brad and Lenning. - -“Cut it out, Brad!” said he sharply, giving the fiery youngster a -push backward. “All you fellows,” he added, to the Ophir crowd, “are -carrying too much sail. Double reef your tempers and we’ll weather this -squall without much trouble.” He whirled on Lenning. “I’m Merriwell,” -said he. “I believe I heard you asking for me as I came up.” - -“That’s what you heard,” was the answer. “I’m Jode Lenning, and Colonel -Hawtrey, of Gold Hill, is my uncle. The colonel——” - -“What has this to do with Colonel Hawtrey?” interrupted Merry. - -Remembering what Darrel had just been telling him, Frank was taking -Lenning’s measure with a good deal of interest. His comparison of the -two half brothers gave Darrel no end the best of it. - -“My uncle,” drawled Lenning, running his eyes over Merry in an impudent -up-and-down stare, “has a lot to do with our athletic club but he’s -not mixed up in this camping expedition. He has been out of town for a -week, but I expect him back to-day, and——” - -“Let us hope that he gets back safely,” said Merry, with just a touch -of sarcasm in his voice. “Are you intending to camp here, Lenning?” - -“Not intending only, but we’re going to.” - -“Allow me to suggest that we have already occupied the flat, and that I -don’t think the grove is big enough for an outfit of Gold Hillers and -Ophirites. You ought to know that as well as I do. Move on and find -some other place.” - -“You’ve got a rind!” grunted Lenning. “We’re out here for fun and work, -and we need the mesa for an athletic field. I’ve leased the ground, and -I want you fellows to pack up and clear out at once.” - -This was staggering. Merriwell supposed that Brad’s father had leased -the ground. In that section of the country there were very few places -so adapted to the needs of the Ophir fellows as was the grove and mesa -at Tinaja Wells. - -“We’ve leased the ground ourselves!” shouted Brad, “and we’ve got it -down in black and white.” - -“He’s shy a few,” said Lenning, and drew a paper from the pocket of his -coat and showed it to Merriwell. - -It was a written memorandum of agreement. In consideration of twenty -dollars, in hand paid, one Lige Struthers had given the Gold Hill -Athletic Club exclusive camping privileges at Tinaja Wells. - -“This appears to be all right, Brad,” said Merriwell, bewildered. - -“Who leased the ground to Lenning?” demanded Brad. - -“A man named Struthers; Lige Struthers.” - -Brad laughed ironically. - -“Struthers doesn’t own the ground,” said he. “Newt Packard is the -owner, and he’s the one that gave us our lease. Hold your bronks a -minute.” - -Brad turned and hurried off to one of the tents. When he came back, he -brought a paper showing that Bradlaugh, senior, had secured the site -exclusively for the Ophir club. - -“Great Scott!” exclaimed Merriwell. “How could two different men -execute leases on the same plot of ground? There’s a hen on, somewhere.” - -“It’s Packard’s ground,” declared Brad. “Right at this minute Struthers -is fighting Packard for it in the courts, but Struther’s claim is a -joke—he hasn’t a legal leg to stand on. Everybody says so. This is a -scheme of Lenning’s, Chip, to drive us from Tinaja Wells.” - -“Scheme or not,” cried Lenning, “we’ve got our rights and we’re going -to stand up to them!” - -“Even if Struthers has a just claim on the place, Lenning,” said -Merry, “your right here isn’t any better than ours. If Struthers -happens to win the lawsuit, then we have to get out, for our leave -isn’t any good; but if Packard wins, then that paper of yours isn’t -worth a whoop, and Tinaja Wells is ours.” - -“You’ll make tracks from here,” stormed Lenning, “or we’ll drive you -out! We’ve got a big enough crowd to do it.” - -Merry’s dark eyes flashed dangerously. - -“You’ll not drive us out,” said he calmly, “as long as we have a right -here. And we’ll not be able to force you to leave so long as the -lawsuit is hanging fire.” - -“Bossession iss nine points oof der law,” clamored Fritz truculently, -“und ve vas here fairst, py shinks. I haf reasons for vich I don’d vand -to ged oudt, und I don’d vant more fellers as is necessary aroundt.” - -Nobody paid much attention to Fritz just then. The Ophirites were -keeping their eyes on Merriwell, smothering their hostility as best -they could and letting him cut the pattern they were to follow. - -Clancy and Ballard, a little while before, had returned from the -chaparral with Silva. The Mexican was fairly boiling with rage, but the -lads were managing to hold him in check. - -“_Carramba!_” hissed Silva. “Dat odder Mexicano he move my burro, to -give his burro best place. I lick him for dat, bymby!” - -Merry was filled with forebodings as to what might happen if both -parties went into camp at the Wells; and yet, considering the peculiar -condition of affairs, there seemed no possible way to avoid a division -of the camping privileges. Both sides held a lease of the ground; and, -not until the lawsuit between Struthers and Packard was settled, would -it be known which side was entitled to the exclusive use of Tinaja -Wells. - -“I’ll give you fellows half an hour to begin packing.” blustered -Lenning. “If you don’t show symptoms of leaving by that time, there’ll -be a fight!” - -“I think not,” said Frank, still holding his temper in check. “For -the present, Lenning, we’ll both camp at the Wells, and both have the -use of water and forage. You and your crowd will keep away from us, -however, and we’ll do our best to keep away from you. There’s no sense -in having a mix-up.” - -“Half an hour,” threatened Lenning. “I’m banking on Struthers. This -is his water and his ground, and he’s the only one that has a right -to give a lease. We’ve got a bigger crowd than you have, and it won’t -bother us much to run you out.” - -Here was a complication of the tangle which Merriwell did not relish a -little bit. Nevertheless, he knew he was within his rights and he had -no intention of backing down and letting Lenning have his way. - -Lenning had spun around on his heel with the intention of returning to -the spot where his own camp was being put in shape, when Ellis Darrel -hurried forward. - -“Don’t be in a rush, Jode,” called Darrel. “I want a word with you.” - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - A CHALLENGE. - - -The sound of Darrel’s voice caused Lenning to whirl as though a -rattlesnake had suddenly buzzed its warning behind him. The look on -the fellow’s scowling face was one of stunned astonishment. For a -brief space, the two half brothers stared at each other; then Lenning, -seeming to get a grip on himself, demanded contemptuously: - -“Who the devil are you?” - -Darrel peered at him in amazement. - -“Well, strike me lucky!” he muttered. “You can’t run in a bluff like -that, Jode. You know me, all right. I’ve changed a heap in a year, I -know, but not in the way that would keep you from recognizing me.” - -A gasp of astonishment escaped Brad’s lips. His surprise was echoed by -at least half a dozen others among the Ophir crowd, and by practically -all the Gold Hillers. - -It was to be presumed that a former member of the Gold Hill club could -not have dropped entirely out of remembrance during the absence of a -year; and it was but natural that some of the Ophir fellows should -have been acquainted with Darrel. That the Ophir lads had not recalled -Darrel before, seemed strange to Merriwell. And he was even more -astonished now, when recognition seemed almost general, at the queer -twist which had entered into the situation. - -While plainly discovering in Darrel something that was familiar to -them, a general acceptance of the “boy from Nowhere” as the person -he purported to be, was hanging fire. Darrel himself seemed as much -perplexed about this as Merriwell was. - -“I don’t recognize you,” said Lenning, “and that’s all there is to it.” - -“Well, if you don’t,” answered Darrel, “some of the other fellows -from Gold Hill have better memories. How about it, boys,” he asked, -appealing directly to the crowd behind Lenning. - -“You look a lot like Ellis Darrel,” said one of the Gold Hillers. - -“He’s a dead ringer for El,” averred another. - -“But he can’t be my half brother!” cried Lenning. “He’s an imposter, -by thunder! Why are the Ophir fellows springing him on us? What’s your -scheme, Merriwell?” he demanded, turning on Frank. - -“No scheme about it,” Frank answered. “This chap is Ellis Darrel. If he -looks like Darrel, and says he’s Darrel, what in thunder’s the reason -you don’t accept him as Darrel?” - -“Because Ellis Darrel is dead,” said one of the Gold Hillers who had -spoken before. - -“That’s news to me,” returned Darrel whimsically. - -“It’s a fact; whether it’s news to you or not,” said Lenning. - -“When did I die?” inquired Darrel, with a short laugh. - -“Three or four months ago,” went on Lenning. “The papers were full of -it. You can’t run in any rhinecaboo on us, just because you happen to -look like my half brother.” - -“No rhinecaboo about it, Jode. If the papers reported my demise, then -the report was slightly exaggerated. I never felt better in my life, -nor more like living and making life worth while. How was I taken off, -eh?” - -“Darrel was killed in a railroad wreck in Colorado. He was identified -by something in his coat pockets. Uncle Alvah sent on enough to bury -him, and some of the authorities had him decently planted. I don’t know -what your real name is, but I’ll gamble a thousand against a chink wash -ticket that this railroad accident is no news to you. You’ve come on -here to bluff the thing through, make the colonel believe you’re his -wandering nephew, and then put you in his will along with me. But the -scheme won’t work. When the real Darrel forged that check, he killed -all his hopes of ever connecting with any of Uncle Al’s money. Didn’t -know about that forged check, eh? Well, you’d better skip if you don’t -want to get yourself in trouble.” - -With a contemptuous fling of his shoulders, Lenning whirled again as -though he would leave. Darrel, his face convulsed with anger, leaped at -him and jerked him around. - -“You don’t get away from me like this, Jode,” he cried. “There’s been a -big mistake, but I think I can understand how it happened. While I was -working at a mine in Cripple Creek some one stole my coat. I think it -was a hobo. If there was a railroad smash-up, then the hobo was killed -and supposed to be me from something found in the stolen coat. I never -heard of that wreck, or that I was supposed to have been a victim of -it. I don’t know whether I should have set the matter right, even if -I had heard of it; but I can correct the mistake now, and you can bet -your bottom dollar I’m going to!” - -Lenning, held against his will, shook Darrel’s hand roughly from his -arm. - -“You’ve got your scheme all framed up, I reckon,” said Lenning -angrily, “but it won’t work. My half brother’s dead, and you can’t -palm yourself off as Ellis Darrel. You’ll find yourself behind the bars -if you try it. The colonel won’t stand for any monkey business of that -sort.” - -“I didn’t come back to get any of the colonel’s money,” went on Darrel. -“What I came back for was to prove that I’m not a forger. First, I’ll -offer evidence that I’m Ellis Darrel, and then I’ll make the other part -of it plain.” - -“How’ll you prove that you’re my half brother?” asked Lenning mockingly. - -“Who was the best sprinter in the Gold Hill Athletic Club?” returned -Darrel. “Who won the two-twenty dash at Los Angeles?” - -“Darrel,” answered one of the Gold Hillers. - -“Who was the next best sprinter in the club?” - -“Jode Lenning.” - -“Now you’re shouting,” went on Darrel. “If I run against Lenning, and -beat him, I’ll bet a pack of pesos that every member of the Gold Hill -club will agree that I’m the fellow I say I am. If I look like Darrel, -and am trying to run in a bluff on you because of it, is it at all -likely that I could run like Darrel? You’ll see, if you give me the -chance to show it, that I have the same form and the same speed.” - -“You’re a rank counterfeit,” scoffed Lenning, “and I’ll not have a -thing to do with you.” - -But the rest of the Gold Hillers, as Frank could see, were not disposed -to have the matter brushed lightly aside in that way. Perhaps there -were some among them who had known and liked Darrel, and felt that this -newcomer should have every chance to make good his pretensions. - -Merriwell, facing a difficult situation because of the dispute -regarding the camping site, saw a chance to shift the attention of -the rival clubs to a foot race, and thus, for the time, patch up their -other differences. Not only that, but the “boy from Nowhere,” while -helping out the general situation, would be making a logical attempt to -prove his identity. - -Personally, Merriwell did not doubt Ellis Darrel in the least; but he -was beginning to have ugly misgivings regarding Jode Lenning. - -“Is that a challenge, Darrel?” Frank asked. - -Darrel nodded. “Jode wants to believe that I have kicked the bucket,” -said he, “and he’s afraid to run against me. He knows, if he does, -that I’ll beat him, and that the Gold Hill fellows will wipe out that -foolish railroad accident and take me at my word.” - -“You’re a fake,” scowled Lenning, “and I tell you I’ll not run against -you. What I’m going to do, though, is to send to Gold Hill after the -sheriff and have you locked up. The colonel will deal with you, my -festive buck!” - -Again Lenning started to leave the scene. This time, however, he was -halted by one of his own crowd. - -“Don’t be in a hurry, Jode,” said the fellow who had stepped in front -of him. “I reckon this here’s a case that’s not to be passed up in any -offhand way like you’re doin’. Hey, fellers?” - -There was a chorus of approval of the Gold Hill chap’s words from the -rest of his companions. - -“You can prove he’s a fake, Jode!” said one. - -“Give him a chance, anyhow!” cried another. - -“It’s no more than a fair shake to run against him,” chimed in a third. - -All the others had more or less to say in favor of Lenning’s accepting -the challenge. Lenning, because of this, was placed in a most -uncomfortable position. If he still refused to run, it would appear as -though he was anxious not to do the fair thing; on the other hand, if -the race was run, and Darrel came out ahead, this might convince the -Gold Hillers that he was all he claimed to be. - -Lenning stood for a moment, thinking the matter over; then, suddenly, -his face cleared. - -“All right, Bleeker,” said he to the fellow who had stepped in front of -him. “I’m not afraid to run against the fellow. Even if he wins, and if -he proves that he’s really Ellis Darrel, he’ll be sorry for it. My half -brother disgraced himself, and was ordered by the colonel to clear out. -If this chap wasn’t a fool, he’d prefer to drop the matter right here -and make himself scarce, rather than to try to prove that he’s Darrel, -the forger.” - -“Then you accept the challenge, do you, Lenning?” inquired Merriwell. - -“You heard me,” was the snarling response. - -“What’s the distance, and when do you want to pull off the race?” - -“Hundred yards; and we’ll run ’em off to-morrow afternoon. Now, if -you’re all satisfied, I’ll go back and boss the operation of getting -our camp in shape.” - -The acceptance of that challenge put an altogether different complexion -upon the situation, so far as it concerned differences regarding the -camping ground. A spirit of sportsmanship had been aroused, and the -animosity that had long existed between the rival clubs had, for the -time, been pushed into the background. Merriwell was greatly pleased -over the outcome. - -“This hundred-yard dash is a good thing, all around,” said he to -Darrel. “Until to-morrow afternoon, anyhow, we’re going to have peace -at Tinaja Wells. Already Lenning’s threat to run us off the flat if we -weren’t packing up in half an hour has been forgotten. I’m hoping that -something will happen, soon after the race, to show whether Struthers -or Packard owns this camping site. Have you kept in training during the -past year, Darrel?” - -“As well as I could,” was the answer. “I’d like to practice starts a -little, this afternoon. Will you help me?” - -“Sure,” answered Merriwell heartily. “We’ll go up on the mesa right -away, and begin. Bring the pistol, Brad. Get into your speed togs, -Darrel. I’ll be waiting here for you.” - -Brad went after the starter’s pistol and Darrel, securing his roll of -clothes from the place where he had left it, disappeared inside of -Merriwell’s tent. - -While waiting, Merriwell saw two horsemen coming down the cañon and -heading toward Tinaja Wells. One was a tall, soldierly appearing -man with a white mustache, and the other was a roughly dressed, -businesslike-appearing fellow, with a hatchet face. - -A shout went up from Bleeker, of Gold Hill, who was the first of his -party to catch sight of the approaching riders. - -“Whoop!” he shouted, “here comes the colonel! Call Jode, somebody.” - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - PUZZLING DEVELOPMENTS. - - -A thrill ran through Merriwell’s nerves. Colonel Hawtrey had come to -Tinaja Wells and had ridden his horse hard in making the trip. Why was -he there, and why was he in a hurry? - -The colonel’s presence in camp would not have taken on such a momentous -aspect had Frank not instantly recognized the colonel’s companion. This -man’s name was Hawkins. He was a good friend of Frank’s; but, as it -also happened, he was a deputy sheriff. - -Hawtrey had come to the camp hurriedly, and had brought with him an -officer of the law. Merriwell’s mind circled vainly about these two -facts. His heart sank as he thought the developments might portend some -fresh disaster for Darrel. - -At the edge of the grove the colonel and the deputy dismounted. Jode -Lenning appeared, seemingly nervous and ill at ease, and stumbled -forward to grasp his uncle’s hand. The two, talking earnestly together, -disappeared in the direction of one of the Gold Hill tents. - -Hawkins, catching sight of Merriwell, smiled and greeted him with a -friendly wave of the hand; then, leading the two horses, he went down -over the edge of the flat and into the cañon. - -Frank would have liked to follow him, and to learn, if possible, the -reason why he and the colonel had come to Tinaja Wells. Just at that -moment, however, Darrel appeared in his track clothes and Brad came up -with the starter’s pistol. - -Fritz was already busy with supper preparations, and Darrel would have -no more than an hour for practice, at the outside. Merry, leaving the -puzzling developments to take care of themselves, joined Darrel and -Brad, and the three made their way up a low slope beyond the flat to -the mesa. - -This little plateau was at least two acres in extent, as flat as a -floor, clear of obstructions in the form of bowlders and desert plants, -and with a surface almost as hard and springy as a cinder path. It -was a natural athletic field, and its proximity to Tinaja Wells was -what made the place so desirable as a camping ground for a club that -intended to give sports a large share of its outing. - -Darrel, in his track clothes, was a splendid specimen of physical -development. To Merriwell’s practiced eye, however, he seemed built for -a sprinter, and perhaps could have done well as a long-distance man, -but could hardly distinguish himself as an all-round athlete. - -“The Gold Hill camp has a visitor, Darrel,” said Frank. “Did you see -him arrive?” - -“No,” was the answer, “I was busy getting into my togs. Who is it?” - -“Coloney Hawtrey.” - -A touch of white ran through Darrel’s face. He halted abruptly and -half turned as though to retrace his way to the camp; then, apparently -changing his mind, he faced about and went on into the mesa. - -“The colonel thinks I’ve crossed the divide,” said he, “and he -wouldn’t have any use for me if he was convinced that I’m alive -and kicking. Time enough to pay my respects to him after I dig up -proof that I didn’t forge his name to that check. Did he come alone, -Merriwell?” - -“Hawkins, a deputy sheriff, came with him.” - -“Strike me lucky! Say, I’ll bet a bunch of dinero that my precious -little half brother has put up some sort of a dodge on me.” He halted -once more, and, with deep earnestness in voice and manner, turned to -Merriwell and added: “I want you to promise that you won’t go back on -me, no matter what happens.” - -“I believe you’re straight,” said Merriwell promptly, “and you can bank -on me to stand by you.” - -“And lend a hand, if I need it?” - -“Sure.” - -“Count me in on that, too, Darrel,” put in Brad. - -“You fellows are pretty good to a stranger,” said Darrel, his voice -husky with feeling. “I won’t forget it, either. Now, changing the -subject a little and coming down to this race of mine against Jode, I -might be an impostor, and, at the same time, happen to have the speed -to beat him over that hundred yards; but any one that ever saw Ellis -Darrel run knows that he has a form of his own—a few individualities -that crop out on the track and could not be copied. That is going to do -more than just winning the race to put me in right with the Gold Hill -fellows. See what I mean, Merriwell?” - -Frank nodded understandingly. - -“Jode has a few peculiarities himself,” Darrel went on, “and one of -them is beating the pistol.” - -“That’s mighty crooked,” said Frank. “A fellow that makes a practice -of it is bound to be found out, sooner or later, and made to take his -medicine.” - -“Starters, as you know, don’t all wait the same length of time between -the order to get set and the ‘crack’ that starts them over the course; -but, almost invariably, each starter has his own habit, and clings -to it. Some starters may wait two seconds, and some four, and if a -sprinter knows his man, he can get off with the pistol, and not after -he hears it. If a sprinter is clever at it, it’s mighty hard to detect -him; and if he is detected occasionally he can plead nervousness, and -get off without much trouble. Now, Jode’s pretty slick at the game; and -if Beman, one of the boys in the Gold Hill crowd, fires the pistol, -Jode will know exactly what to do.” - -“We’ll see to it that Beman doesn’t act as starter,” declared Brad. - -“You get me wrong, Bradlaugh,” returned Darrel. “If Jode makes the -request, I want you to let Beman act. Then watch Jode, both of you. -If he beats the pistol, then you’ll understand that I know what I’m -talking about. It will be a little proof that I’m playing square; and, -whatever happens, I don’t want you to doubt me.” - -“If a man gains half a second at the start, Darrel,” protested Frank, -“you ought to know what it means in a hundred-yard dash. It’s the same -as leading you at the start by anywhere from ten to twenty feet. A -fairly good runner will cover twenty-five feet of ground in a second.” - -Darrel smiled cheerfully. - -“Let Jode have his lead,” said he; “unless he has picked up wonderfully -in the last year I won’t be taking his dust for many yards.” - -With his heel, Darrel traced a line on the ground. - -“Here’s the starting point, Merriwell,” he observed. “If you’re ready, -I am.” - -Frank took the pistol from Brad and placed himself behind Darrel. - -“On your mark!” he called out, then watched critically to see Darrel -place himself. - -If the “boy from Nowhere” had any eccentricities in his sprinting, -none showed in the way he dropped to the line and began gouging into -the earth with the toe of his left foot. - -“Set!” called Frank. - -The muscles began to twist under the white skin of Darrel’s legs and -arms like so many coiled springs. Up came the right knee while the toe -of the right foot ground out its own little pocket in the soil. The -weight of Darrel’s body was thrown on his fingers and over the starting -line. - -Frank, admiring the sprinter’s ease, which spoke volumes for the amount -of hard practice he had undergone, purposely waited an inordinate -length of time before snapping the pistol. An alert mind is as -necessary in a good sprinter as a pair of speedy legs; and there must -be good nerves, to hold the clamoring muscles in leash until exactly -the right moment to let them go. - -Bang! went the signal, and on the instant Darrel flung from the line as -though shot from a cannon. He ran for perhaps twenty yards before he -halted, and came trotting back. - -“Did you see how I do my running?” he asked. - -“You slide,” answered Frank; “there’s not much waste motion in lifting -your feet.” - -“And the way you handle your arms,” said Brad. “You’re a daisy, old -top, believe me!” - -“Not many sprinters go the way I go, and I’ve a hunch that the Gold -Hill fellows will recognize Ellis Darrel from that alone. A lot of that -crowd have seen me run dozens of times.” - -“I can’t understand what in thunder’s biting those fellows, anyway,” -grunted Merriwell. “Suppose there was a railroad accident, and they’ve -been under the impression for months that you got your gruel in the -smash-up; why don’t they believe you, when you explain about the coat, -and tell them who you are?” - -“They’re a lot of boneheads!” declared Brad; “or else,” he qualified, -“they’re taking their cue from Lenning.” - -“That’s the size of it,” said Darrel. “The colonel’s a pretty big man, -over in Gold Hill, and some of that crowd would lick Jode’s shoes if he -told ’em to. But,” and Darrel grinned, “you seemed rather anxious to -have the race come off, Merriwell?” - -“It was the best thing that could happen, right at that stage of -our dispute with the Gold Hillers,” Merriwell answered. “We needed -something to ease up the tension, and turn our thoughts to something -else beside the camping site. This race dropped in pretty pat. But -we’ve got to cut out this chin-chin and practice a few more starts. On -your mark!” - -For perhaps a dozen times Merriwell got Darrel away from the line. The -last two or three times constituted about as finished a performance as -Merriwell had ever seen. - -“You’re all the mustard, Darrel,” said Frank. “I don’t think there’s -any chance for improvement. I’ve started you from ‘set’ all the way -from an eye wink to ten seconds, and you haven’t made a bobble. You’re -in the way of becoming a crack man at this game.” - -Darrel’s fine face flushed with pleasure. - -“Coming from you, old chap,” said he, “that’s a fine compliment. You’re -giving me a helping hand, and I’m hungry to show you that I deserve it.” - -“Don’t fret about that. My dad is a master hand at reading character, -and he has passed the knack on to me. One look at you was enough. -But,” he added suddenly, tossing the pistol to Brad, “Carrots will be -yelling his Dutch head off if we don’t hustle to the chuck tent. Have -you any sort of an idea,” he asked, as they started together toward the -camp, “why the colonel and the deputy sheriff should ride out here?” - -“No,” and Darrel shook his head in a puzzled way, “but you’re liable to -find out. Here’s the deputy sheriff, and he seems to have his eyes on -you.” - -Hawkins had strolled up over the edge of the mesa and was walking -toward the three boys. When he was close to them, he nodded in a -friendly way. - -“I’d like to powwow with you, Merriwell,” said he, “for a couple of -minutes, more or less. Suppose you let your friends go on, while we -trail them in, and palaver on the way?” - -Merriwell, with a feeling that something of importance was coming, -dropped behind Brad and Darrel and fell into step with the deputy -sheriff. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - THE WILES OF A SCHEMER. - - -Jode Lenning was alone in the tent, which had been erected for his -use, when Mingo, a Mexican distance runner, who belonged to the -G. H. A. C., thrust his head through the flap and announced that -Colonel Hawtrey had arrived in camp. - -Lenning, at the moment, had his back to the opening and was wrapping a -long, flat package in his handkerchief. - -“What?” he gasped, throwing a startled look over his shoulder at Mingo. - -The other repeated his announcement. - -“The devil!” gulped Lenning, in a flurry. “He’s found out what happened -at the house, and put for here on the jump. Now for merry blazes, and a -little slick work by yours truly.” - -His hand shook a little as he crowded the handkerchief-wrapped package -into the breast of his Norfolk jacket; then, getting up, he hurried out -of the tent and ran to meet the tall man with the gray mustache. - -“Ah, my boy!” exclaimed Colonel Hawtrey, making no effort to conceal -the pleasure the meeting gave him. “You’re looking fit, I must say, so -there’s not much use asking how you feel.” - -“Fine as silk, uncle,” said Lenning, clasping the colonel’s hand. “How -did you find everything at the mines?” - -“The mines are all right,” was the answer, “but it was something I -discovered after I got home this morning that has rather shaken me. -Take me to a place where we can be by ourselves and talk.” - -“My tent will fill the bill.” They walked together in the direction -of Lenning’s headquarters. “Was that Hawkins I saw leading away the -horses?” Lenning asked. - -“Yes, that was Hawkins.” That there was a load of some sort on the -colonel’s mind was evidenced by his tone and manner. “It’s possible,” -he added, “that I am going to need Hawkins in—er—an official capacity.” - -“This sounds pretty warlike!” exclaimed Lenning. - -“I suppose so,” and the old soldier stiffened a little. “I have made -some discoveries, Jode, which will astonish you. They nearly carried me -off my feet. By the way, what started you on this camping trip?” - -“I thought it would be a good thing for our eleven,” Lenning explained. -“This Merriwell chap took the Ophir team out into the hills, and I -reckoned we’d follow suit. And, say! We bumped into the Ophir outfit -right here at Tinaja Wells. How’s that for a coincidence?” - -“Queer, to say the least,” answered the colonel. “I hope all you -fellows will remember that you are true sportsmen, which is only -another term for gentlemen, and avoid any unpleasantness.” - -“You can depend upon us to prove a credit to you, colonel!” said -Lenning, with a fine show of admiration for the erect, soldierly old -fellow beside him. “I have a lease from Struthers, and Merriwell has -one from Packard. Now,” and Lenning laughed, “which of us has the right -of it?” - -“That’s hard to tell, my boy, until the lawsuit is decided. What sort -of a character is young Merriwell? Anything like his father?” - -“I don’t know much about his father, sir; but young Merriwell seems -to be trying to make himself the whole thing. Of course,” Lenning -added, “I tried to smooth matters over, and it looks as though I had -succeeded. As you see, we’re both camped on the same ground.” - -“I’ll have a talk with Merriwell myself, and see what I can do with -him. All that, however, must wait on the important business that brings -me here. I have never had anything make such an impression on me. Is -this your tent, Jode?” - -“Yes, uncle. Walk inside and make yourself comfortable.” - -When Colonel Hawtrey had seated himself comfortably on a camp stool, -and Lenning had dropped down facing him on a pile of blankets, the -colonel lighted a cigar—possibly to soothe or cover his nervousness—and -began. - -“You remember, Jode,” said he, “that I drew a thousand dollars from the -bank on the forenoon of the day I left town, expecting to pay it out to -Judson for an interest in that promising claim of his.” - -Lenning nodded. - -“You drew the money,” said he, “and Judson didn’t show up; then you -were called from town in a hurry, and locked up the money in your safe. -I remember all that very distinctly.” - -“You knew the combination, and were to give Judson the money if he -called for it.” - -“Yes, sir; but he didn’t call.” - -“I know that. I had scarcely reached town when I saw him, and he said -he’d be around this afternoon to get the thousand. Then I went home—and -found that I had been robbed!” - -“Robbed!” gasped Lenning, starting up. - -“Yes, my boy, robbed! Of course, a thousand dollars isn’t very much to -me, but it’s losing the money in such a way as that that gets under my -skin. The safe in my study was open, the window had been unlocked, and -the thousand was gone!” - -“Had the safe been blown open?” - -“No. Some one had worked the combination and——” - -“Uncle!” exclaimed Lenning, in consternation. “You and I are the only -ones who know the combination. You were away from home, and I—I——” - -The colonel leaned forward and dropped an affectionate hand on his -nephew’s shoulder. - -“Tut, tut!” said he brusquely. “You know I trust you as I would myself. -There is some one else who knows the combination, and who at one time -had as free access to that safe as you or I. I refer to—to your half -brother, Darrel.” - -“But Ellis perished in that train wreck!” - -“Supposed to, but I have always had a feeling that there might be some -mistake. That graceless young scamp wasn’t born to shuffle off in any -such way as that. What I should have done, I suppose, was to have the -combination changed. But I did not. This is the result.” - -“I wouldn’t be in too much of a hurry to judge Ellis, Uncle Al,” -pleaded Lenning. “You’re only working on a theory, you know, and——” - -There was sorrow in the fine old face of the colonel, but over all was -the sternness of an iron will. - -“I have evidence,” he interrupted; “much as it grieves me to tell it, -Jode, yet I have evidence which cannot be denied. It is like you, boy, -to plead for the rascal who has disgraced our blood; but, as for me, -I shall not be victimized a second time without making him pay the -penalty. I—— You are pale!” exclaimed the colonel, leaning forward to -stare into his nephew’s face; “and you are trembling, too! What ails -you, Jode? Brace up; don’t take this too much to heart.” - -“I have something to tell you, uncle,” answered Lenning; “but, first, -let me hear your evidence.” - -The colonel took a knife from his pocket and handed it to Lenning. - -“You recognize that, don’t you?” he asked harshly. - -“Why,” murmured Lenning, “it’s the knife you gave Ellis years ago.” - -“It is,” was the grim rejoinder, “and I found it under the unlocked -window in my study.” - -Lenning seemed stunned and incapable of words. - -“But that isn’t all,” preceded the colonel. “I hunted up Hawkins, who -happened to be in town, and together we learned that a fellow answering -Darrel’s description had been in Gold Hill the night before I got -home. He had called on Haff, our club secretary, and asked for me, and -about you. Haff told him that you were camping, with some of our lads, -at Tinaja Wells. Supposing that Darrel had come here, Hawkins and I -secured a couple of mounts and made a quick trip down the cañon. Have -you seen anything of Darrel?” - -“Then it’s true, it’s true!” Lenning was muttering, as though to -himself. - -“What is true?” demanded his uncle. “Don’t try to shield the fellow, -Jode. Your first duty is to me, not to him.” - -“There is a fellow here—Merriwell seems to be looking after him—who -says he is Ellis Darrel.” Lenning spoke with apparent reluctance. “I -believed him to be an imposter. How could I think anything else after -the report we had of that Colorado wreck? The fellow seemed bent on -proving that he was really my half brother, and challenged me to run a -race with him. You see——” - -“What folly!” cut in the colonel. - -“I’m pretty fast in a sprint, uncle, but El was a shade faster. And you -know he had a queer way about him when he was running. I think he is -counting on that race to make his identity known to me and the rest of -the Gold Hill fellows.” - -“We don’t need any proof of his identity, Jode! We can take his word, -and then confront him with this damning evidence of his rascality!” - -Lenning put out his hand and rested it on his uncle’s arm. - -“Colonel,” said he, his voice shaking, “let us have this race to-morrow -afternoon. Don’t interfere. There’s a chance that, after all, the -fellow is not Darrel.” - -“There’s not a shadow of a doubt, not a shadow!” - -“But you needn’t hurry about arresting him, need you? Let’s find out -how far Merriwell will go in trying to shield him. Wait until after the -race; and then—well,” and Lenning drew a long, regretful sigh, “do what -you think you have to—what you think you must.” - -“If Darrel knows I am here with Hawkins he may suspect something, and -clear out,” demurred the colonel. “It isn’t well, my boy, to dally too -much with an affair of this kind.” - -“Have Hawkins watch him,” suggested Lenning. - -“True,” said the colonel, “I could probably do that. It’s impossible, -though, that Young Merriwell is mixed up, in any way, with Darrel’s -wrongdoing. He has been deceived in the fellow. I know of the elder -Merriwell, and a straighter man or a better all-round athlete the world -never produced.” - -“I hope young Merriwell is square, and a real chip of the old block, -as I understand his friends mean to suggest when they call him -‘Chip’—but, well, I don’t like the way he has been acting. To-morrow -afternoon, uncle, we may know a lot more about him and about Darrel, -too.” - -“Very well,” said the colonel, though reluctantly, “we’ll leave the -matter, Jode, as you desire.” - -“Thank you, sir,” said Lenning gratefully. - -Why was Lenning so anxious to have his uncle defer action against -Darrel? Had the packet, wrapped in his handkerchief and stowed in the -breast pocket of his Norfolk jacket, anything to do with his wish to -delay proceedings? In view of what happened later, this seemed like the -logical explanation. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - A JOKE—WITH RESULTS. - - -Hawkins, the deputy sheriff, had not much to say to Merriwell during -their walk from the mesa back to the camp. Hawkins was an admirer, and -in many ways had shown himself a true friend, of Frank’s; and, out of -the kindness of his heart and, without divulging any secrets, he strove -to warn him against Darrel. - -“They’re talkin’ a heap, down in the camp,” said Hawkins, “of what a -big hit this Darrel person has made with you. Don’t cotton to him too -strong, Merriwell. He isn’t wuth it.” - -“What do you mean?” Frank demanded. - -“Between ourselves—the thing not to go any further, you understand—this -Darrel’s nothin’ more than a plain thief.” - -“You’re mistaken, Hawkins,” said Frank, with spirit. “I can’t believe -it.” - -“Well, son, you’ll have the proof before you’re many hours older.” - -“Then I’ll wait for the proof, Hawkins; and it will have to be -copper-riveted before I turn against Ellis Darrel.” - -“Jest a warnin’ I’m handing you, Merriwell,” grinned Hawkins. “And -you’re to keep what I said to yourself, mind.” - -“Of course, Hawkins. I’m obliged to you for taking all this trouble, -but you’re mistaken, and will find it out. It’s the colonel’s business, -isn’t it?” - -“Now, I’m not sayin’ another word,” answered the deputy, “and maybe -I’ve let out more’n I ought to, as it is.” - -That ended the brief conversation, and, while it did not shake -Merriwell’s confidence in Ellis Darrel, nevertheless it left him with -vague forebodings of fresh disaster hanging over the head of the “boy -from Nowhere.” - -The members of the rival athletic clubs were carefully avoiding each -other. There was no display of ill feeling, perhaps because the -bad blood had no chance to show itself, or because the presence of -the colonel in the Gold Hill camp was a restraining influence. Be -that as it may, yet the topic of conversation in both camps was the -hundred-yard dash to be run on the following afternoon. The object of -the race, unique in the annals of sport, lent the event a fascination -which nothing else could have done. Until ten o’clock the affair was -discussed by the Ophir fellows, and then, agreeable to schedule, lights -went out and the Ophir lads sought their blankets. - -By an arrangement, enforced from the very first night that Frank and -his companions went into camp, a watch of three was posted to look -after the live stock and other property during the night. A trio of -lads went on sentry-go from seven to eleven; when their duty was -finished, they aroused three others to do guard duty from eleven to -three; and these, in turn, awoke three more for the morning watch from -three to seven. On this night, the first to be passed on the flat with -the Gold Hillers, Ballard was one of the three who had the midwatch of -four hours around midnight. Ballard’s post was in the cañon, just below -the flat, where the saddle and pack stock had been gathered. - -He had a lonely vigil for an hour. Somewhere in the neighboring hills -the coyotes were howling—a noise, by the way, not calculated to soothe -a person’s nerves. While Ballard was listening to the coyotes, and -thinking more or less about the next day’s race, he heard a sound as of -some one sliding down the slope from the flat. Alert on the instant, -Ballard started up and peered into the gloom and listened. Some one was -breathing heavily and floundering and stumbling through bushes and over -stones. - -“Can’t be a prowler,” murmured Ballard, “for he’s making too much -noise. I’ll just lay hands on the fellow and make him give an account -of himself.” - -Creeping forward, and screening himself as well as he could in the -shadows, Ballard was able to rise up suddenly and seize the wabbling -figure. - -“_Himmelblitzen!_” wheezed a voice. “Oof you peen vone oof der Inchun -shpooks, den I bet you I faint fits righdt on der shpot! Whoosh!” and -the voice died away with a suggestion of chattering teeth. - -“Carrots!” laughed Ballard. “Say, you crazy chump, what are you fooling -around the gulch for at this time of night?” - -“Oh, Pallard!” puffed Fritz, in great relief. “Vell, vell, vat a -habbiness! Dere vas t’ings vich ve don’d know till ve findt dem oudt, -hey? I vas looking for you, Pallard, yah, so helup me!” - -“Looking for me?” echoed Ballard; “what for?” - -“Meppyso I gif you haluf oof dot dreasure oof you go along und hellup -me get him.” - -“Oh, blazes!” chuckled Ballard. “I thought you’d got over that treasure -notion, Carrots.” - -“Lisden, vonce, und I told you someding.” Fritz dropped his voice to -an explosive whisper. “Vat you dink? Py shiminy, so sure as nodding I -findt me dot shtone mit der gross on. Yah, you bed my life! It vas so -blain as I can’t tell, Pallard. Aber ven I roll avay der shtone und tig -mit der shovel, I hear me some voices oof an Inchun chief. Dot shkared -me avay. Haf you got der nerfs to go mit me to der blace back, Pallard? -I peen shaky all ofer, und my shkin geds oop und valks on me mit coldt -feet, yet I bed you I go back, und I findt der dreasure. You come, und -so hellup me I gif you haluf!” - -The excitement at the Wells, incident to the arrival of the Gold -Hillers and following hard upon the rapid return of Fritz and Silva to -the camp, had temporarily closed the fun Merry and his friends had had -in the cañon. More important events had claimed the attention of the -lads who had participated in the joke, and no one had explained matters -to Fritz or the Mexican. So it chanced that the Dutchman was still -laboring under his delusion. - -Ballard wondered whether he had better set Fritz right, or keep the -joke going. He finally decided that the stock would not suffer if -he played out the Dutchman a little, and watched his antics in the -supposedly spook-haunted gulch. - -“When an Injun goes to the happy hunting grounds, Carrots,” remarked -Ballard gravely, “it’s just as well not to stir him up. I’d hate to -have a red spook get a strangle hold on me—there wouldn’t be treasure -enough in the whole of Arizona to pay a fellow for an experience of -that kind.” - -“Haf you no chincher?” demanded Fritz. “Iss it not vort’ a leedle -shcare chust to load oop mit goldt dot vill make you a rich mans for -life, hey? Vell, I bed you! I t’ink him all oudt, und I arrife py der -gonglusion dot a shpook iss nodding more as a shadow in der sun, oder -der moon. Vat a shpook does makes no odds aboudt der tifference. Ve go, -ve ged der goldt, und ve come back. Dot’s all aboudt it. I got me a -shovel in vone handt, und a glub in der odder. Mit vone, I tig oop der -goldt; mit der odder, I knock ofer der shpooks. Und dere you vas. Ve -shall be gompany mit each odder, Pallard.” - -“I don’t see how I can back out, Carrots,” said Ballard, “the way you -put it up to me. You’re an awful persuader. How much gold is there?” - -“I see it in der tream dot dere iss more as ve can carry, yes.” - -“Maybe that dream is just fooling you, Carrots.” - -“You say yourselluf dot treams iss somet’ing, Pallard.” - -“Did I? Well, maybe they are something. You go first, will you, -Carrots? I’ve got a weak heart, and if I should run onto a spook -without any warning it would knock me stiff.” - -“I vill go fairst,” agreed Fritz, generously and valiantly, “und you -precede. I vill vatch aroundt carefully, und oof ve don’d make some -noises, den meppy der shpooks von’t hear, und ve gif dem der slip.” - -Fritz waddled off into the darkness, and Ballard, enjoying himself -hugely, trailed after him. Suddenly, without the least warning, Fritz -dropped the shovel and the club, whirled in his tracks, and took -Ballard in a convulsive embrace. - -“_Ach, du lieber!_” he whimpered. “I hear me someding, py shiminy! -Lisden, vonce, Pallard! Vat it iss, hey?” - -“Coyotes,” answered Ballard, in a smothered voice. “Brace up, Carrots. -Don’t lose your nerve.” - -“Sooch dreasure hundings I don’d like,” mumbled Fritz, slowly -untangling himself from Ballard and cautiously groping for his shovel -and club. “I vish der plame’ coyotes vould go to shleep. Ach, vat a -nervousness I got all droo me. I shake like I hat some agues. Sooch a -pitzness iss vort’ all der dreasures vat ve findt.” - -Suddenly Ballard, clapping a hand over Fritz’s mouth, whispered a -hissing warning for him to keep still, and pulled him out of the narrow -trail and in between a couple of huge bowlders. - -“V-v-vat iss der drouple!” inquired Fritz feebly. “You see a shpook -yourselluf, Pallard? I bed you——” - -Again Ballard clapped a hand to his companion’s mouth. - -“Sh-h-h!” he murmured. “There’s some one coming, right behind us. Not a -word, now; not so much as a whisper.” - -Somehow, Ballard got it into his head that the man who was following -them was Silva. The Mexican, he remembered, was also mixed up, rather -vaguely, with Fritz in the treasure hunting. Ballard had it in mind -to give Silva a bit of a scare, and so make the most of that midnight -experience. - -Peering out from their dark retreat, Fritz and Ballard saw a dark -figure gliding toward them along the trail. It was impossible for them -to discover who the man was. He was in a hurry, that was evident, and a -peculiar, musical jingling accompanied him as he came on. The sound was -not loud, but more like a tinkling whisper, and barely distinguishable. - -But Silva—if Silva it was—did not pass the two behind the bowlders. He -halted, so close that Ballard could have reached out and touched him, -went down on his knees, and worked at something in the dark. Even with -the fellow so near, the heavy gloom successfully hid his identity. - -Ballard’s desire for fun was lost in a mighty curiosity. The fellow -took something white from his pocket, and, apparently, pushed it under -a stone; then, rising, he sped away in the direction from whence he had -come. - -“Vell, vell!” muttered Fritz. “Vat you t’ink iss dot, Pallard?” - -“That’s a conundrum, Carrots. How many fellows are looking for that -treasure of yours, eh?” - -“No vone but me und you, Pallard.” - -“Wait here for a couple of shakes, Fritz. I want to explore.” - -Ballard crept to the place where the mysterious figure had been at -work, groped under a stone, and pulled forth a package wrapped in -something white. Lighting a match, he examined his find. Fritz could -hear him muttering excitedly as the match dropped from his fingers. - -“Vat it iss, Pallard?” quavered Fritz. - -“I’ve had enough treasure hunting for one night,” answered Ballard, in -a strange voice. “I’m going back to the live stock, Fritz. Come on!” - -Fritz protested, but Ballard stood firm. Fritz would not continue on -without company, and so they returned to the camp—Ballard with the -white packet snugly stowed in his pocket. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - THE RACE. - - -Most of the forenoon, every day except Sunday, Merriwell, Clancy, and -Ballard had to give up to the “grind.” Professor Phineas Borrodaile -rigidly insisted on certain hours for study and recitation, and would -not temper his discipline even on the day that notable race was to be -run between Lenning and Darrel. - -Following breakfast, each camp continued to flock by itself. The live -stock belonging to each party was picketed in widely separated grazing -grounds, so there was no opportunity for Silva and the other packer -to wind up their disagreements in a final clash. Peace hovered over -the region adjacent to Tinaja Wells, but to Merry it suggested a calm -preceding a storm. - -Hawkins buried himself among the Gold Hillers, and seemed very careful -not to overstep the “dead line” which had been drawn between the two -camps. Colonel Hawtrey also appeared content to remain in seclusion -among the members of his own party. - -About eleven o’clock in the forenoon, Frank and his chums, and the -professor and Darrel overheard a brief address which the old soldier -was making to the young athletes of the Gold Hill club. Only scraps of -the colonel’s little speech floated to the fellows in the Ophir tent, -but what they overheard made a deep impression on them. - -“Sports of the right kind, properly indulged in, are of vastly more -benefit to the upbuilding of character, my young friends, than to your -muscles and bodily endurance. Understand me, I do not say that physical -development is of less importance than mental development. Both of -these should proceed hand in hand; but if, over all, the moral and -manly qualities do not grow as they should, all your training in the -class and on the track and field will have been in vain. Try, my lads, -to develop the faculty of being good losers, and to admire and applaud -in others those abilities, natural or acquired, which you possess, but -not in the same degree.” - -As these words, spoken in a deep and earnest voice, wafted themselves -from the rival camp, the professor softly clapped his hands. - -“Noble sentiments most nobly expressed, young gentlemen,” he murmured. -“This Colonel Hawtrey must surely be a man of splendid character.” - -“He is,” said Darrel, in a low voice. “The colonel is one of the finest -men that ever lived.” - -“Listen!” whispered the professor. - -Again the colonel’s words drifted into the rival camp: - -“If an amateur athlete is not a true sportsman, which is but another -term for gentleman, he is not fit to compete with other true sportsmen. -Your real gentleman, if you please, has courage; but, more than -that, he is so imbued with the spirit of fair play and so completely -captain of his own soul, that the stings of honorable defeat leave him -unscathed.” - -These were fine words, and well calculated to inspire a spirit of high -emprise. - -“I hope Jode is taking that in,” whispered Darrel to Merriwell; “but, -I’ll gamble my spurs, he’s going to beat the pistol, just the same.” - -Ballard, all that morning, had been preoccupied to an extent that had -drawn some criticism from the professor. The interesting events of the -night, which he had not only kept a secret himself but had likewise -warned Fritz to keep in the background, probably had a good deal to do -with his poor showing at the problems put up to him by Borrodaile. - -At eleven-thirty, when the studious ones were allowed a breathing -spell before dinner, Ballard hooked onto Merriwell and led him to a -secluded place for a talk. Fritz had to call them three times to “grub -pile,” and when the two finally arrived, their faces were flushed with -excitement, and there was an air about them that suggested mysterious -things. - -At two-thirty in the afternoon a general movement set in toward the -mesa. Both camps emptied themselves upon the little plateau, so that -nearly forty spectators assembled to watch the race between Darrel and -Lenning. - -The course had already been marked off by Brad, Spink, and Handy. -Beman, for Lenning, had looked it over and pronounced it O. K. On one -side of this course the Gold Hill men were grouped, and on the other -side the fellows from Ophir. - -Colonel Hawtrey and Hawkins stood together, and Merriwell, for the -first time, got a good look at the colonel. He was much impressed with -his soldierly bearing, but in his face could be read sternness and -determination—and a sadness which did not, in the least, diminish the -more Spartan qualities. - -Bleeker, of Gold Hill, crossed the course and stepped up to Merriwell. - -“There ought to be a judge and a starter, I reckon,” said he. “I don’t -see any need of makin’ this event top-heavy with officials. Do you?” - -“Not at all,” Frank answered. “I’d suggest that Colonel Hawtrey act as -judge of the race.” - -“He says he won’t have a thing to do with it.” - -“Then how about Hawkins, the deputy sheriff?” - -“Suits Lenning to a t, y, ty. Lenning would like to have Beman for -starter.” - -Merriwell was expecting this, and yet it came to him with something -like surprise. It pointed to crookedness on the part of Lenning—and -after that fine talk the colonel had given his fellows that morning, -too! - -“Let Beman act as starter, then,” assented Frank, keeping to the plan -broached by Darrel. - -Bleeker hurried away to inform Hawkins and Beman of the work laid out -for them; and a few minutes later Darrel and Lenning, in sprinting -costumes, came trotting up from the camp. - -Merriwell watched Darrel and the colonel. As the old soldier fixed his -eyes on his discredited nephew, a queer play of emotions showed in his -face. In Darrel’s look was a wistfulness and affection which caused his -uncle to turn abruptly and gaze in another direction. - -Beman, a round-shouldered, lanky chap, stepped out back of the starting -line, pistol in hand. - -“All ready, you two?” he called. - -Darrel and Lenning answered by stepping to the line. Not a sound of -approval or disapproval went up from the gathered throng. Silence -reigned on the mesa. - -“This is about as cheerful as a funeral procession, Chip,” muttered -Clancy. - -“Everybody’s mightily interested in the race, for all they have bottled -up their feelings,” Merriwell answered. - -“Maybe,” was the skeptical response, “but it takes a lot of rooters to -stir up the enthusiasm. This looks about as sporty as the track event -of a deaf-and-dumb school. That Lenning carries himself well. He walks -with a spring that leads you to think he ‘feels his feet.’ But I don’t -like the cut of his jib a little bit.” - -“Nor I. His eyes are shifty, and his face doesn’t inspire much -confidence.” - -“The old colonel is about as hilarious as he would be trying to hunt -up a nephew in the morgue. Whoo! I’ll go dippy in a minute if somebody -doesn’t yell. Guess I’ll tear off a whoop myself.” - -He suited his action to the word, but it was a melancholy effort. No -one joined in with him, not even Merry or Ballard. From across the -course, the Gold Hillers gave him a startled look of disapproval. - -“Once will do, thanks,” muttered Clancy. “I’m frosted so badly I’ve got -chilblains. Why doesn’t that starter set ’em off?” - -The words were hardly out of Clancy’s mouth before Beman shouted: “On -your mark!” - -Both sprinters dropped in well-nigh perfect style. - -“Set!” - -With that word, and the tense preparations of the sprinters for the -start, Merry and Brad began watching Lenning keenly. Merry ticked off -the seconds in his mind—one, two, three—and then intuitively he sensed -the forward plunge of Lenning, coming a fraction of a second before the -crack of the pistol. Lenning had not waited to hear the pistol, and had -got away at the explosion. - -“He did it, by thunder!” whispered Brad. “Darrel had the skunk dead to -rights. Eh, Chip?” - -“No doubt about it, Brad!” - -Further talk just then was out of the question. The first stride of the -race had taken Lenning into the lead, and Darrel, waiting honorably for -the signal to start, was rushing to overhaul his competitor. - -“Dig, you kid from Nowhere!” whooped Clancy. “The race isn’t done till -you breast the tape.” - -“Go to it, Darrel!” Merriwell shouted. “You’ll pass him at the -eighty-yard line!” - -“Wow!” yelped Ballard; “I’ll bet the boy from Nowhere gets Somewhere -before he’s many seconds older.” - -A murmur went up from the Gold Hill side of the course. The peculiar -form in which Darrel was racing was recognized. Various little -mannerisms connected with his sprinting were recalled. They were all -here, in this clean-cut athlete whom Lenning had declared an impostor! -Gold Hill sentiments, it was plain, were undergoing a change. - -Not the least interested observer in the Gold Hill crowd was the -colonel. He leaned forward, the joy of wholesome sport temporarily -brushing aside the sterner proceedings which were to wait upon the -finish of that hundred-yard dash. The object of that race—the “boy -from Nowhere’s” attempt to prove his identity—did not concern Colonel -Hawtrey. He knew Lenning’s competitor was Ellis Darrel, race or no -race. What flamed up in him, as he gazed spellbound, was a pure love of -track athletics, aroused by a contest that was superb. - -In about four seconds after the start the Gold Hillers had loosened up. -There were cries of, “Go it, Darrel!” and, “This looks like old times, -Curly!” which proved that Darrel was already winning the recognition he -coveted, no matter whether he won or lost the dash. - -At the eighty-yard line, just as Merry had prophesied, Darrel drew -ahead of Lenning. The latter called on his reserve powers for a final -spurt, but Darrel also had speed in reserve. In ten seconds, or a -trifle more or less, Darrel tore away the tape at the finish, a full -stride in the lead. - -A roar went up from all sides. The enthusiasm, which had been held in -check, rushed forth like a tidal wave. A rush was made toward Darrel, -but Hawkins, the deputy sheriff, grim and relentless, waved the throng -back. Stepping to the side of the victor, he dropped an official hand -on his shoulder. - -“Youngster,” said he crisply, “I’m sorry a heap to come down hard on -you at a time like this, but you’re under arrest.” - -“Arrest?” echoed Darrel, recoiling. “For what?” - -“For openin’ your uncle’s safe an’ stealin’ a thousand in cold cash. -Don’t make a fuss, bec’us’ it won’t do you any good.” - -Then, amid the dead hush that fell over the mesa, Darrel’s eyes sought -only one face in all the crowd surrounding him. And that face was -Merriwell’s! - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - A HELPING HAND. - - -The explosion of a bomb could not have caused greater consternation -among the throng on the mesa than that official action of the deputy -sheriff. Hawtrey, erect and with a soldierly stride, passed out of the -stunned crowd and placed himself beside Hawkins. - -Merriwell, giving Darrel a reassuring look, also advanced. He had -a sweater on his arm, and began pulling it over Darrel’s head and -shoulders. - -“You’d better keep out of this, Merriwell,” Hawkins murmured in Frank’s -ear. “I warned you. The kunnel means biz, and no mistake.” - -“So do I,” Frank answered, with a flash of his dark eyes. “Keep your -nerve,” he added, in a low tone to Darrel; “we’ve got a few cards of -our own to play.” - -“You are Frank Merriwell?” inquired Colonel Hawtrey, leveling his gaze -at Frank. - -“Yes, colonel.” - -“The son of Frank Merriwell, of Bloomfield, and the T-Bar Ranch, in -Wyoming?” - -“Yes.” - -“You are also seeking to befriend this misguided young man, here?” - -“I am Darrel’s friend,” said Merry, with spirit, “right from the drop -of the hat.” - -“Then, my lad, your father will some time hear of it with regret. What -Hawkins said is the truth. This fellow opened my safe and took from it -a thousand dollars in cash night before last. I have the proof.” - -“Pardon me, colonel,” returned Frank respectfully, “but inasmuch as I -am Darrel’s friend, will you let me handle this case for him in my own -way?” - -“If you mean to defend him,” frowned Hawtrey, “you will have your -trouble for your pains. He has no defense!” - -“Will you let me try and see if I cannot make one, and one that will -command your attention and best judgment?” - -“Sufferin’ centipedes, Merriwell!” broke in Hawkins. “I never reckoned -you’d be tryin’ to save the scalp of a plain, out-and-out thief!” - -The white ran into Darrel’s face and his hands clenched. Merry laid a -soothing hand on his arm. - -“This isn’t a time for any snap judgments, Hawkins,” said Frank. -“First,” and he turned to the Gold Hillers, “I want to ask if this boy -from Nowhere has proved that he is Ellis Darrel, of Gold Hill?” - -“Yes!” came a chorus of responses. - -Merry partly turned to face Lenning. The latter, a sneering smile on -his dark face, was standing at a little distance, keenly alive to -everything that was said and done. - -“How about you, Lenning?” queried Frank. - -“He’s my half brother, all right,” was the answer. “I reckon there’s -not a shadow of doubt about that.” - -“You agree, too, colonel?” - -“I knew the fellow was Darrel before the race,” answered Hawtrey. “If -he had proved to be an impostor, this accusation of theft might not -have carried. Now it is absolutely proven—ab-so-lutely.” - -“Darrel has been accused here, before all his old friends,” Frank -continued, marshaling all his wits to acquit himself creditably of the -task of clearing Darrel, “and it’s only a fair shake that he should be -proven innocent before them. Colonel, will you please tell us of the -robbery, and show your proofs?” - -Hawtrey was visibly annoyed. Nevertheless, he was a great stickler for -fair play, and he had to acknowledge that the position taken by Merry -was logical. - -“I have been away from Gold Hill for a week,” said he, “visiting some -of my mining properties. Before I went, I drew a thousand dollars -in cash from the bank to pay to a man from whom I was purchasing an -interest in a ‘prospect.’ I was called from town hurriedly, before the -payment was made. The money was locked up in the safe in my study, at -home. Jode, here, who knows the combination of the safe, was to pay -over the money if the man presented himself during my absence. The man -did not come, and Jode started off on this camping trip, three days -ago. When I reached home yesterday morning, I found the window of my -study unlocked, the safe door swinging open, the thousand dollars gone, -and this knife lying under the window, inside the room. Hand the knife -to Darrel, Merriwell, and see if he recognizes it.” - -The colonel seemed averse to having any direct dealings with Darrel. He -gave the pocketknife to Frank, and the latter presented it to Hawkins’ -prisoner. - -“It’s mine,” admitted Darrel huskily. - -“Haff, an official of our athletic club, told Hawkins and me,” the -colonel proceeded, “that a fellow answering Darrel’s description had -been in town the night before I got home, that he had made inquiries -about me, that he had told the fellow I was away from home, and that -Jode was off on a camping trip, and that Darrel started down the cañon -to join the Gold Hill campers. Hawkins and I got horses and hurried on -to Tinaja Wells. Ask Darrel, Merriwell, if he denies being in my house -night before last?” - -“No, colonel,” spoke up Darrel, without waiting for Merriwell to put -the question, “I do not deny it. I was there. I pushed open the sash -lock with this knife, and went in through your study and up to my old -room. I had the key to my room—have had it in my pocket for a year. All -I wanted to get was my running suit. After I had taken that, I locked -up the room and left by the window. Naturally, I could not relock the -window from the outside. That’s all, sir. I did not tamper with your -safe.” - -A sneer of incredulity crossed Lenning’s face. It faded into a -sorrowful look, however, as the colonel gave him a swift glance. - -“You admit being in the house,” said the colonel harshly, “so why not -admit the rest of it?” - -“Because it is not the truth,” Darrel answered, with spirit. - -“Did you know the combination of the safe, Darrel?” asked Frank. - -“Yes—that is, if it hasn’t been changed during the past year.” - -“It hasn’t,” put in the colonel. “That was my fault, I suppose.” - -“Then, three of you knew the combination,” went on Frank, “yourself, -colonel, and Darrel and Lenning.” - -“That is the way of it.” - -The crowd on the mesa was listening with absorbed attention to the -talk which was going forward over the hapless head of the “boy from -Nowhere.” Nearly all, perhaps, felt that Darrel’s admission that he had -gone to the house for his running suit was a trivial excuse to cover a -design on the safe. Dark looks were thrown at Darrel, and only here -and there was anything bordering on sympathy shown for him. - -“Now,” said Frank, keeping the points he wanted to make well in mind -and working toward them with all the skill he could muster, “you said, -colonel, that Lenning and his camping party left Gold Hill three days -ago?” - -“Yes.” - -“Less than half a day would be required to make the trip from Gold Hill -to Tinaja Wells, for a mounted party with pack animals. How does it -happen, then, that the Gold Hillers only reached the Wells yesterday -afternoon?” - -Colonel Hawtrey seemed puzzled. He turned to Lenning. - -“Explain that, will you, Jode?” he requested. “Why didn’t you reach the -Wells day before yesterday?” - -“Well, sir,” Lenning answered, “we were about halfway between town and -Tinaja Wells when we found out that Merriwell and his crowd were camped -at the place we wanted.” - -“Ah! And what did you do then?” - -“I had the boys make temporary camp in a side cañon while I—er—went -back to Gold Hill.” - -“That,” said Frank, “would bring you in Gold Hill night before last—the -night of the robbery?” - -Lenning reddened and looked confused. - -“Why,” he faltered, “I reckon it would.” - -“What was your business in Gold Hill, Lenning?” - -“I don’t know,” snapped Lenning, “that you’ve got any call to pump me.” - -“Answer his question, Jode,” put in the colonel. - -“Well, if you want to know,” scowled Lenning, “I went back to the Hill -to lease Tinaja Wells from Struthers.” - -A growl ran through the ranks of the Ophirites. Frank silenced the -growing indignation with a quick glance. - -“That was hardly fair,” he went on to Lenning. “We were in peaceable -possession of the camping ground, and you deliberately set about -getting a lease and kicking us out.” - -“Tut, tut, Merriwell!” interposed Hawtrey. “Jode is not that sort of a -lad. I am sure he would not intentionally inconvenience you.” - -“Ouch!” cried Clancy, and the colonel stared sternly at him in rebuke. - -“Well,” went on Frank, “we’ll not tangle up with that part of the -proposition. The fact remains that, on the night of the robbery, two -persons who knew the combination of your safe were in Gold Hill. As -soon as Lenning got his lease, he came on to Tinaja Wells—which brought -him here yesterday afternoon. Now, colonel, why do you suspect Darrel, -and not Lenning?” - -“Because,” and the colonel’s voice showed that he was nettled. “Jode is -worthy of my confidence, while Darrel has proved that he is not. Were -you at the house, Jode, during the time you were in Gold Hill after the -lease?” - -“No, sir,” answered Lenning. - -“There you have it,” said the colonel, in a tone of finality. “All this -talk, Merriwell, is getting us nowhere. I have excused Darrel once, but -I cannot do it a second time. Although he is my sister’s son, he must -bear the consequences of this piece of wrongdoing. I feel it a duty to -press the matter to an issue. Where will he end if he keeps on as he is -going?” - -There was a triumphant look on Lenning’s face. Darrel, on the other -hand, seemed utterly crushed. - -“There’s no use, Merriwell,” breathed Darrel, in a broken voice. “The -plot is too deep, and you are only injuring yourself by trying to -defend me.” - -“Kunnel,” spoke up Hawkins, who had been following every angle of -Frank’s work with closest attention, “don’t you lay anythin’ up agin’ -Merriwell. He’s sized Darrel up wrong, but he’s the clear quill, as I -happen to know.” - -“I have only the highest respect for Merriwell,” said the colonel. “He -tries to stand by his friends to the utmost of his ability—and his -ability, let me tell you, is of no mean order. But, my lad, you can -accomplish nothing in the face of the facts,” he added, in a kindly -voice, to Frank. - -“Let us see,” Frank went on. “Pink,” he said to Ballard, “just step up -and show the colonel what you have in your pocket.” - -Then another surprise was sprung. Ballard, taking a package of bills -from his pocket, handed it to the colonel. - -“Is that the stolen money, colonel?” he asked. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - A PARTIAL VICTORY. - - -The colonel started back from the package of bills as though from -a coiled and striking serpent. A breath of icy air seemed to cross -the hot mesa, bringing a weird shiver to more than one of the crowd -surrounding the actors in that little drama of check and countercheck. -Necks were craned forward, and fascinated interest showed in every face. - -But there was something more than interest in the face of Jode Lenning. -A flicker of consternation, and of wild despair, pulsed through his -features—but only for a moment. He was quick to get himself in hand. - -“It—it’s the same package of bills which I drew from the bank,” -murmured the distracted colonel, taking the bundle from Ballard and -looking at the inclosing band. “Where did you get it, young man?” - -“He’s a chum of Merriwell’s,” spoke up Lenning, with ugly significance, -“and Merriwell is helping Darrel. It’s easy to guess where Ballard got -the money.” - -Ballard jumped for Lenning with a savage exclamation. - -“You mealy-mouthed runt,” he cried, “you can’t plaster me with the same -pitch you’ve got on yourself. I’ll——” - -Merriwell leaped in between Ballard and Lenning. - -“Now, Pink,” said Merry, “just stow your temper. We’ve got to keep our -heads, you know, if we pull Darrel through. It’s Colonel Hawtrey we -want to convince, not Jode Lenning.” - -Ballard, with a fierce, warning glance at Lenning, drew back. - -“Fritz!” called Frank. - -“On teck, you bed you,” boomed the Dutch boy. - -“Where were you last night, Carrots?” inquired Frank. - -“Hunding puried dreasures mit Pallard,” beamed Fritz. “I haf a tream -mit meinselluf dot I findt more goldt as I can tell a shtone under mit -a gross on. Pallard goes mit me, last nighdt, to get der dreasure. Ve -go down der gulch, und ven ve vas a leetle vays from der camp, along -comes a feller pehind us alretty. Ve hite, und dot feller hites der -money under a rock. Ve get him oudt, und Pallard takes him, und ve keep -it on der q. ts., excepting dot it vas toldt to Merrivell. Dot’s all -aboudt it.” - -“What foolishness is this?” demanded the colonel. - -Merry smilingly explained Fritz’s delusion about buried treasure, and -how a joke had been played upon him and Silva, in the cañon. Then -Ballard, dipping into the details, recited his midnight adventure with -Fritz. Ballard threw so much fun into his account that more than one -laugh went up from the bystanders. A little merriment, dropped into a -serious situation, is an excellent thing occasionally. - -“Merriwell,” said the colonel, “you could not be the son of your -father and be anything else but trustworthy. I do not know your father -personally, but I have seen him pitch many a game of ball, and I honor -him as a man, and as one of the greatest wizards of the national game -that ever lived. All this nonsense about the German youth and his -buried treasure makes not the least impression on me; but, if you say -that this money came into Ballard’s hands in the manner just described -to me, I will believe it.” - -“You have heard the exact truth, colonel,” answered Frank, thrilled at -this expression of the colonel’s confidence in him. - -“Very good,” went on Hawtrey. “Now, Ballard,” he continued, facing -Pink, “who was the man you and the German youth saw hiding the money in -the cañon?” - -“Neither of us was able to recognize him, colonel,” Ballard answered. - -“What?” cried the colonel. “You could not recognize the fellow when -you, by your own statement, were close enough to reach out and touch -him?” - -“Remember, sir, that it was midnight, and that the walls of the cañon -make the trail pretty dark. I couldn’t tell who the fellow was from -Adam, and that’s the truth.” - -“Why didn’t you spring upon him and capture him?” - -“You forget, colonel,” put in Frank, “that the fellow was gone before -Ballard and Fritz found out what he had cached. And you also forget -that, at that time, none of us knew that Darrel was suspected of -robbing your safe—or, for that matter, that any robbery had occurred. -Another thing: Last night Darrel was sleeping in our tent, in a blanket -bed between Clancy and me. He could not have stirred without wakening -us. From ten o’clock last night until six this morning Ellis Darrel -never left that tent.” - -“Then, of course,” deduced the colonel, “he could not have been the one -who hid the money.” - -“Nor the one who took it from your safe, sir,” added Merriwell; “for -the one who did the stealing must certainly have kept the money in his -hands until he attempted to secrete it in the cañon.” - -“That,” said the colonel, “is plausible, but not conclusive. Darrel -might have given the money to some one to take care of for him, and -that some one may have been the person who hid it under the rock. I do -not say that this is so,” he added, “but that it might have happened. -As the matter now stands, the whole thing is a mystery. By your -excellent work, Merriwell, you have thrown doubt upon my suspicions of -Darrel. Possibly—I may say probably—he had no hand in taking the money -from my safe. But who did commit the robbery?” - -“I reckon Merriwell’s right,” spoke up Hawkins, his face glowing with -delight over the way Frank had conducted the defense of Darrel. “You -never could send this feller up, kunnel, agin’ the showing Merriwell -has made for him.” - -“I shall not try to,” said Hawtrey. “I am happier than I know how to -express over the outcome of this little conference here on the mesa.” - -Impulsively Darrel started toward his uncle with outstretched hand. - -“Uncle Alvah,” said he, his voice tremulous with emotion, “I thank you -for giving me any consideration at all. I——” - -The colonel, giving Darrel a stern look, put his hands behind him. - -“Thank Merriwell,” said he curtly, “and not me. You are freed of this -charge of robbery, but you are just where you were before, in my -estimation—just where you were when that railroad accident was reported -to us, and everybody believed you had been a victim of it. I have -tried to forget you, for that thing you did, more than a year ago, is -something I cannot overlook, or forgive. However, I am not willing that -you should be penniless; I feel that I should make up to you, in some -way, for the unpleasant position in which my suspicions placed you. -Take this thousand dollars, Darrel, and try, from now on, to be a true -sportsman. Cultivate Merriwell—he will point you along the right road. -But as long as you are under that cloud—you know what I mean—there can -be nothing in common between you and me. That is all.” - -The colonel’s form was bowed, as he turned away, and there were lines -of suffering in his face. He had flung down the packet of bank notes, -but Darrel caught it up and ran after him. - -“Your money is of no use to me, colonel,” he said, with a touch of -pride, “and I want none of it. I can work and earn my own way, just as -I have done for the last year.” - -There were tears in his eyes as he thrust the money into the colonel’s -hand and came back to Merriwell. - -“Chip,” said Clancy, “here’s where you win and lose, both at the same -time. You’ve kept Darrel out of Hawkins’ hands, but you haven’t been -able to win over that high-strung old boy to Darrel’s side.” - -“Maybe,” said Frank, taking Darrel’s hand, “that will come later. We——” - -“Look!” called Ballard, pointing off toward the edge of the mesa. -“There’s a man on horseback just riding up from the flat and handing -something to Hawtrey. What’s this? Another knock for Darrel?” - -“I reckon,” returned Darrel, with a wan smile, “that I’ve had about all -the knocks I’m entitled to. Merriwell, you’re a friend worth having!” - -“Whoosh!” laughed Frank. “I’m a pretty bum lawyer, Darrel, and only won -out because we had such a clear case. Surprised you, didn’t we?” - -Before Darrel could answer, Colonel Hawtrey was seen to turn back from -the edge of the mesa and start toward the crowd that still lingered -about the scene of the race. He held an open letter in his hand. - -“Here’s where the lightning strikes again,” muttered Clancy. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - THE DOVE OF PEACE. - - -“Friends,” said the colonel, as those on the mesa clustered around him, -“a messenger has just arrived from Gold Hill bringing me a note from -Struthers. He has lost his lawsuit against Packard, and consequently -his claim to Tinaja Wells is null and void. Inasmuch as our party holds -a lease from Struthers, there is nothing left for the Gold Hill campers -but to pack up and look for some other camping ground. I do not think, -Merriwell,” the colonel added, thrusting the letter into his pocket, -“that this can be done before to-morrow, but Jode and his friends will -leave at the earliest possible moment.” - -“Take your time about it, colonel,” Frank answered; and then he went -on to Darrel, Clancy, and Ballard: “And so, fellows, the dove of peace -swoops down on Tinaja Wells.” - -“I’m glad as blazes Jode is getting out of here,” said Darrel. “I -reckon, though, that I’ll have to pick up and begin drifting again.” - -“No, you don’t,” returned Frank; “that is,” he laughed, “not unless -you’re tired of this Ophir bunch and want to get away from us.” - -“I don’t want to stick around and sponge a living off you fellows.” - -“Never mind that, Darrel. If you’re around, we’ll make you work. -Perhaps we can do something to wipe out that forgery business.” - -“That’s a large order,” said Darrel gloomily. “I doubt if I ever get -to the bottom of that.” - -“Well, consider this,” pursued Merry. “Isn’t it possible that the skunk -who put up that robbery dodge on you may have had something to do with -the forging of that check?” - -“Why, yes, it’s possible. But who was back of the robbery? Ballard and -Fritz couldn’t see who the fellow was.” - -“We didn’t produce all our evidence, in clearing you, for the good -and sufficient reason that we didn’t want to bear down too hard on -Jode—just at present. We may need him in our business later.” - -“Jode?” echoed Darrel wonderingly. “What has he to——” - -“When the money was found by Ballard,” broke in Frank, “it was wrapped -in a handkerchief. That handkerchief had been to the laundry, and there -were two initials marked on the hem. Show him the initials, Pink.” - -Ballard took the soiled handkerchief from his pocket, ran the hem -through his fingers, and then showed a section of it to Darrel. The -initials, “J. L.,” were in plain evidence. - -“Well, strike me lucky!” muttered Darrel. “So it was Jode! Still,” he -added, “you wouldn’t call that evidence conclusive, would you?” - -“Mighty strong,” put in Ballard, “even if not conclusive. But there’s -other evidence, Darrel. Lenning knew the combination of the safe and -was in Gold Hill on the night of the robbery. He said he wasn’t at the -house, but—well, maybe that was a lie.” - -“Suppose,” remarked Merry, “Lenning was at the house, and saw you -there? That’s possible, isn’t it? Then suppose that he hatched up -this little scheme of taking the money, after finding the knife you -carelessly left behind. There’s the colonel’s evidence against -you—mighty good evidence, and all manufactured!” - -“Those are suppositions,” said Darrel, “and it’s evidence in black and -white that we ought to have, in a matter of this kind.” - -“Sure,” agreed Merry, “and that’s the reason we didn’t show the -handkerchief to the colonel, or spout any of our theories. He’s all -wrapped up in Lenning, and wouldn’t believe anything against him.” - -“There’s something else that makes me feel positive that it was Lenning -who brought the money into the gulch last night,” said Ballard. “As the -fellow came along, Fritz and I heard a sort of tinkling sound like bits -of metal striking together. It was mighty faint, but we heard it. Now, -that fancy hat of Lenning’s, I noticed yesterday, has bits of silver -dangling from the brim, allee same Mexicano. Don’t you think——” - -“Pink,” cried Merry enthusiastically, “you’re a born detective! By -thunder, this last clew of yours is the best of the lot. It was Lenning -who worked that game on Darrel, no two ways about it. Eh, Darrel?” - -“Looks that way,” answered Darrel cautiously, “but we can’t be sure. -Jode may have learned that I had come back, and possibly that scared -him, so he tried to do me up with that supposed robbery.” - -“Why was he scared?” demanded Merriwell. “It was because he evolved -the notion that you were back to look into that forgery matter. And -that wouldn’t scare him unless he had had a finger in it. Jode Lenning -is our mark! We’ll keep after him until we clear you, Darrel. While -we’re getting the football squad in shape here, we’ll do a little -gum-shoe work on the side, and see if we can’t give you a clear title -to the colonel’s friendship. How’s that?” - -“I don’t know what I can ever do to square things with you fellows,” -murmured Darrel, “but it was certainly a lucky day for me when I found -Ophirites, instead of Gold Hillers, at Tinaja Wells!” - -“Can that!” grunted Clancy. “You’re one of us, Darrel, and, like the -Musketeers, with Chip and his chums, it’s ‘one for all, and all for -one.’ And Darrel’s a chum, eh, Chip?” - -“Just as long as he wants to be,” answered Merriwell heartily. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - GERMANY VERSUS MEXICO. - - -“I say, Chip! For the love of Mike come up on the mesa! There’s -something going on up there that would give a cast-iron cat a -conniption fit.” - -It was afternoon in the camp at Tinaja Wells. All the Ophir squad -of football players had been taken up Mohave Cañon by Handy, the -captain, on a hike. Only a camp guard consisting of Merriwell, Ballard, -Clancy, and their new chum, Ellis Darrel, had been left behind. Fritz -Gesundheit, the fat German cook, and Silva, the Mexican packer and camp -roustabout, had not gone up the cañon, having nothing to do with the -Ophir eleven, but they had vanished from the flat soon after a dozen -lads, in running togs, had trotted out of sight. Professor Phineas -Borrodaile, whose duties as tutor for Merry and his chums were over -for the day, had gone off somewhere on a geological excursion. Clancy -also had strolled off, but suddenly he reappeared in camp, his freckled -face red with suppressed mirth. He was scarcely able to talk, but as he -reeled around and gasped for breath he managed to make his request for -the others to go back with him to the mesa. - -Merriwell, Ballard, and Darrel jumped up from the shade of the -cottonwood where they had been sitting and stared at the red-headed -chap in amazement. Clancy, unable to control himself, leaned weakly -against the trunk of the cottonwood and laughed until he choked. - -“What the mischief ails you, Clan?” demanded Merry. - -“Where’d you get the funny powder, anyhow?” inquired Ballard. - -“Pass the joke around, pard,” urged Darrel. - -With a violent effort Clancy managed to smother his hilarity. - -“Carrots and Hot Tamale have got the athletic bug,” explained Clancy, -“and the stunts they’re doing on the mesa would bring tears to a pair -of glass eyes. One is trying to make a better showing than the other, -and, if I’m any prophet, they’ll get to slugging before they’re many -minutes older.” - -The campers had not only given Fritz the nickname of “Carrots” but they -had also dubbed Silva the “Hot Tamale.” - -“We don’t want those two fellows to get to hammering each other,” -Merriwell remarked. “Ever since Carrots took the Mexican’s place as -cook there’s been bad blood between those two.” - -“What would we do for our meals,” asked Ballard anxiously, “if Hot -Tamale put Carrots in the hospital?” - -“You’re always thinking of the eats,” grinned Clancy. “But never mind -that, Pink. Come on up, all of you, and see the circus. We’ll hide and -watch ’em, and if they get to using their fists, we can interfere.” - -The lads started forthwith for the low bank of the mesa, just back of -the camp, hurrying along after the excited Clancy. - -“Fat Fritz must have another delusion,” observed Ballard. “Yesterday -it was buried treasure, and to-day it’s athletics. But who’d ever have -thought that Silva could catch the athletic fever?” - -“I thought he was too much of a mañana boy to catch anything but the -measles,” laughed Darrel. “I’ll bet a bunch of mazuma Hot Tamale is -going in for athletics just because he wants to beat out Carrots at the -same game.” - -“That’s the only reason,” Merriwell answered. “One of them can’t bear -to see the other try anything without trying it himself.” - -Carefully the lads crept up the slope of the mesa and, from behind a -screen of rocks, looked out on the athletic field. They took one long -look and then doubled down behind the bowlders to laugh. - -Fritz and Silva had raided the camp equipment for a couple of gymnasium -suits. Probably they had not been able to choose their costumes with -discrimination, but had been obliged to annex the first outfits that -came to hand. Yet, be that as it might, each presented a picture that, -to use Ballard’s words, would have made “a horse laugh.” - -The Dutch boy was too big around for his clothes and too short the -other way, while in Silva’s case the matter was exactly the reverse: -the running pants flapped distressingly about his bony shanks, while -the sleeveless shirt failed to connect with the pants by a good six -inches. - -Fritz was sweating and grunting and trying to do a pole vault. The bar -was about four feet from the ground, and, from the looks of things, -seemed some three feet too high. - -Silva was doing a Nautch dance in a seven-foot ring and trying to throw -a hammer. He would whirl around a dozen times or so, and then, when he -tried to let the hammer fly, was so dizzy he fell on it. - -With dismal regularity Fritz would knock his shins against the bar, and -Silva would stagger and fall. Sometimes the vaulting pole would come -down and crack the Dutch boy on the head; and, as a general thing, the -Mexican would forget to let go of the hammer, and the wire would wrap -around his body and the weight would hit him in the small of the back. -These accidents, naturally, were hardly warranted to sweeten the temper -of the would-be athletes. Fritz was exploding choppy remarks, and Silva -was hissing maledictions in liquid Spanish. Finally, the inevitable -happened, and during a period of rest the two began saying things about -each other. - -Fritz, sitting on the ground and more or less tangled up with the pole -and the bar, looked over at Silva. The latter had just thrown himself -to his knees, and the weight had drummed into his back with a thump -that had drawn Fritz’ attention. - -“Vat you try to do mit yourselluf, you greaser lopster?” shouted the -scornful Fritz. “Dot veight iss for drowing, und not for pounding -yourselluf your ribs on. You will not make an athletic feller in a -t’ousant years.” - -“_Ay de mi!_” flung back Silva, through his teeth. “You make big talk, -but you not so much. I t’row de weight before you jump de bar, dat is -cinch. _Caramba!_ You one tub, one gringo rhi-rhi-no-cer-oos! _Si_, -dat is all—rhi-rhi-no-cer-oos!” Silva pushed out a hand and pointed -an insulting finger at Fritz. “Rhi-rhi-no-cer-oos!” he repeated, in a -burst of fury and contempt. - -“By shiminy grickeds,” fumed Fritz, “no greaser feller iss going to -call me someding like dot! I take it your hide oudt, py shinks!” - -He floundered about on the ground until he had succeeded in getting to -his feet. Silva, scenting a resort to fisticuffs in the Dutch boy’s -move, likewise arose. The two, separated by perhaps a dozen feet, stood -glaring at each other. - -“Lopster!” taunted Fritz, “greaser lopster!” - -“_Gringo chingado!_” screeched Silva. “Rhi-rhi-no-cer-oos!” - -Fritz picked up the bar and started toward the Mexican. Somehow, the -bar got between his fat legs and he tripped himself and again went -down. Silva, still holding the hammer, made a defensive movement with -it, and the weight swung back against one of his knees. With a howl of -pain he dropped the hammer and fell to rubbing his kneecap. - -“I tell you vat I do, py shiminy Grismus!” wheezed Fritz, once more -getting erect and kicking the bar angrily to one side. “I kick you mit -der footpall. Der vone vat kicks der pall farder as der oder feller iss -der pest man, hey?” - -“I keek, or I fight, or I t’row de weight, or I jump,” yelled Silva. -“What I care, huh? I beat you at ever’t’ing.” - -“Talk,” returned Fritz, “iss der cheapest ding vat iss. Ve kick each -odder mit der footpall, und I send him sky-high und make you feel like -t’irty cents. Fairst I kick, den you. I peen der pest kicker vat efer -habbened. Vatch a leetle.” - -Merry and his friends, behind the pile of rocks at the edge of the -mesa, had been enjoying themselves hugely. They had thought, for a few -moments, that the time had come for them to interfere and stop a fight, -and it was with a good deal of satisfaction that they saw a personal -encounter give way to a kicking match. - -“Great Scott!” exclaimed Merriwell, watching while Fritz stepped to -one side and picked up a football, “they’ve got our best five-dollar -pigskin. Those fellows must be given to understand that they can’t -tamper with our football equipment.” - -“See this out first, Chip,” pleaded Ballard. “Don’t interfere until -the kicking match is over with. Look at Fritz, will you. From the -preparations he’s making you’d think he was going to kick the ball -clear into the middle of next week.” - -Very carefully Fritz was heaping up a little pile of sand; then, still -with the same elaborate care, he stood the ball on this mound, drew -back, and swung his foot. Once, twice, the foot went back and forth; -the third time, Fritz nerved himself for a supreme attempt. One would -have thought he was making ready to kick in the side of a house. -Forward flew the foot, missed the ball altogether, and the kicker came -down on his back. - -A cackle of insulting laughter came from the Mexican. -“Rhi-rhi-no-cer-oos!” he taunted. “Dat is not de way I make de keek. -Watch, and you see.” - -With that Silva ran at the ball and lifted it high and far. No doubt it -was an accident, but it made Fritz green with envy. - -“I can do petter as dot!” he shouted. “Vait, now, vile I haf some -shances mit it!” - -Silva, however, wouldn’t wait. Fired with his initial success, he ran -after the ball and lifted it again before Fritz could come near enough -to kick. The ardor of the Mexican took him and the ball off the mesa -and southward along the high, steep wall of the cañon, below Tinaja -Wells. Fritz was in hot pursuit, and Frank and his chums came out from -behind the bowlders and hurried along after the Dutch boy in order to -see the outcome of the one-sided “match.” - -Silva, the bounding ball, and Fritz were lost in the rough country -adjacent to the cañon’s brink; and when the trailers had come up with -the Dutchman and the Mexican they found the two locked in a deadly -struggle. - -Silva, it seems, had kicked the ball into the cañon, and while he was -peering over the rim looking for it, fat Fritz had overhauled him and, -in his wrath, had gone for him hammer and tongs. - -While Merriwell, Ballard, and Darrel were separating the combatants, -Clancy was kneeling on the rim rock and peering downward in an attempt -to locate the ball. Suddenly he got up and whirled around. - -“Here’s a go!” he exclaimed. “A five-dollar ball has gone to blazes, -Chip. It’s about thirty feet down a sheer wall, on a bit of a shelf. -We’ll have to sprout wings before we ever get hold of that ball again. -You’ll have to dock Carrots’ and Hot Tamale’s wages for the price of -it.” - -A howl of protest went up from Fritz and Silva. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR. - - -“Keep these scrappers apart, Pink, you and Darrel,” said Merry, moving -over to Clancy’s side. “If that ball is only thirty feet away, Clan,” -he added to his red-headed chum, “we’ll be able to get it, all right.” - -“I don’d pay for nodding,” puffed the enraged Fritz. “Dot greaser -feller kicked him ofer, und you vill take der money oudt oof der pay -vat comes py him.” - -“_Diablo!_” snapped Silva. “Dat Dutchmans get de ball from de camp—I no -get him. Take dat dinero out of me, and I quit _muy pronto_.” - -“You peen some pad eggs,” wheezed Fritz, “und I preak your face in!” - -“Yah, yah, yah!” taunted the Mexican. “You not able to break de face -in.” - -Ballard and Darrel, enjoying the situation more than they cared to show -before Fritz and Silva, clung to the two would-be sluggers and held -them apart. Merriwell, on his knees at the rim of the cañon, turned to -look around at the Dutch boy and the Mexican. - -“Cut out this fighting,” said he sternly. “The one that strikes the -first blow will have the five dollars taken out of his pay. Keep hands -off of each other and neither of you will have to pay a cent if the -ball is lost. Understand that, Fritz? And you, Silva?” - -The warlike ardor of the two was appreciably lessened. Fritz ceased his -floundering struggles to get at the Mexican, and Silva suddenly grew -docile. Merry’s threat was a master stroke. - -“Let them go, fellows,” went on Merry, smothering a desire to laugh. -“You and Silva go back to camp, Fritz, and if you’re not peaceable, -just remember that your pay will be docked. And hereafter leave our -athletic equipment alone. I don’t object to your doing a little -training—in fact, I think it would be a good thing for each of you—but -when you go at it again you’d better have an instructor. I’ll be glad -to put you through a course of sprouts any time you feel the need of -it.” - -Without indulging in any remarks, Fritz and Silva started off in the -direction of the mesa and the camp. They did not travel in company but -straggled along at a distance from each other. As soon as they were out -of sight, Ballard turned around with a laugh. - -“That five-dollar play of yours, Chip,” said he, “was a winner. Fritz -is a tightwad, and Silva pinches a dollar till he makes the eagle -squeal. They’ll be peaceable for a while, take it from me.” - -“How about the ball, Chip?” inquired Darrel, hastening to join the two -on the edge of the cañon wall. - -“There it is,” Merry answered, pointing downward. - -The wall was a sheer drop, and the ball could be seen lying on a narrow -shelf at least thirty feet below. A small bowlder lay near the edge of -the shelf, and the oval had been caught between that and the clifflike -wall from which the shelf projected. Below the shelf was another fall -of thirty or forty feet to the bottom of the cañon. - -“How the mischief do you suppose the ball happened to lodge there?” -inquired Clancy. “If it had been kicked over the cliff, I should think -it would have fallen too far out to hit the shelf.” - -“Probably,” Merriwell suggested, “it just rolled over the rim and -dropped straight down. Anyhow, there it is, and it’s up to us to get -it.” - -Darrel straightened on his knees and looked around him at the lay of -the land adjacent to the brink. - -“It’s easy enough to get the ball, fellows,” said he. “There’s a -paloverde, just back of us, growing in the edge of that clump of -greasewood. We can splice a couple of reatas, hitch one end to the -paloverde, and I can shin down and be back with the ball in no time.” - -“Where’ll we get the reatas?” returned Clancy. “I’ve got one, but it’s -a scant thirty feet long. Fritz—darn him!—cut off a piece of it the -other day to use for something or other.” - -“As far as that goes,” put in Merry, “I guess we could pick up an extra -piece of rope around the camp. But maybe we won’t have to try this -reata business. Get some sticks and let’s see if we can’t dislodge the -ball and knock it into the bottom of the cañon.” - -They gathered pieces of dried timber and rained them down on the shelf. -Several clubs reached the ball, but the bowlder held it firmly. - -“No earthly use,” said Ballard. “The pigskin is wedged there as though -it was in a vise.” - -“Thou art so near, and yet so far!” hummed Clancy, staring down at the -ball. “I wonder,” he continued, “if we couldn’t come up from below? The -cliff doesn’t seem so steep under the shelf.” - -“I was thinking of that, Clan,” Merry answered. - -“It won’t take me more than half an hour to scare up that reata and an -extra piece of rope,” said Darrel. “I reckon the spliced ropes are our -best bet, Chip.” - -Merry had been taking stock of the cliff face above the shelf. Wind and -weather had worn it smooth and slippery, and there was not a projection -in the whole thirty feet from the brink to the shelf which a climber -could use in getting back to the top of the wall. - -“Strikes me,” said Merry, “it’s a difficult job, not to say dangerous. -How are you on the climb, Darrel?” - -“Well,” he admitted, “I can throw a rope a heap better than I can climb -one, but I’ll gamble my spurs I can come over that thirty feet of wall -without much trouble.” - -“It’s as smooth as glass,” remarked Ballard. “All your weight would be -on your arms from the moment you left the shelf—you couldn’t use your -feet at all.” - -“My arms would stand it.” - -“Suppose you had the ball under one arm, Curly?” Clancy queried. - -“What’s the matter with kicking the ball into the cañon?” returned -Darrel. “I wouldn’t have to tote it back.” - -“That’s right, too,” said Clancy. - -“Before we try the rope trick, Darrel,” spoke up Merry, rising to his -feet, “we’ll go back to camp; come down the cañon and see if the wall -under the shelf can’t be scaled.” - -“It can’t,” asserted Darrel, with conviction. “I can see enough of it -from here to make me sure of that.” - -“We’ll look over the ground from below, anyhow,” said Merriwell. “Come -on, fellows; there’s no use hanging around here.” - -“Wait a minute, Chip,” called Ballard, who was still standing at the -cañon’s brink. “There’s a man on a horse coming up the gulch. Wonder if -he’s bound for Tinaja Wells? I wouldn’t swear to it, but I’ve a notion -the rider is Colonel Hawtrey.” - -At this Darrel whirled with a muttered exclamation and peered down at -the white streak of trail angling back and forth among the trees and -masses of bowlders. The horseman was proceeding slowly northward, his -head bowed in deep thought. In a few moments he would be abreast of -the lads on the top of the wall, and almost under the shelf. - -“It _is_ the colonel!” muttered Darrel, in an odd, strained voice. “Why -do you suppose he’s riding this way? I’ll take my solemn Alfred he’s -bound for our camp.” - -“Don’t be too sure of it, old man,” said Merriwell. “He pulled out with -the Gold Hillers early this morning to see them safely settled in a -camp of their own. That bunch went south, didn’t they? Well, it stands -to reason that the colonel has to come this way in order to get back to -Gold Hill.” - -“No, Chip,” disagreed Darrel, “the colonel’s easiest course to -Gold Hill from below Tinaja Wells would be by the other trail from -Dolliver’s. He’s got business at our camp, and that’s the reason he’s -coming this way. Maybe,” and Darrel’s face filled with foreboding, -“what he’s got in mind has something to do with me.” - -“Don’t be in a taking about it, Darrel,” Merriwell answered, laying -a hand on his new chum’s shoulder. “It’s a cinch that anything the -colonel may have in his mind can’t hurt you. If he’s going to be a -visitor, we’d better go down and see what he wants.” - -Without delaying further, the boys started on their return to camp. In -spite of Merriwell’s reassuring words, however, the troubled look did -not leave Darrel’s face. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - TRUE SPORTSMANSHIP. - - -When Merriwell and his friends reached the flat they found Colonel -Hawtrey sitting on a bench under a cottonwood. His horse, with reins -hanging from the bit rings, stood a little way off. It was evident that -the colonel intended making his visit brief. - -As the boys approached, the colonel arose from the bench. His eyes met -Darrel’s for a moment, and then swerved abruptly to Merriwell. - -“I’d like a few words with you, Merriwell,” said he. - -“Can’t you stay with us for a while, colonel?” Merry inquired. “We’d be -delighted to have you take supper and——” - -“I thank you for the invitation,” he broke in, “but I must be back in -Gold Hill to-night. I came the cañon trail purposely to speak with you.” - -The others withdrew, Darrel with a lingering look of apprehension at -Merriwell. - -“Sit down here,” invited the colonel, resuming his place on the bench. -“You don’t smoke, of course,” he went on, taking a cigar from his -pocket when he and Frank were seated, “for, if you did, you wouldn’t -be following the footsteps of your father before you.” He scratched a -match thoughtfully and applied it to the tip of the cigar. “‘Chip,’ -they call you, eh?” he proceeded presently, with the hint of a smile -under his gray mustache. “I suppose that means that you’re a ‘chip of -the old block’?” - -“That’s where the nickname comes from, colonel,” young Merriwell -answered, with a laugh. - -“I don’t know your father personally,” said the colonel, with some -enthusiasm, “but I have seen him on several occasions, both in the East -and at his T Bar Ranch in Wyoming. I have also heard a great deal about -him. I reckon he typifies everything a man can express in the term true -sportsmanship.” - -“Thank you, colonel,” answered Frank. “Dad is all you think him—and -more.” - -“If you’re a chip of the old block, you ought to stand for all that -your father stands for.” - -“Why, yes,” said the puzzled youngster, “as well as I can.” - -“Well,” continued Colonel Hawtrey, “I’ve stopped here this afternoon to -appeal to you as a true sportsman, and as a son of the Frank Merriwell -I have seen a few times and of whom I have heard so much.” - -He paused. Frank was already over his head wondering what the colonel -was trying to get at. He said nothing, but waited respectfully for the -other to broach the subject he had in mind. - -“As you doubtless know,” remarked the colonel, “I founded the Gold Hill -Athletic Club, and have been its best patron during the few years it -has been in existence. Some people say”—and he smiled slightly—“that -I am cracked on the subject of athletics. It’s a hobby with me, for I -believe that, rightly directed, sports of the track and field do more -to develop properly a young man’s character than anything else in the -world. On the other hand, if wrongly directed they are a source of -much harm. Just at the present time, and much as I regret to say it, -the club at Ophir and the one at Gold Hill are heading in the wrong -direction. - -“A bitter partisan spirit has crept into the competitions between -the two clubs. Some of the members—I won’t say all of them—have -proved that they are not good losers. Rancor has shown its ugly head, -Merriwell. I think that you, more than any one else, can help to foster -a different spirit between the clubs.” - -Frank tried to speak, but the colonel lifted his hand. - -“Just a moment, my lad,” said he. “I want to place the whole matter -frankly before you, and then get your sentiments regarding it. -You don’t belong in Ophir any more than you do in Gold Hill. As I -understand it, you are in Ophir only temporarily, and Bradlaugh, -president of the Ophir club, got you to coach the Ophir eleven for the -coming Thanksgiving Day game with Gold Hill. This is all right, and -Bradlaugh is to be congratulated. I believe that you will give Ophir -a good team, perhaps a winning team. In the interests of true sport I -wish you every success. For the past two years Gold Hill has had nearly -everything its own way—too much so, for sharp competition is the life -of athletic sports; it’s the only thing that brings out the best that -is in us. - -“I have heard, with much regret, that there was almost a clash between -the two clubs when Gold Hill, by mistake, came here to claim this -camping site. This is all wrong, and not at all as it should be. Sport -is bound to suffer if the hard feeling is not done away with. - -“Now, you have befriended Ellis Darrel. So far, Merriwell, it has been -commendable in you to take his part as you have done. I am hoping that -your friendship will do much for the boy. Although personally I am done -with him, yet I cannot forget that he is my sister’s son. I confess an -interest in him on that account. But I wish to warn you against letting -Darrel prejudice you against his half brother, Jode Lenning. Jode is a -dutiful nephew in every way, and, above and beyond that, he is a true -sportsman.” The colonel paused, then added impressively: “I know Jode -better than any one else, and I assure you that what I say is true. I -am an old man, Merriwell, and I have been for years in the military -service of my country. I want you to believe that my judgment is sound, -and I want you to accept Jode as I know him, and not as Darrel may -offer him to you.” - -“Colonel,” said Merry, “Ellis Darrel has said nothing against his half -brother that would cause me to take a different estimate of him than -you wish me to have.” - -“Then I am to presume that your estimate is favorable? If anything is -done to wipe out the bitterness between the two clubs, there is the -point where the work must begin.” - -Merriwell’s estimate of Jode Lenning was a good way from being -favorable. The sly trick by which Lenning had tried to get possession -of the camping ground at Tinaja Wells was well known to Merry and to -all the Ophir fellows. Had not the colonel been so completely dominated -by Lenning’s influence, he would have seen and recognized that trick -himself. Furthermore, it was Merry’s settled conviction that Lenning -had tried to involve Darrel in that theft of the thousand dollars; and -Merry had a belief that, when the bottom of the forgery affair was -reached, Lenning would be found to have had a hand in that. - -But what good would it have done to tell all this to Colonel Hawtrey? -He would merely have thought that Frank had been influenced by Darrel -against Lenning. Besides, Frank had no proof in black and white -connecting Lenning with the robbery, and only a suspicion of him in the -matter of the forgery. - -“I have tried to do what I could to patch up the differences between -Ophir and Gold Hill, colonel,” said Frank, “and I’m willing to keep on -trying. I believe I can promise that the Ophir fellows will show the -right spirit, if you and Lenning can induce the Gold Hill club to meet -them halfway.” - -“Ah,” exclaimed the colonel, with deep satisfaction, “there you have -it! Now we’re getting together in the right sort of style. My lads have -found a most excellent camp in a gulch leading off Mohave Cañon, below -here. They have a mile of deep water which serves admirably for water -sports, and all they lack is a mesa like yours for an athletic field. -Some of them are now clearing brush from a patch of desert for their -football practice. Now,” and the colonel gave a winning smile, “why -can’t the Ophirites and the Gold Hillers be neighborly? Why can’t you -visit back and forth and have pleasant little contests of one kind and -another? That need not interfere very much with your football work, and -ought to afford an agreeable change in the monotony of camp life. It’s -about eight miles to Camp Hawtrey, as the boys call their place, if you -go through the cañon and the gulch, but across country it’s hardly more -than half that. How does the proposition strike you, Merriwell?” - -“First-rate,” Frank answered. “We Ophir fellows wouldn’t like anything -better. That stretch of water, over at Camp Hawtrey, would be a fine -place for boat races—and we haven’t any such layout here.” - -“Exactly!” beamed the colonel. “I should be delighted to come out from -town and see some of your contests. A friendly rivalry, Merriwell, will -go far toward inculcating a different spirit between the clubs. Eh? -I’m more than obliged to you for meeting my advances in the matter so -agreeably. Jode is coming over here this afternoon to get an expression -from you relative to a football game for to-morrow, or next day. What -are the prospects?” - -“Good, I should say,” said Frank. “I’ll broach the matter to Handy as -soon as he gets back from up the cañon.” - -“That’s the talk!” cried the colonel enthusiastically. - -Merriwell was more than pleased with Colonel Hawtrey’s suggestion for -a series of competitions between the two camps. Incidentally, if the -contests were conducted in the right spirit, they would go far toward -healing old wounds. Mainly, however, Merriwell wanted to come into -closer contact with Jode Lenning, and see what he could discover, if -anything, that would prove a benefit to Ellis Darrel. These proposed -contests could not but help him in this desire. - -The colonel, having achieved the purpose that brought him to Tinaja -Wells, got up from the bench in high, good humor. - -“You are really a chip of the old block, Merriwell,” he laughed, “and -it’s something for you to be proud of.” - -Merry thought he might take advantage of the colonel’s amiable nature -at that moment and do a little something for his new chum. - -“Have you any word to leave for Ellis Darrel, colonel?” he asked. - -The good humor left the other’s face. He straightened his shoulders -stiffly and his eyes narrowed under a black frown. - -“The one word I have for Darrel,” said he harshly, “is this: that he -keep away from me. If he’s got it in him, he’ll live down the past; if -he hasn’t, he’ll go to the dogs. I shall be glad to learn that he’s -making something of himself, but—but I never want to see him again.” - -There was sadness in the colonel’s voice as he spoke, but sternness -and determination were there, as well. Frank’s heart grew heavy as he -watched the colonel pull the reins over the head of his horse and swing -up into the saddle. - -“Good-by, Merriwell,” he called, waving his hat as he rode off the flat -and headed northward along the cañon trail. - -“Lenning has the old boy right under his thumb,” Merriwell muttered, as -he turned away. - -Ballard, Clancy, and Darrel had disappeared. Merry asked Fritz about -them, and was told that Ballard and Clancy had gone down the cañon to -see if they couldn’t get up to the shelf and recover the football; but -where Darrel was, Fritz did not know. - -“He’s probably with Ballard and Clancy,” said Frank. “Keep away from -Silva, Fritz, if you don’t want to get fined!” - -“Dot greaser feller,” answered Fritz scornfully, “ain’d vort’ fife -cents, say nodding aboudt fife tollar. You bed my life I leaf him -alone.” - -Frank, hastily leaving the camp, made his way down the cañon to do what -he could to help recover the lost football. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - A TERRIBLE MISHAP. - - -Merriwell found Ballard and Clancy surveying the cliff from a spot -almost under the shelf where the football had lodged. That they were -extremely dubious about recovering it from below was evident from their -actions. - -“Here’s Chip, Pink,” said Clancy; “perhaps his eagle eye can pick out a -trail up the side of that wall.” - -“If it can,” returned Ballard, “Chip’s entitled to a leather medal.” - -“Where’s Darrel, fellows?” was Merriwell’s first question when he -reached the side of his chums. - -“Search me,” answered Clancy, in some surprise. “He was back there on -the flat when Pink and I left.” - -“Probably he ducked into one of the tents,” said Ballard. “The look -Hawtrey gave him, there under the cottonwood, was enough to make -almost anybody squirm away and get out of sight. Holy smoke, but that -colonel’s a cold-blooded proposition!” - -“Darn shame, too, the way he hands it to Darrel,” growled Clancy. “Jode -Lenning’s a skunk—any one can see that with half an eye—yet here the -old colonel coddles up to Lenning and throws a frost into Darrel every -time he gets the chance. Hawtrey must be dippy. What was the chin-chin -all about, Chip?” - -Merriwell repeated the gist of the colonel’s remarks. - -“Listen to that!” exclaimed Clancy. “So he thinks Lenning is a true -sportsman, does he? How do you suppose Lenning manages to pull the wool -over his eyes?” - -“Because he’s slick, and hasn’t any scruples to amount to anything,” -said Ballard; “that’s how.” - -“I don’t think we ought to have anything to do with Lenning and that -bunch of his, Chip,” declared the red-headed boy wrathfully. “Because -Lenning has the colonel landed and strung, that’s no sign we should let -him repeat the operation with us.” - -“Why, you old lobster,” said Merry, with a laugh, “the landing and -stringing is to be the other way around. How are we going to help -Darrel unless we can get close to Lenning? Don’t be so thick, Clan. No -matter what our convictions are, can’t you see that we haven’t an atom -of proof against Lenning? It’s easy enough to call him a skunk, but the -next thing is to prove it.” - -“Chip’s right,” said Ballard, “we’ve got to get the goods on Lenning. -That’s the only way we can help Darrel. And how are we to get the goods -on him if we don’t have anything to do with him or the Gold Hillers? If -we have a series of contests with that rival camp, it will give us a -tiptop chance to find out a few things about Lenning.” - -“Sure thing,” said Frank. “Furthermore, if we take up these contests in -the right spirit, there’s no reason on earth why Ophir and Gold Hill -can’t come to be friends as well as rivals.” - -“But the colonel is off his trolley about one thing, Chip,” put in -Clancy, “and that is that Lenning is a power for peace on the other -side. Simmer the business right down, and I’ll bet you find that -Lenning is the biggest trouble maker in the Gold Hill crowd.” - -“I think so myself, Clan,” said Merry, “but I haven’t any cold facts to -prove it. Let’s get the facts, and then we can talk to some purpose.” - -“That’s the idea!” agreed Ballard. “I’m glad we’re going to have a -little preliminary try-out with Gold Hill on the gridiron. We’ll be -able to see just how good they are, and can go after some of their weak -points.” - -Merriwell grinned. - -“Strikes me, Pink,” said he, “that they’re thinking exactly the same -thing about us. But we’d better cut out this powwow and see what we can -do to get our hands on that ball.” - -Merry drew back and passed a swift, keen glance over the face of the -cañon wall. What he saw was not at all reassuring. There were a number -of projections, below that upper shelf where the ball had lodged, but -at its base the cliff sloped inward instead of outward. To scale the -lower twenty feet of wall a fellow would have to cling to the rocks, -like a fly to the ceiling. - -“We could use wings to better advantage from down here, Chip,” observed -Clancy, “than from the top of the cliff.” - -“If a fellow could get over that first stretch of twenty or twenty-five -feet,” mused Merriwell, studying the wall, “he would have tolerably -clear sailing from that point to the top shelf. There are plenty of -bushes and projections to help in the climbing, and the wall has a bit -of a slope in the right direction. By Jove!” he suddenly exclaimed, “I -believe I see a way to make it.” - -“Don’t take any chances, Chip,” urged Ballard anxiously. “The foot of -the wall is covered with stones, and it would be a bad place to take a -drop.” - -“It would be a drop too much,” punned Clancy, “and you know what that -does to a fellow, Chip.” - -“I don’t intend to take a drop,” answered Merriwell, walking down the -cañon for about twenty feet and then turning directly toward the cliff. - -At that point the inward slope of the wall was not so pronounced, and -there was a fissure, with a projecting lower lip, angling across the -face of the rocks, its upper end clearing the bad bit of wall under the -shelf which it was necessary to gain. - -“Going to try to climb up that crack, Chip?” yelled Ballard. - -“Why not?” was the cool response. “It leads to a place where climbing -is easy.” - -“Stop it!” whooped Ballard. “You’re crazy to think of such a thing! -You’ll tumble off the rocks just as sure as the world.” - -“Come on back, Chip!” called Clancy. “The pesky old ball isn’t worth -it.” - -“Keep your shirts on, both of you,” was the calmly confident reply. -“I’m not such a fool as to risk my neck for a five-dollar ball.” - -Nevertheless, to Ballard and Clancy that seemed exactly what Merriwell -was about to do. They watched him, almost holding their breath. - -With a little spring, Merriwell landed on the lower edge of the -fissure. Less than three feet above him was the overhang. This overhang -came close to the shelf below at a distance of four yards upward in its -oblique course, and at that place the lower lip of the fissure began to -jut out and afford a foothold. - -Slowly, digging into crevices with his toes and reaching for others -with his hands, Frank began traversing the crack in the wall. Once his -foot slipped, and both lads who were watching gave vent to a yell of -fright. - -“My nerves are all shot to pieces, Chip,” shouted Clancy. “Next time -you do a thing like that I’ll throw a fit.” - -Frank clung to his place and turned to look smilingly down at his chums. - -“Rot!” said he. “Why, fellows, this is as easy as pie.” - -He climbed on, crouching lower and lower as the overhang descended -toward the shelf below. Presently he was in the narrowest part, hanging -to the steep slope of the lower lip of the crevice and compelled to -drop on all fours in order to keep inside of it. - -“You can’t make yourself thin enough to get through it,” shouted -Ballard discouragingly. “Ten feet farther up, Chip, the crack isn’t -wide enough for a chipmunk.” - -“It looks a whole lot harder from down there,” Frank called back, “than -it does from here. When I get to that narrow place, I’ll step out and -walk around it.” - -“Yes, you will! You’ll play the deuce trying that. I think——” - -What Ballard thought did not appear. Just at that moment, he and Clancy -heard a swishing sound which attracted their eyes to the wall above the -shelf. Exclamations of astonishment escaped them. A rope had dropped -its length downward from above, and there, on the very crest of the -cliff, the rope in his hands, sat Darrel! - -“What’s going on down there, pards?” yelled Darrel. - -“Chip’s trying to break his neck walking a rock tight rope,” Clancy -answered, making a trumpet of his hands. - -“This is my job,” whooped Darrel, “and I don’t think it’s fair for Chip -to cut me out of it. Tell him to come down. In about two shakes I’ll be -kicking the ball off the shelf and right into your hands.” - -“Is that Darrel up there?” Frank asked. - -“Sure it’s Darrel, Chip,” replied Ballard. “He’s got a rope hitched to -the paloverde, and is all ready to come down.” - -“Tell him I can get the ball easier than he can, and for him to pull up -the rope and give me a chance at it.” - -Darrel heard the words, and did not put those below to the trouble of -repeating them. - -“No, you don’t, Chip!” he shouted. “If you’re climbing up to the shelf, -go back down to the foot of the wall. I’ll have the ball before you can -come anywhere near it.” - -There was finality in Darrel’s voice, and Frank knew it was useless to -argue with him. - -“Wait!” he cried. “Don’t slide down, Darrel, until I get to the bottom -of the wall. Will you wait?” - -“Sure I’ll wait. I’ll give you all the chance you want to see the -performance.” - -Frank went down the fissure much faster than he had climbed up, and -without a mishap of any kind had soon regained the bottom of the cañon. -Making his way to where Ballard and Clancy were standing, he turned his -eyes upward. Darrel waved his hat to him. - -“So that’s what you were up to, eh?” called Frank. “Why didn’t you tell -us what you were about and we could have helped you get the ropes.” - -“I don’t think you would,” came the laughing reply from Darrel. “You -thought the work was too dangerous. Here I come!” - -He swung half around, preparatory to lowering himself. - -“Better wait until a couple of us come up there, Darrel!” Frank called. - -“Don’t need anybody. You can’t see the paloverde, as it’s screened by -the greasewood, but you can gamble that I tied the rope good and hard. -Now, watch!” - -Thereupon Darrel lowered himself down and was presently swinging -against the smooth wall. He was agile enough, and twisted one leg -around the dangling rope and slid slowly toward the shelf. Then, -when he was some ten feet above the shelf, a most horrifying thing -happened. Before he could cry out, or make any move to save himself if -that had been possible, he dropped like a stone to the ledge, struck -heavily upon his side, lengthwise of his body, rolled off limply, fell -sprawling to a jutting bowlder four or five feet below and lay there, -silent and motionless. A scraggly tree, growing from a crevice among -the stones, was all that held him from dropping to the foot of the -cliff! - -The rope, strangely separated at the loop which had coiled around -the paloverde, fell writhing through the air, pulled itself out -of Darrell’s nerveless hand, and dropped at the feet of the three -horror-stricken lads below. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - A DARING RESCUE. - - -A yell of consternation broke from Clancy’s lips. Merriwell and Ballard -were silent. With white, drawn faces and wide, staring eyes, all three -of the boys stood as though rooted to the ground. - -The accident had happened so suddenly that those below were stunned. It -took them a few moments to realize the awful thing that had occurred. -Frank was the first to break the thrall of inaction that bound them. - -“He can’t be badly hurt, fellows!” he called. “It wasn’t much of a -fall—about ten feet to the ledge and four or five feet from the ledge -to the bowlder. He’s stunned, that’s all, but worse things are likely -to happen if we don’t get him down before he begins to revive.” - -“How in thunder did the rope break away from the paloverde?” cried -Ballard. “Darrel said he was careful to tie it securely, and——” - -“Never mind that now, Pink,” Merriwell interrupted. “As long as -Darrel’s unconscious he won’t make a move, but when he begins to come -to himself, he’s liable to stir around. If he does that, he’s going off -that bowlder, sure!” - -Certainly it was a gruesome situation for Darrel. His body hung over -the projecting bowlder, face downward, and only the tree’s twisted and -stunted trunk, rising at the bowlder’s edge, kept him from falling to -the bottom of the wall. It was a precarious support at best, however, -and the slightest move on Darrel’s part would dislodge him in spite of -the tree. - -“Get him down?” breathed Ballard. “How the blazes can we do that, -Chip? The best way is to get more ropes and go down to him from the -paloverde.” - -“It would take too long.” Frank, his mind working swiftly, had picked -up the end of the spliced rope and was making it fast around his waist. -“I’m going up after him,” he finished briefly, and started for the -lower end of the fissure. - -If Ballard and Clancy had watched Merriwell with bated breath before, -when only the recovery of a five-dollar football was to be the result -of his dangerous climb, how much greater was their trepidation now, -when the life of a chum was at stake? - -The worst feature of the nerve-racking situation for Ballard and Clancy -was this, that they were absolutely powerless to help Merriwell. No -more than one could make the climb through the fissure, and no more -than one could work around the jutting bowlder and the stunted tree. -For the lads in the bottom of the cañon, a little active work would -have loosened the tension of their taut nerves and made the situation -more endurable. There was nothing for them to do just then, however, -but to wait and watch. - -The swiftness and precision with which Frank scaled the fissure aroused -the admiration of his chums, even in that breathless moment. Frank’s -brain was as cool and his nerves as steady as though life or death was -not hanging on the result of his efforts. - -“Good old Merry!” whispered Ballard huskily. “He’s going as steady as a -clock, and doesn’t seem to have the least notion that Darrel may tumble -down on him at any moment.” - -“Talk about your true sportsmen,” returned Clancy, “if a piece of work -like that doesn’t prove a fellow is one, then I don’t know what does.” - -With the rope trailing after him and gradually paying out from the coil -below as he climbed higher and higher, Merriwell continued his rapid -ascent of the crevice. On reaching the narrow part, he shifted around -it with an agility and skill that were wonderful to see. Getting back -into the fissure again, at a point where it widened, he made his way -on hands and knees to the place directly over the point where the wall -sloped inward to the base, and began another inward slope to the shelf. - -Getting out of the crevice and upon the slope was a hair-raising -performance, but Frank accomplished it successfully. Then began -the crawl from projection to projection and from one stunted bush -to another, up the face of the cliff. At last the daring youth was -directly under the bowlder and the stunted tree that supported the -unconscious form of Darrel. With his left arm over the bowlder and his -feet in crevices of the rocks, Frank began removing the rope from his -waist with his right hand. - -“Good work, Chip!” shouted Ballard. “What are you going to do now? How -do you expect to get Darrel down? Can’t we do something to help?” - -“Nothing you fellows can do, Ballard,” Frank answered. “I’ve got to -hang on with my eye winkers and work with one hand.” - -“If Darrel should make a move,” cried Clancy, in a spasm of fear, “he’d -bring you both down!” - -“I’ll have the rope around him before he moves,” was the reply. - -Working with one hand, as Frank was obliged to do, it was a difficult -task to manage the rope. If the cable were dropped, all Frank’s work -would have gone for nothing, and before he could do it over again -Darrel would probably revive and slip from the bowlder. - -First, Frank passed the rope around the trunk of the stunted tree. A -brief examination of the tree had convinced him that it was strongly -wedged into the rocks and could be depended upon to support Darrel’s -weight. - -In getting the hempen strands around the tree, Frank was obliged to -push the rope over the trunk, then hold it in his teeth while he -withdrew his hand and passed it around the trunk a second time. Again -taking the cable in his teeth, he withdrew his hand to lay hold of it -once more. Thus he had made a half hitch around the tree and could -control the rope under the pull of a heavy weight. - -His next step was to make the end of the cable fast about Darrel’s -shoulders, under the arms. This was not so difficult as the work with -the tree had been, for Darrel hung from the bowlder with head and -shoulders down. - -After getting the cable about Darrel’s body, Frank used his right hand -and his teeth and rove the end into a bowline knot. Scarcely had he -accomplished this, when Darrel uttered a low groan and attempted to -shift his position. The moment he did this, he slipped from the bowlder. - -A yell of horror came from Ballard and Clancy. To their frightened eyes -it looked as though both Darrel and Merriwell would be precipitated -to the bottom of the cañon. The rope, however, and Frank’s quickness -served to avert the catastrophe. - -Releasing his left arm from the bowlder, Frank gripped the trailing -rope under the tree with both hands. His weight, on one side of the -dwarfed trunk, served to balance Darrel’s weight on the other side, -and the two, for a few terrible moments, swung into mid-air. Then, -carefully but as quickly as possible, Frank found fresh footholds, and -so lessened the weight on his end of the rope. Just as he had planned, -Darrel began slipping downward, the rope sliding through Frank’s hands -and around the tree trunk. - -Drooping limply in the noose that encircled his body, Darrel twisted -and swayed in sickening fashion as he dropped foot by foot down the -face of the cliff. In a few minutes he had been lowered into the -outstretched arms of Ballard and Clancy, and the lads below sent up a -cheer that reverberated loudly between the cañon walls. - -Frank’s descent was made safely and speedily, for he knotted the rope -around the trunk of the tree and slid down its length to the side of -his chums. Ballard had Darrel’s head on his knee, and Clancy had gone -to the creek for a capful of cold water. Merriwell, breathing heavily, -dropped down on the rocks. - -“You got that rope around Darrel just in the nick of time, Chip!” said -the admiring Ballard. “If you had been a second later, Darrel would -have brought both of you down in a heap. Gee, man, but it was a close -call!” - -“A miss is as good as a mile, Pink,” answered Merry. - -Clancy arrived with the water and allowed it to trickle over the white, -haggard face of the unconscious lad. Darrel’s eyes flickered open, -and a haunting expression of pain was in them as they rested on his -friends. He ground his teeth to stifle a groan. - -“Are you badly hurt, Darrel?” queried Frank. - -“My—my left arm,” panted Darrel, “it’s broken, I think.” - -With a muttered exclamation, Frank threw himself to his knees close -beside Darrel. As he lifted him by the shoulders, the left arm swung -limply and a moan was wrenched from Darrel’s lips. - -“The arm is broken,” said Frank, “there’s no doubt about that. Clan,” -he added, “go to the camp for our mounts. You needn’t bring a horse for -Darrel—he can ride behind me on Borak.” - -“Going to take him to Ophir?” asked Clancy, bounding to his feet and -starting up the cañon. - -“No, to Dolliver’s. Hustle, old man!” - -Clancy disappeared up the narrow trail at a keen run. - -“I—I’ve made a monkey’s fist of this, all right,” muttered Darrel. “If -I’d left you alone, Chip, you’d have got the ball with ground to spare. -But I had to try to star myself, and this is what comes of it.” - -“Don’t fret about that, old man,” said Merry. “The thing to do now is -to have the arm attended to.” - -“Why don’t you take him to the camp?” asked Ballard. “We could get -there in a mighty small part of the time it would take to reach -Dolliver’s.” - -“Darrel has got to have a comfortable bed, for one thing, Pink,” Merry -answered. “Mainly, though, we can use the phone from Dolliver’s and -get the doctor out from Ophir by motor car. By going to the ranch at -the mouth of the cañon, we’ll not only save time, but make Darrel more -comfortable into the bargain.” - -“What happened to me?” queried Darrel, smothering his pain with a -heroic effort. “Did I drop all the way down the cliff wall? I can’t -remember a thing after hitting the shelf.” - -“You rolled off the shelf and lodged on a bowlder,” Frank answered. “We -got you down by means of the rope.” - -“‘We’ didn’t have a thing to do with it,” spoke up Ballard. “It was -Chip did it all, Darrel. He swarmed up the side of the cliff with the -rope, took a half hitch around a bit of a tree, and then lowered——” - -“Don’t worry him with all that,” struck in Merry. “Just lie as quietly -as you can, Darrel. Here, put your head on this.” - -Jerking off his coat, he rolled it up for a pillow, and Darrel was -gently lowered until he was lying at full length on the rocks. His eyes -closed. Although he made no sound, yet the contracting muscles of his -face showed that he was fighting hard with pain. - -At last a clatter of hoofs announced the coming of Clancy with two led -horses. Handy and the rest had not returned from up the cañon, and -Clancy had seen nothing of Fritz, Silva, or the professor. Because of -his failure to see anybody at the camp, he had been unable to report -the accident. - -“Everybody will know about it soon enough, Clan,” said Frank. “Now, you -ride on to Dolliver’s as fast as you can and use the phone. Ask Mr. -Bradlaugh to bring out the doctor in his motor car. Ballard and I will -come on with Darrel.” - -“On the jump,” answered Clancy. - -Merriwell took the reins of the led horses, and the red-headed chap dug -in with his heels and vanished toward the mouth of the cañon. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - QUICK WORK FOR DARREL. - - -“There’s a little ginger left in me, pards,” murmured Darrel, sitting -up. “I’m not letting a busted wing put me down and out entirely.” - -He got up slowly and stood beside Ballard. - -“You’re to ride behind me, old man,” said Merriwell. “I’ll mount, Pink, -and then you help him up.” - -Frank swung into the saddle, pulled the restive Borak down sharply, and -kicked a foot out of the stirrup for Darrel’s use. Darrel was game, if -ever a boy was. With a little aid from Ballard, he succeeded in getting -astride the horse, and held himself there with his right arm around -Merriwell. - -“Can you hang on, Darrel?” asked Frank. - -“Sure,” was the reply. “Just hurry, that’s all.” - -With a shouted request for Ballard to follow, Frank headed Borak down -the gulch. Five miles lay between Tinaja Wells and the ranch at the -mouth of the cañon known as Dolliver’s. There was no horse in that part -of the country that could cover the ground more speedily than Borak. -Knowing that the ride was plain torture for Darrel, Frank sought to get -it over with as quickly as possible. - -Although the broken arm swung cruelly during the rough ride, yet never -once did so much as a whimper escape Darrel’s lips. In less than -half an hour the treacherous trail was covered, and Frank drew up in -front of the ranch building. Both Dolliver and Clancy were in front -to receive the injured lad. It was well that they were there, and -ready, for no sooner had Borak been drawn to a halt than Darrel pitched -sideways from his back. He was caught in the outstretched arms of the -rancher and Clancy, and swiftly borne into the house. - -Ballard came up, a moment later, and he and Frank dismounted, secured -their horses at the hitching post, and went in to learn what luck -Clancy had had with his telephoning. - -“The doctor’s on the way, Chip,” said Clancy. “I got Mr. Bradlaugh -right off the reel. He said he knew the doctor was in town, and that -he would be snatching him toward Dolliver’s in less than five minutes. -That wasn’t so very long ago, though. You must have ridden like blazes -to get here so quick.” - -The agony of the rapid ride down the gulch must have been intense -for Darrel. He had kept himself in hand pretty well until reaching -Dolliver’s, and then a wave of weakness had blotted out his endurance. - -A bed in the main room of the ranch was ready for him, and he was -now lying in it, as comfortable as he could possibly be under the -circumstances. - -“I’m putting you fellows to a heap of trouble,” remarked Darrel weakly. - -“Oh, bother that!” answered Merry. “It’s mighty good to know that -you’ve come off with only a broken arm. You’ll not be laid up long, old -man.” - -“I’m wondering how that rope happened to give way. It——” - -“Don’t wonder about a blooming thing, Darrel. Wait till you feel -better.” - -“I can’t get it out of my mind,” persisted Darrel. “Where did it break? -Did you see?” - -“It broke in the place where you had it looped around the paloverde,” -said Ballard. - -“Strike me lucky!” muttered Darrel, a puzzled look battling with the -pain in his face. “Why, it couldn’t have broken there! That rope was -Clan’s reata, and was as sound as any rope you ever saw.” - -“That’s what happened, anyhow,” said Frank. - -“I’m blamed if I can understand it!” - -Frank and the other two were also at a loss to understand it. There was -certainly something queer about the breaking of that rope. - -A little later, the hum of a motor car was heard along the trail. - -“Mr. Bradlaugh has come over the road for a record,” remarked Clancy, -starting for the door. “But I knew he’d hit ’er up.” - -When the boys reached the front of the house, the big car was just -slowing to a halt. - -“Nothing but a broken arm, eh, boys?” asked Mr. Bradlaugh, as the -doctor tumbled out with his surgical case. - -“That’s all, sir,” Frank answered. - -“I didn’t catch the name over the phone. Whose arm was it? Not -Hannibal’s?” - -“No, Darrel’s.” - -Bradlaugh’s face suddenly clouded. - -“That young rascal, eh?” he muttered. - -Frank was quick to catch the significance of Mr. Bradlaugh’s remark. - -“You know something about Ellis Darrel, Mr. Bradlaugh?” he asked. - -“I know that his uncle made a home for him, treated him indulgently in -every way, and that he rewarded Hawtrey by forging his name to pay a -gambling debt. I was sorry to hear that you’d taken up with the fellow, -Merriwell, or that you were making room for him in the Ophir camp. He’s -a wild one, and won’t do any of you much good.” - -Here was an impression which Frank was determined to change for one of -another sort. While Clancy and Ballard were helping the doctor set the -broken arm, and while an occasional groan of pain echoed out through -the open ranch door, Frank leaned against the side of the car and -earnestly explained a few things to Mr. Bradlaugh. - -He went into the details of that thousand-dollar robbery, just as he -had done once before for the benefit of Colonel Hawtrey, and by the -time he had finished his defense of Darrel, Mr. Bradlaugh was almost -convinced that he had made a wrong estimate of “the boy from Nowhere.” - -“Well, well,” smiled the president of the Ophir Athletic Club, “you’re -a red-hot champion of Darrel’s anyhow. If you’re so positive that the -boy has been a victim of some designing scoundrel, I can’t help but -think there may be some mistake about that forgery matter. Hawtrey’s a -very wealthy man, and the only ones he can leave his property to are -Jode Lenning and Ellis Darrel. If Darrel is out of it, then it all goes -to Lenning. There’s a point that demands consideration. I don’t know -much about Lenning except that he’s a pretty good sprinter, and seems -to be the apple of the colonel’s eye—now that Darrel appears to have -gone to the bad. If you think you’re doing the right thing by taking up -with Darrel, all right. I’m willing to trust to your judgment. And now, -tell me, how’s everything at Tinaja Wells?” - -“Fine as silk,” Frank answered. “This accident of Darrel’s is the first -one we’ve had.” - -“How did it happen?” - -Frank recounted the details, in a general way, putting himself very -much in the background. - -“Own up,” smiled Mr. Bradlaugh; “you’re the one who picked Darrel off -the shelf, and kept him from breaking his neck as well as his arm. -Isn’t that the size of it?” - -Merriwell dodged the question as well as he could, and began telling -about Hawtrey’s visit to the camp, and his proposals. Mr. Bradlaugh was -in hearty agreement with the colonel. - -“It’s up to you, boys,” said he, “to wipe out this bitterness between -the two clubs while you are out in the hills in neighboring camps. If -that’s accomplished, it will be something worth while. Remember, too, -all Ophir is counting on you to give us a winning eleven for the game -with Gold Hill.” - -“I’ll do my best,” Frank answered. “Won’t you come in, Mr. Bradlaugh, -and meet Darrel?” - -“He’s probably in no condition to make acquaintances now,” answered Mr. -Bradlaugh, shaking his head; “and, besides,” he added, “I’d a good deal -rather shake hands with him after you prove he’s innocent of forging -his uncle’s name.” - -In an hour, the doctor’s work was finished. The broken arm had been -set and bandaged with splints, and there was an odor of drugs around -Dolliver’s and much relief and satisfaction in the minds of Frank and -his chums. There were no internal injuries, so far as the doctor could -see, and, in a month or so, Darrel was promised that he should be as -well as ever. - -It was growing dark, by that time, and, as Frank knew the lads at the -camp would be wondering over the absence of most of those left on guard -duty, he and Clancy started back to Tinaja Wells shortly after Mr. -Bradlaugh had whirled away toward town with the doctor. Ballard was to -remain behind and look after Darrel. - -It was eight o’clock when Merriwell and Clancy rode up on the flat and -got wearily down from their horses. As Silva hurried up and took the -mounts, a throng of lads surrounded the latecomers. - -“Where the dickens have you fellows been?” demanded Hannibal Bradlaugh. -“Fritz has been howling his Dutch head off trying to get you to come to -supper. And that was all of two hours ago. The last seen of you, you -were on your way down the cañon to help Clancy and Ballard get that -football that Silva had kicked over the cliff. Some of us went down -there looking for you, but all we could find was a rope hanging from a -stunted tree on the cliffside. It was the biggest kind of a mystery. -And it only got deeper and deeper when Silva discovered that mounts -belonging to you, Ballard and Clancy had vanished from the herd. Come -across with the news, Chip. We’re all of us on tenterhooks.” - -“Can’t we eat while we’re palavering?” wailed Clancy. “I feel as though -I hadn’t hit a grub layout for a week.” - -“Come on mit yoursellufs,” said Fritz, “und haf a leedle someding vich -I peen keeping hot. Dit you get der pall?” - -“Hang the ball!” answered Clancy, “we’ve had something else to think -of.” - -While they ate, the two chums told of the accident to Darrel, and how -they had taken him to Dolliver’s and left him there with Ballard. There -was general regret expressed on every hand, for Darrel, greeted with -distrust when he had first reached the camp, was fast becoming a prime -favorite. - -“While we were hiking back down the cañon,” said Handy, “we met -Hawtrey. We talked with him for a spell, and he batted up that -proposition of competing in a friendly way with the Gold Hillers. He -said you favored it. When we reached camp we found Lenning and Bleeker, -from Camp Hawtrey, waiting for us. They proposed a football game for -to-morrow afternoon, and I took them on for two fifteen minutes of -play. Didn’t think it best to tire the boys for a full game. I reckon, -though, that I’d better send over to their camp and call it off.” - -“Don’t you do it, Handy,” protested Merriwell. “Let ’em come. I’m -particularly anxious to get better acquainted with Jode Lenning.” - -Handy and Brad studied Frank’s face earnestly, for a minute, and then -they both chuckled. - -“I see your signal smoke, Chip,” grinned Handy. “You’re thinking of -Darrel. All right, we’ll let them come; and I hope something happens, -during the set-to, that will be of some benefit to Curly.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - UGLY SUSPICIONS. - - -Before Spink, on a battered old bugle, sounded reveille for the camp, -next morning, Merriwell and Clancy crawled out of their tent, took a -dip in the swimming pool, hurriedly dressed, and went down the cañon. -The object of their secret expedition was to recover the rope which had -given way under Darrel’s weight, the preceding afternoon. This rope, -it will be remembered, had been left tied to the stunted tree when -Merriwell descended to the cañon bed after lowering the unfortunate -Darrel. - -Clancy, first to reach the trailing cable, examined the end of it and -then flung it from him disappointedly. - -“Hang the luck!” he exclaimed; “this is the wrong end, Chip.” - -Merriwell laughed. - -“Of course, it’s the wrong end,” said he. “The end that was tied to the -paloverde is up close to the place where Darrel was hanging from the -bowlder. You see, Clan, when the rope dropped, the end that had not -been tied to the tree lay uppermost. One end was as good as another to -me, so I lashed that to my waist and carried it up to Darrel. That, of -course, was the end I made fast around Darrel’s body, and it came down -with him, leaving the end we want to examine pretty much aloft.” - -“Another climb has to be made in order to get it?” - -“Sure, old man, unless you can think of another way for getting it -down.” - -This was more than Clancy had bargained for. He had thought that about -all he and Merry would have to do would be to walk down the cañon, cut -off the end of the rope they were interested in, then stroll back to -camp and examine the section of hemp at their leisure. But Merry, as -usual, had considered the matter more thoroughly. - -“I nearly had heart failure,” said Clancy, “when you made the climb -yesterday. Pass it up, Chip. It’s just a spasm of curiosity on our -part, anyhow. It would be rank foolishness for you to risk your neck -because we’re curious as to how the rope happened to break.” - -“I’ve a notion, Clan,” returned Merriwell soberly, “that this breaking -of the rope reaches deeper than we imagine.” - -“How so?” - -“There may be a plot back of it.” - -“A plot?” The color faded from Clancy’s homely face and left the -freckles standing out in prominent blotches. “You don’t mean,” he -gasped, “that there was a plot to—to kill Darrel?” - -“I haven’t said so, and just now I don’t want to go on record as -thinking of such a dastardly thing. All the same, though, I’ll have a -look at the other end of that rope if it takes a leg.” - -“If that’s the way you feel about it,” said Clancy, “you can bet a ripe -persimmon I’m not going to let you hog all the dangerous work. Uncle -Clancy will do the climbing this morning, and work up an appetite for -breakfast.” - -“Not much you don’t,” was Merriwell’s decided answer, as he flung off -his coat and laid hold of the rope. “Recovering the rope was my idea, -and I’m going up there, cut off what I need, and come back with it.” - -“We’ll draw straws,” urged the red-headed fellow. “The fellow that gets -the short one goes up.” - -“Just consider that I drew the short one,” chuckled Merry, and began to -climb. - -Clancy growled as he watched his chum hand over hand his way up the -first twenty feet, then allow his legs to help his arms the rest of the -distance. It was all so easily and so cleverly done that Clancy lost -his apprehensions. - -“You’re certainly all to the mustard, Chip,” he called. “Don’t linger -too long, though. I’m hungry to have a look at the upper end of that -rope myself.” - -Frank, climbing to the bowlder which had caught Darrel in his fall, -wedged himself comfortably between the stunted tree and the face of the -cliff, swung his legs out over space and began an examination of the -cable. - -There were two ends to it, for it had been looped around the paloverde -and had given away in the middle of the loop. What Frank discovered -he did not make known to his anxious chum at that moment. Severing a -four-foot section of the rope, he tied it about his waist, cautiously -arose to his feet on the bowlder and began climbing again. - -“Where the mischief are you going now, Chip?” bellowed Clancy. - -Frank was too busy to answer. Presently the lad below saw him hang to -the rocks and reach over the edge of the shelf. The next moment, the -lost football came bounding down into the cañon. - -“Darn!” roared Clancy. “I should think that confounded ball has caused -trouble enough without making you take any more chances to get hold of -it. I guess it wouldn’t bankrupt the O. A. C to lose a five-dollar -pigskin.” - -“We’ll need that in the game this afternoon, Clan,” shouted Merry. - -Then he slid back to the bowlder, sat down on it, swung off on the -stunted tree, and came down the rope as easily as though it had been a -ladder. - -“You wanted to show off,” jeered Clancy, “and I guess you made out to -do it. Now take that piece of rope from your waist and let’s look at -it.” - -Silently Merriwell untied the section of rope and handed it to Clancy. -The latter took it in his hands, examined it, and looked up, startled. - -“Well, what do you think?” Merriwell asked. - -“It didn’t break, Chip.” - -“No.” - -“It was cut.” - -“Yes,” nodded Merriwell. “The strands of hemp were severed with a sharp -instrument of some kind. It was a clean stroke that separated Darrel’s -lifeline from the paloverde, Clan.” - -“What scoundrel——” - -“Keep your shirt on, Red,” broke in Frank. “At this stage of the game -there’s no use guessing about who did it or why it was done. We can -suppose that somebody crept into the greasewood, watched Darrel as he -lowered himself, and then struck the rope with the edge of a knife, -or a hatchet. The rope would have cut easily. The loop was drawn taut -against the paloverde by Darrel’s weight, and——” - -Horror had been slowly rising in Clancy’s eyes. - -“What wretch,” he whispered, “what infernal villain, would have dared -to do a thing like that?” - -“There you are again,” said Merriwell calmly, “trying to guess who it -was might attempt such a devilish piece of work. If you keep that up, -first thing you know you’ll be doing some one an injustice. After all, -you know, Darrel’s fall might really have been due to an accident.” - -“Maybe I’m thick, but I’ll swear I can’t see how it could have been an -accident.” - -“Suppose the reata, in kicking around the camp, had been accidentally -cut into near that particular end? Suppose Darrel, in tying the rope -about the paloverde, didn’t notice the weak spot?” - -At first Clancy was impressed with this reasoning; then, when his wits -had a little time to work, he believed he saw the fallacy of it. - -“If it had been like that, Chip,” said he, “a few strands would have -been left torn and ragged where they had broken. But that’s not the -case. Every strand shows a keen, clear cut. Your argument won’t hold -water.” - -“Possibly not,” agreed Merriwell, his face hardening, “but I’d rather, -ten times over, think this was an accident rather than a deliberate -attempt on the part of some fiend to put Darrel out of the way. We may -have our suspicions, ugly suspicions, but let’s keep them to ourselves -until we get a little further light on this business. If no light ever -comes—well, we’ll throw the piece of rope away and try to forget all -about it. It’s an awful thing, Clancy, to think there was a deliberate -plan to throw Darrel down the face of that cliff. There goes the -bugle,” he added, getting into his coat. “Mum’s the word, Clan, when we -get back to camp.” - -Coiling up the piece of rope, Merry thrust it under his coat, where it -could not be seen. Very thoughtfully the two lads returned to Tinaja -Wells. - -Professor Phineas Borrodaile was in front of the tent, jointly occupied -by himself and Frank and his chums, carefully combing what little hair -nature had spared him. A three-cornered piece of looking-glass, hung -against the canvas-tent wall, aided him somewhat in making his toilet. - -Fritz, moving toward the chuck tent with an armful of wood, sighted the -ball under Clancy’s arm. He gave a whoop of delight, and dropped the -wood. - -“Py shinks,” he cried, “you got him! Vat a habbiness iss dot! Say, -Merrivell, now I can lick dot greaser feller, don’d it, mitoudt gedding -tocked der fife tollar?” - -“Lay a hand on Silva,” answered Frank, glaring at Fritz and winking an -off eye at Clancy, “and you’ll lose the five, ball or no ball.” - -Fritz looked grieved, and slowly picked up his wood and waddled away -with it. Clancy threw the ball into the tent and dropped down in the -shade beside Merriwell. - -“Merriwell,” said the professor, a troubled look in his face, “ever -since I returned to camp yesterday afternoon I have found myself vastly -concerned over this accident to Darrel—vastly concerned. In fact, I -may say I have become obsessed with the idea that some one—I cannot -say who—may be entangled in the affair in a—er—guilty manner. Tell me, -if you please, do you consider that what happened to Darrel was an -accident?” - -The professor doubled up his pocket comb like a jackknife and stowed -it away in his pocket. Then, adjusting his glasses, he peered over the -tops of them at Frank. - -“How could it have been anything else, professor?” - -“You are beating about the bush, Merriwell,” reproved the professor; -“you are not frank with me. Do you, sir, consider the breaking of that -rope an accident, or not?” - -“Not,” spoke up Clancy. - -“From the facts at hand,” replied Merriwell, “it is hard to say what -it was.” - -“I speak in this manner,” went on Professor Borrodaile, “because, -shortly before the supposed accident happened, I was among the rocks to -the south of that particular part of the cañon. I heard high words from -beyond a bit of chaparral, as of two men quarreling. I had no interest -in the quarrel, if such it was, so I sought to avoid the men and -proceed with my examination of the rocks adjacent to the cañon’s brink. -And yet, I had a glimpse of the disputatious pair. One of them, I am -sure, was Jode Lenning; the other was the young man called Bleeker.” - -Clancy cast a startled look at Merriwell. - -“Later,” went on the professor, “much later, Lenning and Bleeker -appeared in this camp and spoke to Handy. Where were Lenning and -Bleeker during the interim? I confess, Merriwell, that the thought -annoys me. It certainly could not have taken the two Gold Hill young -men an hour or more to come from the place where I saw them to Tinaja -Wells. What do you think?” - -Just then Fritz came forth and announced “grub pile” in his usual -hearty manner, and Merry did not find it necessary to tell Professor -Borrodaile what he thought. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - - A FRIEND FROM CAMP HAWTREY. - - -Darrel passed a restless night at Dolliver’s ranch. His arm, stiffly -wrapped with splints and bandages, was swollen and feverish. The pain -of it must have been intense. - -Ballard did what he could to cheer Darrel up. The boy with the broken -arm, however, had mental worries apart from his physical pains, and it -was hard for Ballard to do anything with him. As the forenoon wore on, -Darrel began to talk, and to reveal the troubles that lay at the back -of his head. - -“Pink,” said he, with an air of desperation, “I’ve got to do something -to clear up that forgery matter. The colonel won’t have a thing to do -with me until I prove that I didn’t sign his name to that check.” - -“Chip’s going to look after that, old man,” returned Ballard. “Leave -it to him. You’ve got enough to fret about, seems to me, without going -into any of your family affairs.” - -“It’s on my mind a whole lot, pard,” continued Darrel, gritting his -teeth to keep back a groan. “I hate to be treated like a yellow dog by -Uncle Alvah. If I had really forged the check, then I’m getting no more -than what’s coming to me; but I didn’t—I’d take my oath I didn’t.” - -“What’s that old saw about, ‘Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again’? -Just keep your shirt on, and wait. In the end, everything will come out -O. K. Chip’s on the trail, and you can bet a pinch of snuff against a -bone collar button that he’ll run it out. Take matters easy, Darrel, -and wait for Merriwell to play his hand.” - -“I can’t leave it all to him,” fretted Darrel. - -“You’ve got to leave it to somebody until you can get up and around, -haven’t you? A few days, or weeks, won’t make any difference. That -forgery business has been hanging fire for more than a year, and I -guess there isn’t any great rush about clearing it up right now.” - -Darrel squirmed impatiently as he lay in the bed. - -“It was different,” said he, “when I was drifting around in other parts -of the West. Then I was among strangers, and nobody knew anything about -me. Now that I’m back on this range, I can’t meet a soul but knows I’m -the nephew that disgraced the colonel’s family, and I’m looked on with -contempt. Even Dolliver acts as though he thought I was a criminal.” - -“Gammon! Say, Darrel, your imagination is working overtime. Dolliver’s -manner is all that can be desired. I haven’t seen a thing in his -actions to suggest that he looks on you as a jailbird.” - -“I can see it, Pink, even if you can’t,” insisted Darrel. “Things have -got to be different, and they’ve got to change mighty soon.” - -“Leave it to Merry. He, and all the rest of us, believe in you, and are -working for you. Something will turn up, take it from me, and there’s -no earthly use in your worrying yourself blue in the face because it -doesn’t turn up right away.” - -“The colonel thinks a heap of Jode,” murmured Darrel. - -“Jode is a soft-sawdering beggar, and knows how to get around him. It -gets my goat the way a man as smart as the old colonel allows himself -to be taken in. But it can’t last. Hawtrey’s eyes are bound to be -opened some time.” - -“I don’t want to be the one that strips the mask away from Jode. In -order to believe that Jode is a schemer, the colonel will have to find -it out for himself.” - -“You can’t be too ladylike about it. When you fight the devil, you -know, you’ve got to use fire.” - -Noon came, and the early hours of afternoon began drifting away. It -was about two o’clock when a visitor dropped in at Dolliver’s. He came -on horseback, left his mount at Dolliver’s hitching pole, and pushed a -bulletlike head through the door of the front room. - -“How’s the patient?” he asked of Ballard. - -Ballard recognized the fellow as one Mark Hotchkiss, a Gold Hiller -belonging with the rival camp. - -“Come in, and ask him yourself,” Ballard answered. - -A bony youth of seventeen projected himself through the door. Darrel -turned his head on the pillow and looked at him. - -“Hello, Hotch,” said he. “What’re you doing here?” - -“Came to find out how you’re makin’ it,” grinned Hotchkiss. - -“You Gold Hill chaps must be worrying a lot about me,” said Darrel -sarcastically. - -“There’s a few of us who don’t think you’ve had a square deal, El. -Jode’s king bee at our camp, and there’s some of the junipers over -there that ain’t got the nerve to call their souls their own. I’m my -own boss, I reckon. Nearly all of our crowd have gone to Tinaja Wells -for a football game this afternoon. Bleeker and me and one or two more -was left behind.” - -“Bleeker!” exclaimed Darrel. “Why, he’s one of the strongest men on the -football squad!” - -“Sure, but Jode’s hot at him, and Jode’s captain of the eleven, so he -carries his grouch to the extent of orderin’ those he don’t like to -stay behind.” - -“Why is Jode hot at Bleeker?” - -“That’s too many for me. They ain’t hardly spoke to each other since -they got back from the Ophir camp yesterday. You see, them two went to -the Wells to fix up the details of the game, and they was as chummy -as you please when they left Camp Hawtrey, but they come back mad as -blazes at each other.” - -“Maybe,” suggested Ballard, “Bleeker’s beginning to find out some -things about Jode that don’t set well.” - -“Like enough,” grinned Hotchkiss. “The football players made for Tinaja -Wells on foot, ‘cross country. Parkman was late in startin’, and just -before he pulled out, Bleeker, with a face like a thundercloud, rushed -from his tent with a note all sealed up in an envelope. He hands it to -Parkman. ‘Give that to Lenning on the q. t.,’ says Bleeker; ‘tell him -it’s from me, and it’s about El Darrel,’ he says, ‘and about Merriwell -a little, too,’ he says. ‘I don’t want to get myself in no trouble -with Jode,’ says Parkman, half a mind not to have a thing to do with -the note. ‘You’ll get yourself into a whole lot of trouble with me,’ -Bleeker says, ‘if you don’t do as I want.’ So, with that, Park takes -the note and slips it away some’r’s inside his uniform. I reckon -Jode’ll get it, all right.” - -Darrel was developing a strong interest in that note of Bleeker’s. - -“What had Bleeker to tell Lenning about me,” he asked, “that he -couldn’t bat up to him without putting it in a letter?” - -“Kin savvy?” returned Hotchkiss, giving the local equivalent for the -Mexican _quien sabe_—who knows? “A few of us what was left behind at -Camp Hawtrey put our heads together and sort of made up our minds about -somethin’. That’s mainly the reason I’m here, El. You see, the reason -Jode’s down on a few of us is because we was stickin’ up for you. We -told Jode flat that we didn’t take no stock in that forgery business, -and reckoned you’d clear yourself some day. That made Jode madder’n -hops. All those that kept their mouths shut Jode took to Tinaja Wells.” - -Ballard was almost as deeply interested in Hotchkiss’ remarks as was -Darrel. Here was a friend from the rival camp, and he brought news that -might be of great value. - -“Now,” pursued Hotchkiss, “us fellers that was left behind—barrin’ -Bleeker—sort of made up our minds that the note Parkman’s totin’ maybe -contains a clew about the forgery matter. Bleeker, as you know, El, has -been mighty close to Jode for a couple o’ years or more. Them two was -thicker’n two peas in a pod at the time the colonel turned you adrift. -It looks to a few of us as though Bleek’s had an attack of conscience, -or somethin’, and has put on paper a few things that may be pretty -important to you. I was delegated to come over here, tell you about the -note, and suggest a plan of action.” - -“What plan?” - -Darrel’s eyes were big and bright, and he rose on his right elbow and -peered earnestly at Hotchkiss. - -“Well, you got friends in the Ophir camp,” said Hotchkiss. “Have ’em -get that note away from Parkman; or, if it’s too late to get it from -Parkman, then have ’em take it from Jode.” - -“It’s Lenning’s letter,” put in Ballard. “What business have Darrel’s -friends with it?” - -“If it comes to that, what business have Bleek and Len with evidence -clearin’ Darrel of that forgery?” - -“How do you know the letter contains anything like that?” demanded -Ballard. - -“I reckon us fellers in the Gold Hill camp ain’t deef, dumb, and -blind,” bristled Hotchkiss. “We’ve kept our eyes and ears open, we -have. A bunch of us is friends of El’s, here, and we allow he’s goin’ -to clear himself. What Bleek knows about that forgery he’s put into -that letter, more’n likely, and right here’s a chance for El to be -cleared by a little snappy work. You see, Bleek’s so mad at Jode he -won’t speak to him, and Jode’s so mad at Bleek he won’t take him to -Tinaja Wells. Maybe he’s afeared, if Bleek was near Merriwell, that -he’d split on the hull business.” - -Darrel swerved his glimmering eyes to Ballard. - -“Pink,” said he, deeply stirred, “I’m banking on Hotchkiss and the -few friends I have in Camp Hawtrey. Meddling with correspondents -that doesn’t concern the meddler is pretty bum business, but we have -Bleeker’s word for it that the letter he sent Jode concerns me—and -Merriwell, too. Doesn’t that give us the right to get hold of it, if we -can?” - -“That’s a pretty fine point,” frowned Ballard, “but I should say that -you and Chip have a right to that letter.” - -“Sure,” exploded Hotchkiss, “they have a right to it! The next thing -is for some of you friends of El’s to get it. I’ve done all I can.” -Hotchkiss got up, stepped to the side of the bed, and took Darrel’s -hand. “Some of us Gold Hillers, pard,” he went on, “have pinned our -faith to you. We can’t say much, or do much, because the colonel purty -nigh owns the club, and because Jode stands ace high with the colonel. -But we’ve put you wise to this letter, and it’s up to your Ophir -friends to help you out. Somethin’ will have to be done pretty quick, -I reckon, for that game’s due to come off before long. Some day, El,” -and Hotchkiss dropped Darrel’s hand and started for the door, “I hope -you’ll get Lenning on the mat for the count. He’s a two-faced coyote, -and that shot goes as it lays. _Adios!_” - -A few moments later, the hoofs of the Gold Hill boy’s horse could be -heard drumming a diminishing tattoo up the cañon. - -“Are my Ophir pards going to help me, Pink?” queried Darrel. - -“You can bet your life they are, Darrel!” answered Ballard. “Think you -can get along while I ride to Tinaja Wells, and put this up to Chip?” - -“Sure I can,” and a look of happiness overspread Darrel’s face. “At -last,” he murmured, “I think I’m on the right track.” - -“Here’s hoping,” said Ballard blithely. “I’m off on the keen jump, old -man,” and he rushed from the house to get his horse under saddle. - -A little later, he flashed past the door, waved his hat in a parting -salute to Darrel, and pushed at speed in the direction of Tinaja Wells. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - TRYING TO BE FRIENDLY. - - -During the forenoon of the day that was to witness the preliminary -skirmish with Gold Hill, Frank’s mind was not wholly on his studies. -He had been disturbed by his examination of the severed rope, and by -the professor’s remarks concerning Jode Lenning and Bleeker. It was -impossible for Frank to get away from the ugly suspicions of foul play -that had taken hold of him. He felt relieved when Fritz sang out the -dinner call, and books and recitations could be dismissed for the rest -of the day. - -Following the noon meal, Merry collected the football squad and started -in to give them a little talk. - -“Now, fellows,” said he, “we’re going to have thirty minutes of play -with Gold Hill this afternoon, and I want every one of you to be right -up on your toes. Gold Hill is going to watch you to see whether you -have improved any over last year, and we’re going to keep our eyes -peeled for weak points in the Gold Hill team. I don’t think they’ll -find out any more about us than we will find out about them, so honors -will be easy. Play the game, that’s all. The mesa isn’t quite so -good as the O. A. C. athletic field, but it’s plenty good enough -for this little try-out. I’m not at all particular whether you win a -little sawed-off preliminary set-to like this one, but I _am_ mighty -particular that you don’t let Gold Hill win. Hold them. - -“Another thing: There has been too much knock-down and drag-out in this -rivalry between Gold Hill and Ophir. A petty feeling of partisanship -has crept into all the contests between the two clubs, and it has -reached a point where it has become a disgrace. It’s up to you, by your -actions to-day, to wipe out the bitterness. Colonel Hawtrey is anxious -to have an era of good feeling crop out between the rival clubs, and -I guess it’s about time something of the sort did crop out if every -contest doesn’t end in a free-for-all rough-house. The colonel says the -Gold Hill fellows will meet us halfway in friendly sport, and I know -that you will do your part to have everything pleasant and agreeable. -Mr. Bradlaugh wants it that way, too. He told me so himself, and what -he says ought to carry a good deal of weight. Let’s be true sportsmen, -fellows, and when the other squad comes over here, just remember that -bygones are to be bygones, and that, with this afternoon, we’re setting -a new mark in the competitions with Gold Hill.” - -A cheer, which tried to be hearty, greeted Merriwell’s remarks. Handy, -the captain, stepped out to ease himself of a few words. - -“Most of you were up the cañon with me yesterday afternoon,” said he, -“and heard the talk I had with Colonel Hawtrey. The colonel’s as fine -as they make ‘em, fellows, and he’ll do his part to keep the Gold -Hillers in line. I reckon we’ll do ours. From now on, instead of being -licked by Gold Hill, every clatter out of the box, we’re going to do -some of the licking ourselves. It’s a fine thing to be a good loser, -but it’s just as fine, according to my notion, to be a good winner, -and show some consideration for the other fellow. Gold Hill never -showed us much consideration, but we’re going to forget the habit they -used to have of ‘rubbing it in.’ All we’re to remember is that we’re -making a cut for a new deal to-day, and that we’re meeting on neutral -territory— which is a good place to start the good work. We’re to play -thirty minutes, with a fifteen-minute interval between the quarters. Be -a credit to Ophir. That’s all.” - -The cheering still lacked the vim and heartiness which Merriwell would -like to have seen, but the Ophir fellows had a long string of bitter -defeats to live down, and they were human, and the remembrance of their -fights with the rival club could not be wiped out in a minute. It -would take a good many friendly competitions, with both sides showing -consideration and forbearance, to bring the relations of the clubs into -the zone of true sportsmanship. But that would come, Merriwell felt -certain, and to-day would mark the beginning. - -It was one-thirty when Colonel Hawtrey rode into camp. He had been -notified by telephone that the game was to be played, and he had come -personally to help inaugurate the “era of good feeling.” Mr. Bradlaugh -had also been notified, but business matters compelled him to remain -away from Tinaja Wells. He sent his regrets, however, and warned the -Ophir lads that he would expect them to prove that they were true -sportsmen in every sense of the word. - -The colonel was taken into camp with every expression of good will. Not -one in the Ophir crowd had any fault to find with the big man from Gold -Hill. For years he had tried his utmost to smooth out the differences -between the rival clubs, but had found a mysterious influence working -against him and upsetting all his plans. He had not the remotest idea -that Jode Lenning was back of this evil influence, but had he given -some attention to Jode he might have succeeded long before in bringing -affairs of the two clubs to a more amiable basis. - -When two o’clock came, ten Gold Hill men came trotting into the camp -on the flat, Jode Lenning at their head. The colonel, after greeting -Jode, passed his eye over the fellows behind him. - -“Only ten!” he exclaimed. “What does this mean, my boy?” - -“Parkman was late in starting,” Jode answered, “and we didn’t wait for -him. He’ll be along soon.” - -“Where’s Bleeker?” - -“He has a grouch of some kind, colonel, and wouldn’t come.” Lenning -laughed good-naturedly. “He’ll get over it, though,” he added. “You -know how Bleek is!” - -“I know he’s one of the best men on the team,” the colonel remarked, -“and that you’re handicapped without him. You haven’t any substitutes.” - -“We’re not going to need any, with this bunch.” - -There was lofty contempt in Lenning’s voice. Here, at the very start of -the new schedule of friendly rivalry, Lenning was giving vent to the -spirit that had done so much to put rival athletic affairs in a bad way. - -“Tut, tut!” said the colonel, with a look of annoyance, “these Ophir -fellows are as fine a lot of players as I’ve ever seen, and we’ll find -that we’re up against a pretty stiff proposition.” - -Hooking his arm through Lenning’s, the colonel led him off to one side -and began talking with him in low and earnest tones. Lenning could be -seen to smile and put on his most agreeable manner. - -“Did you hear that, Chip?” Handy asked, in a husky and angry whisper, -of Merriwell. - -“Never mind Lenning,” Frank answered. “Have the fellows circulate among -the visitors and show them there’s no hard feelings. Because Lenning’s -a cad, that’s no reason the rest of the Gold Hill team are cut on the -same pattern.” - -The Ophir lads went bravely at their task of inaugurating a new spirit -of friendliness with the other team. Going among them, they drew them -apart in groups, and before long there was considerably less frost in -the atmosphere than there had been. - -Presently the colonel and Lenning approached Merriwell and Clancy. -Lenning wore a furtive smile which he no doubt intended to be genial -and winning. He put out his hand to Merry. - -“Hello, Merriwell!” said he. “I’m sorry we had that disagreement over -the camping site. I was in the wrong entirely. You see, I had my heart -set on this place, and when I learned that you Ophir fellows had it, it -made me mad. I acted like a fool, and that’s no lie. But we’ve got a -fine place, over at Camp Hawtrey, and I hope you and the Ophir fellows -will return this visit, and give us a chance to convince you that we -mean to be friends, and all the better friends because we are rivals.” - -Frank took the offered hand, passing it on to Clancy, who came up at -that moment. - -“There’s no sense in being at loggerheads, Lenning,” said Frank. “You -may be sure that we’ll soon visit your camp.” - -Intuitively, Frank had felt that Jode Lenning’s clutching fingers -reflected anything but a genial nature. He could not help but think -that Lenning was acting a part, and for Hawtrey’s exclusive benefit. - -“I’m going to make it a point, my lads,” put in the colonel jovially, -“to be present at all your contests. And,” he added, “I’m looking -forward to a little wholesome excitement.” - -Just at that moment Parkman, the straggler, arrived in the camp. There -was a queer expression on his face as he sidled up toward Lenning, -turning away suddenly when he found the colonel’s eyes upon him. - -“Got here at last, eh, Parkman?” observed Hawtrey pleasantly. “I -suppose you were mending some of your gear. It’s a good thing to -overhaul your football equipment occasionally and make sure that -everything is in proper trim for use.” - -A blank look crossed Parkman’s face, but vanished when he caught a -significant glance from Lenning. - -“That’s right, sir,” said Parkman, and walked away. - -“I heard,” spoke up Lenning, “that Darrel met with an accident -yesterday. I—I hope it wasn’t serious?” - -He threw a doubtful look at the colonel as he put the question. The -colonel seemed to be paying little attention to what was said, and yet -Frank felt sure that he saw a glint of sudden anxiety rise in his eyes. - -“Broken arm, that’s all,” replied Merry. “Darrel will be all right in a -few weeks.” - -“You’d better take your crowd out for a little signal practice, Jode,” -suggested the colonel. “I’ll go with you. It will soon be time for the -game,” he finished, looking at his watch. - -“Good idea, sir,” assented Lenning; and called to the Gold Hill players. - -With the colonel at his side, Lenning led the way toward the mesa. -Parkman dodged along at their heels, seeking a chance for a word in -private with Lenning, but finding none. - -“Say, Chip,” said Clancy, when the Gold Hillers had vanished over the -edge of the mesa, “when I took Lenning’s hand I felt as though I had -a fistful of cold fish. Allow me to repeat what I said before—that -Lenning person is strictly nig.” - -“Let it go at that, Clan,” answered Merry. “The rest of the Gold -Hillers are all right.” - -“It’s a hard job, making friends with that outfit,” said Handy, coming -up just then and mopping the sweat from his face. “Everybody’s under a -good deal of a strain, and most of the Gold Hillers seem to be taking -their cue from Lenning. He’s a pill.” - -“Sugar-coated,” grinned Clancy, “when the colonel’s around.” - -“He makes me sick,” grunted Handy bluntly. “We’ve taken the colonel on -for referee,” he continued, to Merriwell, “by way of showing our good -will. Let’s go up on the mesa and get busy. I’ll be glad as blazes when -this game is over with.” - -“Them’s my sentiments, too, old man,” added Clancy, dropping in beside -Merriwell as the Ophir team started for the field. - -Gold Hill won the toss. The wind was at its back, and a Gold Hill toe -lifted the ball far into the field. - -The game was on. From the side lines, Merriwell and Clancy were -watching every move with keen, critical eyes. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - SHARP WORK. - - -“The Gold Hillers shape up well, Chip,” remarked Clancy. “So far as -beef is concerned, they put it all over our lads.” - -“Headwork does more than ‘beef’ to win a game, Clan,” replied Merriwell -confidently. “Look at Brad, will you!” - -Hannibal Bradlaugh, playing half back for the Ophir team, had caught -the ball and run it back twenty yards before he was downed. In another -moment came the first scrimmage. Neither Clancy nor Merry had any time -for further talk, just then, so anxious were they not to miss a single -detail of the play. - -Brad tried to get through the center. He gained a little, and Handy, -captain and full back, went around the end for a couple of yards. The -Gold Hill line was putting up a good defense, and both Merriwell and -Clancy were finding time to note the work of Lenning, at right guard. - -“Remember how he beat the pistol in the race with Darrel?” Clancy said -to Merriwell. “If Lenning was tricky in one thing you’ll find him -tricky in all. He’ll try something or other here, if I’m any prophet, -Chip.” - -“Not while the colonel is watching him, Clan,” Merry answered. - -Handy retreated, and kicked. The colonel, carried away by the game and -perhaps forgetting that an impartial spirit was to be looked for in a -referee, was shouting excitedly and urging the Gold Hillers to do their -best, and applauding their resistance. - -Merriwell was eager to learn whether the Ophir fellows could hold the -rival eleven as well as Gold Hill had held their Ophir opponents. The -players crouched, then, as though touched by an electric wire, flung -into action. The result was a disappointment, for Gold Hill had gone -through the Ophir line for five yards. - -The colonel’s excitement increased. He was cheering his club -frantically when he suddenly seemed to remember his official position, -and put a damper on his ardor. - -“Hold them, Ophir!” whooped Clancy. “You’re just as good as they are! -Aren’t you going to hold ’em?” - -This urging seemed to have no effect, for there was another play, and -this time the ball went through for a seven-yard gain. - -“Well, well!” muttered Merry. “What do you think of that?” - -There followed a fierce drive at center, and Joe Mayburn let the runner -get past him for ten yards. Clancy was dancing around like a wild man. -Handy was doing all he could to steady the boys, but it was plain that -they were badly rattled by the sharp work of the other team. - -Another play was aimed at center, but Mayburn was on his mettle, and -the attack was thrown off. - -“Bully work, Mayburn!” roared Merry. “That’s the style!” - -“I guess they don’t find Mayburn so easy as they thought,” chuckled -Clancy. “There they go again,” he added. - -And again Gold Hill failed. Confidence was returning to the Ophir men. - -“They’re getting their nerve back,” commented Merriwell. “Oh, I guess -we’ll show those fellows that Ophir is a different crowd to-day from -what it was a year ago. Now let Gold Hill kick.” - -The way Ophir came up the field was beautiful to see. Savagely Gold -Hill fought for every yard of the way. After two downs and a total gain -of twenty yards, Handy tried for a field goal and missed. The colonel -waved his hat, and then calmed himself into the correct official -impassiveness. A little later, he blew the whistle. - -“Fifteen minutes?” cried Clancy. “Thunder, Chip, it seems more like -fifteen seconds to me.” - -“The colonel’s holding the watch,” laughed Merry, “so he must have it -pretty nearly right.” - -“We ought to have a full sixty-minute session out of this. Why the -deuce did Handy stipulate that only two quarters were to be played?” - -“His head was level. A little of this sort of thing is a great -plenty—with the real game some three weeks off.” - -Parkman moved over toward Lenning, who was walking from the field. The -two sat down to rest on a heap of bowlders close to the edge of the -mesa. - -The colonel, his face beaming, made directly for Merriwell and Clancy. - -“It’s as even a thing, Merriwell,” he exclaimed, “as you’d find -anywhere! You’ve done wonders with this Ophir eleven. If I wasn’t so -old and warped with rheumatism I’d take a hand in it myself. Why don’t -you get into it?” - -The colonel did not wait for an answer, but saw Handy coming up and -turned in his direction. - -“I’d like an hour of this, Handy,” he cried. “Why don’t you let ’em box -the compass for the limit?” - -Handy looked at Merriwell, and what he saw in the latter’s face -convinced him that his stipulations were fully approved. - -“I don’t want to work our boys too hard, just at the present time, -colonel,” said he. “The first quarter ended with the ball in the center -of the field, and with everything pretty well balanced, so far as I -could make out.” - -Merriwell, seeing Bradlaugh beckon to him, left Clancy and Handy -talking with the colonel, and moved over to hear what Brad had to say. - -“Chip,” whispered Brad excitedly, “there’s a hen on!” - -“What do you mean?” - -“I mean that Lenning is up to some dirty move or other, that’s what I -mean.” - -“Bosh! I’ve been watching him like a weasel, and I——” - -“I don’t mean during the play,” Brad interrupted, “but over there on -that rock pile where he’s been talking with Parkman.” - -“What’s happened?” - -“I was over there myself, stretched out for a little rest. I was on -one side of the bowlders, and those two came up and sat on the other -side. Parkman handed Lenning something. ‘That’s from Bleeker,’ I heard -him say, ‘and he says it contains some hot news about Darrel and -Merriwell.’ That’s all that was said. Parkman sneaked off as though he -was afraid some one would see him. I got up to move away, and looked -back, to see Lenning reading a note. His face was savage. He made as -though he’d tear up the note, then changed his mind and pushed it in -between the lacings of his jacket. What do you suppose is going on?” - -“Whatever it is, Brad,” answered Merriwell calmly, “it’s none of my -business.” - -“But Parkman mentioned your name and Darrel’s. Certainly it is some of -your business.” - -“I can’t figure it that way, or——” - -Merriwell bit his words short. Ballard was just hurrying up over the -edge of the mesa and laying a course in his direction. Merry’s first -thought was that something had happened to Darrel, and he hastened to -get close to Ballard. - -“Game begun?” panted Ballard. - -“Begun, and half over,” was the reply. “We’re only to play two -quarters, and there’s a fifteen-minute interval between them. What’s -the matter, Pink? Why are you here? Darrel all right?” - -“Darrel’s getting along in good shape,” Ballard answered, “but there’s -something up that ought to be attended to.” - -“What?” - -“It seems there’s a division of sentiment in the Gold Hill camp -regarding Darrel. A few of the Gold Hill fellows think Darrel isn’t -getting a fair shake. Lenning found it out, and made them stay behind -when he and the rest came to Tinaja Wells for this game. He’d had a -quarrel with Bleeker, I don’t know what about, and the two have hardly -spoken since last night. Hotchkiss, one of Darrel’s Gold Hill friends, -came to Dolliver’s a while ago and said Bleeker had given Parkman -a letter to be delivered to Lenning, and that the letter contains -evidence that will clear Darrel of that forgery charge.” - -Merriwell jumped. Bradlaugh, too, was wildly excited. - -“Jupiter!” muttered Brad, “I reckon we’re getting this down pretty -fine.” - -“How do you know the letter contains evidence of that sort?” asked -Merriwell. - -“Hotchkiss said so.” - -“Well, how does Hotchkiss know?” - -“He and one or two more of Darrel’s friends at Camp Hawtrey got their -heads together and figured it out. Hotchkiss rode over to Dolliver’s -to tell Darrel that some of his friends must get the letter away from -Parkman.” - -“Parkman has already delivered it,” put in Brad. - -“Then, Hotchkiss said, it’s got to be taken away from Lenning.” - -Merriwell’s dark eyes flashed. He believed fully in Darrel, and he had -no confidence whatever in Lenning. In his own mind, Merry was convinced -that Lenning had fabricated, and carried into effect, that dastardly -plot to make it appear as though Darrel had looted the colonel’s safe -of the one thousand dollars. - -Was it possible that here, during this brief try-out with Gold Hill, -evidence could be deduced proving Darrel innocent of that forgery -charge? - -Ballard, in his excitement, had not stated the case exactly as it -was. Hotchkiss had qualified his assertions somewhat in saying that -the communication from Bleeker to Lenning contained forgery evidence. -Ballard had merely left out the qualifying words of the friend of -Darrel from Camp Hawtrey. - -This, at first blush, might seem like a trifling omission, and yet -had Merriwell not believed absolutely that Hotchkiss knew what he was -talking about, and that the note really contained evidence in the -forgery matter, his action would have been vastly different from what -it was. - -It would soon be time to put the ball into play again. Merriwell, his -eyes roving over the field and the scattered players, was thinking -deeply. - -“You think, Brad,” he asked, “that Lenning still has that note where -you say he placed it?” - -“It’s a cinch!” Brad declared. - -“Keep this under your hats, both of you,” said Merriwell. “If that -evidence concerns Darrel, and indirectly myself, we’re going to have -it.” - -He spun around and ran back to the field. Lenning was right guard for -the Gold Hill team, and Spencer Dunn was left guard for Ophir. - -“Spence,” said Merry, “I want some of your harness. If you’ve no -objection, I’d like to take your place in the game for the second -quarter.” - -“Go to it, Chip!” answered Dunn cheerfully, and began shedding as much -of his costume as Merriwell thought necessary and had time to take. - -Colonel Hawtrey witnessed the proceeding. - -“Couldn’t stand the strain, eh, Merriwell?” he laughed. “Well, I don’t -blame you, my boy. Now I expect to see some real football.” - -Merriwell smiled a little. “I wonder what Hawtrey would say,” he -muttered to himself, “if he knew just what sort of a game within a -game this was going to be?” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - GETTING THE EVIDENCE. - - -Merriwell was not disposed to be at all considerate of Jode Lenning. -Into Merry’s mind, again, came those ugly suspicions of the favorite -nephew. - -It was conceivable that Lenning, jealous of his half brother, had -plotted to have him cast off and set adrift, just as he had, Merriwell -felt sure, engineered that robbery plot against him. What had caused -the accident on the cliff still remained a mystery; yet, terrible as -that accident had been, if the result of a plot, then the plot was less -heinous than the one by which it had been made to appear that Ellis -Darrel was a forger. Through the first, life might have been lost; but, -through the second, honor, which men of integrity hold dearer than -life, hung in the balance. - -The blood ran hot through Merriwell’s veins as all these thoughts -trooped through his mind. Here was a chance to do something for -Darrel, was the idea that filled him, to the exclusion of anything and -everything else. - -Taking his place on the field, opposite Lenning, Merriwell strove to -note the exact place where the note from Bleeker had been stowed. His -eyes, peering hawklike from either side of the rubber nose guard, -sought the lacings of the other guard’s jacket. Between two of the -crossed thongs he believed he caught a flash, the merest flash, of -something white. Then, while Merriwell’s brain was still lashed with -those ugly suspicions of Lenning, the playing began. - -Ophir ran the kick-off back a bare seven yards. Line plunges, during -which Merry sought in vain for a chance at that scrap of white, netted -another gain of four yards. Then, as in some weird dream, Merriwell -found himself crouching in the middle of the line, staring into the -face of Lenning, with its shifty eyes and its overtopping mop of black -hair. The swaying lines locked and clashed as the ball flew out of the -scramble and into the arms of the Gold Hill half back. - -Merry plunged forward in an attempt to break through. Lenning threw out -a leg to trip him. Merry’s hands pawed at the jacket as he went down, -but he was up again in a flash with something clutched in his fist. - -“You’re not so much!” snarled Lenning. - -Merriwell laughed. He could afford to. The evidence was in his -possession now. - -The playing went on, and gradually Merriwell began to take more -interest in the battle and less in the scrap of evidence which had come -into his hands. - -Ophir had the ball and was going down the field with it, five yards -through tackle, five more stolen through the guard, and then five more -around the end. A tackle run netted ten yards, and a forward pass -twenty, Brad grabbing the ball on a perfect throw. - -Gold Hill’s confidence was oozing away steadily. Her men were rattled, -and Clancy and Dunn and Ballard were doing their utmost from the side -lines to make their confusion more complete. Before Ophir’s attack, the -Gold Hill line slumped and gave way. - -And then, when close to Gold Hill’s goal, Mayburn lost the ball on a -distressing fumble. That nearly broke the center’s heart. Hawtrey hung -over the scramble as the players disentangled themselves, and it was -discovered that a Gold Hill man had the ball. - -“Somebody kick me!” wailed Mayburn. “Oh, what a bobble!” - -Gold Hill had no use for a scrimmage at that stage of the game, and -immediately lifted the pigskin into safer quarters. Both sides were -still without a score when, a few minutes later, the quarter ended. - -Merriwell had smothered his desire to do his best. Ophir, he knew, had -outplayed Gold Hill, and it was better for all concerned that there -should be no scoring. On the face of it, the teams might be called -evenly matched. As for the rest of it, the game Merriwell had played -within the game had been entirely successful. - -The best of good feeling prevailed. It was much easier for the right -spirit to manifest itself over a scoreless game than if one side or the -other had made a touchdown or had kicked a goal. - -Led by the colonel, the Gold Hill fellows collected in a group and -cheered the Ophir team, while Ophir, with Handy and Merriwell leading, -returned the compliment for their opponents. - -“This,” beamed the colonel, taking Merriwell and Handy off to one -side, “starts our series of friendly competitions, and leaves nothing -to be desired. I have enjoyed myself this afternoon, and it has been -a pleasure to me to notice the utter absence of anything like ill -feeling. Keep up the good work, boys. I’ll have to leave you now, for I -want to get on my horse and ride over to the other camp. Jode and his -teammates will make the trip ’cross country.” - -Merriwell and Handy walked with the colonel to the camp. As he was -about to mount his horse for the ride to Camp Hawtrey, the colonel -turned and gave Merry his hand. - -“I wish that some day you might come to town with Jode and have dinner -with me,” said he. “I should esteem it a great pleasure, Merriwell.” - -“Thank you, colonel,” Frank answered, “but I’m afraid I shall be too -busy here to accept many social invitations.” - -“You won’t forget to take the Ophir boys over to the other camp?” - -“They can look for us over there almost any day.” - -“Good!” - -He swung into his saddle, waved his hand, and started at a gallop down -the gulch. - -“We could have scored,” mourned Handy, “we ought to have scored. -Mayburn——” - -“I’m glad he fumbled,” interrupted Frank. “As I told the boys before -they went on the field, I wasn’t eager to have them win, but I was more -than eager to have them keep Gold Hill from winning. We outplayed them, -and that’s enough.” - -“You got into it yourself in order to study the other team at close -quarters?” - -“That wasn’t my idea exactly,” Frank answered, “although the experience -will probably be a help. Come on,” he added, suddenly shifting the -subject, “and let’s take our plunge in the pool.” - -Ballard and Bradlaugh were feverishly eager to have a few words in -private with Merriwell. The opportunity did not offer until some time -after Merriwell had had his swim and had got into his clothes; then, as -he walked toward the camp, Ballard and Bradlaugh and Clancy joined him. -Already Ballard had confided to Clancy, Merriwell’s real reason for -getting actively into the football game. - -“Did you win out, Chip?” asked Bradlaugh. - -Merriwell nodded, and slapped his pocket. - -“What’s the evidence?” queried Ballard. “Does it clear Darrel?” - -“Haven’t looked at it yet,” was the reply. - -Astonished exclamations came from the other three. - -“Don’t mean to say you haven’t had time?” Clancy asked. - -“I’ve had the time, Clan, but not the inclination. We’ll let Darrel -look at the note first. Maybe,” and Merry grew thoughtful, “I jumped -into this thing too quick. Suppose Hotchkiss was wrong? Suppose there’s -no evidence in the note about the forgery? If that’s the case, I’ve -done a measly trick.” - -“You were justified in getting that note, Chip,” declared Ballard, -“just on the strength of what I told you.” - -“I hope so,” said Frank, “but that’s a thing we’ll leave to Darrel. -Shall we ride down the cañon this afternoon?” - -“I’ve got to go back,” returned Ballard, “and you fellows might as well -go with me.” - -Without delay, they started to get their horses ready. Half an hour -later they were speeding along the narrow cañon trail in single file, -Merriwell hardly knowing whether he ought to feel elated or depressed -over his exploit on the football field. - -The high ideas of honor, inculcated by his father, would not have -pardoned his afternoon’s work unless it set right the great wrong that -had been done Ellis Darrel. Merriwell felt that, in his eagerness to -help his new chum, he might have committed a deed which he would later -regret. He had acted on the impulse of the moment, and with implicit -faith in what Ballard had repeated as coming from Hotchkiss. - -A fine point of ethics was involved, and Merriwell believed that no -eyes save Darrel’s should read the note unless it was really found to -have an important bearing on Darrel’s affairs. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - CONCERNING THE EVIDENCE. - - -When the four lads reached Dolliver’s, they found Darrel anxiously -awaiting news from Tinaja Wells. - -“Did you get that letter, pards?” were his first words, as the four -from the camp trooped into the house. - -“Yes,” said Frank. “Parkman had delivered the letter to Lenning, and -Lenning was in a temper when he read it. He seemed on the point of -tearing the note in pieces, then changed his mind and pushed it into -the front of his jacket. Brad saw him.” - -“How did you get it from Lenning?” - -“During the football game. I got into the play and secured the note in -a scrimmage.” - -“Merriwell,” said Darrel, with deep feeling, “you’re a loyal friend, if -a fellow ever had one.” - -“It’s something I wouldn’t have done unless it seemed best,” answered -Merriwell, “and I wouldn’t have done it, Darrel, if I had thought there -was the slightest doubt that it’s not what Hotchkiss said.” - -“Hasn’t it anything to do with me, or—or that trouble with the colonel?” - -“I don’t know what the letter contains. I have brought it to you, -Darrel, and you can read it. If it hasn’t any bearing on you, I’m going -to take it back to Lenning and tell him how I got it.” - -Clancy and Ballard were about to cry out against such a proceeding, but -there was a look in their chum’s face which assured them that he had -made up his mind as to the course he should follow, and would keep to -it if the circumstances warranted. - -“Let’s see the letter, Chip,” said Darrel huskily. - -Merriwell removed the soiled and crumpled paper from his pocket and -silently handed it to Darrel. The latter’s hand trembled as he took -the folded scrap and slowly opened it. His eyes widened as he read -the note’s contents; and then, when he had finished, his hand dropped -nervelessly at his side and he stared at Merriwell with wide eyes. - -“What is it?” asked Merry. “Has it anything to do with you?” - -“Yes,” was the muffled response, “and with you, too. Read it. I think -you have a perfect right to do so, Chip.” - -Merry took the note and read as follows: - - “LENNING: I know about your cutting the rope and dropping Darrel down - the cliff. There are some things I won’t stand for, and that’s one of - them. If you try any dirty work during the football game, I’ll blow - the whole measly business to Merriwell. - - BLEEKER.” - -Merriwell gasped. There was no further doubt about that supposed -accident on the cliff. It was no accident at all, but the result of -a fiendish design. It seemed hardly possible that Lenning, if in his -right senses, could have attempted such a villainous deed. - -Without a word, Frank handed the note to Clancy, and it went from one -to the other until all had read it. No one spoke. The crumpled paper -came back to Darrel again, and he held it thoughtfully in his trembling -fingers. - -Distant voices were heard outside the house. Through a window beside -his bed Darrel could look into the mouth of the cañon. - -Two horsemen had ridden out of the ragged entrance of the gulch and -had halted, their mounts pulled close together. One of the riders was -Colonel Hawtrey and the other was Lenning. - -The colonel, it was evident, was on his way back to Gold Hill after -visiting the camp of the Gold Hill Athletic Club. Lenning, it was -equally evident, had ridden part way with him, and was now about to -face the other way and return to the camp. - -Through the window, all the boys in the ranch house looked at the -horsemen. The colonel was smiling and happy. On his face could be seen -a look of affection for the lad at his side. Taking Jode’s hand, he -pressed it warmly, then used his spurs and rode off along the trail -toward home. - -Jode watched him for a few moments, shouted a last farewell, waved his -hat, and then vanished at a gallop between the rugged cañon walls. A -mist arose in the eyes of Ellis Darrel. He began tearing the paper to -pieces, using his teeth and the one hand which was still serviceable. - -“What are you doing that for, Darrel?” demanded Ballard. - -“It would kill my uncle if he thought both his nephews were -scoundrels,” Darrel answered. “I can’t have a hand in blackening Jode’s -character like this. I’ve put up with a whole lot, and I can put up -with a good deal more than I have, but this fight of mine is to prove -that I didn’t sign the colonel’s name to a check. See what I mean? I—I -can’t kill the colonel’s faith in Jode—not in this way. Don’t say a -word about this, any of you. Promise me that you won’t.” - -There was something fine and noble about Darrel’s act in destroying the -evidence against Jode. It was not the evidence that Darrel wanted. The -temptation to ruin his half brother was not so strong as his love for -the misguided old colonel, or his desire to prove his own innocence. - -Merriwell stepped to the bed and clasped Darrel’s hand. - -“That’s right, old man,” said he, “exactly right. Say, Darrel,” and his -voice quivered, “you’re a brick!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - - THE UNDER DOG. - - -“Great Scott, Chip! Say, I didn’t think there was a place like that in -Arizona.” - -Young Merriwell and his red-headed chum, Owen Clancy, stood on the -crest of the long, sloping wall of a gulch and looked downward at a -scene that filled them with wonder and admiration. - -The gulch was perhaps a hundred and fifty feet deep, and a quarter of a -mile from rim to rim. On either side the slopes fell away in a gentle -descent, sparsely covered with pine trees, and with here and there a -patch of flaming poppies touching the brown of the hillsides as with -fire. - -In the depths was a long, silvery vista of water, placid, and cool, -and deep. At the foot of the slope on whose crest the two lads were -standing, was a wide strip of clean yellow sand. Here there were half -a dozen white canvas tents, pitched close to the water, with camping -equipment scattered in all directions. - -Four or five canoes were drawn up on the beach. On a float, a few -yards from shore, several lads in “Nature’s raiment” were sitting and -splashing their feet in the water; others were diving from the float, -their white bodies flashing outward and downward like so many darts, -disappearing under the smooth surface of the river and leaving a jet of -spray and a quiver of silvery ripples; and still others were swimming, -far up and down the stream. All were enjoying themselves to the utmost, -if their laughter, echoing and reverberating between the slopes could -be taken as an indication. - -“This is certainly a peach of a place for a camp,” said young -Merriwell. “In some ways it has our own camp at Tinaja Wells beaten -a mile. The sight of those canoes down there makes me hungry for a -paddle!” - -“And to think,” went on Clancy, “that this is nearly the middle -of November, and that back home the snow is beginning to fly, and -overcoats are trumps, and folks are hunting up their galoshes! Wow! It -hardly seems possible. Down here in southern Arizona a fellow can have -his out-door sports all the year ’round. So that’s Camp Hawtrey, eh? -Well, it’s a bully place, if you ask me.” - -“The only thing these Gold Hill fellows haven’t got is a good athletic -field. I hear they’ve cleaned up a patch of desert back of the gulch, -and are using that for sports and practice. But that slice of raw -ground isn’t in it with our mesa, Clan.” - -“You’re right there, Chip. Our camp at Tinaja Wells has certainly got -it over this one so far as a field is concerned, but I wish we had a -nice stretch of river like that for canoeing. Where’s Lenning? Can you -see him down there in that bunch of swimmers?” - -The boys above studied carefully the ones below, but failed to discover -Lenning. - -“He’s not there, Clan,” said Merriwell, “and I can’t see Bleeker, -Hotchkiss, and several more of the Gold Hill Athletic Club whom we know -tolerably well.” - -“Jode Lenning, I guess, is the main squeeze of that outfit, and he’s -the one we’ll have to talk with.” - -“I hate to have anything to do with him,” muttered Merry, “but he’s -Colonel Hawtrey’s nephew, and the colonel is the backbone of the Gold -Hill club, and if our fellows and the Gold Hillers have any more -friendly competitions, we’ll have to arrange with Lenning.” - -“Lenning’s a skunk,” growled Clancy. “If it hadn’t been for him we know -mighty well that Ellis Darrel, his own half brother, wouldn’t be laid -up at Dolliver’s with a broken arm. We know, I say, that Lenning cut -the rope that dropped Darrel over the cliff, and——” - -“Cut it, Clan!” interrupted Merriwell. “We promised Darrel we’d keep -that to ourselves.” - -“Well, I’m not blowing it around, am I? The way Hawtrey snuggles up to -Lenning and hands Darrel, his other nephew, all the hard knocks makes -me pretty darn tired.” - -“Hawtrey will be all right when he finds out that Darrel didn’t forge -his name to that check more than a year ago.” - -“Yes, _when_ he finds it out—and that’s never. Lenning, I’ll bet a peck -of dollars, was at the bottom of that forgery, and you can’t bring -forward any proof against Lenning that the colonel will consider. You -know that as well as I do, Chip.” - -“Something will turn up, Clan,” asserted Merriwell confidently. “When -a fellow gets in wrong it’s bound to come out unless he changes his -ways. And Jode Lenning isn’t changing—that is, not so you can notice -it. Luck is going to turn Darrel’s way—I’ve got a pretty good hunch to -that effect. The old colonel will find out for himself just which of -his nephews is the more reliable. Wait, that’s all.” - -“I can’t see anything rosy in Darrel’s future,” growled Clancy, “so -long as Jode has his big stand-in with his Uncle Alvah. But there’s -no use chinning about that now. We’re over here from our camp as a -games committee to fix up a schedule of sports with Gold Hill, and -we’re supposed to be loaded to the gunnels with peaceable sentiments -and loving regards for Ophir’s athletic rivals. Oh, slush! I’m in such -an amiable mood, right this minute, that I’d like to take a crack at -Lenning with my bare knuckles.” - -“Lenning’s only one of that Gold Hill crowd, old man,” said Chip -soothingly. “Bradlaugh, president of the Ophir club, and Hawtrey, -who backs the Gold Hillers, are both tired of having the rival -organizations at loggerheads. They want peace and friendship between -the two camps, and I don’t blame them. We’re going to do what we can -to make the rivalry more sportsmanlike, and less bitter. ‘Fair play -and no favor,’ that’s our motto. When we find Lenning, Clan, just hold -yourself in and don’t bite.” - -“All right,” assented Clancy, although with a show of some reluctance. -“Let’s go down there, find Lenning, and get the business over with.” - -Before they could start down the long slope that led to the bottom of -the gulch, both lads were suddenly startled by the sudden note of a -firearm. The report came from a considerable distance, evidently, yet -was perfectly clear and distinct. - -“What’s that?” demanded Clancy, wheeling about and staring at his chum. - -“Sounded like a revolver,” was the reply. “Somebody trying a hand at -target practice, more than likely.” - -“The sound didn’t come from below—the shooting is going on up here, -somewhere. Maybe Lenning is mixed up in it.” - -“We’ll mosey around and find out,” said Merry. - -Another report was heard, and the two chums, laying their course by -the sound, started along the top of the gulch wall. A third shot was -followed by a sharp yelp, as of some animal in pain. - -“Was that a dog, Chip?” queried Clancy. - -“Strikes me it was,” said Merry. “This way,” he added, turning from the -gulch and moving off into some low, rocky hills. - -As they advanced, the boys heard voices and laughter. One of the voices -they recognized as Jode Lenning’s. Presently, from behind a bit of a -ridge, they looked out and discovered what was going on. - -Lenning and three more of the Gold Hill crowd—fellows of about his same -stamp—had tied a dog to an ironwood tree. At a distance of about fifty -feet they were taking turns shooting at the poor brute—evidently seeing -how close they could come without making a hit. - -The dog was about as homely an animal as Merry had ever seen. His tawny -hide was scarred in a dozen different places, and one eye was gone and -a front leg was crooked—apparently the leg had been broken and Nature -had healed it alone. There was some object tied to the dog’s tail by -a section of stout twine—the lads behind the ridge could not make out -exactly what the object was. - -_Bang!_ went the revolver. A flurry of dust was kicked up under the -wretched brute, which almost turned a somersault at the end of the -rope. Lenning and his companions laughed at the dog’s antics. - -Clancy’s face went black as a thundercloud. His fists clenched and, -with a muttered imprecation, he started to hurl himself around the end -of the ridge. Chip caught him and held him back. - -“Are you going to stand for this, Chip?” asked the red-headed fellow in -a savage whisper. - -“No,” said Merriwell; “we’ll interfere at the right time. Wait a -minute.” - -Clancy restrained himself and once more sank down behind the rocks. -Parkman, one of Lenning’s companions, had begun to speak. - -“I reckon we’d better stop shooting, Jode,” said he, “or the dog will -hit the cap on the stones and set off the dynamite.” - -“You’re right, Park,” answered Lenning. “We’ll pass up the shooting, -touch off the fuse, and set the ki-yi adrift. When the cartridge goes -off,” he chuckled, “I bet there won’t be enough of that tramp dog left -to wad a gun. Lamson, you light the fuse. You can cut the rope, Park, -when the fuse is going. Be quick about it or the whelp will take a -piece out of you.” - -Clancy’s eyes were fairly burning as he leaned toward Merry and gripped -his arm. - -“Do you know what those skunks are up to, Chip?” he whispered. “They’ve -tied a dynamite cartridge to that brute’s tail, and they’re going to -light the fuse and turn the dog loose!” - -“No, they’re not,” said Merriwell decisively. “That’s what they’re -aiming to do, Clan, but we’ll interfere with the game. They’re a fine -crowd of cannibals, I must say,” he went on scathingly. “The colonel -ought to be here and see that precious nephew of his in his real -colors. Hang it, Clan, I’m so worked up I can’t see straight.” - -Clancy gave vent to a gruesome laugh. - -“Here we come from Tinaja Wells with an olive branch,” he chuckled, -“and now we’re going out to lam Jode over the head with it. Come on. -Lamson is getting ready to scratch a match and light the fuse.” - -“Here we go,” answered Merriwell. - -With a rush the two boys got out from behind the ridge. They were -nearer the cowering dog than they were to Lenning, and, the first thing -Lamson knew, Merriwell had tipped him over and knocked the blazing -match from his fingers. Clancy, at the same time, had grabbed Parkman -by the collar and pulled him back so quickly that the open jackknife -fell out of his nerveless hand. - -Jode Lenning, stunned into momentary inaction by the unexpected -appearance of Merriwell and Clancy, suddenly recovered himself, gave an -angry yell, and started toward the newcomers at a run. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - BAD BLOOD. - - -As the only heir of a very rich and influential man, Jode Lenning had -a number of followers of a certain sort. Parkham, Lamson, and “Klink” -Hummer, who were bearing a part with Jode in his doubtful “sport” with -the tramp dog, were three of these satellites; and they revolved around -Jode and made his will their law, just for the favors which he could -dole out to them. There was a community of interest among the four -lads, but no real friendship. - -As Lenning rushed toward Merriwell and Clancy, Hummer raced along at -his heels. Finally the two halted close to the pair from the other -camp. Lamson and Parkman, scowling over the rough treatment they had -received, had regained their feet and stepped shoulder to shoulder with -Lenning. - -“What are you two butting in here for?” shouted Lenning, his shifty -eyes a-gleam with anger. - -“We think you’ve tortured that dog enough, Lenning,” replied Merriwell, -smothering his own wrath and trying to use a persuasive tone. “You’d -better cut away that dynamite cartridge and let the brute go.” - -Here was a suggestion that thinly veiled a command. Although -Merriwell’s voice was like velvet, yet it cut like steel, and Lenning’s -temper boiled more briskly than ever. - -“You’re a private little society for the prevention of cruelty to -coyote dogs, eh?” Lenning sneered. “That cur has been snooping around -our camp for days, stealing our grub. We’re going to put him out of -business, and you chumps can’t come crow-hopping around here and meddle -with our plans.” - -“There are other ways of putting a dog out of business,” said Frank, -“than singeing him with bullets and then blowing him up with dynamite.” - -“It’s none o’ your put-in,” scowled Lamson, rubbing a blister on his -hand where the match had burned him. - -“I reckon we can do as we blame’ please in our own camp,” said Hummer. - -Merriwell, stepping to the cowering brute, bent over to remove the -string from his stump of a tail. - -“Keep away from that dog, Merriwell!” stormed Lenning, taking a couple -of threatening steps in Frank’s direction. - -Clancy promptly jumped in front of Lenning. - -“That will be far enough,” he said curtly. “Go on, Chip,” he added to -Frank. “I’ll look after this duffer.” - -The words were hardly out of Clancy’s mouth before Lenning struck -him. The blow caught the red-headed chap in the shoulder and spun him -half around. The next instant Clancy was going for Lenning, hammer -and tongs. Before Lamson, Hummer, or Parkman could interfere, a stiff -right-hander had put Lenning on his knees. - -“That’s enough of that kind of work!” cried Merriwell, leaping up and -tossing the dynamite cartridge into the bushes. “We didn’t come here to -kick up a row. Hands off, you fellows!” he ordered, facing Lenning’s -restive comrades. - -“Go for ’em!” whooped Lenning, nursing a bruised chin with both hands. -“If they want a rough-house, give ’em a-plenty. There are only two of -them and three of you. What are you hanging back for?” - -Probably Lamson, Hummer, and Parkman had no great amount of courage, -and Merriwell and Clancy looked rather formidable to them. Be that as -it may, yet when Lenning had dropped to his knees his three companions -had held back. - -Now, under their leader’s urging, Hummer threw himself toward Frank. -The latter side-stepped a savage blow and turned suddenly to put out a -foot and trip Lamson, who was making a headlong rush at him from the -side. Lamson fell sprawling into Hummer, and both dropped in a tangle. -Clancy laughed. - -“A little ground and lofty tumbling by Lamson and Hummer,” he remarked. -“Why don’t you get up, Jode, and take a hand in this set-to yourself? -Where’s your ginger? You’re not going to leave all this to your -friends, are you?” - -“Just a minute,” put in Frank, as Lenning, muttering wrathfully, -struggled erect. “This thing can stop right where it is. Clancy and I -don’t want to stir up any hard feelings. We came over from our camp -this afternoon to arrange for a competition of some kind with you Gold -Hill chaps. Now, let’s drop this and——” - -“I’ll drop that red-headed freak over there,” cut in Lenning, “if it’s -the last thing I ever do! Who wants any competitions with that Ophir -bunch of yaps? All we want you fellows to do is to stay away from Camp -Hawtrey and leave us alone.” - -He was edging slowly toward Clancy, his face contorted with rage. -Lenning wasn’t a pleasant sight, and Frank wondered how a fellow could -give away to his temper in such fashion. - -“That will do you, Lenning!” said he sternly. “Keep your shirt on—if -you don’t want to get more than you bargain for.” - -The glint in Clancy’s eyes meant trouble, and Frank knew that his -red-headed chum would go the limit with Lenning if the latter got close -enough for a fight. At this stage of the affair, when a one-sided -scrimmage seemed inevitable, Bleeker and Hotchkiss, of the Gold Hill -crowd, stepped out from behind a pile of rocks and rapidly approached -the scenes. Hotchkiss, on his way, halted to cut the dog adrift, and -the harassed brute vanished among the low hills like a streak. - -“This will be fine news for Colonel Hawtrey!” exclaimed Bleeker, coming -close to his camp mates. “He’ll be tickled to death when he hears about -this—I don’t think. You must be going bug house, Jode!” - -Lenning whirled on Bleeker like a fury. - -“Get away from here!” he flashed. “You’re a cheap skate, anyhow, and I -reckon you know pretty well what I think of _you_!” - -“I reckon I do,” returned Bleeker slowly. “We’ve hardly been on -speaking terms for a week.” - -“You attend to your own business,” snapped Lenning, “and I’ll take care -of mine.” - -“There’ll be no more fighting with Merriwell and Clancy,” asserted -Bleeker firmly. “There are four of you and two of them, and if you try -any more of this rough-house business, Hotch and I will jump into it -ourselves and show you where you get off. You’re about as near a yellow -pup, Lenning, as I know how to describe.” - -This did not, in the least, tend to placate Lenning’s ugly mood. - -“Why don’t you move over and join that Ophir crowd?” he taunted. -“You’re stuck on El Darrel, and think he’s the whole thing. Why don’t -you and Hotchkiss take your truck and emigrate to Tinaja Wells, so you -can be with Darrel’s friends?” - -“We’ll emigrate,” answered Hotchkiss darkly, “but it won’t be to the -Wells. When we hike, by thunder, it’ll be for home. Eh, Bleek?” - -“Surest thing you know,” Bleeker replied. “And when I see the colonel,” -he added significantly, “I’ll have something to tell him.” - -Lenning was a little startled at that; but his dismay was only -temporary. He was too much enraged to consider the consequences of his -own acts, or of anything else. - -“Talk to my uncle,” snarled Lenning, “and you’ll get the biggest -calling-down you ever had in your life. Furthermore, Bleeker, if you -and Hotch don’t get out of Camp Hawtrey before sun-down, I’ll see that -you’re properly kicked out. Come on, fellows,” he added to his three -stand-bys, whirling on his heel. - -The angry, sullen quartette walked to a little distance, and Lenning -stooped down and picked up the dynamite cartridge from the place to -which Merriwell had thrown it. Bleeker turned to Frank. - -“He’s a pup, that’s all,” grunted Bleeker. “He has ordered Hotch and me -out of camp, but we were about ready to go, anyhow. We’ve been having -merry blazes at Camp Hawtrey for some time. A few of us Gold Hillers -won’t lick Lenning’s boots—not so you can notice—and we think Ellis -Darrel hasn’t been having a square deal. That’s put Lenning down on us, -and he has been taking most of his spite out on Hotch and me. I reckon -this is about the finish.” - -“I’m plumb satisfied,” grinned Hotchkiss. “If it hadn’t been for you, -Bleek, I’d have hit the trail for Gold Hill several days ago.” - -“I’ve hung on,” continued Bleeker, “hoping we could do a little to -make a better feeling between our club and the Ophir fellows. But -there’ll never be anything but scraps and bitterness between the rival -athletic clubs as long as Jode is king-bee of the Gold Hill crowd. -That’s straight. Colonel Hawtrey lets Jode wind him around his fingers. -I should think,” Bleeker added hotly, “that the old colonel would have -sense enough to see through that measley, two-faced nephew of his. I -know him, by thunder, from a to izzard, and he’s plumb yellow.” - -“Clancy and I,” said Merriwell ruefully, “came over here as a games -committee to arrange for a visit of the Ophir fellows to Camp Hawtrey, -but when we saw Jode and his friends torturing that dog, it stirred us -up so that we jumped into them.” - -“Don’t blame you,” said Bleeker. “Hotch and I saw it all, Merriwell. -We were behind another pile of rocks, and if you hadn’t interfered, we -would. Pestering a dog like that is mean business. The brute has been -hanging around the camp, stealing provisions, and has been no end of -a nuisance, but he didn’t have to be tortured when he could have been -shot out of hand. Parkman has been laying for that coyote dog for a -couple of days. He got a chance at him this afternoon and dropped a -rope over his head. Jode fixed up that dynamite cartridge, and when he -and his mates started off with the cartridge and the dog, Hotch and I -followed along, expecting some kind of deviltry. This is the outcome of -it. I wish Hawtrey had been behind the rocks with us. I’ll bet a bunch -of dinero what he would have seen would have been an eye opener for -him.” - -“I’m sorry as blazes about this flare-up,” muttered Merriwell. “It -certainly puts a crimp into all our plans for getting the two clubs -together on a friendly basis. But Clan and I couldn’t hold in when we -saw Jode abusing that cur dog. What do you suppose Hawtrey will say?” - -“He’ll take Jode’s part, sure as shooting. I could tell Hawtrey a few -things, but he wouldn’t believe them. Jode was right when he said that -the colonel would give me a big calling down if I tried to open up on -his favorite nephew.” - -“I left O. Clancy’s private mark on Jode’s chin,” chirruped Frank’s -red-headed comrade, “and I can’t remember when anything has happened -that made me feel so good. Be hanged to the rest of it. Things will -work out all right, Chip, so don’t fret.” - -“If Bradlaugh——” - -Merry never finished what he was about to say, for, at that precise -moment, Bleeker and Hotchkiss sprang into fierce action. - -“Run!” shouted Bleeker, as he raced over the rocks; “run—for your -lives!” - -Over his shoulder Frank saw a hissing, sputtering object in the -air, coming toward the point where he, and Clancy, and Bleeker, and -Hotchkiss had been standing. Hotchkiss was already bounding after -Bleeker, and in less than half a second Merry and Clancy were also -hustling like mad to get out of the way. - -The hissing object struck ground, and in a moment there was an -explosion, and a little cloud of débris was flung high in the air. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - - THE BOY WHO DIDN’T CARE. - - -It was Lenning, of course, who had lighted the fuse and hurled that -infernal machine in the direction of Merriwell and those he had been -talking with. The hot-headed recklessness of the act made Merriwell -gasp. Had Bleeker not seen the hissing bomb in the air, and shouted his -warning, what would have happened? - -A wave of indignation and anger rushed over Merriwell. He was running -at top speed at the moment of the explosion, and he continued to run -while the booming echoes reverberated among the hills—but he changed -his course. - -Lenning and his friends were clustered together in a compact group, -staring sullenly at the place where the dynamite had “let go.” All at -once they saw Merriwell, eyes flashing and face like a thundercloud, -bearing down on them. - -Perhaps Lenning would have stood his ground had not his three -companions deserted him in a panic. His courage was of a sort that -needed backing, and when his supporters fled, he whirled and made after -them. He had not gone far, however, before Merriwell overhauled him, -grabbed him by the collar, and jerked him roughly backward. - -Clancy, even more furious than his chum, and Bleeker and Hotchkiss, -both scowling fiercely, made haste to get to Merriwell’s side. Lenning -had been thrown from his feet, and was lying on the rocks half lifted -on one elbow. There was a look of ugly defiance in his face that did -not match the glimmer of fear in his eyes. - -“You crazy fool!” cried Frank. “Are you trying to kill somebody?” - -“It’s not the first time!” panted Bleeker. - -“He ought to be kicked from here plumb to the bottom of the gulch,” -clamored Hotchkiss. - -“Let’s pound a little sense into him!” suggested Clancy. - -“I don’t care a whoop what happens to you junipers,” answered Lenning. -“Don’t you dare lay a hand on me! The colonel will make it hot for you -if you do.” - -“That’s about what I’d expect of you,” came scornfully from Clancy. “As -soon as you earn a good trouncing you begin whooping it up for your -Uncle Alvah. Oh, you’re the limit, all right.” - -“Suppose Bleeker hadn’t seen that lighted bomb coming toward us?” went -on Frank. “What would have happened, eh?” - -“I don’t care a tinker’s darn,” said Lenning. “You fellows keep your -hands off or you’ll wish you had.” - -With a roar of anger Clancy attempted to use his fists on Lenning, but -Merriwell put out a restraining arm and pushed him back. Frank’s temper -had had time to cool a little. - -“Stow it, Clan!” said he. “We don’t want to make this matter any worse -than it is, you know.” - -“Hang it, Chip,” Clancy protested, “you’re not going to let this crazy -chump try to blow us up and then get off without a pounding, are you?” - -“He’ll get all that’s coming to him before long, and without any help -from us. We’ve made a mess of the work that brought us to Camp Hawtrey, -and it’s just as well not to complicate matters any more than they are.” - -Frank turned from his chum and gave his full attention to Lenning. - -“You’re a good deal of a puzzle to me, Lenning,” said he. “I don’t -believe I ever saw a fellow who was just like you. The reckless way you -have of robbing your uncle and then throwing the responsibility on some -one else, cutting a rope, and dropping your half brother over a cliff, -and lighting dynamite cartridges and throwing them around, is going to -get you into a peck of trouble. I’ve got a hunch that you’re crazy. If -that’s really the case, then you ought to be in a padded cell, for it’s -a cinch it’s not safe to leave you at large. Now——” - -Lenning had risen hastily to his feet. Something Merriwell had said had -caused his face to go white. - -“Look here,” he broke in, “I reckon you found something I lost on the -mesa, over at your camp, during the football game our crowd had with -yours. It was a note in which Bleeker, there, put down a lie for the -purpose of getting me into trouble. You can’t make any capital out of -what Bleeker says.” - -Bleeker, red with anger, tried to get close to Lenning, but Hotchkiss -held him back. - -“What I wrote in that note,” cried Bleeker, “was the truth.” - -“You can’t get even with me and help Darrel by any such talk,” sneered -Lenning. - -“I’ll finish what I want to say to you,” continued Merriwell sharply, -“and then Clancy and I will be going. If you try any more desperate -games, Lenning, you’ll be caught at it, sure as fate. If anything -happens, we know where to look for the cause of it, and you can’t bank -on Colonel Hawtrey doing anything to save your neck. That’s about all.” - -He turned away. Lenning, scowling and muttering, hurried to join his -friends, who had kept at a safe distance, and the four vanished on -their way down into the gulch. - -“Ain’t that about the worst ever?” murmured Hotchkiss. “Jode’s pretty -near right when he says he don’t care what he does. He counts on his -uncle’s faith in him to pull him out o’ any trouble he gets into.” - -“I wish to thunder the colonel wasn’t such a fool,” blurted out -Bleeker. “Why can’t he get next to the coyote?” - -“He will, some time,” declared Frank. “Where did that dynamite come -from, Bleeker? Do you know?” - -“Yes, I know, although pretty nearly our whole camp is in the dark -about it. When Hawtrey was out here, the last time, he and Jode took -a walk along the south wall of the gulch. Now, the colonel’s got a -scent for mineral-bearing ground same as a hound dog has for a rabbit. -He found a place where he reckoned there might be gold, and on the -q. t. he sent out some hand drills, a sledge, some fuse, and a little -dynamite, and told Jode to put down a hole. Jode’s been working with -the drill and sledge, now and then, as he could steal away and find the -time. The colonel told him to put the fuse and dynamite where it would -be safe, and to leave ’em there until he—the colonel—came out with a -box of caps and asked for the rest of the blasting material. Hawtrey -intends to load and fire the hole himself, I reckon. It’s dangerous -business, and he doesn’t want Jode, or any of the other fellows, mixed -up in it. Jode got a cap somewhere, and fixed up that cartridge for the -coyote dog.” - -“I see,” Frank nodded. - -“Jode has made a misplay,” said Hotchkiss. “If that coyote dog had -been killed, I reckon he’d have been all right; but Merriwell stripped -off the bomb the cur was trailin’ and I up and cut the rope. Gee, man, -how that animile skedaddled!” - -“How did Jode make a misplay, Hotch?” asked the puzzled Merriwell. - -“Ain’t you ever heard about coyote dogs?” returned Hotchkiss. “Why, -they’re that vengeful they hold a grouch for years until they pay it -off. Abuse a coyote dog, by thunder, and he’ll make it a p’int to get -even. How about it, Bleek?” - -Bleeker nodded solemnly. - -“Go on,” jeered Clancy; “you can’t make me swallow any such stuff as -that.” - -“You don’t know coyote dogs same as us fellows that live out in these -parts,” persisted Hotchkiss. “Over at Sacatone a miner kicked one o’ -those tramp curs and broke its leg. Six months after that the miner was -found dead in the trail, all chewed to pieces.” - -“Maybe it was a panther did that,” suggested Frank. - -“Not on your life, Merriwell! The footprints around the miner were -those of a dog. Lots o’ things like that have happened.” - -“I’m glad, Chip,” chuckled Clancy, “that you and I are on the safe -side. We did what we could for that homely brute, so he ought to feel -sort of friendly toward us.” - -“I guess, fellows,” said Chip, with a laugh, “that there’s a whole lot -of superstition wrapped up in those yarns about coyote dogs. What’s a -coyote dog, anyhow?” - -“Just enough coyote in him to make him savage and wild, and just -enough tame dog in him to make him want to be around where human -bein’s congregate. People who know, treat an animile like that with -consideration, but those who are ignorant make a big mistake when they -try to shoot such a brute, or to hit it with a club.” - -“Much obliged for the tip, Hotch,” grinned Frank. “Whenever I meet a -coyote dog, after this, I’ll treat him with consideration. So long, -fellows. Clancy and I have got to be going.” - -Rather grimly, Bleeker and Hotchkiss said “good-by” to the two lads -from Tinaja Wells and started for the camp where they knew they were -unwelcome. Merry and Clancy turned their faces ’cross country and began -retracing their way to their own headquarters. - -Merriwell was in no very pleasant mood. He and Clancy had started out, -that afternoon, with the intention of inaugurating a little friendly -sport with the rival athletic organization, and the coyote dog had -dropped into the equation and played havoc with their plans. - -“I don’t know how the deuce we could have avoided that mix-up with Jode -Lenning,” muttered Merry. - -“Well, we could have side-stepped it all right,” returned Clancy. - -“How?” - -“Why, by letting them make a skyrocket of the dog, Chip.” - -“Neither of us could stand for that.” - -“Sure not, but that was the only way we could have kept on friendly -terms with Lenning. So far’s I’m concerned, I’ll be hanged if I’d be on -friendly terms with the chump if I could.” - -“Lenning doesn’t amount to a whole lot, but Mr. Bradlaugh and Colonel -Hawtrey both want the clubs to be on a friendly footing. We made a -fair beginning with that football game, and now, while we were trying -to keep up the good work, we’ve knocked what little true sportsmanship -there was about seven ways for Sunday.” - -“Lenning has too much influence with the Gold Hill crowd. He can’t -domineer over Bleeker and Hotchkiss, and so they’ve got to get out. I -wish to blazes that coyote dog would turn up and do business with Jode. -But we can’t hope for any such good luck as that.” - -“You’ll be as bloodthirsty as Lenning, Clan, if you keep on,” grinned -Merry. - -“Lenning is at the bottom of all the bad blood between the two clubs,” -asserted Clancy warmly, “just as he’s at the bottom of all Darrel’s -troubles. The cub is too mean to live.” - -“Speaking about coyote dogs,” said Frank, “that notion of Hotch’s is -mighty interesting.” - -“Hotch, and Bleeker, too, seemed to take a good deal of stock in the -idea. But it’s pretty far-fetched, and——” - -A startled expression crossed Clancy’s homely face. He came to a dead -halt, the words died on his lips, and he lifted one hand quickly -and pointed. Frank, following the direction indicated by his chum’s -finger, saw a tawny form slipping like a specter among the rocks. The -form paused, reared up on a bowlder, and stood peering over its front -paws for a space at the two lads; then, like an ill-omened wraith, it -dropped to all fours and disappeared as though by magic. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - - “SPOOKS.” - - -When Merriwell and Clancy reached Tinaja Wells and the Ophir camp, late -in the afternoon, it was with the disagreeable feeling that friendly -rivalry between the two clubs had received a setback by recent events -from which it could never recover. Merry at once sought Handy, captain -of the Ophir team, Ballard and Hannibal Bradlaugh—the latter the son of -the club’s president—and went into a star-chamber session with them. - -All the unpleasant details of the afternoon were gone over, and -Ballard, Brad, and Handy listened to them with absorbing interest. - -“What can we expect,” burst out Brad indignantly, when the recital was -finished, “while such a measly pup as Lenning bosses the Gold Hill -crowd? So long as he’s the king-pin over there, you couldn’t foster a -friendly spirit between the two clubs in a thousand years.” - -“That dynamite cartridge gets my goat,” growled Ballard. “That pleasant -habit Lenning has of trying to assassinate the fellows he doesn’t -like will put him behind the bars one of these days. Thunder! Why, it -doesn’t seem possible he could be such a reckless fool.” - -“He’s dangerous,” said Merriwell quietly, “but I don’t think he’s -exactly responsible when his temper’s roused.” - -“Take it from me,” observed Handy, “there’s something on the fellow’s -conscience. Fear of being found out is goading him to desperate things. -He can’t go on like this; something has got to be done to stop him -before he commits a sure-enough crime.” - -“What’s to be done?” asked Frank. “Tell the colonel?” - -“The colonel!” exclaimed Ballard. “Why, Chip, Lenning has got the -colonel under his thumb. You can’t do a thing with Hawtrey. Just -breathe a whisper against Lenning to the colonel and there’ll be -fireworks. It beats creation the way Lenning is able to pull the -wool over his uncle’s eyes. Darrel, now, is worth a dozen fellows of -Lenning’s stripe. I’ve been with Darrel for three days at Dolliver’s -place, and I’ve got to know him pretty well. He’s a prince, that’s what -he is; and yet that confounded old muttonhead of a colonel won’t have a -thing to do with him. When I think about it, sometimes, I get so mad I -feel as though I’d explode.” - -“We’d better sleep over this, fellows,” suggested Merriwell, “and see -if we can’t think out some move that will be right and proper. Things -are mighty unsatisfactory, as they are. It’s been a long time since -I’ve had anything bump me so hard as what happened this afternoon.” - -It was in this way that the important matter was dismissed temporarily. -During supper, and for the rest of that evening, the boys tried to -forget it. When they crawled into their blankets, at ten o’clock, -Merriwell’s mind got busy with the far-reaching subject in spite of -himself. - -A guard of three was posted every night. Frank heard the guards changed -at eleven o’clock. Fritz Gesundheit, the Dutch boy who did the cooking -for the camp, was to be one of the midwatch. It took all of ten minutes -for one of the lads who was going off duty to get Fritz out of the land -of dreams and into a fitting realization of the fact that it was his -turn at sentry-go. - -Ghost stories had been indulged in around the camp fire during the -evening. Fritz had listened to the wild yarns with both ears, while -washing and putting away the supper dishes. More than once the cold -shivers had crept up his backbone, and he had felt the carroty hair -rising straight up on his head. When called for guard duty, he was -snoring away with his head under the blankets. - -Fritz’ post was below the flat, and in a part of the cañon where the -moonlight sifted through the trees in wavering silvery patches. Every -patch looked like a ghost, and the cañon was filled with them. - -Fritz was about as eager to go on duty that night as he would have been -to walk into a den of hungry bears. But Silva, the Mexican packer, -was also one of the midwatch, and between Fritz and Silva was a feud -of several days’ standing. Fritz would have scorned to show the white -feather with Silva looking on, and so he armed himself with a stout -club and a half a dozen ham sandwiches and waddled feebly down the side -of the flat and into the ghostly shadows of the cañon. - -Once a picketed horse gave a snort, and Fritz went straight into the -air for at least five feet. A little later Uncle Sam, the professor’s -mule, let out a “hee haw” that sounded like thunder in the cañon, and -Fritz almost went into a swoon. Every little while Fritz imagined -a quivering splash of moonlight was a spook, and he would groan to -himself and crowd between the rocks, and say his prayers backward, -forward, and sideways. - -Finally, as nothing came up and grabbed him, he began to feel somewhat -reassured. He thought of his sandwiches and started to eat one. - -“Shpooks iss nodding, I bed you,” he communed with himself. “Nodding -nefer hurt nopody at all, und I vill eat und forged aboudt it. Vat -a peacefulness is der nighdt! How calm iss der moon und der leedle -shtars! Oh, I lofe der nighdt, you bed my life, und I—_himmelblitzen_, -vat iss dot?” - -Fritz jumped, laid down his half-eaten sandwich on a bowlder beside -him, and peered wildly around. He could see nothing but the shadowy -live stock belonging to the camp, and yet, very distinctly, he had -heard a _pat, pat, pat_ as of something traveling among the bowlders. - -“Id vas nodding some more,” he chattered. “Imachination makes some -monkey-doodle pitzness mit me. I vill eat der sandvich und forged -aboudt it.” - -He reached for the sandwich, and a horrifying surprise ran through him. -The sandwich was not where he had left it. Nor had it fallen off the -rock. - -“Br-r-r!” shivered Fritz. “Dere iss a keveerness here, py shiminy -Grismus! Iss a shpook hungry dot he comes und takes my sandvich?” - -For several minutes Fritz sat in a huddle and wondered what he had -better do about it. He would have eased his tense feelings with a yell -if Silva hadn’t been around to hear. It wouldn’t do to let the Mexican -know he was scared. With trembling hands, Fritz dug down into his -rations for another sandwich. Laying the sandwich down for a moment, -he bent to twist the mouth of the paper sack in which his lunch was -stowed. When he straightened again, and reached for the sandwich, -another thrill of horror convulsed him. It was gone. - -“Py shimineddy,” Fritz fluttered, “dis iss gedding vorse as I can -tell! Vat iss habbening mit me? Iss it a shpook sandvich? Sooch -now-you-see-him-und-now-you-don’t pitzness I don’t like.” Fritz, just -then, had an illuminating idea which not only calmed his fears but -aroused his wrath. “I bed my life id iss dot greaser feller playing -some chokes mit me. I set some draps, und ven I catch him, I preak him -in doo, so hellup me!” - -With another sandwich Fritz baited his trap. Laying the sandwich on the -bowlder’s top, he sank down until his eyes were level with it and the -rest of his body hidden in gloom; then, lifting his hands ready to make -a grab, he waited. - -_Pat, pat_ came a mysterious sound from the other side of the bowlder. -That must be Silva, Fritz thought, coming up on his hands and knees. - -“Now, I bet you someding for nodding,” Fritz chuckled, “I get him!” - -Something reared up out of the darkness on the other side of the -bowlder. Fritz grabbed, and his hands closed on an object that felt -like a buffalo robe and squirmed like an eel. Another moment and Fritz -had an armful, for the object plunged straight at him over the bowlder. - -“Hellup! hellup!” he howled, as he tumbled backward and began rolling -over and over. “Hellup, I say, oder I vas a gone Dutchman!” - -Then, for several moments, Fritz was altogether too busy for words. The -thing in his arms clawed, and snapped, and snarled. Fritz continued -to roll with it, sometimes underneath, sometimes on top. He was too -scared to let go, and too scared to hold on; and while he floundered -and plunged about among the rocks, the boys began to run out of the -tents, wondering what the nation was the matter. At last, locating the -excitement in the cañon, they began racing over the edge of the flat. -As it happened, Merriwell was in the lead. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - - THE COLONEL CALLS. - - -When Merriwell was close to the spot where the rolling, tumbling, and -howling was going on, a blot of shadow darted through the sifting -moonlight and was swallowed up in the gloom of the lower gulch. As the -shadow disappeared, a long, quavering coyote yelp floated back on the -night wind. - -A thrill ran through Merriwell’s nerves. Was it a coyote or a coyote -dog that had flung past him and given vent to that yelp? Instinctively -he knew that it was the wretched mongrel for whose life he and Clancy -had battled in the vicinity of Camp Hawtrey. - -Merriwell was conscious of an uncanny feeling, which laid hold of -him as that eerie yelp echoed through the cañon. What Hotchkiss had -told him about coyote dogs was no doubt responsible for it. With an -exclamation of impatience he flung the feeling from him and went on to -where a figure was sitting up on the ground among the rocks. - -“Py shinks, it vas nod a shpook,” the figure was muttering. “A shpook -iss nodding, und dis vat I hat in my handts vas more as dot. Yas, you -bet my life!” - -“Carrots!” exclaimed Merry. “Say,” and he laughed, scenting a joke of -some sort, “what’s the matter with you?” - -“I schust hat a fight mit a bear dot vas pigger as a house,” Fritz -cried. “I hat nodding but my hands, und I vas shoking der life oudt -oof dot bear ven you come oop und schkared him avay mit himselluf. Vy -der tickens,” complained Fritz, “don’t you leaf a feller alone ven he -catches some bears?” - -“Whoosh!” chuckled Clancy, as he and several more lads grouped around -the shadowy Fritz. “Fritz was trapping a bear with his bare hands, and -he’s mad because we came down here when he yelled for help. If you -wanted to be left alone, Carrots, why the deuce did you make such a -racket?” - -“I got some oxcidements, dot’s all,” Fritz explained, as he squirmed -to his feet. “Dot bear vas so pig as a moundain, so hellup me, aber I -chuggled him aroundt like anyding. Fairst, I took him py vone leg und -drowed him der air in, den I took him by some odder legs und tossed him -my headt aroundt, und pooty soon I tropped him der rocks on, und vas -chust gedding retty to sit down und make him some brisoners ven you -fellers schkared him avay. Vat sort oof pitzness you call dot, hey?” - -“Fritz,” laughed Merriwell, “you’re a four-flusher. First, you had that -bear as big as a house, and now he’s as big as a mountain. As a matter -of fact, Fritz, the animal was about the size of a dog; and, as another -matter of fact, it was a dog, a coyote dog. I heard him yelp as he ran -down the gulch.” - -This came pretty near taking the wind out of Fritz’s sails. - -“You t’ink you know more about dot bear as me?” he demanded. “I hat him -in my arms, py shinks, und I fight mit him so glose as vat I am to you. -I know vat I know, and dot’s all aboudt it.” - -“_Ay de mi!_” cackled the voice of Silva, “he grab one coyote dog and -think him so beeg lak mountain! It ees most fonny. Fat gringo no tell -coyote dog from bear so beeg lak mountain, huh, huh, huh!” - -This, from the hated Silva, was more than Fritz could stand, and he -began forthwith to do a war dance and to brandish his fists. The -clawing he had received from the coyote dog had not done very much to -sweeten his temper. - -“So hellup me cracious,” he whooped, “I vill knock you py der mittle -oof lasdt veek! No greaser lopster can laugh my face in same as dot.” - -He started for Silva, but somebody tripped him and he pitched sprawling -upon the rocky ground. - -“Get out of here, Silva!” ordered Merriwell. “I don’t want any more -fussing between you and Fritz.” - -The Mexican retired slowly toward his own post, whistling as though for -a missing dog and calling loudly for the animal to “Come, bonita, come, -li’l wan—hyah, hyah!” - -Fritz was fairly boiling with rage. Merriwell helped him up, ordered -him to resume his guard duty, and not to make any further disturbance, -or to try to mix things with Silva. Then, laughing heartily among -themselves, all the boys went back to their blankets. - -“So that coyote dog is hanging around our camp, eh?” muttered Clancy, -as he settled down in bed. “I hope to thunder, Chip, he hasn’t -transferred his affections from Lenning to you. There’s something about -that brute that gives me the creeps.” - -“Oh, slush!” answered Merriwell. “You don’t mean to say, Clan, that -you’re taking any stock in that stuff Hotchkiss batted up to us?” - -“About an abused coyote dog taking the war path as a lone avenger? -Well, no, I’m not so superstitious as all that, but I can’t get out of -my mind that picture of the miserable brute tied to an ironwood tree, a -dynamite cartridge fastened to his tail, and a bunch of hoodlums taking -pot shots at him. I can just see that dog, Chip, turning somersaults at -the end of the rope while bullets are kicking up the dust all around -him.” - -“Forget it, Clan,” said his chum shortly; “go to sleep.” - -Amid the silence that dropped over the camp, Silva’s voice, from the -grove, could be heard calling: “Bonita! li’l wan, coom dis-a-way! Hyah, -hyah, hyah!” - -Then, from down in the cañon, Fritz would howl wrathfully: “Vait, you -greaser scallavag! Bymby, I bed you, I make you vistle by der odder -site oof your mout’.” - -Finally the Mexican tired of jeering at Fritz, and the boys in the -tents succeeded in going to sleep. - -Next morning, as Frank was getting into his clothes after a plunge in -the swimming pool, he asked Brad and Ballard if they had thought of -anything that could be done to straighten out matters between the two -athletic clubs. - -“I’m by,” said Brad. “What we’re to do is too many for me, Chip.” - -“Same here,” spoke up Ballard. “I guess there isn’t a thing we can do -but just kick our heels and let things drift.” - -Clancy, at that moment, came dancing up the bank, grabbed a rough -towel, and began sawing it over his shoulders. - -“I’ve thought of a scheme, fellows,” he remarked. - -“What sort of a scheme?” - -“Lenning’s the stumblingblock. Why not abduct him, lock him up in some -quiet place about a thousand miles from Nowhere, and leave him there -until the rest of the Gold Hill fellows come to their senses? Take it -from me, Chip, that’s the only way we can work through the trick.” - -“Quit your joshing, Clan,” growled Merry. “This is serious business.” - -“You might just as well lie down on the whole affair so long as Jode -Lenning is at large. You know that as well as I do. Whenever he cracks -his little whip, everybody in the other camp has to jump—or get out. -Bleeker is one of the best players on the Gold Hill eleven, and yet you -see what happened to him. He and Hotchkiss have the courage to call -their souls their own, and Camp Hawtrey isn’t big enough for them and -Lenning.” - -“It’s a tough nut to crack,” muttered Merriwell, frowning. “We’re -supposed to be fostering a spirit of friendly rivalry with Gold Hill, -and here we’ve broken with them entirely. There’ll be music, before -long, and of a kind I won’t like to hear. What do you suppose your -father will say, Hannibal?” - -“Pop’s the clear quill, Chip,” Brad answered. “Half a dozen words of -explanation from you will be enough. If he finds fault with you about -anything, it will be because you didn’t give Lenning the worst licking -he ever had in his life.” - -“That may be,” went on Frank, “but it doesn’t better the athletic -situation any. I don’t suppose I was—er—very diplomatic. Maybe Clan and -I could have saved the coyote dog without harrowing Jode all up, as we -did. I didn’t stop to consider that part of it when we interfered with -Jode’s amusement.” - -“What’s done is done,” said Ballard, “and there’s no use sobbing about -it. I guess, after all, Chip, your best move is to give the colonel the -facts.” - -“Wow!” gulped Clancy. “The fur will begin to fly as soon as Chip tries -that. But it’s a cinch that there’s nothing else to be done.” - -“If you lay it down to the colonel, Chip,” put in Brad, “don’t hem, -and haw, and side-step. Give Jode the limit. Tell Hawtrey everything -he ought to know about that rough-neck nephew of his. Throw in all the -trimmings.” - -“Chip can do it, with ground to spare,” grinned Ballard, “if he once -makes up his mind.” - -Merriwell leaned against a tree and dropped his chin thoughtfully into -his hand. He wasn’t more than two minutes in coming to a conclusion. - -“I’m going to Gold Hill,” he announced, “and I’ll start right after -dinner.” - -“That means you’re going to beard the colonel in his den,” said Clancy. -“Want me along as a bodyguard?” - -“And me?” asked Ballard. - -“No, Pink, I don’t want you, or Clan, or any one else,” Merry answered. -“I intend to handle this alone.” - -“That’s the stuff!” approved Brad. “You can do more, all by your -lonesome, than with half a dozen fellows trailing after you. Hawtrey -has a heap of respect for you, Chip. His admiration for your father -has something to do with the way he sizes you up, I reckon. He knows -you’re a chip of the old block, and a square sportsman from soles to -headpiece. If anybody can talk to him about Jode, and get away with it, -you’re the one.” - -“Well, that’s the program,” said Merriwell grimly, “whether I’m the one -or not. When I get after Jode I’m going to handle him without gloves.” - -“What will Darrel think about it?” inquired Ballard. - -“Search me. I think, though, that he’ll take it all right. Lenning’s -actions have reached a point where they’ve got to receive immediate -attention.” - -Following breakfast, that morning, Frank and his chums, under -Professor Phineas Borrodaile’s supervision, took up their studies for -the forenoon. No matter what was going on, the professor insisted -relentlessly on the three lads applying themselves to their books for -the first half of the day. - -Merriwell’s attention wandered a good deal. He was wondering how he had -better approach the colonel on the delicate subject he had in mind. -His acquaintance with Hawtrey was not of very long standing, and he -might almost call himself a stranger to the big man of Gold Hill. Frank -winced when he thought of broaching the matter—which was largely a -family affair—to Lenning’s uncle. - -As soon as the forenoon was over, and dinner out of the way, Frank made -his preparations for the ride to Gold Hill. While he was engaged with -them, Ballard suddenly thrust his head into the tent. - -“You won’t need to take that trip to Gold Hill, Chip,” announced -Ballard. - -“Why not?” - -“Because the colonel is here, old man. He’s got a chip on each -shoulder, too, if I’m any judge. He wants you, and no one else. Say, -but he’s in a temper!” - -“I’ve got a job on my hands,” muttered Merry, “and no mistake. Tell him -I’ll be along in about two minutes, Pink.” - -Frank nerved himself for what he knew was to be an ordeal, and -presently he left the tent and made his way toward the place where -Colonel Hawtrey, in the worst kind of a temper, was pacing back and -forth under the cottonwoods. - - - - - CHAPTER XXX. - - MERRIWELL MISJUDGED. - - -The lads of the camp, aware that something momentous was brewing, -kept at a discreet distance from the colonel. They were plainly ill -at ease, although it was equally plain that they were trying not to -show it. Ballard, Clancy, Brad, and Handy formed a little group by -themselves. They had inside information as to what was going on, and -watched developments with considerably more anxiety than the rest of -the campers. - -Frank walked briskly up to Colonel Hawtrey and put out his hand with a -smile. - -“Good afternoon, colonel,” said he pleasantly. “Glad to see you.” - -The colonel paid no attention to the extended hand. Leaning back -against his saddle horse, he hooked his left arm around the pommel of -the saddle and allowed the fingers of his right hand to fumble with a -watch chain. His snapping eyes fixed themselves on the frank, handsome -face of the lad in front of him. - -“Merriwell,” said he cuttingly, “I’m disappointed in you. I thought you -were a worthy son of your father, and I repeat that I’ve been badly -disappointed.” - -“I’m sorry for that, sir,” Frank answered, flushing a little as he -lowered his hand. “You have been to Camp Hawtrey?” - -“I’ve just come from there; and, when I leave here, I’m going back. -What have you to say for yourself—anything? I didn’t think you were a -rowdy and a trouble maker.” - -“You’ve heard one side of the story, colonel,” said Frank, keeping -himself well in hand, “and don’t you think, in the interest of fair -play, you ought to hear both sides?” - -“What else,” demanded the colonel, “do you suppose I came over here -for?” - -“From your actions it looks as though you had made up your mind that I -am in the wrong.” - -“I have—I am sure of it. Jode has told me everything, and three of -Jode’s companions have vouched for his statements. The testimony is of -the very best.” - -“Then, if you are so sure you have got the right of it, what was the -use of coming here to talk with me?” - -Frank was nettled by the colonel’s injustice. He tried hard to restrain -himself and to give the older man the respect which was rightfully his -due, but a little temper flashed in his words. - -“Young man,” was the icy response, “I try to be a true sportsman; -and, while you and that red-headed chum of yours have made a sorry -exhibition of yourselves, I have an idea as to where the cause lies. -You are at fault, of course, but I do not think that you are quite as -much at fault as some one else whom I could name.” - -“You mean Darrel?” Frank asked quickly. - -“Yes.” - -“Then,” said Frank warmly, “I want to tell you that you are mistaken, -and that Ellis Darrel hadn’t the first thing to do with what happened -near Camp Hawtrey yesterday afternoon.” - -“You are under the influence of that scapegrace nephew of mine,” -stormed the colonel. “Do you think I’m not able to see it? He has -set you against Jode. Do you admire a sneak, Merriwell? What, under -heavens, has got into you that you can’t see through the plans of -that—that young marplot?” - -Here was the colonel, wrong in every way because of Lenning’s -influence, accusing his other nephew of being a sneak and a marplot. -Frank rallied promptly to the defense of his new chum. - -“Darrel is not a sneak, sir,” said he. “I’m not under his influence, -either, in forming my own estimate of Jode Lenning.” - -The colonel tossed his hand deprecatingly. - -“Do you deny,” he asked, “that you and Clancy went over to the other -camp, yesterday, and stirred up a disgraceful fight with Jode and three -of his friends?” - -“No, sir, I don’t deny that Clancy and I had trouble with Jode.” - -“Clancy knocked Jode down. Do you deny that?” - -“No. If Clancy hadn’t knocked him down, I should probably have done it -myself. He deserved it. Did Jode tell you that he struck Clancy first?” - -“That is not true!” asserted the colonel. “You and your friend began -the fight. All Jode and his friends did was to defend themselves. Any -lad, with the right sort of spirit, will fight back when he’s set upon. -Jode is not a coward. If he hadn’t fought, I should have felt like -giving him a trouncing myself.” - -It looked to Frank like a hopeless job, trying to set the colonel -right. He was so dominated by the influence of Lenning, that he took -for gospel all that Lenning told him—especially since Hummer, Lamson, -and Parkman vouched for the truth of Lenning’s statements. - -“Is Bleeker at Camp Hawtrey, colonel?” inquired Frank calmly. “Or -Hotchkiss?” - -“Those two fellows have made themselves extremely disagreeable to all -the others in our camp,” replied the colonel, “and, very properly, Jode -sent them packing.” - -“Bleeker and Hotchkiss could tell you a few things about that row, -colonel, which Jode and his friends didn’t think necessary to mention.” - -“They’re out with Jode, and they’d try to injure him if they could. I -don’t care to talk with either of them.” - -“Then, colonel, I’m going to tell you what started the racket. If you -think Jode acted like a true sportsman, I’ll have nothing more to say. -I want you to remember, though, that I was brought up to hate a lie, -and that what you hear from me is the truth.” - -“Go on,” said the colonel. - -“Clancy and I set out for your camp to arrange for a series of -competitions,” went on Frank. “We wanted to do everything possible to -cause a better feeling between the two clubs, and stirring up trouble -was the last thing in our minds. Before we got to the camp, though, we -saw Jode and three of his friends blazing away at a coyote dog with a -revolver.” - -“That coyote dog was a camp robber,” put in the colonel. “It was -perfectly right for the boys to shoot him.” - -“Why, yes, if it was plain shooting they were going to do; but what -right had they to torture the brute?” - -“There was nothing in the way of torture whatever,” declared the -colonel. - -“Is tying a dynamite cartridge to a dog’s tail and lighting the fuse -torture?” demanded Frank. - -“Nothing of that sort was done.” - -Frank gasped. How was he to make any headway against all this -misinformation which the colonel had received from Jode? And it was -misinformation which the colonel accepted in every detail. - -“Colonel,” continued Frank earnestly, “I was there and I know what took -place. Clancy and I didn’t interfere, until Jode had ordered one of the -boys to light the fuse and another one to cut the dog loose. It was a -brutal business. Clancy and I stopped it; and, if we had it to do over, -we would stop it again.” - -“I shall not dispute with you, Merriwell,” returned the colonel. “I -consider that the source of my information is perfectly reliable.” - -“I have something else to tell you,” Frank said respectfully, but -none the less firmly, “and if you don’t believe me now you will some -time. I cut the cartridge away from the dog and threw it off among the -rocks. While Clancy and I were talking with Bleeker and Hotchkiss, Jode -lighted the fuse and threw the cartridge toward us.” - -“Merriwell!” The colonel’s eyes dilated, and angry protest was in his -voice. - -“Jode,” Frank quietly continued, “never shouted one word of warning -when he let that infernal machine fly at us. Bleeker saw it, and he and -Hotchkiss began to run. Clancy and I took to our heels and just managed -to get out of the way before the cartridge exploded.” - -“You are trying to make Jode out a murderous scoundrel,” cried Hawtrey, -“and I shall not stay here and listen to such talk.” - -“You’d better listen; not only that, but you’d better take Jode in hand -and do something with him. He’s crazy. If he tries any more tricks of -that sort, I’ll put the matter in the hands of Hawkins, the deputy -sheriff.” - -Angrily the colonel swung to his saddle. The subject of the dynamite -cartridge he did not pursue any further. Evidently Jode had given his -version of the affair, and the colonel had more faith in Jode than in -Merriwell. - -“What I regret most about all this,” said the colonel, speaking from -the saddle and in a voice which he tried to make calm and judicial, -“is that it breaks off at once all friendly rivalry between the two -athletic clubs. The matter is worse, infinitely worse, than it was -before you came to Ophir and took a prominent part in the affairs of -the Ophir organization. There will be no football game between Gold -Hill and Ophir this year.” - -Hawtrey snapped out the last words, set his square jaw doggedly, and -touched his horse with the spurs. Looking neither to left nor right, he -galloped down into the cañon and out of sight along the narrow trail. - -Clancy, Ballard, Brad, and Handy hurried over to the place where -Merriwell was standing. - -“What did he say?” all four of the youngsters asked, in one breath. - -“He said a good many things,” Merry answered, “but about the bitterest -dose I had to swallow was what he said about the football game with -Gold Hill. It’s all off, fellows.” - -“All off?” echoed Handy, as though he scarcely believed his ears. “What -has a little row with Lenning got to do with that?” - -“I guess the colonel thinks we’re a lot of plug-uglies and might turn -the game into a Donnybrook fair. Jode has pumped him full, and Lamson, -Parkman, and Hummer have backed Jode up in everything. The colonel, of -course, is taking their word for it all. He didn’t tell me flatly that -I lied, although he might as well have done so. Lenning has made him -think, Clan, that you and I went over to Camp Hawtrey just to pick a -row.” - -“Of course,” said Clancy sardonically, “what else could you expect? -How did Jode get around the dynamite cartridge?” - -“By saying there wasn’t any such thing.” - -“All the colonel has got to do, Chip, is to look at the hole in the -ground where it went off.” - -“Funny thing about it is,” Merry went on, “the colonel blames Darrel, -he thinks Curly goaded us on to pick a row with Lenning.” - -That brought a laugh, all the lads wondering how such a foolish notion -could be entertained by Hawtrey for a single moment. Lenning, they -agreed, must have contrived to give the colonel that impression. - -“I’m going down the gulch to talk with Darrel,” said Frank. “If I were -you, Handy, I wouldn’t say anything to the boys about the colonel’s -calling the football game off. There’s a chance that Mr. Bradlaugh may -be able to smooth over the differences, so that the game will be played -according to schedule. Want to ride with me, Pink, you and Clan?” - -Ballard and Clancy were eager to go with Merriwell and have a talk -with Darrel. In a few minutes all three of the chums were mounted and -galloping toward Dolliver’s. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI. - - DARREL’S RESOLVE. - - -On the afternoon which witnessed Merriwell’s and Clancy’s disastrous -experiences near Camp Hawtrey, Ellis Darrel had been laid up nearly -a week with his broken arm. He had been taken to Dolliver’s because -the Ophir lads knew that the ranch offered more comforts than could -possibly be had in the camp at Tinaja Wells. Dolliver, too, had -telephone connection with Ophir, and but little time had been lost in -getting a doctor. - -Darrel was young and, at the time of his injury, in perfect physical -health. A year of roughing it in the West, all the way from British -Columbia to Mexico, had put a keen edge on his powers of endurance. For -him, therefore, a broken arm did not cause the mischief which would -have been the case in one less hardened and robust. - -In three or four days he was out of bed, and sitting around Dolliver’s -with his arm in a sling. Enforced idleness worried and fretted him. On -the very day Frank and Owen had saved the coyote dog, Darrel had begun -contemplating a return to Tinaja Wells. - -The one thing in all the world which Darrel desired with a full heart -was to prove his innocence in the forgery matter. He felt that he could -not rest easy a moment until he had probed that forgery to the bottom -and had unmasked the person who had written the name of Alvah Hawtrey -on the five-hundred-dollar check. - -The colonel, after considering the circumstantial evidence, had -reached the conclusion that Darrel was the forger. He had therefore -turned the boy from his door and would have nothing more to do with -him. To wipe that blot from his name was Darrel’s one purpose in life. -Merriwell had promised his help, but Darrel believed that it was his -duty to do most of the work for himself. - -After supper, in the evening of the day so many important events had -happened at Camp Hawtrey, Darrel was sitting with the rancher in front -of the house. - -The cloudless Arizona sky was never more beautiful. When the sun sets -in the Southwest, it drops out of sight suddenly, and night falls as -swiftly as a drop curtain. One moment it is day; then, almost the next -moment, the clear-cut stars are glittering overhead. - -The entrance to Mohave Cañon was but a little distance away and facing -the front of Dolliver’s house. The opening yawned like a huge black -cavity on the sky line, stretching into the far distance amid ominous -shadows. - -With dreamy eyes young Darrel stared across the trail and into the -gloomy gulch. Somehow the last year of his life resembled that cañon as -he saw it then. That forgery had flung him into a black and forbidding -path, through which he had wandered—and was still wandering—aimlessly. -Would he never be able to fight his way out of the gloom and the -dishonor and regain his rightful place in his uncle’s esteem, and in -the eyes of honest men? - -While Dolliver, a man of few words, like all who live much by -themselves, sat silently and smoked his short black pipe, and while -Darrel still gazed reflectively into the black mouth of the cañon, two -figures slowly disentangled themselves from the shadows and bore down -on the ranch. - -“Some ’un from up the gulch,” Dolliver roused to remark, “mebbyso from -Tinaja Wells.” - -But they were not from the Wells. As the riders came close and halted, -Darrel discovered that they were two whom he knew—Bleeker and Hotchkiss. - -“Great jumpin’ sandhills!” exclaimed the voice of Hotchkiss. “That you, -Darrel?” - -“Sure,” laughed Darrel. “Why not?” - -“We reckoned you would still be in bed, El,” spoke up Bleeker. “Must be -pulling along in fine shape, eh?” - -“How long do you think a busted arm ought to keep a fellow down, -anyhow?” - -“Depends a heap on the fellow, El. Between you, and me, and the -gatepost, I don’t believe anything’ll keep you down very long.” - -“Can’t you get off and stop a while?” Darrel asked. - -“No. We’re bound for Gold Hill. Been kicked out of Camp Hawtrey.” - -“Kicked out? Great Scott! What do you mean by that, Bleek?” - -“Down at the bottom of it, we’re friends of yours, and Jode don’t want -us around. Something happened up at the camp, this afternoon, that -brought matters to a show-down.” - -“What was that?” - -Bleeker crooked one knee around the saddle horn and rested easily while -he told about the trouble over the coyote dog. - -“That’s what happened,” said he, when the recital was finished, “and -I’ll bet a pound of prunes against a toothpick that Jode’s laying to -unload a little of the trouble onto you.” - -“How could he do that?” queried Darrel. - -“Why, by making his uncle believe that your unholy influence sent -Merriwell and Clancy to our camp to kick up a row. Parkham has already -been sent to the Hill after the colonel. He’ll be out here, bright and -early, to-morrow morning; then Jode will sing his little song and make -the colonel believe just what he wants him to. The friendly relations -of the two clubs have had a knock-out blow. There’ll be nothing doing, -in an athletic way, for some time to come. Pretty tough on Merriwell. -But he’ll come out all right, for that’s a way he has. Get well as -quick as you can, pard, and then come on to Gold Hill. There are a lot -of us there that are ready to fight for you. _Buenas noches!_” - -Bleeker straightened around in his saddle and rattled his spurs. -Presently he and Hotchkiss were clattering away along the main trail in -the direction of home. - -These revelations came to Darrel like a blow. He felt, and perhaps he -was right, that Merriwell’s friendship for him had made an enemy of -Jode. - -“What do you think of that, Dolliver?” asked Darrel, appealing to the -rancher. - -“Why,” was the answer, “I opine that half brother o’ yourn is about as -onnery as they make ’em.” - -“I’m the one who is at the bottom of Merriwell’s trouble with Jode.” - -“You can’t help it if ye are. Better hit the hay, son. I reckon you’ve -been up a heap too long as it is.” - -Darrel went to bed that night pondering the subject of Merriwell’s -failure to inspire a friendly spirit in the dealings between the two -athletic clubs. - -“He could have succeeded,” was Darrel’s bitter conclusion, “if it -hadn’t been for his friendship for me. What will Jode be trying next, -I wonder? Where is that fiendish temper of his going to land him, if -something isn’t done to curb it?” - -Long into the night Darrel canvassed the unpleasant problem in his -mind. As a consequence, he went to sleep about midnight and woke up -with the sun at least two hours’ high. - -“Has my uncle passed on his way to Camp Hawtrey, Dolliver?” were his -first words when he found the rancher. - -“All of an hour ago,” was the reply. - -“I wanted to talk with him,” muttered Darrel. - -“A heap o’ palverin’ you’d ‘a’ done with _him_,” grunted Dolliver. “The -kunnel ain’t eager for no conversation with you, son.” - -Darrel realized that, but it did not alter his determination to see -if he could not talk with his uncle and try to make things easier for -Merriwell. - -The morning passed slowly, Darrel deciding one moment that duty called -him to Tinaja Wells and Merriwell, and again that his proper course was -to ride to Camp Hawtrey and interview the colonel. - -Noon came, and Darrel ate little of the food Dolliver had set out on -the kitchen table. - -“If ye don’t eat,” grumbled Dolliver, “ye can’t expect to git around -very soon.” - -Darrel’s mind was on something else besides his dinner. - -“I wish you’d saddle up a horse for me, Dolliver,” he said. “I’m going -to take a ride.” - -“More’n likely ye’ll fall off before ye’ve gone fur. Where ye goin’ to -ride?” - -“Camp Hawtrey.” - -“Take a fool’s advice, son, and don’t.” - -“I’m going to talk with the colonel. If you won’t put the gear on a -horse for me, I reckon I can manage it myself.” - -“Oh, I’ll do it, if ye’re bound ter ride. But wait a couple o’ hours. -It’s plumb in the heat o’ the day, and ridin’ ’ll come a heap harder -for you now than it will later.” - -An hour or two would make little difference, and Darrel laid down on -his bed for a short rest before taking the ride. He fell asleep almost -immediately, and was awakened by a familiar voice trying to get some -one over the telephone. It was his uncle, there in the room with him, -asking for Bradlaugh’s office. Bradlaugh was not in, evidently. - -“Tell him,” said Colonel Hawtrey, “that I’ll talk with him from here -late this afternoon. This is mighty important—don’t neglect to tell him -that.” - -Colonel Hawtrey had just ridden down the cañon after his talk with -Merriwell. He was still red and wrathful. As he whirled from the -telephone, he was confronted by Darrel. - -The boy’s face was as white as the bandage that swathed his arm, but he -stood resolutely between his uncle and the open outside door. - -“Colonel,” he began, “I want you to listen to me. I’m not talking for -myself, but for Merriwell. Don’t think that I——” - -“Not a word,” snapped the colonel. “You haven’t anything to say that I -care to hear.” - -He strode around Darrel. The boy stepped forward to lay a detaining -hand on his arm. Roughly the colonel shook him off, hurried from the -house, vaulted into the saddle of his waiting horse, and spurred for -the cañon. He did not so much as look back. - -“Nice way for an uncle to treat his nephew!” exclaimed Dolliver, from a -place outside the house near the door. “But I told ye how it ’u’d be,” -he added. - -“He can’t shake me like that!” cried Darrel. “I’m going to do what I -can to straighten out this trouble of Merriwell’s. Get the horse for -me, Dolliver, and I’ll hike right after him.” - -“Ye’ve got plenty o’ nerve, son, but blame’ poor jedgment,” growled the -rancher. - -“Why didn’t you call me,” demanded Darrel, “when you saw him coming?” - -“Didn’t see him comin’. Didn’t have a notion anybody had dropped in -till I saw the strange hoss at the hitchin’ pole.” - -“Will you get the horse for me, Mr. Dolliver?” - -The “mister” was pretty formal. The fact that Darrel used it proved -that he was on edge and would not take “no” for an answer. - -Dolliver got the horse and helped Darrel into the saddle. He wished him -luck, too, although in the same breath he declared that the boy was -running a big risk and would have his trouble for nothing. - -Darrel’s pale face was set resolutely as he urged the horse into a -gallop and disappeared through the mouth of the cañon. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII. - - THE LEDGE AT THE GULCH. - - -In a great many ways Merriwell had shown his friendship for Ellis -Darrel. From the very first, when Darrel had reached the camp at Tinaja -Wells as the “boy from Nowhere,” Merriwell had believed in him and had -befriended him. - -As he rode toward Camp Hawtrey, Darrel recalled how cleverly Merriwell -had defended him against the charge of robbing the colonel’s safe. So -successful was the defense that even the stern old colonel was forced -to admit that Darrel was innocent. - -And again, at the time the rope had given way and Darrel had fallen on -the cliff, it was Merriwell who had risked his neck to climb to the -ledge where Darrel lay unconscious, had fastened a rope about him, and -had lowered him to safety. It was Merriwell, too, who had played “a -game within a game” on the football field and had taken from Lenning -certain evidence of Lenning’s scoundrelly work. - -As a slight repayment for all this loyalty and friendship, Darrel felt -that he should do what he could to straighten out the misunderstanding -between the colonel and Merriwell. - -Even if he could get the colonel’s attention, Darrel was doubtful of -his ability to sway the colonel toward Merriwell’s side. It was a time, -however, when Darrel was resolved to give himself the benefit of every -doubt, in the hope of being of some service to his friend. - -If Jode was successful in making the colonel believe that Darrel’s -influence had caused the trouble between him and Merriwell, then Darrel -would do his utmost to set his uncle right on that point. This, very -likely, would put an altogether different complexion on the clash about -the coyote dog. - -If convinced that Darrel had nothing to do with the actions of -Merriwell and Clancy, the colonel might be in a receptive mood so far -as evidence against Jode was concerned. This, at least, was what Darrel -hoped. - -A mile or so from the mouth of the cañon the right-hand wall was broken -into by the mouth of a gulch. This gulch was the one in which the Gold -Hill Boys had pitched their camp. - -Years before, a mining company had thrown a dam across the mouth of the -gulch. This dam had backed up the water for several miles. - -Darrel turned his horse into the gulch and followed a bridle path that -led onward close to the water’s edge. Rapidly, as he advanced, the -gulch widened out. The slopes on either side of the stream became less -steep, pine trees began to show themselves, and flaming poppies, in -irregular beds, made the slopes look like terraced gardens. - -“First time I ever knew there was a place like this holed away among -these hills,” muttered the boy, staring around him with all the delight -aroused by a new and pleasant discovery. “It’s a mighty fine place, and -no mistake. Where’s that camp, I wonder?” - -Pulling the horse to a halt, he lifted himself in the stirrups and -peered ahead. He could not see the gleam of the tents, but he did see -something else which caused him to utter an exclamation of surprise and -disappointment. - -In the distance two figures were moving in his direction, on foot. One -of them was the colonel, as he could see plainly, and the other was -Jode. - -“Beastly luck!” grumbled Darrel. “How can I talk with the colonel if -Jode’s around? I’ll just leave the horse in the brush and watch them, -for a spell. Maybe Jode will leave the colonel, and I’ll get my chance.” - -Quickly turning the horse from the trail, Darrel spurred up the slope -of the gulch wall for a short distance and rode into a chaparral -of mesquite. Here he dismounted, hitched the horse to a scraggly -paloverde, and crept back to the edge of the bushes to watch. - -He had had no exercise to amount to anything for nearly a week, and he -was astonished to find how his exertions tired him. He half reclined as -he stared out of the thicket, resting as he watched the trail for the -colonel and Jode to appear. - -It was plain that the two could not be going far from the camp. Had -they been traveling any considerable distance, they would have brought -their mounts. - -Not many minutes passed before the two hove in sight. Only a little way -from the place where Darrel had turned from the trail, the colonel and -Jode altered their course and began climbing the slope. The colonel was -carrying a small package wrapped in brown paper. - -It seemed evident to Darrel that the two from the camp would pass -within a few yards of the chaparral. What if they discovered the horse? -The boy compressed his lips sternly. If that happened, then he would -show himself at once and talk to the colonel, in spite of Jode. But he -hoped the horse would not be seen, and that he could watch his chances -and have the colonel all to himself for a few minutes. - -The climb must have tired the colonel, for he halted and sat down on a -convenient bowlder for a brief rest. Jode dropped to the ground at his -side. They were not more than twenty feet from Darrel. - -“It won’t take me ten minutes to load the hole and set off the charge, -Jode,” the colonel was saying, “and then we’ll see what sort of rock we -uncover. There’s a vein there—I’m too old a hand at the business to be -fooled—but whether it amounts to much or not remains to be seen.” - -“You’re mighty clever at this sort of business, Uncle Al,” returned -Jode admiringly. “I wish I knew as much about dips, angles, and -formations as you do.” - -“It won’t be necessary for you to work along that line, my boy,” said -the colonel affectionately. “You’re to educate yourself for commercial -work, and learn to take care of what I shall one day leave you.” - -“I hope,” observed Jode, “that it will be a long time before I shall be -called on to do that. There’s no chance, you think, of patching up our -differences with the Ophir fellows?” - -“No chance—at least, not so long as Merriwell has anything to do with -the Ophir team. I’ve cancelled the Thanksgiving Day game.” - -“That’s pretty tough! I think, uncle, we could play Ophir, even with -Merriwell in their crowd, and show them that we can be square and let -bygones be bygones.” - -“What you say, Jode, does you a lot of credit. Our boys are gentlemen, -however, and not hoodlums. I could not sanction your playing with a -team where such a spirit as Merriwell and Clancy showed yesterday is -liable to crop out at any moment.” - -“Whatever you say goes, Uncle Al. But I wish the thing could be patched -up in some way.” - -“Well, I don’t see how it can. Mr. Bradlaugh has placed Merriwell in -charge of the Ophir eleven, and a team is bound to reflect the spirit -of the coach. There’ll be no more exhibitions of petty partisanship -between the two clubs if I can help it.” The colonel got up and stooped -to lay hold of the bundle he had been carrying. “What’s the matter?” he -asked, starting quickly erect. - -Jode had given a jump and uttered a startled exclamation. - -“I—I thought I saw that coyote dog among the rocks, up toward the -ledge,” he answered, in a smothered voice. - -“What if you did?” - -“Why, I heard—some one in the camp told me—that a coyote dog always -lays for the fellow who tries to hurt him or——” - -“Stuff and nonsense!” scoffed the colonel. “You ought to be above such -superstitious notions, Jode. Never mind if you did catch a glimpse of -the dog. Come on and we’ll go up to the ledge and do our work there.” - -“I wish I’d brought my revolver,” said Jode, as he again began climbing -at his uncle’s side. - -“You’ll not need your revolver.” - -Contrary to Darrel’s fears, the two passed well to the side of the -chaparral. The colonel’s mind was busy with the work that lay ahead of -him, and Jode was still plainly experiencing a few qualms on the score -of the coyote dog. As he climbed, Jode’s shifty eyes were fixed on the -rocks where he believed he had caught sight of the skulking animal. - -What Darrel had overheard pass between his half brother and the colonel -gave him a queer feeling of regret for the part he was playing. It -seemed almost as though he was a spy and an eavesdropper. The colonel’s -affection for Jode was deep and sincere, there could not be the -slightest doubt; but Jode’s manner, his very talk, to Darrel’s mind, -lacked all that the colonel’s so frankly expressed. - -“What business is it of mine?” thought Darrel bitterly. “So long as I -am under a cloud I have no right to criticize Jode. I wish he’d clear -out and give me a chance at the colonel.” - -Some twenty or thirty feet above the chaparral, and forty or fifty feet -to the left of it, was a ledge of rock standing straight out from the -sloping gulch wall. A mass of loose bowlders overhung the ledge. - -This was the spot toward which the colonel and Jode were climbing. -Observing this, Darrel quietly forced his way upward along one side of -the patch of mesquite. At the upper edge of the chaparral he found a -rift in the slope. It was like a trench, deep enough to hide a man, and -ran straight toward the crest of the gulch wall. - -Still watching and hoping for an opportunity to speak a few words in -private with the colonel, Darrel crawled into the trench and made his -way to a point that was on a level with the top of the ledge. When he -finally halted and peered over the edge of the rift, he found that some -thirty feet of rough ground separated him from the colonel and Jode. - -The colonel was on his knees, carefully opening the parcel he had -brought with him. A small coil of fuse and a couple of sticks of -dynamite were presently taken from the package. - -“There were three sticks here when I wrapped up the package in Gold -Hill,” said the colonel, lifting his eyes to Jode’s. “What’s become of -the rest of the dynamite?” - -“Are you sure?” Jode answered. “Some one must have taken out one of -the sticks.” - -“Of course I may be mistaken,” muttered the colonel. - -Cutting off a length of fuse, he trimmed it with a pocket knife; then, -taking a cap from his pocket, he pushed it over the trimmed end. Next, -he picked up one of the sticks of giant powder, slit it lengthwise on -four sides, and dropped it into a hole that had been drilled in the -shelf. The other stick was pushed down on the first, and both were -gently tamped down on the cap, which was in the bottom of the hole. - -“Now, clear out, Jode,” said the colonel. “It’s only a two-minute -length of fuse, and I shall have to scramble for safety when I touch it -off.” - -Jode jumped from the ledge and hurried to get away among a lot of -bowlders at a safe distance. The colonel lighted a match, touched it to -the fuse, and Darrel flattened himself out in the bottom of the rift. - -The next moment he heard a crash, but it was not the crash of an -explosion. A startled cry came from the colonel, and Darrel, thrilled -with a weird premonition of disaster, rose to his knees and again -looked out over the top of the rift. What he saw, there on the ledge of -the gulch wall, caused him to gasp and close his eyes to shut out the -horror of it. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII. - - FOLLOWING DARREL. - - -Frank and his chums, in riding from Tinaja Wells to Dolliver’s, passed -the mouth of the gulch only a few moments after Darrel had ridden into -it. Had Frank encountered Darrel, there is no doubt but that he would -have persuaded him against going on to Camp Hawtrey. In that event, -some very pretty maneuvers of Fate, calculated to benefit Darrel, would -have been effectually blocked. - -But Merry and his two friends missed their new chum by a scant margin, -and galloped on to Dolliver’s. Dolliver, smoking his short black pipe, -was sitting in front of his little establishment, mentally considering -uncles and nephews, and the foolishness of a kid with a broken arm -trying to take a horseback ride before he was well able to be out of -bed. - -At sight of Merriwell, Ballard, and Clancy, Dolliver’s reflections -went off at a fresh angle. He now began to concern himself with the -contrariness of human affairs in general. - -“Hello, Dolliver!” Frank called, pulling in his black mount, Borak. -“How’s Curly?” - -“Plumb locoed,” grunted the rancher. - -“You don’t mean to say he’s out of his head?” gasped Frank. - -“If he ain’t, then, by the jumpin’ hocus-pocus, I never see a feller -that was.” - -“We’ll have to see about this!” - -Frank slid from the saddle and started hurriedly into the house. - -“No use lookin’ fer him in the wikiup, Merriwell,” said Dolliver, “kase -he ain’t there.” - -“Not in the house?” demanded Frank, recoiling in amazement. “Where is -he, then?” - -“Gone to Camp Hawtrey to make the old kunnel talk with him.” - -“What do you know about that!” exclaimed Ballard. - -“Thunder!” cried the astounded Clancy. - -“How long since he left here?” asked Frank. - -“Less’n half an hour.” - -“Did he ride?” - -“Sartain he did. No more business on a hoss than a two-year-old kid, -nuther. He’s wuss to manage than a case o’ the measles, anyways. -Howsumever, he would go. He reckoned he could talk with the kunnel and -smooth things out fer you.” - -“How did he know matters had to be smoothed out for me?” - -“Bleeker and Hotchkiss dropped in here on their way to the Hill, and -they cut loose about your troubles. That got Darrel all het up. Right -arter dinner, to-day, the kunnel himself blowed in here and tried to -git Mr. Bradlaugh on the telephone. But Bradlaugh was away on business, -I reckon. I wasn’t in the shack at the time, but I heerd the kunnel -sayin’ the business was important and that he’d call up later this -afternoon. Darrel was in the house, though, and tried to powwow with -the kunnel, but the kunnel wouldn’t have it. Runnin’ out, the kunnel -climbed his hoss and moseyed up the cañon. Nothin’ ’u’d do but Darrel -had to mosey arter him.” - -“Here’s news, fellows, and no mistake!” breathed Merriwell. - -“Curly wasn’t able to take such a ride,” growled Ballard, “and that’s -a cinch.” - -“What does he think he can do, anyhow?” asked Clancy. “He’s not on the -colonel’s visiting list.” - -“Have you any idea what he intended to do, Dolliver?” Merry went on. - -“Palaver with that grouchy old uncle o’ his,” replied the rancher. -“Jode’s tryin’ to make the kunnel believe Darrel set you up to act like -you done. I allow that Darrel wants to disabuse his mind, thinkin’ that -if he’s out o’ it you’ll have less trouble comin’ to an understandin’ -with Hawtrey.” - -“Foolish!” muttered Merriwell. “He couldn’t make the colonel believe -any such thing, and it wouldn’t help if he could. I wish we’d get here -in time to head Darrel off. What’ll happen to him when he gets to Camp -Hawtrey?” - -“I don’t opine he’ll ever git there,” and Dolliver shook his head -dubiously. “He wa’n’t able to sit a hoss, not noways.” - -Frank hurried to Borak and leaped into the saddle. - -“Only one thing to do, fellows,” he announced, “and that’s for us to -ride for Camp Hawtrey.” - -“Bully!” exulted the red-headed chap. “That gang will sure welcome us -with open arms.” - -“They will that,” agreed Dolliver. “Say, if you go to the kunnel’s -camp, jest now, ye’ll have the time o’ your lives.” - -“All right,” answered Frank, “I don’t care how hot a time they give us -providing we can do something to help Darrel. Come on, fellows!” - -He pointed Borak for the mouth of the cañon, and set off at speed. -Clancy and Ballard made after him. - -The cañon trail was narrow and the riders were obliged to proceed in -single file. When they turned into the gulch, however, they were able -to ride stirrup to stirrup. - -“I don’t like the prospect a little bit,” said Frank. “Now that Bleeker -and Hotch have left the Gold Hill camp, there isn’t a fellow there -that’s at all friendly toward Darrel.” - -“Hawtrey’s there,” suggested Ballard. “Don’t forget that, Chip. Hawtrey -won’t have anything to do with Curly, but you can bet he won’t let Jode -rough things up with him.” - -“That’s right, Pink. Darrel must be a little hazy in his mind to start -for the Gold Hill camp at such a time as this.” - -“He’s trying to do you a good turn, Chip,” suggested Clancy. - -“Sure he is—I give him credit for that—but the crazy old lobster can’t -do me any good, or himself, either. He ought to stay in the house for -another week yet.” - -“Bosh!” returned Clancy. “Curly is all rawhide and India rubber. A -broken wing hadn’t ought to bother him much more than a mild case of -the mumps. You’ll notice we haven’t run across him lying along the -road.” - -“He’ll stick it out, you can bank on that,” said Ballard. “He’s -probably in Camp Hawtrey this minute. That bunch would be pretty yellow -if they didn’t treat him right.” - -Clancy had a sudden thought. - -“Say, Chip,” said he, “we’re taking this hike to help Curly, but I -don’t think we’ll do him much good if we plunge full tilt into the -camp. They’re a suspicious lot, and they might think it a frame-up of -Curly’s. Suppose we reconnoiter a little before we show ourselves?” - -“How’ll we reconnoiter, Clan?” asked Merry. - -“The top of the gulch wall, about where we were yesterday, is a good -place for that.” - -“I guess you’ve got the right end of the stick, Clan. If we’re to climb -the bank we’d better begin right here. Strikes me this is as good a -place as we’ll find, and it’s far enough this side of the camp so we -can make the climb without being seen.” - -The slope was not steep, but it was easier for the boys to walk up the -incline and lead their horses. In perhaps ten minutes they had reached -the crest, and were able to take a comprehensive survey of the gulch -below. - -“Jove!” exclaimed Merry. “There are two fellows on a bowlder down -there. See them? They are just below that chaparral of mesquite. One of -them looks like the colonel to me. Wonder if the other is Darrel?” - -“Not on your life!” murmured Clancy. “The other is Jode.” - -“Sure enough!” agreed Ballard. “We’d better lead our horses back from -the rim, and drop down on the rocks. If the colonel and Jode happened -to look up here, they’d see us.” - -Ballard’s suggestion was carried out at once; then, on their knees, the -lads continued to peer downward. Presently the colonel and Jode got -up and began climbing. They passed well to the left of the chaparral, -angled across the face of the slope, and stepped upon a ledge that -jutted out from the gulch side. - -“I’m next to what’s going on down there,” said Merry. “Remember what -Bleek told us, Clan, when I asked him where Jode got that dynamite for -the cartridge?” - -“He said something about Hawtrey stumbling on a ‘prospect,’” was the -answer, “and that Jode was to fill a hole, and the colonel was to load -it and set it off.” - -“That’s what the colonel is about to do. Let’s move down the gulch a -little way and find a place directly over the ledge.” - -A hundred yards carried the boys to a spot above the ledge. Masses of -splintered granite and loose bowlders covered the slope between the -ledge and the crest of the gulch wall. The boys were able to look over -the intervening rocks, however, and get a clear view of the ledge level. - -Colonel Hawtrey, on his knees, was at work capping a fuse and ramming -dynamite into the hole where the blast was to be set off. - -“You’re right about it, Chip,” said Clancy. “The colonel’s going to -have a little blow-up, down there, and probably he’ll make a ‘strike.’ -How many poor prospectors, do you suppose, have passed that ‘prospect’ -by? That’s the way things work out, in this world. Here’s the colonel, -with more mines and money than he knows what to do with, just falling -right over a good thing. Now——” - -“Look!” broke in Ballard, grabbing Frank’s arm and pointing downward -and to the left of the ledge. “See that long break in the gulch wall, -running from the top right down to that bunch of chaparral? Who’s that -looking out of it?” - -“Darrel!” murmured Merriwell, astounded. - -“Curly, as sure as you’re a foot high!” fluttered Clancy. “Now, what -the deuce do you suppose he’s up to?” - -It was a surprising situation, and no mistake. Darrel, screened in the -rift, was cautiously looking out and keeping track of the movements of -the colonel and Jode. - -“Curly wants to talk with the colonel,” said Frank, after a moment’s -thought, “and he’s waiting for Jode to get out of the way.” - -“I could slip down that chute,” suggested Ballard, “and slide right -into Darrel. We could bring him up here, with us, and——” - -“Wait till after the blast,” cut in Merry. “The colonel’s just touching -it off.” - -“See Jode scramble for the tall rocks!” chuckled Clancy. “He’s not -going to take any chances on being knocked over by flying stones.” - -“Neither is Curly,” added Ballard. “He has ducked down into the bottom -of that hole of his.” - -“Two sticks of dynamite will lift a pretty big chunk out of that -ledge,” said Merriwell, “and before it lets go we’d better push back a -little. The charge——” - -The words died on Merry’s lips. A bowlder, just above the ledge, had -slipped from its moorings and was rolling over and over, grinding and -crashing toward the ledge. The colonel had just risen from lighting the -fuse. He saw the bowlder, and tried frantically to get out of the way -of it. In his haste, he slipped and fell prone upon the ledge. The next -moment the bowlder was upon him! - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV. - - A TANGLE OF EVENTS. - - -Right from that moment a series of thrilling happenings began below. -The slope of the gulch wall was a stage, and from the crest Frank and -his chums watched events breathlessly. Horror gripped them and held -them spellbound. Instinctively they rose from their crouching positions -and stared wide-eyed at the tragic scene below them. - -The colonel, as it is already known, had cut off only a two-minute -length of fuse. This meant that, in one hundred and twenty seconds from -the time he applied the match to the fuse, the gulch wall adjacent -to the ledge would be piled with ruin. So, in the short space of two -minutes, one weird event heaped itself upon another with amazing -rapidity. - -Frank and his chums saw it all. Not one detail of the awful drama -escaped them. But, as the eye can comprehend infinitely quicker than -the tongue can frame a scene in so many words, it will be well to -describe each occurrence. At the same time, let it be remembered that -most of them happened simultaneously, and that the others fairly -jostled each other, so closely did they follow. - -It was the falling bowlder that, primarily, caused the tragic -situation. This had become loosened, perhaps by the pounding Jode had -done in “putting down” that hole for the blast. Poised and ready to -tumble, Fate held the bowlder back until the critical moment when the -colonel had lighted his two-minute fuse and was on the point of rushing -from the ledge. - -A cry of horror escaped the lads on the crest when they saw the huge -stone apparently about to crush out the life of the fallen man on the -ledge. But fortune, in a small way, favored Colonel Hawtrey. - -The bowlder crashed to a full stop on the ledge, trapping one of the -colonel’s feet. He was held securely, it seemed, for, in spite of his -wild struggles, he could not release himself. - -He was lying on the stones with his head toward the sputtering fuse, -and yet the fuse itself was well beyond the reach of his arms. A -terrible fate appeared to be in store for him unless Jode came to his -rescue. - -The colonel, of course, knew nothing about Darrel being close at hand, -so his frantic cries were all directed at Jode. - -“Jode!” he shouted. “I’m trapped by a bowlder! Hurry, and tear away the -fuse! Jode! Do you hear me?” - -At just this moment, when Jode’s presence was so urgently demanded by -the colonel, another factor had come bounding into the weird progress -of events. The coyote dog had been skulking among the rocks above the -ledge. The roar of the falling bowlder had frightened the animal, and -he had uttered a wild yelp and started for the top of the gulch wall. -Before he reached the crest, he saw Frank and his chums, and whirled -and dashed down the slope. His course carried him among the bowlders -where Jode had sought refuge from the débris of the blast. - -And now, under the colonel’s own eyes, Jode Lenning gave abundant proof -of the “yellow streak” in his character. He saw the tawny form of the -outcast dog leaping toward him, eyes gleaming, mouth open, and red -tongue protruding. Fear seized Jode, for no doubt he believed in the -superstition that was held by many of the settlers in those parts, and -felt in his soul that the dog was rushing upon him in a vengeful mood. - -The frantic shouts of the colonel passed over Jode’s head unheeded. The -colonel might be in danger, but Jode was obsessed with the idea that -his own danger was fully as great. So, why should he think of his uncle -when his own life swung in the balance? - -This must have been the trend of Lenning’s reasoning. With a cry of -fear, he rushed out from among the rocks and raced for the trail at the -foot of the gulch wall. - -As a matter of fact, the coyote dog had no designs whatever upon Jode. -All the animal was trying to do was to efface himself from the scene as -quickly as possible. Very likely, he was more anxious to get away from -Jode than Jode was to get away from him. - -Howling for help, stumbling, and falling, and rolling, Jode put forth -every effort to reach the bottom of the slope. Long before he had -accomplished his purpose, the coyote dog had passed him on an angling -course and had flickered away down the gulch. Jode, in his excitement, -failed to notice this. He had the impression that the enraged brute was -still on his trail, and did not slacken his pace. - -Colonel Hawtrey, lying helpless on the ledge with the flame of the fuse -dancing nearer and nearer to the charge of dynamite, was able to watch -his nephew flying down the slope. In that tense moment the boy’s whole -nature must have revealed itself to the colonel in a single flash. - -Merriwell had not remained long inactive on the crest of the sloping -bank. As soon as it became evident that nothing could be expected from -Jode, he flung himself among the masses of bowlders and splintered -rocks and began a descent toward the ledge. - -But the going was difficult, and Merriwell realized, with a sinking -heart, that it would be impossible for him to reach the ledge before -the charge of dynamite had exploded. Then, at the very moment the -realization came home to him, he saw Darrel pawing and scrambling over -the rocks toward his uncle. - -A hopeful thought plunged through Merriwell’s brain. A light dawned -upon him suddenly. Here was the very chance for which Ellis Darrel had -been waiting. Fate had taken his affairs in hand, and, in a short two -minutes of time, was revealing to the colonel the varying dispositions -of his two nephews. - -The one who, up to that moment, had had all Hawtrey’s affection and -confidence, was bounding and plunging down the slope and abandoning him -to his fate. The other, the lad that had been cast adrift and had been -looked upon as a ne’er-do-well and a forger, was struggling valiantly -to reach his uncle’s side and extinguish the blazing fuse. - -There was danger in Darrel’s attempt. He was handicapped in his work -because of his useless arm, and he had not a second to spare if he -gained the ledge in time. If he failed to reach the ledge before the -fuse exploded the cap and the cap set off the dynamite, then not only -his uncle but he himself would be killed by the blast. - -Darrel must have understood this, yet it made not the slightest -difference to him. Furiously he was fighting his way over the rough -ground toward the ledge. Again and again he stumbled and fell. His -broken arm surely received many an agonizing wrench, but physical pain -was as powerless to hold him back as was the prospect of death from his -failure to reach the sputtering fuse in time. - -Colonel Hawtrey at last became aware that some one else was coming to -his rescue. He turned and, with glimmering eyes, watched the fierce -efforts of Darrel. The boy’s face was white and haggard, but the same -resolution smoldered in his eyes that had fixed itself there when he -had left Dolliver’s. - -The colonel was calm, now. The old military spirit revived in him, and -he turned calculating eyes upon the fuse and measured at a glance the -space that separated Darrel from the ledge. - -“Stop where you are, El!” the colonel called, commandingly. “You can’t -get here in time. If you keep on, two lives instead of one will be -lost. Turn back, I tell you!” - -Darrel did not answer. Neither did he turn back. He held to his course. -There was a smear of red on the bandage that swathed the arm, but he -continued to fight his way onward. - -As a mere exhibition of pluck, the boy’s work was splendid. But what -he was doing reached deeper, and something like admiration filled the -colonel’s face as he watched. He tried no longer to make Darrel turn -back. Possibly he knew any command of his would be useless. - -Jode could be seen at the bottom of the slope. He had at last -discovered that the coyote dog was no longer at his heels. Standing in -the trail, he looked upward, and, like Frank and his chums, and the -colonel, witnessed the gallant struggle his half brother was making. - -The work Darrel was doing should have been Lenning’s. That fact could -not escape the boy at the foot of the slope. What his thoughts were, in -the circumstances, may easily be imagined. - -“Good work, Curly!” shouted Merriwell. “You’ll make it, old man!” - -This encouragement, coming in Merriwell’s familiar voice, probably -carried a big surprise for Darrel. He had no time for surprises, -however. Close to the ledge, he flung himself over at full length upon -the stones and reached for the fuse. - -The blaze had eaten its way to the very mouth of the drilled hole. -Darrel dug down into the aperture with his fingers, searing his flesh -as he pinched out the fire; then, with a stifled groan, he fell over on -his back and lay silent and still. - -“We’ll be with you in a minute, colonel,” shouted Frank cheerily, once -more beginning to descend. “Darrel has prevented a blow-up, and now -everything is going to be all right.” - -“Yes,” came from the colonel, in a strained voice that was none too -steady, “you’re right about that, Merriwell. I’ll make it my business -to see that everything is all right—for Ellis.” - -Clancy and Ballard had likewise started down the side of the gulch -wall. A tremendous relief had been experienced by both the boys when -they had seen Darrel reach the fuse. - -“We’ll be down there in a brace of shakes, Chip,” sang out Clancy as he -saw Merriwell step to the ledge and move toward the colonel. - -Frank was kneeling beside Darrel when Clancy and Ballard reached the -ledge. - -“Never mind me, Merriwell.” Clancy and Ballard heard the colonel say, -“I’m doing well enough for the present. Just look after Darrel, will -you?” - -“Is he hurt, Chip?” asked Ballard. - -“He wasn’t in any shape to make a fight like that,” Merry answered, -“and it took the ginger all out of him. He’s fainted, that’s all.” - -“One of you go down to the bottom of the gulch and get a little water,” -directed the colonel. - -“Curly will be all right, sir,” said Frank, “until we get that bowlder -off you. Strikes me that you’re in a pretty bad situation.” - -“It only seems to be a bad situation. As it happens, there’s a crevice -in the bowlder where it rests upon my foot and leg. I’m pinioned here, -but I don’t believe I have been injured at all.” - -With a steel drill for a lever, Frank pried carefully at the big stone -while Clancy and Ballard put their combined weight against it. Their -efforts were successful and the bowlder was rolled away. - -The colonel pulled himself together and sat up on the ledge. - -“That was a close call for me,” he remarked coolly, “and for Ellis, -too. Do you think you could carry him down to the water?” - -“Easily,” Frank answered. - -All three of the boys laid hold of Darrel, gathered him up in their -arms and started carefully down the slope. The colonel followed, -limping a little as he came. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV. - - A RIFT IN THE CLOUDS. - - -Lenning had disappeared from the foot of the slope by the time the -little party from above had brought their burden to the water’s edge. -It was just as well for all concerned that he had not lingered. - -Darrel was laid down with a rolled-up coat under his head for a pillow. -The boys scooped up water in their hands and allowed it to trickle over -the white, unconscious face. - -“That was about as nervy a piece of work as I ever saw a fellow do,” -remarked Clancy, on his knees at Darrel’s side. - -“That’s the sort of a chap Curly is,” spoke up Ballard. - -“You’re right, Pink,” said Merriwell shortly. - -The colonel’s face was a study. Not much could be learned from it, -however, regarding the state of his feelings. - -“How is it,” he asked, “that all of you happened to be around at -the time I needed help? Did you and your friends come with Ellis, -Merriwell?” - -“We followed him,” Merry answered. - -“Followed him?” echoed the other. - -“Why, you see,” Merry explained, “we started for Dolliver’s soon after -you left Tinaja Wells, colonel. From what you said, I gathered the -impression that you believed Darrel had something to do with the way -Clancy and I lit into Lenning, on account of that coyote dog. I was -afraid he’d hear of it, and I wanted to talk the matter over with him. -Besides, I had it in mind to call up Mr. Bradlaugh on the phone from -Dolliver’s, and tell him how matters were getting complicated.” - -“I tried that myself,” said the colonel, “but discovered that Mr. -Bradlaugh was out of town.” “Perhaps it’s just as well I couldn’t talk -with him,” he added. - -“When we reached Dolliver’s,” Frank resumed, “we were told that Darrel -had left to go to Camp Hawtrey. I didn’t stop to telephone, but turned -and followed him!” - -“Why did Ellis start for our camp?” - -“He wanted to talk with you—to try and patch up our differences on -account of what happened yesterday.” - -“Just an errand of his own out of mere friendship for you, eh?” - -“That’s about the size of it, sir.” - -“What did you follow him for?” - -“Well,” said Frank bluntly, “I wasn’t sure how he’d be treated at Camp -Hawtrey. And then, too, I thought it was foolish of him to try and get -you to change your mind regarding me.” - -“Ah!” A queer smile crossed the colonel’s face as he bent down to rub -the knee that had lately been pinned under the bowlder. “You didn’t -have much confidence,” he finished, “in my ideas of fair play?” - -“Not when you were banking on information furnished by Jode. I -couldn’t——” - -“Darrel’s coming around, Chip,” broke in Clancy. - -Merriwell stepped close to Darrel’s side. The lad’s eyes were open and -he was staring up into the faces that bent over him. - -“Gee, what a mix-up!” were Darrel’s first words. “I must have stepped -out for a few minutes, I reckon. Who sic’d that coyote dog on Jode?” - -“The dog was among the rocks, Curly,” Frank answered. “When the -bowlder fell, it scared him out. He tried to get over the top of the -gulch wall, but Pink, Clan, and I were there, and so he whirled and -rushed for the place where Lenning was holed up. How do you feel?” - -“I feel as though I’d been too darned ambitious for a sick man. What -the dickens are you doing here, anyway?” - -Clancy chuckled. - -“We just moseyed along behind you to try and keep you out of trouble,” -he laughed. “And we didn’t make out.” - -“You followed me from Dolliver’s?” - -“Surest thing you know. You were batty to even think of going to the -Gold Hill camp. Chip fretted about that, and we all started after you.” - -“Well, well!” Darrel changed his position a little and then wriggled -into a sitting posture. “Was the colonel hurt?” - -“No, my lad,” said the colonel, stepping closer and speaking for -himself. “I’m all right, thanks to you. You reached the fuse just in -the nick of time, although I’d have sworn you couldn’t make it. What -did you mean by disregarding my orders to turn back?” - -“I wasn’t caring a whoop about orders,” said Darrel. “If you gave any I -don’t believe I heard them, anyhow. I know I pinched out the fire, but -what I was wondering was whether you had been hurt by that bowlder.” - -The colonel explained how he had escaped injury from the falling rock. - -“I’m afraid,” he added, “that you’ve done that arm of yours little good -by this day’s work. If you feel able, you might come along to the camp -with me. We can make you comfortable there, and——” - -Darrel shook his head. - -“I’m obliged to you, colonel,” he answered, “but I reckon Dolliver’s is -the best place for me for a while.” - -“You’re able to ride back there?” - -“Yes, and with ground to spare.” - -The colonel came closer and stood over Darrel. - -“Do you want to shake hands with me?” he asked. - -The boy flushed. “I want to,” he answered, “but I’m not going to -until—until I can read my title clear. You know what I mean, colonel.” - -“I think so,” was Hawtrey’s answer, and it was not difficult for Frank -to see that the stern old man was pleased. - -“I’d like to ask one thing of you, sir,” Darrel went on. - -“What is that?” - -“Why, that you’ll take Merriwell’s word as to what happened near Camp -Hawtrey yesterday afternoon. If you knew him as well as I do, colonel, -you wouldn’t hesitate a minute.” - -“I don’t think,” answered the colonel dryly, “that I shall hesitate -quite so much as I did yesterday afternoon. I’ll come over to Tinaja -Wells this evening, Merriwell,” he finished, turning to Frank, “and -then I will have something to add to our interesting conference of this -afternoon. Good-by, Darrel! Good-by, my lads.” - -The colonel turned and limped off up the gulch in the direction of Camp -Hawtrey. He was hardly out of sight before Merriwell stooped down and -caught Darrel by the hand. - -“Old man,” said he heartily, “you’ve made a big winning this -afternoon. If we’d manufactured the thing to order it could not have -turned out better. The old colonel had a chance to strike a balance -between you and Jode. His eyes have been opened, and he has seen for -himself just what sort of a fellow Jode is.” - -“It happened just about right, that’s a fact,” returned Darrel. “The -old boy has had a hard blow, but you’d never know it to look at him. -That’s his way.” - -“That picture he saw of Jode, neck-and-necking it down the hill with -the coyote dog,” laughed Clancy, “will live in his memory a good long -while.” - -“What will he say to Jode?” queried Ballard. “I’d like to be around and -hear it.” - -“No one can ever tell what the colonel will do,” said Darrel. “Jode, I -reckon, will have a hard time explaining why he ran down the hill when -he ought to have been yanking that blazing fuse out by the roots.” - -“We’d better be starting back to Dolliver’s,” put in Merry. “Where’s -your horse, Curly?” - -Darrel told where the horse had been left. While Merriwell went after -it, Clancy and Ballard climbed the slope to get the three mounts that -had been left on top of the gulch wall. - -Half an hour afterward all the boys were riding down the gulch, en -route to Dolliver’s. They formed about the happiest party that had -ever traveled that particular trail. There had been a rift in the -black clouds of injustice and suspicion that had hung for so long -above Darrel’s head, and through the rift the sun of hope was shining. -Darrel’s luck had taken a sudden turn for the better. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVI. - - A CHANGE OF MIND. - - -As soon as the boys reached Dolliver’s, they put Darrel to bed and sent -in a telephone call for the doctor. Mr. Bradlaugh was back in town, -and he brought the doctor out in his automobile. While an examination -was being made to see whether Darrel’s arm had suffered any from the -exciting events of the afternoon, Merriwell was out at the car, going -over all the details of the affair for Mr. Bradlaugh’s benefit. - -Merry began at the beginning, and that means, of course, that he had -to start with the coyote dog and the dynamite cartridge. When he had -finished, the president of the Ophir Athletic Club was breathing a -little harder than usual. - -“That’s a most remarkable story, Merriwell,” said he, “and the most -remarkable part of it, to my mind, is the way Hawtrey let that pesky -nephew of his make a fool of him. He’d call off the football game, -would he, just because Jode Lenning happened to get into a scrap with -you! Wonder if he thinks that’s good sportsmanship? I wish to thunder -he’d got me on the phone and told me about this himself. Say, maybe I -wouldn’t have read the riot act to him.” - -“The colonel has woke up, Mr. Bradlaugh,” laughed Merry, “and I’ll bet -Jode’s about at the end of his string.” - -“Let me know what Hawtrey says to you when he calls at the Wells this -evening,” said Mr. Bradlaugh. “I think he knows a whole lot more now -than he did earlier in the afternoon, but he’s a queer proposition, and -you never can tell what he’s going to do. If he’s still a bit offish, -I’ll make it a point to see him myself.” - -“What do you think about the way we mixed things with Lenning on -account of the dog?” - -“If you hadn’t mixed things with him,” laughed Mr. Bradlaugh, “you’d -have had a chance to mix things with me. Plain brutality to a dumb -brute,” he went on, straightening his face, “is more than I’ll take -from any man.” - -The doctor reported that Darrel’s arm had not been injured materially -by the rough usage it had had during the afternoon, but the owner of -the arm was warned to stay in bed for several days and not to try any -horseback exercise until given permission to do so. - -Darrel was in a more cheerful frame of mind, when Frank and his chums -left, than he had been in for many a long day. He had accomplished -something for himself, and he knew that he would accomplish more. Best -of all, he had saved the colonel. - -It was late when Merriwell, Clancy, and Ballard got back to Tinaja -Wells. Handy and Brad were anxiously awaiting their arrival. - -“The boys have got wind of something, Chip,” said Handy, “and they’re -all up in the air. I think we’d better break camp and go in to town.” - -“I think so, too,” said Merry. “We ought to have a week’s work on the -home field before the game with Gold Hill.” - -“Why,” spoke up Brad, “I thought that was all off.” - -“So it was,” laughed Merriwell, “but I’ve got a hunch that it will be -on again before long.” - -During supper he repeated for the Ophir lads the same account that he -had given to Mr. Bradlaugh at Dolliver’s. As might have been expected, -the recital was greeted with delight by all the campers, and the -demonstration wound up with a volley of cheers for Ellis Darrel. - -It was quite fitting, perhaps, that Colonel Hawtrey should arrive at -Tinaja Wells during the cheering. As he strode through the half gloom -and into the light of the cook fire, he pulled off his hat and waved it -about his gray head. - -“You’re cheering my nephew, Ellis Darrel,” he shouted, “and I reckon I -ought to be allowed to join in. Now that you’re done with Darrel, why -not give three rousers for Merriwell? Come on, boys, all together!” - -With that, the cañon fairly rang with a hearty three times three and a -tiger. When silence finally settled over the camp, the colonel, still -keeping his hat in his hand and his place by the fire, made a brief -address to the Ophir fellows: - -“I have come here this evening,” said he, “for the purpose of -apologizing to Merriwell. I misjudged him, and because of that -I crowded him pretty hard in a talk I had with him early in the -afternoon. He took it well, and didn’t pitch into me. I suppose,” and -the speaker laughed, “that he kept hands off on account of my gray -hairs. - -“During our conversation, if I remember, I told Merriwell that there -would be no further competitions between the Gold Hill and the Ophir -athletic organizations, and I declared, in pretty strong terms, that -there’d be no football game next Thanksgiving Day. Well, I’ve changed -my mind about that. The two clubs are going to meet and mingle in all -the contests the games committees can arrange for. And we’re going to -act like true sportsmen, every one of us, just as the chip of the old -block has acted during his trouble on account of the coyote dog. ‘Fair -play and no favor,’ that’s the idea, and we’ll stand up to it as firmly -as Merriwell has done. I reckon that will be all.” - -Clancy started the cheering for Colonel Hawtrey, and when it was done, -all the campers flocked around the colonel and shook him by the hand. - -“It’s a great day for Ellis Darrel, Clan,” said Merry to his red-headed -chum. - -“It’s a great day for everybody, Chip,” answered Clan, “and especially -for true sportsmanship between the clubs.” - -“A great day for everybody,” qualified Billy Ballard, “except Jode -Lenning.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVII. - - A MATTER OF THIRTY DOLLARS. - - -“Pink, this is awful!” - -Young Merriwell turned a gloomy face toward his chum, Billy Ballard, -who sat beside him in the grand stand. Ballard fell back with a groan. - -“Awful, but true, Chip,” he answered. “After all the grinding, -gruelling work of the last few weeks, the regular eleven can’t any more -than hold their own against the scrubs. What’s got into the bunch?” - -The scene was that part of the Ophir Athletic Club field which lay -directly in front of the grand stand and contained the gridiron. Two -teams were sweating and struggling with the pigskin—regulars against -the second-string men. The first half was drawing to a close. There -had been no scoring. The scrubs, playing like fiends, were meeting the -regulars at every point and holding them in a most humiliating way. - -The regulars were just back from three weeks of hard practice in the -camp at Tinaja Wells. This was the first game since their return to -town, and the first of the preliminary matches which Merry had arranged -previous to the big game with Ophir’s old and successful rival: Gold -Hill. - -Merriwell had been looking forward to a fortnight of fine sport, -in which the regulars would distinguish themselves in battles with -the scrubs and with a cowboy eleven from the Bar Z Ranch, gradually -rounding themselves into a harmonious machine which Gold Hill would -find invincible. Frank had fondly imagined that the team he had -drilled so thoroughly and so conscientiously would go through the -remaining two weeks’ of practice in a beautiful romp, piling point -upon point in each preliminary skirmish, and going through its less -experienced opponents with the ease and finish of veterans. But what he -saw that afternoon, from the moment the ball had been put in play, had -made him gasp and rub his eyes. - -There was no doubt about it, that cherished team had bounced upon a -reef. It had started in on the despised scrub with a sort of pitying -contempt, evidently planning to exercise restraint and not make too -many touchdowns or kick too many goals. And what had it found? Nothing -less than a bunch of wild cats, playing to win in a perfect fury of -determination, and shaking out the most unexpected tricks from a bag -which no one dreamed they possessed. - -Frank was more than pleased with the way the scrubs were distinguishing -themselves, and more than amazed at the sorry exhibition the regulars -were making. The scrubs, for the most part, had remained in town while -the club team had been off in Mohave Cañon, training for battle every -day and going through a course of sprouts calculated to make each and -every member a finished performer. - -And now, the result! - -In less than five minutes from the kick-off the regulars had lost their -contempt for the scrubs. They awoke to a realization that, in some -mysterious fashion, the scrubs had been transformed into a little army -of brawn and brain—foemen in every way worth of their mettle. - -The regulars tried, in a spasm of pique after the Spartan nature of -their fight dawned on their minds, to rush the scrubs off the field. -But the scrubs wouldn’t be rushed. The regulars gritted their teeth and -tried harder. Still nothing doing. A great disappointment took hold of -Merry, and he turned to Ballard and put it in the fewest possible words. - -Only Merriwell and Ballard were in the grand stand. Under the stand -there were dressing rooms for visiting players, and into one of these -rooms there had come by stealth a young man with sinister face and evil -and greedy eyes. At a distance of ten or fifteen feet from the two lads -in the stand, the interloper was peering out from between two board -seats, watching the ragged performance of the regular Ophir team and -listening to the gloomy remarks that passed between Merry and Ballard. -A self-satisfied grin crossed the face of the keen-eyed, keen-eared -youth. - -That game—and Merriwell was glad in his heart that it was so—was -strictly private. The general public was barred. - -Had grand stand and bleachers been thrown open to spectators, -emissaries from Gold Hill might have crept in to watch for vulnerable -points in the work of the Ophir team. For years Gold Hill had been -a winner in its games with Ophir, and was ever on the alert for -advantages that would help to prevent a slip from its enviable record. - -This prowler under the benches, chuckling over the disappointment -of the Ophir coach and the ragged work of the Ophir team, was -not there for any good. But for his own daring and ingenuity and -unscrupulousness, he would not have been there at all. - -“Thunder!” muttered Merriwell. “Why, Pink, the team isn’t playing half -so well as it did in that little practice game with Gold Hill, on the -mesa at Tinaja Wells!” - -“It doesn’t look like the same team, Chip,” replied Ballard. “What’s -got into them? Mayburn’s a joke at center, Doolittle as right tackle is -all that his name implies, and Spink, at quarter, is all balled up. By -George! Say, I’ll bet a peck of prunes against a celluloid collar that -the scrubs score in the next half.” - -“No, they won’t,” gritted Merriwell. He was on his feet, taking -personal odds and ends from his trouser’s pockets and stowing them in -his coat. At last he threw off the coat and dropped it where he had -been sitting. “Come on, Pink,” he added, leaping over the rail and into -the field, “you and I have got to get into this.” - -The first half was over. Clancy, who was acting as referee, was walking -up and down the side lines, telling the sweating club eleven what he -thought of them. Merriwell stopped him and did a little talking on his -own account. Handy, the captain, seemed utterly demoralized and in a -daze. Even the scrubs seemed a bit awed by what they had accomplished. - -Merriwell’s temper was struggling to get the best of him. He had tried, -to the best of his ability, to make a winning team of the club eleven. -But all his work seemed to have gone for nothing. With a tremendous -effort he kept his feelings in check. The look on his face, however, -was enough for the regulars. They knew how intense was Merriwell’s -disappointment, and they realized that they were the cause of it. - -“You fellows have got to get together,” said Frank, his voice low and -deliberate. “You play as though it was every fellow for himself, and -seem to forget what I have been pounding into you about teamwork. Every -man is a cog in the machine, and all the cogs have got to work together -if you don’t want the machine to go wrong. There were times, Spink,” -and he turned not unkindly to the quarter, “when it seemed to me as -though you had paralysis of the intellect. It’s just possible that you -got rattled because Handy interfered with you. I saw that.” He faced -the captain. “I guess you got excited, Handy,” he continued, “when -you tried to tease the scrubs and found them giving you a handful. -You know better than to mix in with the work of the quarter back, so -please restrain yourself during the next half, Mayburn,” and he turned -to that husky player, “I’m surprised at you. For the rest of this game -Ballard will play your position and I’ll try and fill Spink’s place. It -would be fine to have the scrubs score against you, wouldn’t it? Get -on your toes and work together during the next half, all of you. And,” -he finished, with a grim smile at the scrubs, “I want you fellows to -do your best and put it over the regulars—if you can. So far, you’ve -played a great game. Keep it up.” - -While this talk was going forward, a hand had crept out from between -the seats in the grand stand and had groped for Merriwell’s coat. -Finding the garment, the fingers of the hand closed on it and withdrew -it from sight. At about the time the players took they field for the -second half, the coat had been returned, and the greedy, evil eyes were -again studying the football field. - -There was a decided improvement in the work of the club team after -Merriwell and Ballard had taken the places of Spink and Mayburn. But -there was no scoring on the part of the regulars, for the scrubs -continued to hold them and to fight like madmen for every yard in front -of their goal posts. Most of the battling was in scrub territory. - -Merriwell had not retired Spink temporarily and taken his place because -the quarter back had become rattled. What Merry wanted was to get into -the game and study at close and active quarters the unsuspected defects -of the Ophir team. All the plays were carefully directed for this one -purpose. - -When the scoreless game was finished, the regulars started grimly for -the gymnasium with the second eleven skylarking around them and joshing -them at every step of the way. Frank jumped into the grand stand for -his coat and Ballard’s, and then joined his chums on the way to the -bathrooms. - -“What do you think of the performance, Chip?” queried Clancy ruefully. - -“I think,” was the reply, “that we’ll have to put in several days of -mighty hard work. Not only that, but I’m going to make one or two -changes in the line-up. I——” - -He suddenly came to a dead stop. He had been groping in the pockets of -his coat for the personal property he had left in them. A blank look -overspread his face. - -“What’s to pay, old man?” queried Ballard. - -“I’ve lost what money I had, somewhere,” was the answer. “Probably it -dropped out of my coat, back there in the grand stand.” - -“How much?” asked Clancy. - -“A matter of thirty dollars, Clan; twenty-five in bills and some -change.” - -Clancy whistled, and Ballard looked ominous. - -“I don’t see how it could have dropped out,” said Ballard. “You’re not -usually so careless as all that, Chip.” - -“It _must_ have dropped out,” was the reply; “what else could have -happened?” - -“Let’s go back and see,” said Clancy. - -The three lads returned to the grand stand and made a thorough search. -The money was not in evidence. - -“Maybe it fell through between the seats, Chip,” Ballard suggested. -“Let’s go into the dressing rooms under the place where you left your -coat.” - -There were no locks on the dressing-room doors, and the lads made a -thorough investigation but without finding any trace of the missing -money. A look of suspicion crossed Clancy’s freckled face. - -“A matter of thirty dollars,” said he, “can’t get up and walk off all -by itself. While the game was on, Chip, somebody sneaked into the grand -stand and went through your pockets.” - -“Why didn’t the fellow go through mine as well as Chip’s?” queried -Ballard. “I didn’t have any money in my pockets, but——” - -“That’s the reason,” said Clancy. - -“Keep it quiet,” frowned Merriwell. “I don’t want the Ophir fellows -to think for a moment that we suspect any one. We’ll know some time, I -guess, whether the money was lost or stolen, and just now we’ll think -it’s lost, and keep mum. Come on to the gym.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII. - - MORE DISCOURAGEMENT. - - -It seemed as though everything was going wrong for Merriwell. As if -the poor showing of the regular eleven, after weeks of practice, was -not sufficiently discouraging, this loss of the thirty dollars had to -happen by way of heaping up the measure. - -While Frank was getting his shower and his rub-down, his thoughts were -about equally divided between the ragged work of the players and the -mysterious disappearance of the money. - -So far as the football team was concerned, two weeks yet remained -before the game with Gold Hill, and the young coach grimly resolved -that at least ten days of the fourteen should see such driving practice -as the squad had never known. He would change the line-up, pound the -whole machine into form, and give Ophir a winning team in spite of fate! - -Merry knew, from practical experience, just how much could be -accomplished in two weeks—provided a fellow went at it hard enough. He -would give the eleven a drilling which would make the time spent at -Tinaja Wells look like a loafing bee. - -Having made up his mind to this, the discouraging afternoon’s work on -the grid lost much of its sting. What sting there was left, merely -roweled the coach’s determination to give Ophir a winning eleven. - -Merry was the son of the best all-round athlete and coach the country -had ever known. That fact was universally admitted. The lad, his white -skin glowing under the manipulations of the Mexican rubber, felt the -old indomitable spirit tingling through his veins. He would show them, -by Jove! He would prove that he was a chip off the old block! Down in -that out-of-the-way corner of Arizona he would lick that pioneer team -into shape—or he’d know the reason why. - -Somehow or other, young Merriwell experienced a glow of satisfaction. -There was a fascination in overcoming difficulties—in winning success -in spite of them. Where’s the credit if a fellow romps to victory -without any opposing hardships? It takes the hard knocks, the glowering -possibilities of failure, to put us “on our toes” and make us buck the -line of fate with a do-or-die determination to “get there.” - -Merry had reached that point. Hovering disaster caused him to reach out -and lay firm hold of the invincible spirit that every lad, if he is -worth his salt, has always at the back of his nature. And this spirit -is alive with electric force. Every fellow who falls back upon it feels -a thrill in every nerve. This it was that brought Merry his glow of -satisfaction. - -Having conquered the disturbing features of the practice game, the -lad’s thoughts turned to the loss of the money. There was not an -avaricious hair in his head, and it was not the mere fact that he was -minus thirty dollars that bothered him; it was the ugly suspicion that -there might be a thief among some of those Ophir fellows. He hated to -think it, and it was because of the fact that, even in thought, he did -not want to do the Ophir club an injustice, that he had warned Clancy -and Ballard to keep mum on the subject of the lost money. - -Oddly enough, there was a pocket piece mixed up with the missing -silver, and the most of Merry’s regret centered about that. It was -a silver half dollar, neatly plugged, which had been “worked off” on -Merry by some one in Sandstone, Cal. When he found that the fifty-cent -piece was minted in the year of his birth, he immediately accepted -it as a souvenir. With the lapse of time a sentimental interest had -developed in the coin and Merriwell hated to lose it. - -By the time the regulars and the scrubs got out of the gym, the -hilarity of the second-string men had faded. They had played a good -game and, with unexpected luck, had held the regulars. The joy aroused -by this excellent showing had manifested itself directly after the -game, but the scrubs had been doing a little reflecting while taking -their showers and getting into their clothes. - -Every member of the O. A. C. was fiercely eager to win the coming -game with Gold Hill. If the club team, after weeks of coaching, could -not take a game from a picked-up eleven, what chances would it have -with Gold Hill? This thought pushed aside the joys of the afternoon, -and filled scrubs, as well as regulars, with painful doubts. - -Merry emerged smiling from the bathrooms. As he came out into the -groups of players, lingering in front of the gym, many a glum face was -turned wonderingly in his direction. What meant that sunny, confident -smile on the face of the coach? Was it possible that he had seen -anything hopeful in the afternoon’s miserable work? - -Hannibal Bradlaugh, son of the president of the club, stepped up to -Merry. - -“I reckon, Chip,” said he, “that you think that this club team is a -joke. Is that what amuses you?” - -“It’s not a joke, Brad,” laughed Merry, “although it has tried to be -one this afternoon. During the next two weeks I’m going to show you -fellows what real work is, see? And, when we face Gold Hill you’re -going to win. Regulars and scrubs will be here at two-thirty, Monday -afternoon. To-morrow, Handy,” he added, to the captain of the club -team, “you and I will have a little talking match at the Ophir House.” - -Hope, like the measles, is “catching.” All the players, even to Spink, -Mayburn and Doolittle, began to feel better. - -As Merry walked through the clubhouse, on his way to the trail that led -back to town, he was halted by Mr. Bradlaugh, the club’s president. Mr. -Bradlaugh’s face was long and gloomy. There was a curious gleam in his -eyes as they fixed themselves upon Merry’s smiling face. - -“Gad,” murmured the president, “you don’t seem worried, Merriwell.” - -“Where were you when the balloon went up, Mr. Bradlaugh?” Frank -inquired. - -“On the clubhouse balcony, watching the ascension. What’s got into the -boys?” - -“Just an off day with them, I think. That will happen to the best -teams, you know.” - -“I was badly disappointed. After three weeks at Tinaja Wells, the -eleven seems to put up a poorer article of football than they did when -they left here to go into camp. I’m afraid they’ve been having too good -a time, up the cañon.” - -“They worked hard and faithfully at the Wells, Mr. Bradlaugh,” declared -Frank. “The change from the mesa to their home field may have had a -bad effect on them. Come Monday afternoon and watch them, and I think -you’ll see something worth while. We have two weeks before the big -game, and, by then, the squad will be tinkered into winning form.” - -“Not two weeks, Merriwell.” - -Frank started and flung a quick look at Mr. Bradlaugh. - -“Has there been a change in the date?” he asked. - -“There has. Colonel Hawtrey and I had a talk about Thanksgiving Day, -and made up our minds that it’s time we followed the practice that -prevails in the East. We’ll not play any more on that particular day, -and we decided that our respective clubs will come together on Saturday -afternoon of next week.” - -Frank’s smile faded. The time for whipping the team into shape had been -cut down one-half. Seven days were left—six days, with Sunday out—and -not all of those six days could be given to hard work. The practice -should slow up for two days before the game. - -“Holy smoke!” he muttered. “When did all this happen?” - -“This morning,” Mr. Bradlaugh answered. “I haven’t had a chance to tell -you before. Had I seen the work of our men previous to my conference -with Colonel Hawtrey, you may be sure that I should have put off the -big game as long as possible. Now it’s too late. A week from to-day we -face Gold Hill. What can you do in that short time?” - -“This is a crack right between the eyes,” murmured Frank, “and it -knocks all my calculations galley west.” - -“It’s certainly discouraging,” agreed Mr. Bradlaugh, “but there’s no -help for it. I hear that the Gold Hillers are playing the game as -they never played it before. They have a new coach who seems to have -inaugurated some new plays and a whole lot of improvements.” - -“A new coach?” echoed Frank. “What’s his name?” - -“Guffey. I’ve heard that he’s a phenomenon, not only as a coach, but as -a player.” - -Merriwell’s face clouded. Here was more discouraging news, and he -couldn’t help wondering where the lightning was going to strike next. - -Mr. Bradlaugh was quick to note the change in Frank’s face and manner. -He knew the young coach’s hopes had received a severe setback, and he -tried to temper the blow. - -“I don’t know who this Guffey is,” said he, “and I don’t care. You’re a -heap better than he is, and I’ll bank on it.” - -A ghost of a smile flickered about the boy’s lips. - -“I’ve been coaching the Ophir team for a long time, Mr. Bradlaugh,” he -remarked, “and you saw the afternoon’s performance. It wasn’t a credit -to me any more than it was to the eleven.” - -“That’s the wrong way to look at it,” was the warm response. “If you -haven’t the material to work with, what can you do?” - -“I’ve got the material,” insisted Frank. “Your son is a crack half -back; Handy, at full, and Spink, at quarter, are class A, and I haven’t -any fault to find with the rest of the men. There’ll be some shifting, -though, and I may take a couple of players from the scrubs for the -regulars.” - -“Suppose this Guffey gets into the Gold Hill line-up? He’s an amateur, -the colonel tells me, and, by our rules, is qualified to play. Will you -jump into the fight if Guffey does?” - -“I’m going to do all I can to make Ophir win,” Frank answered -determinedly. - -“You still have hopes, then?” - -The young coach had again got himself well in hand. The obstacles were -thickening, and, because of them, final victory over Gold Hill would be -a prize worth while. - -“Ophir is going to win!” he declared, and there was a look on his face -and a gleam in his dark eyes that went far to dispel the president’s -gloomy forebodings. - -“You’re a brick!” said Mr. Bradlaugh, clapping Frank on the shoulder. -“That’s the spirit, my lad, that leads many a forlorn hope to victory. -We’re going to win—I consider that settled. If you’re on your way back -to town, jump into my car and I’ll take you. I was only waiting for a -word with you before I started.” - -The clubhouse and athletic field were a short mile out of Ophir. On the -way back Merry communed with himself and took heart out of his very -discouragements. - -The poor showing of the club team, the short time in which to make a -winner out of it, the good work of Gold Hill under Guffey—all these -things Merry considered well; and, in the final summing up, they merely -spurred him to fresh endeavors. He was out for Gold Hill’s scalp, and -he was going to get it. - -That night, in a most peculiar way, some more disturbing details were -brought home to him. It was about one in the morning when he heard a -pebble rattle against the window of his room. He got up, lifted the -window cautiously, and looked out into the dark. - -“It’s Bleeker,” came a low voice, “Bleeker, of Gold Hill. Don’t give -me away, Merriwell, but come down. I’ve something I want to tell you.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIX. - - GOOD INTENTIONS. - - -Clancy occupied the room with Merriwell. The latter, in order to make -as little noise as possible, slipped on his shoes but made no attempt -to get out of his pajamas and into his clothes. Softly opening the hall -door, he stepped out into the dimly lit corridor, descended the stairs, -and got clear of the hotel without arousing any one. - -“This way, Merriwell,” said Bleeker, in a low tone, appearing suddenly -out of the shadows and moving off toward the rear of the building. - -Frank followed him, and they presently halted at a board fence. - -“I reckon we can talk here,” observed Bleeker, “without any one getting -next to what we say.” - -“This is quite a surprise party, Bleeker,” said Frank. “I don’t often -have a friend steal in on me like a thief in the night, just to make a -sociable call.” - -“You know what people might think, if I came over to this town in broad -day, hunted you up, and had a talk with you? I’m from Gold Hill, and I -used to be on the Gold Hill eleven until Jode Lenning gave me the sack. -If I happened to be seen here, people would say I am sore, and that I’m -trying to get even with Lenning by handing you a little information -that will help when Ophir goes up against our crowd next Saturday. -That’s what they’d say, Merriwell, and you know it,” Bleeker grunted. -“I’m no traitor, and, while I may feel as though Jode has played it -pretty low down on me, you can bet I’m not settling scores with him by -doing our eleven any dirt. Understand that, don’t you?” - -“Sure,” Frank answered. - -“By sneaking over here, like this, and palavering with you, I’m trying -to be white, that’s all. I’d like to do something to help Ellis Darrel.” - -Frank’s interest went up several notches, at that. - -“I know you’re a friend of Darrel’s,” said he, “and I know that you -and Hotchkiss got Lenning down on you while the Gold Hill crowd was in -camp a few miles from Tinaja Wells, at Camp Hawtrey. Are the Gold Hill -fellows still in the gulch?” - -“No, Lenning brought them back to town the next day after your crowd -hiked for Ophir. Lenning kicked Hotch and me out of camp because we -stood up for Darrel. Jode hasn’t any use for a fellow who tries to be a -friend of his half brother’s.” - -“Well, Bleek,” said Frank, “Darrel has acted like a brick all through -this trouble of his; and, you take it from me, that blot on the shield -is going to be rubbed out. One of these days Darrel will be able to -take his uncle by the hand, and the consequences of that forgery are -going to be dropped onto somebody else.” - -“Now you are shouting, Merriwell!” exclaimed Bleeker eagerly. “I never -thought Darrel had anything to do with that, and there are a few more, -over in the Hill, who have been of the same opinion right along.” - -“Who do you think did the job and arranged to involve Darrel?” - -“First off, who’d be the gainer if Darrel lost his uncle’s good will? -When you want to figure out a thing, the proper way is to find the chap -with a motive. Now, you know Colonel Hawtrey is rich, and that the -only relatives he has in the world are his two nephews, Jode Lenning -and Ellis Darrel. Wouldn’t Lenning come in for all the old colonel’s -property if Darrel was disgraced and run out? Sure he would. The fellow -with the motive was Lenning. And that motive, by thunder, has been -cropping out ever since Darrel came back.” - -This subject was intensely interesting to Merriwell. He had thrown -himself heart and soul into the task of redeeming the good name of his -new chum, Ellis Darrel, and he believed that now events were forming -which would bring about that result. - -“Bleeker,” said Frank earnestly. “I’ve heard that about the time this -forgery was committed you and Jode Lenning were pretty thick. If that’s -so, then you ought to know something about the forgery.” - -Bleeker was silent for a space. Leaning against the fence, he bent his -head and pulled aimlessly at a sliver on one of the posts. - -“You’ve hit it about right, Merriwell,” said he, at last. “Being -friendly with Lenning was no credit to me, but he had money and I -didn’t, and he had influence with the colonel and stood pretty high -in the athletic club—and the colonel had founded the club. I knuckled -under to Lenning—I reckon you’d call it toadying. If there were any -favors to be passed around, Lenning saw to it that I got my share. I -had a finger in every athletic pie the club cut open, and several plums -came my way. This wouldn’t have happened, you see, if I hadn’t been -training with Jode. I was wide of the right trail, Merriwell, but I got -to know Jode as few know him. Ever since our outfit camped in the gulch -I’ve done a lot of thinking about El Darrel and Jode Lenning, and I -made up my mind that Jode and his influence wasn’t worth a single jab -my conscience has been giving me for months. As soon as I woke up, and -Jode found it out, he got mad and made me leave the camp.” - -Bleeker had been talking in a shamed sort of way, with his head bowed. -He now looked up, and the moonlight shone full in his face, bringing -out the contrition that lurked there in strong lights and shadows. - -“I’ve sneaked out of Gold Hill,” he went on, “and into Ophir, as you -said a spell ago, ‘like a thief in the night,’ but I’ve done it because -I’m trying to act white after acting the other way for longer than I -care to think about. I want,” and the words rushed forth in a torrent -of eagerness, “to help El Darrel wipe that blot from his shield. I -can’t do much myself, Merriwell, but I reckon I can help you.” - -A thrill ran through Merriwell. When a fellow has been traveling the -wrong path, and by and by turns of his own accord into the right one, -there is a pleasure in meeting him halfway and going on together. Frank -grabbed the hand from the post and shook it cordially. - -“Bleek,” said he, “you’re all right. You and Hotch began helping Darrel -some time ago, and if we can work in double harness and show Hawtrey -that he had nothing to do with that forgery, it will be one of the -finest things that ever happened.” - -That Bleeker was pleased by Merriwell’s attitude was plain. His form -straightened, his shoulders went back, and he returned the other’s -handclasp with a strong and determined grip. - -“It will,” he said, “and I think you can bring it around. You will be -making a star play, Merriwell, and I shall have the satisfaction of -feeling that I helped. Now, about Jode. I am telling you what everybody -knows when I say that his reckless, hot-headed actions come to him as a -birthright. His father was a desperate character, in some ways, and was -killed in a brawl up in Alaska. Colonel Hawtrey never had anything to -do with Lenning’s father, and it was only when the elder Lenning died, -and Mrs. Lenning married Darrel, that the colonel and his sister became -reconciled. If you’re next to this, maybe you won’t blame Jode quite -so much for the way he’s been acting. What a fellow inherits must have -something to do with his conduct.” - -“A little, Bleek,” said Frank, “but not a whole lot. My father has told -me that a fellow must build his own character, and not try to blame his -folks when he goes wrong. But, look here. After the way Lenning showed -himself up to the colonel, at the time Darrel saved him from the blast, -I suppose there’s a coolness between the two? Certainly Lenning isn’t -still on the Gold Hill eleven?” - -“The colonel’s a queer stick,” was the answer. “There’s been no -flare-up between the two, and Jode is still king bee at the Gold Hill -Athletic Club. What do you make out of that?” - -Merriwell was astounded. How was it possible for the stern old colonel, -after having Jode’s “yellow streak” show itself so clearly under his -very eyes, still to keep on friendly terms with the fellow? Merriwell -was not only amazed, but a bit indignant. - - - - - CHAPTER XL. - - THE MYSTERIOUS BILLY SHOUP. - - -“That gets my goat, and no mistake!” said Merriwell disgustedly. “For -doing nothing at all, Colonel Hawtrey drives Darrel out of his house, -but when Lenning shows himself a cur, the colonel hasn’t a thing to -say. It makes me sick!” - -“It’s certainly a brain twister, the way Hawtrey acts,” muttered -Bleeker. “All Gold Hill is sitting up nights, trying to figure it out. -Somehow, you know, it doesn’t seem like the old colonel at all. He’s -sharp and savage when anything ruffles him, and people just about -expected he’d flay Lenning and nail his hide to the front door. All he -did, though, was to pat Lenning on the shoulder and congratulate him on -the way he got clear of the coyote dog.” - -Merriwell acted as though he was stunned. His feelings, at that moment, -were too deep for words. - -“Lenning,” Bleeker went on, “had already asked the colonel to send for -this chap Guffey to coach the eleven. Lenning, as captain of the Gold -Hill eleven, was scared by the way the Ophir boys held his squad in -that practice game you had at Tinaja Wells. He wanted a bang-up coach, -and asked the colonel for Guffey. Nobody had ever heard of Guffey—that -is, nobody except Lenning—and the colonel sort of held off about -getting him. It wasn’t until after Jode showed his yellow streak that -the colonel had Guffey come on. They say he’s a whirlwind.” - -“How old is he?” Merry inquired, his interest taking a new tack. - -“Twenty, maybe—not over that.” - -“Where did he come from?” - -“No sabe.” - -“What does he look like?” - -“Hair black as ink, eyes a washed-out blue——” - -“Queer combination!” - -“And you’d swear, to give him a keen sizing, that he was an athlete and -had gone wrong with some kind of dope. His skin’s a dead white, and -there are puffs under his eyes. He soft foots it around like a wild -cat, and acts so nervous you think he’s getting ready to spring. But he -can deliver the goods. They say he has done wonders with the Gold Hill -eleven.” - -“If he’s a professional athlete——” - -“He’s not. Everybody has the colonel’s word for that. But Guffey, you -take it from me, is as crooked as a dog’s hind foot.” - -“If he’s a dope fiend,” said Frank, “he’s pretty apt to be crooked. -Fellows of that sort may be brilliant, at times, but it’s only a flash -while they’re in the power of the drug. Take the drug away from them -and they’re human jellyfish. None of them last long.” - -“That may be, but your crowd will have to go some if you make a -clean-up next Saturday.” - -Merry received this remark in thoughtful silence. He was wondering -about this Guffey person, and where and how he had made himself such a -phenomenal coach. - -“Well, Bleek,” said he presently, “let’s drop Guffey and get back to -Curly Darrel. I want to do what I can to help him, and you haven’t -dipped very deep into anything as yet.” - -“I’m coming to that right now.” Bleeker straightened and peered -cautiously around into the wavering shadows. “We’re all by ourselves -here, aren’t we?” he asked. - -“The only people who are anywhere near us are in the hotel, and they’re -all asleep,” said Frank reassuringly. - -“What I tell you is in strict confidence.” - -“Sure. You can trust me, can’t you? Fire away.” - -“Has Darrel ever told you how he happened to get mixed up in that -forgery affair?” - -“He has said mighty little about it. I don’t think he knows very -much himself. He told me that he made a wrong move—a move he always -regretted. Lenning was drinking and gambling on the q. t., and -managing to keep it away from the colonel, so Darrel side-stepped and -went into it himself. One night he gambled and grew sort of hazy; -couldn’t remember what happened; and when he had his wits, next day, -the forged check for five hundred showed up, and the fellow who had it -said Darrel had given it to him to square a gambling debt. But Darrel -couldn’t remember a thing about it.” - -“I was one of a party of four when that happened,” said Bleeker -huskily, and fairly driving the words out. - -“You were?” Frank returned excitedly. - -“It hurts like the devil to say it, but I believe it’s a duty. Yes, I -was there. Besides myself, there were Darrel, a fellow who lives in -Gold Hill, and the mysterious Billy Shoup.” - -“Lenning wasn’t around?” - -“No. We had had one or two drinks—first and only time I ever touched -the stuff, and I’ve registered a solemn vow that it will be the -last—and I noticed that El was acting queerly. There was a far-away -look in his eyes, and when you spoke to him it seemed like he had to -come back from a thousand miles away before he could answer you. Shoup -poured the stuff we drank, and I’ve thought since that he dropped -something into El’s glass. I can’t be sure of that, but I know he had -his hand over the glass before he set it down. The other chap and I got -out of money, and when we left Darrel and Shoup were still at it. I -tried to get El to go home, and nearly had a fight with Shoup because -I did. El just sat in his chair and stared at me, never making a move -to leave. Next day Shoup offered the forged check to the colonel. The -colonel took five hundred from his safe, gave it to Shoup, and then -very neatly kicked him down the front steps.” - -“This has all the earmarks of a plot, and no mistake,” muttered Merry. - -“It has,” agreed Bleeker. “I’ve been a year turning it over in my mind -and coming to that conclusion.” - -“Didn’t you go to Hawtrey and tell him about what happened?” - -“No. Don’t blame me for that, Merriwell. I thought, at the time, that -perhaps Darrel might have put the colonel’s name to the check. And -then, consider my own situation. I didn’t want it known that I had been -guzzling poison with a fellow like Shoup.” - -“Shoup! You called him a moment ago ‘the mysterious Billy Shoup.’ Why -did you do that?” - -“Because he was a stranger in Gold Hill. No one knew where he came -from, nor where he went. I saw him just twice—the night we gambled and -the next afternoon. He and Lenning were in the cañon, palavering. They -didn’t see me, and I didn’t care to see Shoup, so I hustled away. I -told Lenning about it afterward, and he said he’d kill me if I ever -mentioned having seen him with Shoup. He explained that he thought -Shoup had done some crooked work, and he had been trying to pump him -and do something for Darrel.” - -“Fine!” exclaimed Merry scornfully. “A fat lot Lenning was doing for -his half brother.” - -“That night,” proceeded Bleeker, “Billy Shoup faded out of Gold Hill, -and no one in town has heard anything about him since. That’s why I -called him the mysterious Billy Shoup.” - -“Regular gambler, wasn’t he?” - -“He didn’t look it. Rather youngish, he was—nineteen or twenty—and he -had a mop of hair about the color of tow. That’s all, Merriwell,” and -Bleeker drew a long breath. “I’ve got it off my chest, at last. Jumping -sandhills, what a fix a little gambling and drinking will get a fellow -into! I had my lesson, and I’ll bet El had his. If Darrel hadn’t been a -bit wild, he’d never have got mixed up in that forgery trouble.” - -“And the night you were with Shoup, Jode Lenning was—where?” - -“At home with the colonel, reading to him in his study. He was doing -the dutiful, you see, and going to bed early.” - -“Doing the dutiful for a purpose,” commented Merriwell scathingly. - -“That’s what I think. He got Shoup to come on and throw the hooks into -El—that’s the way I size it up.” - -“How can it be proved?” - -“Search me. That’s where your star play comes in, Merriwell. It’s up to -you to find Billy Shoup and make him talk. I’ve given you all the facts -I have, and you’re welcome to go ahead and use them.” - -“It’s a pretty big proposition, Bleek,” said Merriwell disappointedly. -“This confounded Shoup is so mysterious that we haven’t the first thing -in the way of a clew. Perhaps the whole affair could be got out of -Lenning?” - -“You don’t know Lenning! He’s a fox.” - -Merriwell leaned over the fence and looked up at the moon and stars, -riding in all the calm serenity of an Arizona night. Bleeker had -offered him something to work on in helping Darrel, but it was -something which broke in his hands like a rope of sand. Where was Billy -Shoup? A year had passed since his mysterious visit to Gold Hill, -and a great many things may happen in a year to a fellow of Shoup’s -probable stamp. Was the fellow still alive? If so, would he be East -or West? He had a wide country for his roaming, and hunting for a -needle in a haystack was easy work compared with the task of locating -him. If found, would it be possible to make him talk? Hardly. If he -admitted forging the check himself, he merely cleared his own path -to the penitentiary. If he confessed that Lenning had furnished the -check, then it was a matter of his unsupported word against that of the -favorite nephew. There was no doubt as to which of the pair the colonel -would believe. - -“I’ve put it up to you, Merriwell,” said Bleeker, at last, “and now I -reckon I’ll point for Gold Hill. I have a horse, out in the brush, and -the animal is probably getting tired waiting for me.” - -“You’ve shed a little light, Bleeker,” said Frank, dropping his -troubled eyes from the sky and resting them on the face of the lad from -Gold Hill, “but I’ll be darned if I know what I can do. Isn’t there any -way we can pick up a clew as to the whereabouts of Shoup?” - -“Not that I know of. Lenning could probably give a clew, but he -wouldn’t. He knows what it would mean to him.” - -“Any objection to my repeating what you have said to Darrel? He’ll be -in Ophir some time during the week—Dolliver’s ranch can’t hold him very -long.” - -“He knows most of what I’ve told you,” answered Bleeker, “but you can -tell him as much as you please. If I hear of anything that will help, -I’ll get the information to you, somehow. I’ve a hunch that Darrel’s -going to come out of this all right. But I reckon you don’t believe in -hunches, eh? Well, anyhow, I’ve done what I could. So long, Merriwell, -and good luck.” - -The Gold Hill lad who had tried to be “white” shook Merry’s hand and -moved swiftly and noiselessly off into the gloom. Merry stood and -watched him until he had disappeared, then slowly and carefully made -his way back into the hotel. - -“I’d give a hundred dollars,” he said to himself, “if I knew where to -find this mysterious Billy Shoup.” - - - - - CHAPTER XLI. - - THE MAN THE BOX. - - -“Where’s the water?” - -Merriwell stirred and opened his eyes. He was usually an early riser, -but an hour or two had been chopped out of his sleeping schedule during -the night by Bleeker. For this reason he wasn’t so prompt in beating -Clancy out of bed that morning, as was generally the case. - -Clancy had just husked himself out of his pajamas and was standing -wrathfully over a washtub—an empty washtub. - -“Who’s trying to hold the morning dip out on me?” demanded Clancy, -throwing a look of suspicion at Merry. - -“How do I know?” asked Merry. “Don’t be so darned ambitious on a Sunday -morning. Bottle up and let a fellow sleep.” - -With that he knocked the red-headed chap off his balance with a pillow. -There was a great racket as Clancy sat down hard in the empty tub. - -“No one can do that to me and live,” hissed Clancy, wriggling out of -the tub and rushing at his chum. - -It was the duty of Woo Sing, Chinese roustabout in the hotel, to fill -the tub with cold water. The first lad out of bed took his plunge, and -the second one up had to empty and fill the tub for himself. Now Woo -Sing, who was allowed an honorarium for his work, had failed in his -duty. - -While Merry and Clancy were laughing and pounding each other with -pillows, a screech from the back yard claimed their attention. The -screech was followed by a wild assortment of words in three separate -and distinct voices. - -“China boy fillee tub, by Klismas!” - -“Py shinks, I fill dot tub myselluf, und dot’s all aboudt it.” - -“Me, I fill de tub.” - -Merry and Clancy stepped away from each other, listened, and then moved -toward a window. A look into the back yard at once disclosed the reason -why the bath water had not been provided. - -The Chinaman evidently had started for the second floor of the hotel -with a filled pail, but before he could get into the building he had -been waylaid by Fritz Gesundheit and the Mexican, Silva. The Dutchman -and the Mexican had each laid hold of the pail, and all three were -glaring at each other over the top of it. - -Fritz, otherwise Carrots, was out of a job now that the Ophir fellows -had come in from Tinaja Wells, and the same was equally true of Silva. -Carrying water for the bath had looked like easy money to the Dutchman -and the Mexican, and each of them had made up his mind to kick Chinese -labor off the job and monopolize the work and the honorarium. Woo Sing, -however, was registering objections. - -“Lettee go pail!” cried the Chinaman. “No lettee go, my bleakee head! -By jim klickets, Melican sons guns no makee fool business allee same -China boy!” - -“_Caramba!_” breathed Silva darkly. “De water ees mine for carry. I -make insist. Hands off de pail, _muy pronto_!” - -“By Shiminy,” wheezed fat Fritz, “I vas gedding my mad oop like I can’t -tell! I take der pail myselluf.” - -Then began a savage tussle with the pail of water as the bone of -contention. It proved a mighty unsatisfactory bone to fight over, for -as it heaved and jumped under the straining hands and arms, a quart -went into the Dutchman’s face and a cupful found its way down the -Mexican’s back. This caused little damage, apart from putting a keener -edge on the tempers of Fritz and Silva. Ceasing the struggle for the -pail, they began giving their attention to each other. - -There was a close and animated tangle of heads, arms, and legs—the -pail somewhere in the midst. As the massed combatants surged back -and forth, they left a trail of water; and their cries, which were -wild and continuous, were all awash and filled with strangles and bad -words—words on which they choked. - -Merriwell and Clancy, at the second-story window, were enjoying the -spectacle hugely. It seemed to be reaching a serious phase, however, -and they were just thinking of putting a stop to it when the Chinaman’s -heels went into the air and the Dutchman and the Mexican fell away from -him. - -Woo Sing, by some weird mischance, had taken a header. The pail -happened to be placed so as to receive him. For half a minute he was -emerged to the shoulders in the pail, his sandaled heels kicking the -air. It was a mirthful exhibition, and Fritz and Silva enjoyed it. - -“Haw, haw, haw!” the Dutchman wheezed. “Vat a funny Chinaman I don’d -know! See, vonce, how he kicks his heels mit der air, und keeps his -headt der pail in! Iss der vater py der pail? Yah, so hellup me! Vill -der Chinaman be trowned? Dere iss not so mooch goot luck!” - -“_Madre mia!_” tittered the Mexican, holding up against the pump while -he gasped and chuckled and roared. “Dat ees no Chinaman, dat ees one -frog! De frog he take one dive in de pail, and he make t’ink de pail -ees a pond—har, har, har!” - -Woo Sing, about as mad a Chinaman as one could find, succeeded at last -in getting his feet on the ground. Half strangled, he lifted himself -erect. Now that he was right side up, of course the pail was upside -down. A flood of water was released and rolled over the Chinaman -like a tidal wave. His kimono and baggy breeches were soaked. With a -sputtering whoop, he tore the pail from his head and hurled it at Fritz. - -The pail caught the Dutchman in the pit of the stomach, doubling him -up with something besides laughter. Having attended to Fritz, the -water-soaked Celestial rushed at Silva. - -The Mexican, in jumping away from the pump, hit the handle with his -knee. It flew up and struck him a terrific blow under the chin. While -Silva was thus more or less demoralized, the Chinaman fell on him and -bore him down. - -Fritz, who had by a valiant effort succeeded in getting his breath -back, was “seeing red.” Reckless of consequences, he picked up a club -and started to even up matters with Woo Sing. The mêlée was becoming -too serious to be tolerated any further. Up to that point Merry and -Clancy had enjoyed the performance in the back yard immensely. - -Clancy leaned out of the window to shout a yell of warning. Merry, -however, pulled him back, a mirthful glimmer in his dark eyes. - -“I’ll stop it, Clan,” he whispered. “Watch.” - -Merriwell was past master in the art of “throwing his voice.” -Ventriloquism had afforded him a good deal of fun, and had occasionally -been of decided benefit to him and his affairs. - -Near the kitchen woodpile was a large box. It was empty and Pophagan, -proprietor of the hotel, had thrown it into the backyard to be broken -to pieces and used for kindling. The box was still intact, however. - -“Stop that!” boomed a deep voice, apparently coming from inside the -box. “No more of that rough-house or I’ll put you all in jail. D’you -hear?” - -The voice was heard, plainly enough. The effect was startling. - -“_Ach, du lieber!_” sputtered Fritz, all his anger fading from him in a -flash. “Who iss dot? Iss it some boliceman?” - -“Plaps him p’leeceman,” whimpered Woo Sing, dashing the water out of -his eyes with the back of his hand. “My no likee go to jail! Whoosh!” - -“Dat ees muy malo!” chattered Silva, holding his chin and showing the -whites of his eyes. “How you s’pose man get in de box, huh?” - -“Dot iss a plame’ funny blace for a man, py shinks!” commented the -wondering Fritz. - -“Get me out of here quick,” came the voice from the box, “or I’ll nab -the lot of you!” - -“_Caramba!_” gulped the Mexican. “Me, I no like to fool wit’ de box.” - -“Mebbyso Melican man gettee stuck in box,” suggested Woo Sing. “Him -wantee out. My no likee one piecee pidgin, too. We helpee him, huh?” - -The object for which Merriwell had been striving had been accomplished. -Peace reigned among the three in the back yard. It was a sloppy sort -of peace, for all of them were more or less drenched, but still it was -peace for all that. - -A community of interest had drawn the three together. Just now, to -their disordered fancies, the possibility of a term in jail loomed very -large. - -“I t’ink ve pedder hellup der feller oudt oof der pox,” said Fritz, -after a period of harrowing reflection. “Silfa, you go fairst and I -vill precede mit der chink.” - -“You yourself go first to de box!” implored Woo Sing. - -“Please, fat Melican man!” implored Woo Sing. - -“Help, help!” came the voice, in a roar. “I’m listening to what you -fellows say out there. When I get out, you can bet I’ll take care of -the ones who don’t come to my rescue.” - -As soon as this statement had had time to sink in, all three of those -who were standing at a distance from the box rushed as one man to get -near it and to release the supposed person inside. - -Clancy was red in the face with suppressed mirth. Merry, leaning -against the window casing, was enjoying the situation to the utmost. - -“Now for some fun,” murmured Clancy, “when they turn the box over and -find there’s no one inside.” - -“This is pretty rich, and no mistake,” chuckled Merry. “They’re all -going to lay hold of the box and lift it. They——” - -The words died on his lips. Just then something happened which caused a -chilly feeling to race along his spine, and Clancy’s rapture vanished -on the instant. - -Before a hand could be laid on the box, it began to lift—apparently -of its own accord. Fritz, Silva, and Woo Sing stepped back. They, of -course, were in no wise startled for they were expecting to find some -one under the big packing case. But Merry and Clancy could only gasp -and stare downward with wide eyes. - -The box, by a force exerted from within, was tilted backward. A young -fellow showed himself, unkempt and his clothes in disorder from several -hours in such cramped quarters. - -He was not a tramp, that was evident. His clothing was of excellent -quality and fitted him well. Surprise followed surprise for Merry, for -he presently noticed that the youth’s hair was as black as a raven’s -wing, his eyes a faded blue, and his skin a waxlike and unhealthy white! - -Merriwell, astounded beyond words, leaned against the side of the -window and continued to peer blankly outward and downward at the odd -group in the rear of the hotel. - -The man who had been under the box had his coat over his arm and his -sleeves rolled to the elbow. With a snarling, angry cry he leaped -past the Mexican, the Dutchman and the Chinaman, and sprinted at a -tremendous clip to get out of the way. - -“Catch that fellow!” cried Merriwell, finally waking up. “Come on, -Clan!” - -The red-headed chap came out of his daze in time to plunge for a -dressing gown and a pair of slippers, and then to dart into the hall -and away after his chum. - - - - - CHAPTER XLII. - - GUFFEY’S QUEER ACTIONS. - - -Merriwell was in his pajamas, and as it was getting a time of day when -people began to stir around, the scope of his efforts in overhauling -the fellow who had been under the box was naturally limited. He had -hoped that Fritz, Silva and Woo Sing might take up the pursuit, but in -this he was disappointed. - -“Where is the fellow?” Merry demanded, showing himself at a rear door -and confronting the Dutchman, the Chinaman, and the Mexican. - -“He vent avay like some shtreaks,” Fritz answered. - -“Why didn’t you try to stop him?” - -“He iss a boliceman, dot’s der reason.” - -“Nonsense!” exclaimed Merry, “he’s no more a policeman than you are.” - -“Ven he iss under der pox he say——” - -“I know what he said, Carrots. Look here! What do you, and Silva, and -Woo Sing mean by making such a disturbance on Sunday morning?” - -“Dot vas a mishap, Merrivell, und nodding more.” - -“Well, don’t let it happen again. Sing, bring up the water. What’s that -you just picked up, Silva?” - -The Mexican, standing near the uptilted box, had bent down and picked -up some object off the ground. - -“No sabe, señor,” said he, coming toward Merry and handing over his -“find.” - -Frank examined it carefully and discovered that it was a small, -needle-pointed syringe, a “hypoderm,” such as is used by drug fiends to -puncture the arm and inject their slow-working poison into the veins. - -“The fellow under the box must have dropped that,” remarked Clancy. - -“It’s a cinch that he did,” answered Merry. - -“Now I know what that pasty face of his means. He’s a slave of the -needle, Chip.” - -“Yes,” nodded Frank. “Let’s go back upstairs, Clan,” he added, starting -through the hotel and toward the stairs. - -In the hallway on the second floor they met Ballard. He was fully -dressed and was hurrying down to find out what was going on. - -“I saw that squabble in the back yard,” he remarked, “and I thought -Chip was back of that voice under the box. When the black-haired chap -showed himself, it almost took me off my feet.” - -“Same here,” chuckled Clancy. “Chip did throw his voice so that it -seemed to come from the box.” - -“Then he knew there was some one there?” - -“Not so you could notice it, Pink,” Merry returned, with a puzzled -laugh. “I hadn’t an idea there was a fellow under the box when I threw -my voice in that direction and tried to stop the row. You could have -knocked me down with a feather when that box began to lift.” - -“Funny stunt,” put in Clancy, “and don’t you forget it. What do you -suppose the fellow was doing there?” - -“You’re liable to find a dope fiend almost any place. They’re half -crazy all the time. But I happen to know who this particular fellow is.” - -“You do?” cried Clancy and Ballard, together. “Who is he?” - -“Come in and shut the door,” Frank answered. - -After the tub had been twice filled by Woo Sing and Merry and Clancy -had had their plunge, while they were dressing Merry told his chums -about the new coach that had been doing such wonders with the Gold -Hill football team. In his talk he did not mention Bleeker in any way, -but referred principally to his conversation with Mr. Bradlaugh the -preceding afternoon. - -“This Guffey,” Frank proceeded, “seems to be a stranger to nearly -every one but Jode Lenning. Jode, it seems, got scared at the brand of -football we put up during the game at Tinaja Wells, and he begged the -colonel to send for Guffey. After that incident in the gulch, when the -blast came so near going off and killing Hawtrey, Guffey was sent for. -They say he has done marvels with that Gold Hill squad.” - -“Let me get this business straight in my mind, Chip,” said Ballard. -“You’ve opened up a few leads that I can’t understand. Is Jode Lenning -still hand-and-glove with the colonel?” - -“Seems to be.” - -Clancy and Ballard turned startled, uncomprehending looks at Merry. - -“Thunder!” exclaimed the red-headed chap. “I can’t understand that, at -all.” - -“Nor I, Clan,” said Frank. “The colonel’s a queer one, and that’s the -least you can say. Jode wanted Guffey. Guffey proves to be a dope -fiend, but a brilliant coach. He’s a young fellow, too, and a horrible -example for any other young fellow who feels like tagging him over -such a course. From what I know of Colonel Hawtrey I can’t begin to -understand why he will have anything to do with such a man as Guffey. -Hawtrey is a stickler for clean living and sportsmanlike conduct, and -this Guffey isn’t the sort to appeal to him a little bit.” - -“The clouds continue to gather on Ophir’s football horizon,” observed -Ballard, with an effort. “If that game is lost next Saturday——” He -finished with a look that expressed his meaning better than words. - -“We’re not going to lose it,” declared Merry. - -“That’s the spirit, old man!” approved Clancy. “Still,” he added -doubtfully, “you’ve got a man’s job on your hands if you succeed in -pounding the club team into winning form. Since we came in from Tinaja -Wells the eleven appears to have gone all to pieces.” - -“They’re not reliable, those fellows,” growled Ballard. “Remember how -they made a farce of their practice work along at the first when they -were out to show Chip what they could do?” - -It wasn’t likely the three lads would ever forget that. The team had -made a poor showing at the start; and now, after weeks of careful -coaching, the showing was but little better. - -After all, Merriwell was asking himself, did the fault really lie in -the material? He could not bring himself to think this. The Saturday’s -game had merely been called on an “off” day for the regulars. He -had faith to believe that the game Monday afternoon would turn out -differently. - -“We’re getting away from the point I’m trying to get at,” said -Merriwell suddenly. “What I’d like to know is, why is Guffey in Ophir? -What business has he here when his work is all in Gold Hill?” - -“Think he was spying upon this hotel?” queried Ballard. - -Merriwell started. Instinctively his thoughts recurred to Bleeker and -the conference he and Bleeker had had the night before. - -Was Guffey under the box at the time? Had he trailed Bleeker to the -hotel and then hidden himself away so as to listen to what passed -between Bleeker and Merry? - -A moment’s reflections all but convinced Frank that this could not have -been the case. If Guffey had sneaked to the hotel on Bleeker’s trail, -then when Bleeker left Guffey would also have gone away. There was -no possible explanation of the Gold Hill coach’s presence under the -box except the one that had to do with his hypoderm and his morphine. -Feeling the need of the drug, Guffey had crawled off into the most -convenient quarters he could find; from that moment until the antics of -Fritz, Silva, and Woo Sing had aroused him he had been in the grip of -the drug demons. - -This, at least, seemed to Merriwell the most plausible explanation. As -evidence that his theory was correct, he had that little “hypoderm” -which had been found near the box by Silva. - -“No, Pink,” said Merry, “I don’t think Guffey was spying upon this -hotel. What good would a move of that sort do him? If he wanted to -find out anything regarding our club eleven he’d be hiding somewhere -near the grid.” A grim smile crossed Merry’s face. “Guffey would have -enjoyed the performance if he had been out there yesterday afternoon.” - -“He’d have carried a lot of good cheer back to Gold Hill,” grinned -Ballard. “Oh, well, hang them and their dopey coach. I guess Ophir will -wiggle out of the set-to in pretty fair shape.” - -“What did you want to capture Guffey for, Chip?” queried Clancy. “What -was the idea?” - -“I suggested that on the spur of the moment,” Frank answered. “It -was like a blow in the face when I recognized the fellow, from the -description I had had of him. What I wanted was to learn what he was -here for. Now I’ve pretty well decided that he wasn’t in his right -mind when he crawled into the box. He was crazy for some of that drug. -Strikes me, fellows, that’s about all there is to his being there.” - -Just at that moment the breakfast gong sounded. - -“There goes the chuck signal,” chirped Ballard. “Come on, you two.” - -They piled downstairs, hung their hats on the rack by the dining-room -door, and went in to their accustomed seats at the table. Here a fresh -surprise awaited them. - -The fellow who had been on the subject of their recent debate upstairs -was in the dining room calmly eating his breakfast. He did not sit -at the same table where Frank and his chums had their places, but at -another farther toward the center of the room. - -All three of the boys stopped, hands on the backs of their chairs. -Clancy nudged Merriwell with his elbow. - -Guffey’s appearance had undergone a very decided change for the better. -His clothes had been smoothed out and brushed, his black hair neatly -combed, and he looked quite as respectable as any coach ought to look. -He was completely master of himself, too, and he met the gaze of -the three chums leveled at him with perfect self-control. He smiled -pleasantly, got up from his chair, and stepped toward Merriwell. - -“Frank Merriwell, isn’t it?” he asked, in a voice low and well -modulated. “I thought so,” he went on, as Frank nodded. “My name is -Guffey, and I’m the new coach over at Gold Hill. We are coaching rival -teams, Merriwell, but we’re true sportsmen, eh? We can be on friendly -terms for all that?” - -“Of course,” Frank answered, a little dazedly. “Glad to meet you, -Guffey. My friends, Owen Clancy and Billy Ballard.” - -Guffey transferred his right to Clancy and Ballard, smiled again, -murmured his acknowledgments, and then returned to his waiting chair. -It was all very nicely done, and it was plain that Guffey, the coach, -knew how to be a gentleman. - -“Well, I’ll be darned!” muttered Clancy. “Say, Chip, is that really the -dope fiend we saw coming out from under the box?” - -“No doubt of it,” Frank answered. - -“He acts and looks like a different fellow—still, that pasty face, that -black hair, and those washed-out blue eyes are the same. Why is he -here? Is it a case of nerve on his part?” - -“You’ll have to ask me something easier than that,” Merry answered, -dismissing Guffey from his mind and giving his whole attention to his -meal. - - - - - CHAPTER XLIII. - - REVIVING HOPES. - - -Guffey left the dining room before Frank and his chums had finished -their breakfast. When they finally came out they found Handy, captain -of the Ophir eleven, waiting for them. Handy showed traces of -excitement. - -“What was Guffey, the Gold Hill coach, doing over here, Chip?” he -demanded. - -“Nothing more than eating his breakfast, Handy, so far as I know. Are -you acquainted with him?” - -“I’ve heard him described, and I thought I had him spotted as he passed -through the office. To settle any doubts, I looked at the register. -There was his name, plain enough: ‘Simeon Guffey, Gold Hill.’ I don’t -like the idea of his sneaking around Ophir like this.” - -“Don’t be in a taking about it, old man,” said Frank soothingly. “Where -did he go?” - -“There was a horse out in front, and he got into the saddle and pointed -for the cañon trail. On his way back to Gold Hill, I reckon.” - -“Come on up to my room,” said Merry. “Clan, you and Pink had better -come, too.” - -When they had the captain behind the closed door, Frank told him -about the squabble in the back yard, and how, in a most surprising -way, Guffey had been discovered under the empty packing case. Frank -propounded his theory as to why Guffey was in that peculiar place, and -produced the “hypoderm” in evidence. - -Handy was experiencing an attack of nerves and was ready to see the -hidden hand of the Gold Hill club in anything and everything that -looked a little off color. - -“There’s something back of his being here,” he declared, “and it’s a -heap more than you imagine, Merriwell. Guffey didn’t blow into town for -any good. He may use the dope, but you can gamble that he’s not using -it to an extent that queers him in his work as coach.” - -It was several minutes before Frank and his chums could calm Handy -sufficiently for a talk about football. At last, however, they began a -study of the club eleven with the view of shifting the players around -and getting better results. - -“I wouldn’t drop any of the boys from the regular team, Chip,” said the -captain earnestly. - -“It would be a bad move at this late day,” Frank answered, “to put in -some new men from the scrub team. If we had two weeks left I don’t -know but I’d try it, but with only four days for good, hard practice, -dropping anybody from the eleven would be a mistake. Win or lose, -Handy, we’ll use the material we have. We can do a little shifting, -though.” - -“I made a monkey of myself yesterday,” declared Handy, with a firm -determination to shoulder all the consequences of his own mistakes, -“and that’s what played the dickens with the quarter. But I was -nervous, and the way the scrubs lit into us had me rattled. I’ve -a notion all the boys felt the same way. We went into that game -overconfident and careless; then, when we began getting the worst of -it, we slopped over in the other direction and took our backsets too -much to heart. We’ll do better to-morrow.” - -“You’ve got to, that’s all,” said Merriwell grimly. “What will happen -if Gold Hill gets the best of it in next Saturday’s game?” - -“It would make the third time, hand-running, that we’ve gone down to -defeat at the hands of that other crowd. If that happens, everybody in -Ophir will be disgusted, and this athletic club of ours will go to the -dogs.” - -“Is it as bad as that?” - -“It’s worse!” declared Handy. “If you had lived in this town for a year -or two, you’d know more about the feeling that prevails regarding these -football games.” - -“Then, if that’s the way you hook up, we’ve got to win.” - -“We have, if it takes a leg.” - -After two hours of thoughtful discussion, during which each individual -player on the regular team was thoroughly studied, two or three shifts -made in the line-up, and a little talk indulged in that renewed the -captain’s ardor and determination, the meeting broke up. - -For most of the regulars and second-string men, however, it was a blue -Monday when they assembled in the gym for the afternoon’s work. Their -faces were long and gloomy as they squatted around on the floor in -their football togs and listened to a little sharp grilling from the -captain. - -Merriwell followed Handy. The faults and mistakes of the preceding -Saturday afternoon he flashed before the player’s eyes in detail. There -was terror in the souls of the regular eleven; but fears were relieved -somewhat when not one of the team was publicly disgraced by being -dropped to the scrub. At last, tingling in every nerve, the men were -sent to the field for another contest with the second eleven. - -And, this time, the regulars did their work admirably. The practice -was secret, and no evil, greedy eyes were staring out from between the -benches of the grand stand. The club eleven lit into the scrubs with a -savage fury that swept all before them. Never once, in all the fierce -battling of the game, was the regular’s goal in danger. This was a -romp to victory, but with none of the gala features of a romp about -it. Intensity of purpose marked every play. And the final score was so -many to nothing that the dusty, sweating, worn-out scrubs were awed and -chastened. - -Tuesday afternoon the work was even harder. The scrub team was -strengthened by the addition of Ballard and Clancy, and while it was -being hurriedly organized, farther down the oval of the field, the -regulars were being run through the signals. Up and down the field they -rushed in rehearsal of all the complicated attacks. The numbers, flung -out by Merry, cracked like a blacksnake whip; and, with every crack, -the players leaped to their work. Again and again the coach charged the -team, now against one goal and now against the other. - -After a brief rest the strengthened scrub teams appears. Against them -the regulars are pitted for a whirlwind fight of half an hour, cut in -two by an interval of two minutes. - -The hardiest of the players flop over on the warm sand, utterly -exhausted, when the whistle stops the playing. Merriwell is boring down -into their endurance as no coach has ever done before. But they do not -complain. They know he is doing it for the glory of Ophir. - -That Tuesday-afternoon match was rendered brilliant by the playing of -Owen Clancy at quarter. He and Ballard, encouraging the second eleven, -gave the regulars a grapple that they will long remember. - -Wednesday is a repetition of Tuesday, only worse in its grinding, -gruelling labor, if that were possible. Like tigers, with sinews of -steel and a suddenness of lightning, the regulars spring at the throats -of the scrubs. Every man on the second eleven is putting up the fight -of his life. He knows that the harder he can make it for the regulars, -the more it will be for the glory of Ophir. Brilliantly supported by -Clancy and Ballard and, along toward the end, by Merry at half, they -bring out the very last ounce of power and ability which the club team -has in store. - -The regulars have possession of the ball. They smash into the scrubs -like a living catapult, hunting from end to end of the scrub line -for the one weak point. After thirty minutes of heartbreaking play, -a whistle sounds a truce. The teams are rushed to the gym, quickly -sponged, fresh recruits jump into the ranks of the scrubs, and once -more the regulars are put to the relentless test. - -“If we can live through this,” gasps one of the regulars as, the -playing over for the day, he totters in the direction of the showers, -“if we can live through this we’ll eat up any eleven on earth.” - -“Are you satisfied, Chip?” queried the weary, exultant Handy as he -came, clothed for the street, out of the dressing rooms after the -Wednesday game. - -“Yes,” Merry answered, “we’ve got a bunch of winners. All aboard for -Dolliver’s to-morrow afternoon.” - -“The word has been passed around, Chip, and we’ll all be ready.” - -Thursday afternoon Bradlaugh’s big car, and two other machines pressed -into service, carried the Ophir eleven, three or four substitutes, and -Chip Merriwell and his chums out along the old trail to Tinaja Wells. - -A disappointment awaited Frank at Dolliver’s. He had counted upon -meeting Darrel at the ranch, but Darrel, he found, had gone into Gold -Hill that very morning. - -Why was Darrel in Gold Hill? Certainly his uncle had not sent for him. -The colonel was still clinging to Jode Lenning, and, so long as he did -that, he could have no possible use for Darrel. - -Merry, however, had too much on his mind to worry over the mysterious -actions of Darrel. Curly was improving right along, and that was the -main thing. He would undoubtedly be at the Ophir-Gold Hill game, and -Merry could see him there. - -Thursday there was nothing at all to do, with the exception of a little -signal practice along toward sun-down. Nor was there any line-up or -hard work on Friday—nothing but a five-mile cross-country trot in the -forenoon, and in the afternoon nothing at all. It was the day before -the game—a day to which the population of Ophir and Gold Hill had been -looking forward for months. - -The game was to be played on the Ophir field. The games of the two -previous years had been won by Gold Hill on her own field, and it was -deemed no more than fair that Ophir should have the third game on her -grounds. - -The fellows were to remain at Dolliver’s until one o’clock Saturday -afternoon. At that hour the machines were to arrive for them and whisk -them away to the field for the fight with their rivals. - -There was not much hilarity among the lads. They were impressed—and a -little oppressed—with the prospect of the work required of them on the -next afternoon. They collected in groups, and, in low voices, talked of -everything they could think of except football. And yet, the biggest -and most constant thing in every fellow’s mind was the coming game. - -Merry and Handy, along about eight in the evening, were a little apart -from the players. They were considering Simeon Guffey for about the -dozenth time. - -“You’re fretting too much about the Gold Hill coach, old man,” said -Frank. - -“I’ve got a hunch that there’s something about the fellow we don’t -understand,” answered the captain. - -“If you’re going to worry about all the things you can’t understand,” -Merry laughed, “you’re going to have your hands full.” - -Just at that moment Clancy came around a corner of the house. - -“Guess who’s here, Chip!” said he. - -“I’m in no mood to wrestle with conundrums, Clan,” was the answer. - -“All right, then. It’s Colonel Hawtrey. He just rode up. His horse is -at the hitching pole and he wants to see you at once—and privately.” - -“Hawtrey—to see me!” Frank muttered, as he hurried around the house and -toward the trail in front. - - - - - CHAPTER XLIV. - - THE COLONEL’S TIP. - - -The colonel, erect and soldierly, was pacing slowly back and forth at -the trailside. It was a fair inference, from the way he bore himself, -that there was something on his mind. - -Since Frank had heard of the way the old colonel had been treating Jode -Lenning, following Jode’s wretched conduct in the gulch, his estimate -of the colonel had gone down several degrees. A man might be eccentric, -Frank reasoned, without displaying such glaring partiality or such -weak-kneed injustice. - -“Good evening, colonel,” said Frank, coming to a halt near the trail. - -The other, busy with his reflections, had not noticed the lad’s -approach. “That you, Merriwell?” he asked, turning. - -“Yes, sir. I was told that you want to talk with me.” - -“So I do; I have come out here for that especial purpose. Suppose we -walk a little way along the trail?” - -Frank fell in at the colonel’s side and walked with him a stone’s throw -up the road. When they halted, the colonel sat down on a bowlder and -lighted a cigar. The flare of the match, falling over his rugged face, -revealed a sternness and a settled purpose that rather startled the -youngster at his side. Colonel Hawtrey, in spite of the way he was -treating Jode, was no weakling. - -“To-morrow, Merriwell,” went on Hawtrey, “is the day of the big game. -Several hundred from Gold Hill will move on Ophir to root for the home -team. I hope everybody keeps his temper and that there will be no -disgraceful clashes. To-morrow afternoon, I sincerely trust, we are -going to bury our animosities in friendly rivalry. The old feud between -the two athletic organizations, let us hope, is going to be wiped out -forever.” - -“You will find, colonel,” said Frank, “that Ophir will do her full -part.” - -“Glad to hear that. I will personally stand sponsor for Gold Hill. -The news comes to us that your team is in a bad way, and that last -week Saturday the first game after your return to town from camp was a -big disappointment to you. Handy, your captain, got rattled and began -interfering with the quarter back, and Mayburn, your center, put up a -miserable article of play. Is that right?” - -The hot blood rushed into Merry’s face and he shot an indignant glance -at the colonel. What was the use of the Gold Hill nabob coming out to -Dolliver’s to talk such stuff to the Ophir coach? - -“How did you get any information about that game, colonel?” he -demanded. “No one was allowed on the grounds except our men. I can’t -believe that our fellows would talk about what happened last Saturday -afternoon.” - -“Ordinary loyalty would keep them from doing that, eh?” - -“Sure it would. Who told you all that, sir?” - -“That’s immaterial, just now. I am not here to twit you about your -team’s shortcomings, Merriwell. I have simply recited what came to me -as facts, and I want you to say whether or not the facts are true. A -good deal hangs upon that point—more than you even dream of.” - -There was a depth of earnestness in the colonel’s voice which filled -Frank with wonder. What in blazes was he trying to get at, anyhow? - -“Why, yes,” said Frank, “Harry did interfere a little with the quarter, -and Mayburn was off in his work.” - -“Doolittle wasn’t very good, either, was he?” - -“Not very.” - -The colonel drew a long breath and puffed silently at his cigar for a -few moments. - -“Then what I heard was true,” he muttered finally. “This makes it -certain, my lad, that Gold Hill had a spy at your secret game. How -could anything be known about the game if that had not been the case? -Such work is reprehensible. I am as indignant over the matter as you -could possibly be. There is nothing sportsmanlike about it. I can -congratulate myself on the fact, however, that the spy was not a Gold -Hill man but a stranger—or almost a stranger. I am positive that it was -Guffey, the coach.” - -“You think, then, that Guffey was sneaking around when we played that -game, last week?” the boy demanded. - -“I’m sure of it. Guffey left Gold Hill in the forenoon of Saturday, and -he did not return until Sunday forenoon. He was in Ophir—he must have -been.” - -“I knew he was in Ophir Saturday night,” said Frank, and told of what -happened in the rear of the hotel on Sunday morning. - -The colonel muttered angrily to himself. - -“That’s the sort of gentleman we have for a coach,” he growled, “a -fellow who uses a ‘hypoderm’ and who sleeps in a box in a back yard. -He’s a hobo, and a pretty poor stick of a hobo at that. This thing is -working out just as I thought it would. Good may come of it, however.” - -“Where does this man Guffey hail from, colonel?” Frank asked. - -“I don’t know the first thing about him. Jode knows him, and he’s the -one who sent for him. Guffey’s a good coach, and our eleven is in -better shape than it has ever been before. I’m sorry that Guffey’s a -scoundrel, but it is going to be the happiest day of my life if he pans -out the way I hope and believe.” - -Once more the colonel had Frank wondering. How was he expecting -Guffey to “pan out?” In one breath the colonel was sorry Guffey was a -scoundrel, and in the next he was going to be happy if the scoundrel -panned out to be as bad as he hoped and believed. Frank was all twisted -to account for the colonel’s motives and feelings. - -“Now that you know Guffey’s a scoundrel,” Frank remarked, “are you -going to let him come to Ophir with the Gold Hill fellows?” - -“I am,” was the reply, “and while he’s in your bailiwick, Merriwell, I -want you to do one thing.” - -“What is that?” - -“Watch the fellow. You’re a friend of my nephew, Ellis, aren’t you?” - -“Right from the top of the hat,” said Frank, with spirit. - -“Well, keep a keen eye on Guffey. By doing that, you may help Darrel -more than you can realize now. You’re very much concerned, I suppose, -because I have treated Jode, since that affair in the gulch, with the -same consideration that I did before. You don’t understand why I have -left him on the football team, or why I have anything further to do -with him. Is that correct?” - -“Well, yes,” admitted Frank. - -“And neither can you understand why I tolerate such a scoundrel as -Guffey.” - -“No, colonel, I can’t.” - -“I am manipulating things, Merriwell. I may be wrong, but I don’t think -so. If you will coöperate with me, I’m pretty sure this whole affair is -going to come around in fine shape.” - -“Just what do you expect me to do?” Frank queried. “How will keeping an -eye on Guffey enable me to coöperate with you?” - -“Why, as to that, everything depends on your shrewdness. Take up -a position close to Guffey from the time he arrives on the field; -then watch him like a hawk. If anything develops that excites your -suspicion, follow it up with vigor.” - -“What do you think will develop?” - -“I haven’t the least notion what form developments will take, but I am -sure something will come. I have done my part by tolerating Jode and -helping to get Guffey here. Now the rest of it is up to you—and you are -a good friend of Darrel’s.” - -Frank was nonplused. It had been made clear to him, however, that the -colonel had let Jode off easy, after that affair in the gulch, for a -purpose; and, for the same purpose, he had allowed Jode to have his way -about Guffey. Here the wily old colonel was playing a deep game. And -at the back of his head was the desire that Darrel might profit by it. -While this much was clear; to Merry, all the rest was steeped in the -deepest kind of mystery. - -“Are you going to take my tip, Merriwell, and act upon it?” asked the -colonel. - -“Bank on that, sir!” was the prompt response. - -“Good!” said the colonel, in a tone of deep satisfaction. “If I’ve got -hold of the right end of this, I can trust you to work out the rest of -the problem.” - -“Will Guffey get actively into the game?” inquired Frank. - -“No,” was the decided answer. “It’s bad enough to have such a fellow -coach our boys without coming actually into contact with them on the -field. As soon as this game is over, I can promise you that Gold Hill -will see the last of him. Darrel, I hear, is not at Dolliver’s?” the -colonel went on, shifting the subject. - -“No,” said Frank. - -“Is he in Ophir?” - -“Dolliver tells me that he went to Gold Hill Thursday morning.” - -“Jove! I haven’t seen him in Gold Hill, and I haven’t heard of his -being there. You are sure Dolliver——” - -“Darrel won’t go looking for you, colonel,” said Frank, with a touch of -pride, “until he’s able to give you his hand. I believe he went to the -Hill to try and clear up that forgery matter.” - -“Ah!” There was a certain grimness in the colonel’s voice which did not -escape Frank. “I don’t believe he can do that, Merriwell. He hadn’t -ought to be roaming around, anyhow, until that broken arm of his is -entirely well. He’ll be at Ophir for the game?” - -“He said he would, at the time we broke camp and pulled out for home.” - -The colonel got up and stepped closer to Frank. His voice sank low and -throbbed with feeling as he laid a hand on Frank’s shoulder and went -on: - -“If you see him, Merriwell, tell him not to draw any wrong conclusions -from the way I am conducting myself. Tell him that, when he knows all, -he will see that I am acting for the best interests of all concerned. -You’ll do that?” - -“Certainly.” - -“I’ve been an old fool in a good many ways, and when an old fool sees -the light he ought to be wise in getting to the bottom of things and in -passing justice around. I’m trying to show a little wisdom, Merriwell. -Until you know all, you can at least give me credit for that.” - -“I do, colonel,” Frank answered. - -The colonel reached for his hand, shook it warmly, and then, without -speaking further, turned and retraced his way to his horse. Frank, -standing to one side, watched while he swung into the saddle. - -“Good-by, my lad, and good luck,” called the colonel. - -“Good-by, sir,” Frank answered. - -The next moment Colonel Hawtrey had galloped off along the trail and -was lost in the wavering shadows. He left behind him, perhaps as -puzzled a boy as there was in all Arizona. - -“Well, I’ll be hanged!” Merriwell muttered, as he turned back toward -the house. “The colonel’s all right, but I wish to thunder that I knew -what he’s trying to get at. Going it blind never made much of a hit -with me.” - - - - - CHAPTER XLV. - - THE PLUGGED “HALF.” - - -The noon meal at Dolliver’s was a light one, for Frank did not believe -in football on a full stomach. The three big cars came along, promptly -on time, and the lads crowded into them with their suit cases. They -were a nervous lot of boys in spite of their efforts to be cool and -confident. - -Frank got into a front seat of the Bradlaugh car. Mr. Bradlaugh was -driving. - -“This outfit is looking mighty fit, I must say,” the president of the -O. A. C. remarked, as he put the automobile in motion on the back -track. - -“The Ophir fellows are ready to make the fight of their lives,” Frank -answered. - -“Bully. About all of Gold Hill was piling into our club grounds when I -left. They’re always a talkative lot and not too careful how they rag -the Ophir players. We must all remember to take the joshing in good -part.” - -“You can depend on us to prove a credit to Ophir, Mr. Bradlaugh,” said -Frank quietly. - -“It does me good to hear that. Win or lose, Merriwell, let’s show the -colonel and his crowd that we are true sportsmen. The colonel is always -harping on that proposition, you know, so let’s give him an example of -what it really means.” - -“We will.” - -The game was called for two-thirty, and it was two o’clock when the -three automobiles trailed into the inclosure at the athletic field, -trailed in single file across one end of the grounds and halted at the -doors of the gym. - -Grand stand and bleachers were swarming with people. The crowd -overflowed the clubhouse balcony, filled a number of automobiles that -nosed the fence beyond the side lines, and took up every available foot -of ground that commanded a view of the gridiron. - -Pennants were waving, handkerchiefs were being fluttered, and cheers -were going up on every side. The arrival of Ophir’s champions was the -signal for a bedlam of cheers that traveled across the field and back -again in a tidal wave. - -“They look good, but not good enough!” howled a Gold Hiller as the -cheering lulled. - -“You can’t produce anythin’ to beat ’em!” whooped a scrappy Ophir man. - -“Hold yer bronks till the other crowd trots out!” - -“We’ll hold our bronks, and our eleven’ll hold yore team to a -fare-ye-well!” - -“Wait an’ see!” - -“Yes, wait!” - -This was a sample of the cross-fire indulged in by the rival rooters. -Cowboys and miners were among the partisans, on both sides, and they -were of a class not given to undue restraint. - -“Hawkins is on the ground with a force of helpers,” said Mr. Bradlaugh, -as Merry climbed out of the car, “and if the good feeling happens to -get strained I reckon the deputy can smooth it out.” - -“If there’s any row,” said Frank, “it will be among the rough-necks. -There’s no bitterness in our crowd. We’re going to win, and we know it. -That’s all, Mr. Bradlaugh.” - -“That’s enough,” laughed Mr. Bradlaugh, with an admiring glance at -Merry as he trailed the Ophir fellows into the gymnasium. - -Frank was not intending to get into the game himself, but as good -substitutes were lacking, he had planned to hold Clancy and Ballard, -along with a few of the best second eleven men, in reserve. - -While the fellows were in the dressing rooms, getting out of their -ordinary clothes and into their football togs, Chip sat in the big, -bare exercise room, his head bowed in thought. Some one approached him -from behind and touched his shoulder. - -“Not gloomy are you, old chap?” asked a familiar voice. - -Frank whirled and sprang up. - -“Hello, Curly!” he exclaimed, his face flushing with pleasure. “Where -the deuce have you been keeping yourself for the last few days?” - -“Left Dolliver’s to go to Gold Hill on business, pard,” smiled Darrel. - -The youngster’s face was pale and a little thinner than usual. His -bandaged arm swung from his neck in a sling. - -“I was badly disappointed when I did not see you at the ranch,” Frank -went on, taking the other’s hand. “How are you feeling?” - -“Finer than silk. A little wabbly on my pins, but that’s only -temporary. I’m here to see the game, but I’ve been hanging around the -gym to tell you that I don’t like the way this man Guffey sizes up. -I’ve got some mighty strong doubts about him. When I heard a new coach -had arrived in Gold Hill, and that Jode had signaled him to come I was -filled with suspicions. That’s why I went over to the Hill. But the -suspicions didn’t work out worth a darn. Yesterday I headed for Ophir.” - -“What were the suspicions, Curly?” - -“Never mind, now. I seem to be full of pipe dreams. Say, what do you -think about Jode and the colonel? You know, of course, that Jode’s -still king bee of the Gold Hill bunch. He’s got a stranglehold on the -colonel, all right!” - -A shadow crossed Darrel’s face. Through it showed disappointment and a -little sadness. - -“When I heard how your uncle had treated Jode, after that eye opener in -the gulch,” Frank returned, “I had begun to think that the old colonel -was in his dotage. But now I’ve changed my mind.” - -“What caused the change?” - -“A talk I had with the colonel last night. He came out to Dolliver’s -purposely to have a word with me.” - -Darrel showed symptoms of curiosity and excitement. - -“What did he say, Chip?” he asked. - -“I couldn’t tell you all he said, for I haven’t time, but he gave me -a message for you. He wanted me to say, if I saw you before the game, -that you’re not to draw any wrong conclusion from the way he has been -behaving; he said that, when you know all, you’ll see how he’s acting -for the best interests of all concerned.” - -“That’s mighty hard to swallow,” said Darrel, with a trace of -bitterness. “I saved his life when Jode failed, and yet he keeps right -on with Jode just as he was doing before. I’m not finding any fault -with him—he’s his own boss, and I’ve nothing to say. But I’m not the -only one that’s doing a heap of guessing because of the way he’s -acting.” - -“Don’t form any snap judgments, Curly,” urged Frank. “Wait for a -while, anyhow.” - -“Oh, I’ll wait,” was the hopeless response. “What can I do but wait? -But I’m pretty near discouraged. That forgery plot was too deep, too -well laid. We’ll never get to the bottom of it.” - -“Buck up, old man! We will get to the bottom of it—mark what I’m -telling you.” - -At this point the Ophir eleven and the substitutes trooped from the -dressing rooms. Although Darrel belonged with Gold Hill, yet he was -not an active Gold Hiller, and a lot of his warmest friendships were -wrapped up in the Ophir team. The boy was a prime favorite, and the -players flocked around him and pressed his hand cordially. Darrel, with -a laughing remark to the effect that he wished the Ophir fellows all -sorts of luck, excused himself and hurriedly left the gym. - -The time had come for a final word with the eleven. Handy eased himself -first of what was on his mind. He recalled the fact that Ophir had been -beaten twice by the Gold Hillers. Would Ophir stand for that kind of -thing three times hand running? He thought not. With a few words of -counsel here and there, he stepped back and gave place to Merriwell. - -“You know what the effect will be, fellows,” said Frank, “if you fall -down on this game?” - -A chorus of affirmatives greeted the question. - -“I guess I don’t have to say anything more,” Frank added. “Get -together, that’s all. You can win, and you’re going to.” - -Just as he finished, a tumult of shouts and cheers came from the -spectators. One look from the gym door showed that the Gold Hill team -had trotted out on the field from their dressing rooms. They made a -fine spectacle, and, all in all, looked to be the formidable crowd that -they were. - -Not only was Gold Hill cheering the team, but Ophir also had risen to -its feet and joined in with the rival rooters. This augured well for -the feeling that prevailed among the spectators. - -After a few moments, the Gold Hill squad scattered over the gridiron -for a little signal work. - -“Now, then, fellows,” said Handy. - -As the Ophir lads appeared, there was another round of cheering; but -the volume of sound and the enthusiasm were no greater than in the -case of their opponents. At sight of the Ophir squad, the Gold Hill -players bunched together and gave them their club yell in a most -friendly spirit. Jode Lenning himself, who was always more or less of a -disturbing factor, led in the demonstration. - -Handy, not to be outdone by the rivals, bunched up his men and returned -the Gold Hill greeting. - -“Gee,” laughed Clancy, at Merry’s elbow, “you’d never have thought, -a spell ago, that these two clubs were ready to fly at each other’s -throats! The proper spirit prevails in wads and slathers.” - -“This is merely by way of shaking hands before the bout,” smiled Merry. -“The test will come when we get down to business.” - -While the Ophirites were being put through a few of their paces, Merry -started in to fulfill his promise to Colonel Hawtrey. He began looking -for Guffey. - -The other coach found him first, and came forward smilingly and with -outstretched hand. - -“Hello, Merriwell,” said he pleasantly. “This is a bully day for a -game, and a bully crowd of spectators.” - -“You’re right,” Merry answered. - -He kept close to Guffey, in an artless sort of way, and was with him -when Lenning and Handy approached to toss for positions. - -“Got a dollar, Guff?” inquired Lenning. - -“Here’s a half, Len,” answered the coach, dipping into his pocket. - -The coin was sent spinning into the air, and, when it fell, it was -almost at Merriwell’s feet. - -Lenning won, and naturally he chose the goal that had the wind in its -favor. The players scattered out on the field, and Merry was left -staring at Guffey—startled so that he scarcely realized what was going -on around him. - -The coin which Guffey had furnished for the toss was the plugged half -dollar, Merry’s pocket piece, and the one that had vanished with the -rest of the money from Merry’s coat. Frank had had a good look at the -coin, and could not be mistaken. - - - - - CHAPTER XLVI. - - THE GAME. - - -Merriwell’s interest in that game was naturally intense; and yet, it -was not so intense as it was in that affair of Darrel’s. The colonel -had hinted that Darrel was to be benefited by Merriwell’s watching -Guffey. Keeping an eye on the other coach had started something, right -at the very beginning of the game. - -Like lightning Merry’s mind marshaled a few facts and evolved a -startling theory. Hawtrey had said that Guffey had seen the game on the -preceding Saturday. Merriwell’s thirty dollars had vanished during that -game. Now Guffey had produced some of the loose change that had formed -part of the “thirty.” It was money that could not readily be passed, so -here was a possible reason for Guffey’s keeping it by him. - -The pockets of the coat were emptied while the garment lay on the -grand-stand benches. Instantly Merriwell thought of the dressing rooms -under the stand, and of their possibilities as a point of observation. -He thought, too, how easy it would be for a thief to reach out and draw -the coat through between the seats, go into the garment at his leisure, -and then replace it where it had been left by its owner. - -Everything pointed to the fact that Simeon Guffey had taken the money. -Frank had to believe the evidence. He stepped closer to the Gold Hill -coach, who was watching the game with an absorbed air. - -Ophir had got the Gold Hill kick-off and had run the ball back past the -middle of the field, losing it after two downs by an on-side kick that -failed to pan out as expected. - -“Now, then, Gold Hill, smash into ’em! Get the steam engine to work! -Flatten ’em out!” roared the visiting rooters. - -“Hold ’em, Ophir!” came encouragingly from the local ranks. - -Gold Hill smashed into a stone wall when Ophir took the defensive; but -a breach was made, and Mingo, the Gold Hill half back, made some good -gains by clever work. But Gold Hill, strongly favored by the wind, -elected to punt in the hope of getting within scoring distance. - -The ball gyrated through a long, high, aërial arc, to be captured on -the Ophir fifteen-yard line and hustled back to the twenty-five yards -before the runner was downed. - -“Whoop-ya!” howled cowboys in the Ophir crowd; “eat ‘em up, you Ophir -gophers! Swaller ’em, boots an’ chaps! You can do it!” - -“I got a ten-case note what says they kain’t do it!” yelped a sporty -miner from the Gold Hill benches. - -“Make it a hundred an’ I’ll go ye!” - -But evidently the other man couldn’t dig up the hundred. - -Guffey, crouching on the side lines, was absently picking pebbles out -of the sand and flipping them about. He seemed surprised by Ophir’s -showing. Merry crouched down at his side. - -“You’ve done wonders with that bunch since last week, Merriwell,” -remarked Guffey. - -He must have spoken before he thought. The next instant his jaw -muscles flexed angrily, and his pallid face showed something like -consternation. - -“What do you know about our work last week, Guffey?” Frank asked. - -He was so close to the other coach that it was not difficult for him -to make himself heard in spite of the tumult caused by the spectators. -One side or the other was howling and cheering, so that the uproar was -almost continuous. - -“Only—what I’ve heard,” answered Guffey, with some nervousness and -constraint. - -“You heard our eleven was poor?” - -Guffey affected not to catch the question. He pretended to be wrapped -up in the playing. - -Ophir, from the twenty-five yards, had failed to gain, and punted. Gold -Hill got the ball on her forty-yard line, and, after two trials that -fell short, kicked again. The ball sailed over the goal line, and Ophir -touched it back. - -There came a bit of a lull. Frank pushed closer to Guffey. - -“I say, Guffey,” said he, “will you let me look at that half dollar -that was used for the toss?” - -The Gold Hill coach turned his deathlike face toward Frank, and peered -at him with suspicion in his faded blue eyes. - -“You think it’s a fake coin, eh?” he demanded; “one of the -heads-I-win-tails-you-lose sort, eh?” - -There was a snarl, venomous as it was uncalled for, back of the words. - -“I don’t think anything of the sort,” Frank answered sharply. “I just -want to look at it, that’s all.” - -“There you are.” - -Guffey thrust his hand into his pocket, jerked out a coin, and flung it -down in front of Frank. The latter picked it up. - -It was not a plugged coin, nor was it minted in the year of Merry’s -birth. Guffey had substituted another piece for the one in question. - -“This isn’t the half they used for the toss, Guffey,” said Frank. - -“I’m a liar, am I?” demanded Guffey hotly. “What are you trying to do, -Merriwell? Kick up a row?” - -“No,” was the response, “I don’t want any row here to-day. Just let me -see the half dollar that was used for the toss.” - -“You’ve seen it.” - -With that Guffey arose from his crouching position, and, with a scowl, -moved off to another place. Frank knew that the fellow was guilty. -He had seen Frank eying the plugged coin when it dropped in front of -him, and he had reasoned that he might have recognized it. Frank’s -request to see the silver piece was further proof to Guffey that he -had developed a suspicious interest in it. Hence, Guffey’s motive for -substituting another half dollar for the right one. - -Ophir, after the touchback, had elected to put the pigskin in -scrimmage, on the twenty-five yard line, but was soon back at its old -punting tricks. Gold Hill’s right half, Poindexter by name, misjudged -the ball. As it slipped from the ends of his fingers, he was pushed -aside by an Ophir lad, who got it under him on Gold Hill’s forty-yard -line. - -Ophir went wild. The stands fairly roared, hats were tossed in the air, -and yells and cheers made the whole place a pandemonium. - -“What’s up between Guffey and you, Chip?” queried Clancy, in -Merriwell’s ear. - -“Why?” returned Merry. “What makes you think there’s anything up, -Clan?” - -“Blazes! Why, I can’t help but see when it’s going on right under my -eyes.” - -“Watch the game, Clan,” said Merry. “If I have to leave the field, you -stand by to send in the substitutes.” - -“Look here,” muttered the excited Clancy, “you don’t intend to clear -out before the game’s over, do you?” - -“I don’t know what will happen, Clan, but if I leave it will be to -follow Guffey. Don’t ask any questions. I’m playing a bigger game than -this little match at football.” - -The red-headed fellow was all up in the air. His freckled face -reflected his conflicting emotions. - -Frank, turning to keep track of Guffey, saw Hawkins, the deputy -sheriff, beckoning to him. He got up and walked over to the deputy’s -side. - -“I’m keepin’ an eye on that Guffey person, Merriwell,” said Hawkins. -“You don’t need to bother.” - -“What are you watching him for, Hawkins?” Frank asked. - -“Because I don’t like his looks. He’s a pill.” - -“He’s the Gold Hill coach, and you’re not to interfere with him, you -know.” - -“Mebby not, but what’re you baitin’ him for?” - -They were both unconsciously peering toward Guffey. At that moment, the -Gold Hill coach turned suddenly and gave the two of them a full, level -stare. When he turned away, he acted like a person who is considerably -wrought up and trying to conceal it. - -“Wow!” chuckled Hawkins. “Say, son, he don’t like seein’ you and me -in talk, like this. He’s makin’ a bluff that he don’t care—but it’s a -bluff. Why does he care? You better tell me.” - -“Not now,” said Frank, and walked away. - -Meanwhile the quarter had ended with the ball on Gold Hill’s -fifty-yard line. On the first play, Bradlaugh, left half for Ophir, -carried the oval for a ten-yard gain. Little by little, steady as fate, -the ball crept to within ten yards of the Gold Hill goal line. - -Frank’s interest, for a while, almost turned from Guffey to the ball. -It looked as though Ophir was surely due to make a touchdown. - -The spectators had gone crazy with excitement. Gold Hill’s players were -fighting like so many tigers; and then, out of the ruck of fighting and -the tangle of sweating players, the ball soared up and over the field. -Ophir groaned and Gold Hill began to jubilate. - -That was the only time either goal had been in serious danger, and the -half ended with the ball at about the place where it had been when -first put into play. - -Merriwell led his men to the dressing rooms. - -“Fine work!” said he. “You’re going to get a touchdown in the next -half, and Gold Hill isn’t going to score at all. I’ve got a hunch—one -of the red-hot kind that always pans out. Mayburn, you’re a crackajack! -Spink, just keep up the good work! Brad, you’re a star! What’s the -matter, Deever?” - -Lafe Deever, right end, was limping. - -“Twisted my ankle,” said he, “but I reckon it won’t amount to much.” - -“Take off your shoe and let’s see.” - -Merry shook his head when he examined the exposed foot. The skin was -broken and the ankle looked red and angry. - -“Let Banks report to the referee, Handy,” said Frank. “Sorry, Deever,” -he added, to the crestfallen end, “but we can’t take chances, you know. -You’ve won glory enough in the first half, anyhow.” - -Merry pulled Handy aside. - -“If anything happens that I have to leave the field before the game is -over, Handy,” said Frank, “Clancy will be on deck.” - -“But you’re not going to leave——” - -“Not if I can help it. There’s something important going on—something -not down on the bills—and I can’t neglect it even for this football -game.” - -With that, Merry hurried from the gym. The first man he encountered on -the field was Hawkins. - -“Has Guffey come out of the Gold Hill dressing rooms yet?” he asked. - -“Well, I reckon,” grinned the deputy. “He came out with Jode Lenning, -an’ the two walked over to’rd the west end of the grand stand. There -they are now, in a close confab.” - -Frank sauntered carelessly in the direction of Guffey and Lenning. - - - - - CHAPTER XLVII. - - NOT ON THE PROGRAM. - - -Over their shoulders, Lenning and Guffey caught sight of Merriwell -making his way toward them. They exchanged hurried words, and Guffey -turned from Lenning and started to leave the field around the lower end -of the grand stand. - -Frank quickened his pace a little. Lenning walked hurriedly toward -Frank. He was plainly nervous and worried, and his shifty eyes held a -harassed look. - -“Where’s Guffey going?” Merry inquired, when Lenning was close enough -to hear. - -“He’s sick and is going around back of the stand to lie down,” was the -answer. “He’s subject to spells with his head, and he’s got a bad one -coming on now. He’ll be back before the last half’s over.” - -Merriwell went on. Lenning watched him with growing suspicion. - -“Are you going after him, Merriwell?” he asked. - -“I want to talk with him,” Frank replied indefinitely. - -“He’s in no shape to talk. He——” - -But Merriwell, by then, was out of earshot. The call for the second -half was ringing down the field. Lenning hesitated, as though inclined -to follow Merriwell; then, tossing his hands with a desperate gesture, -he whirled and ran to take his place with the rest of the Gold Hill -team. - -When Frank had worked his way past the lower end of the grand stand, he -half started toward the dressing rooms. But he checked the move, for -Guffey, as he could see, was traveling north across the sandy stretch -of ground on that side of the club premises. - -Lenning had misstated the case. The Gold Hill coach may have been -having “a spell with his head,” but he was not bound for the dressing -rooms to lie down. On the contrary, he was striding briskly off into -the open, apparently bent on getting as far away from the football -field as possible. - -Merriwell chuckled grimly. He had thought that a maneuver of this kind -would be attempted. - -What he had said about the half dollar had certainly worked upon -Guffey’s suspicions; and then, the suspicions must have been -intensified when Guffey saw Frank talking with Hawkins, the deputy -sheriff. - -Undoubtedly the Gold Hill coach thought that a plan was forming to put -him under arrest for stealing the thirty dollars. In order to avoid -such a result, Guffey’s best plan, of course, was to get himself out of -the way. This, very likely, was what he was attempting to do. - -Guffey, casting a hurried look behind him, saw Merriwell. He began to -run. - -“Hold up, Guffey!” Merry shouted. “Don’t be in a rush.” - -But Guffey was attending to a matter of pressing importance. If -overtaken, a jail would yawn to receive him; on the other hand, if he -succeeded in making his escape from Merriwell, he would perhaps receive -the benefit of a doubt in the matter of that thirty dollars. Instead of -halting, he increased his pace to the limit. - -There must have been some exciting work going forward on the football -field. The roar of the spectators mounted high, and never for a moment -were grand stand and bleachers entirely quiet. The noise lessened as -Merriwell and Guffey drew farther and farther away. - -Merry, it was soon demonstrated, was a faster runner than Guffey, for -at every stride he was gaining upon him. It was presently evident, too, -that Merry was also a better jumper. - -Ahead of Guffey lay an eight-foot irrigation ditch, filled to the brim -with flowing water. The Gold Hill coach attempted to take it at a leap, -but he took off too soon; then, on top of that, his foot slipped as he -sprang into the air. It happened, therefore, that instead of landing -safely on the opposite bank, he dropped squarely into the water. - -For a moment he was under the surface, and all that was to be seen was -his cap, floating away with the sluggish tide. Frank jumped the ditch -and stood waiting on the opposite bank. - -Guffey bobbed up, thoroughly drenched, and sputtering. Seeing -Merriwell waiting for him, he turned to reach the other bank. To his -astonishment—and somewhat to Merriwell’s, as well—Hawkins, the deputy -sheriff, appeared abruptly and headed him off in that direction. - -“What are you chumps trying to do?” sputtered Guffey. - -“Tryin’ to git hands on you, Guffey,” answered Hawkins, with a grin. -“If you think you’ve been in long enough, why not come out? Jumpin’ -sand hills! What’s the matter with your hair?” - -This was a question which Frank had been asking himself. The water had -played sad pranks with Guffey’s jet-black hair. In spots the black had -all run out of it, and had streaked his pale face, leaving a tow color -in place of the dark hue that had previously distinguished the looks. - -With a yell of consternation, Guffey put up his hands to his face and -then withdrew them and looked at his smudged fingers. - -“It ain’t right for a young feller to go dyin’ his hair that-a-way,” -said Hawkins. “Come on out. I shouldn’t think it would be comfortable, -stayin’ in there too long.” - -“I’ll come out,” said Guffey savagely, “but you can’t arrest me for -taking Merriwell’s money.” - -“That’s it, eh?” chuckled the deputy sheriff. “I thought you’d done -something to Merriwell that wasn’t exactly honest.” - -“He stole thirty dollars from me,” said Frank. “He’s got a pocket piece -of mine in his clothes, right this minute, and that was part of the -stolen money. He furnished it for the toss, at the beginning of the -football game, and I had a good look at it.” - -“A fellow in Gold Hill worked that off on me,” said Guffey. - -“He did, eh?” answered Frank grimly. “Then why didn’t you show the -half dollar to me when I asked you? Why did you hand me another half, -instead?” - -“I did that by mistake,” was the lame excuse. - -Guffey had splashed out of the ditch, and, dripping and forlorn, was -standing close to Hawkins. - -“We’ll let that part go, for the present,” said Frank. “Your real name -is Billy Shoup, and not Sim Guffey. If you will tell all you know about -that forgery, and the way you manipulated matters so as to make Ellis -Darrel appear guilty, we’ll drop the robbery matter. What do you say?” - -Guffey stood like a man in a trance. When he finally recovered speech -he persisted in declaring that he was Guffey, and had never heard of -the man called Shoup. - -“What you need, Guffey,” grinned Frank, “is a change of heart. Maybe -that will come to you with a change of clothes.” - -He turned to Hawkins. - -“Take charge of him, Hawkins,” he went on. “Take him to the Ophir -House, and stay with him until I come. He knows all about that forgery -business, and can clear Ellis Darrel. He’ll do it, too, or he’ll be put -in jail for stealing that money from me.” - -“I’ll hang onto him,” said Hawkins, “don’t fret about that. Come on, -Guffey—or Shoup—whichever it is.” - -Guffey walked meekly away with the deputy sheriff, trailing little -streams of water behind him as he went. Frank hastened back to the -football field, arriving just as Brad made the only touchdown of the -game, and in the last five minutes of play. - -Bedlam was let loose. All the Ophir partisans rushed into the field, -caught their winning team up on their shoulders, and raced the entire -eleven around the cinder track. Never before had Ophir experienced a -day like that. - -There were many shouts for Merriwell, but Merry was in the clubhouse. -Hawtrey had caught him by the arm and hustled him to a place where they -could have a few words in private. - -Very briefly Frank told the colonel what had transpired in the vicinity -of the irrigation ditch. The colonel’s face brightened wonderfully. - -“I could have sworn it!” he exclaimed delightedly. “We’ll pick up -Ellis and Jode and get to the hotel as soon as we can. I’m going to -settle this affair now, once and for all. Wait here, Merriwell, till I -find the others; then we’ll see how quick we can get to town.” - - - - - CHAPTER XLVIII. - - ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. - - -It was half an hour before the colonel had rounded up the party he -wished to take into Ophir with him, and during that time Frank was -being congratulated warmly in the clubhouse on the success of the Ophir -team. Mr. Bradlaugh, staid old gentleman that he was, fairly took the -lad in his arms and gave him a hug. - -“You did it, Merriwell,” he kept saying; “if it hadn’t been for you we -couldn’t have won.” - -When the colonel finally arrived with Jode and Ellis, Mr. Bradlaugh -offered to give them a lift to the Ophir House in his car. Clancy and -Ballard appeared just in time to form part of the load. - -Merry’s chums had been wondering what it was that could have taken -their chum off the field during the last half of that exciting game. -Merriwell wouldn’t breathe a word on the ride into town, but told them -to wait a little and the whole thing would be explained. - -In less than fifteen minutes after leaving the clubhouse, Colonel -Hawtrey, his two nephews, Merriwell, Clancy, and Ballard were ushered -by Pophagan into a room where Hawkins was keeping watch over Shoup, -alias Guffey. - -Shoup had wrung out and dried off his clothes, and he had likewise -washed his face and removed the rest of the color from his hair. The -moment Jode Lenning saw him, he sank limply into a chair, white to the -lips. - -“I know you, you contemptible cur,” cried the colonel, shaking a finger -in Shoup’s face. “You’re the fellow who, more than a year ago, brought -a forged check to me and said my nephew, Darrel, gave it to you. I -thought that Guffey and you might be one and the same person, and -that’s why I was willing to bear with Jode for a while longer, and see -what I could make out of his desire to get a new coach for Gold Hill. -Tell me about that forgery, and do it quick. The truth, mind!” - -“What will you do to me if I—I tell the truth?” quavered Shoup. - -“Nothing, but if you lie I’ll see to it that you’re landed behind the -bars.” - -“And you’ll let that thirty dollars pass?” asked Shoup, looking toward -Merriwell. - -“I’ve already told you I would—if you tell the truth,” Merry answered. - -“Well, here goes, then. I was a fool for ever coming back here, but -Darrel had shown up and Lenning was scared, and wanted to do something -to get rid of him. So I came on, when Lenning wired. I happen to be a -fair football coach, and that was Lenning’s excuse for getting me here. -But the main object of this trip, just as of the one before, was to do -up Darrel.” - -“Why did Jode want his half brother ‘done up’?” cut in the colonel. - -“Why, Jode wanted all your property for himself,” answered Shoup, an -ugly smile on his pasty face, “and that was his principal reason for -wanting to get Darrel out of the way.” - -“Go on,” said the colonel, between his teeth; “tell us about the -forgery.” - -“Jode planned it,” explained Shoup, “and furnished the forged check. I -was to get Darrel into a game, dope his drink, and then accuse him of -having given me the forged check. That’s the way it worked. Darrel was -hazy and couldn’t remember what he’d done. Jode, of course, was at home -with you, colonel, so you hadn’t a notion he was mixed up in it.” - -“You’re a black-hearted scoundrel,” said the colonel, “but Jode Lenning -is a whole lot worse. What have you to say, young man?” and he turned -on his cowering and discredited nephew with gleaming eyes. - -Jode tried to talk, but words failed him. He began to whimper. - -“Is it true, what this fellow Shoup has told me?” thundered the colonel. - -“Y-yes,” Jode answered. - -“I already knew you were a coward,” said the colonel, “and I was -tempted to think you were a knave as well, but I couldn’t be sure. It -was necessary first to catch Shoup, and wring a confession from him. -I thought, when you were so eager to have this Guffey come to Gold -Hill, that he might be Shoup. Something in your manner aroused my -suspicions. That is why I let the fellow come. To-day I asked Merriwell -to coöperate with me and see what we could learn from the Gold Hill -coach. Merriwell’s work surpassed my hopes and expectations. He made a -star play, and, as a result, has cleared the name of his chum of every -stain. As for you, Lenning, clear out. I’m done with you for good! I——” - -Darrel caught his uncle’s sleeve, drew his head down, and whispered -to him earnestly. The colonel shook his head, but Ellis continued to -insist, and finally his uncle yielded. - -“Ellis asks me to temper my indignation a little,” said he, “and to be -a little more lenient. His motive does him credit, after the way he has -suffered at your hands, Jode. You can go to my house and collect your -traps; and, when you leave, I will give you a thousand dollars to make -a fresh start in the world. Now, clear out! You go with him, Shoup!” he -added. - -Jode got up and staggered from the room. Shoup followed him, turning -at the door to laugh derisively, and bid those in the room a mocking -good-by. - -“Sufferin’ horn toads!” muttered Hawkins, “that’s no way to treat a law -breaker.” - -“Better that, Hawkins,” answered the colonel, “than to put Shoup -through for his crimes and not get the evidence to clear Darrel. My -lad, will you now honor me with your hand?” - -Darrel pressed the colonel’s palm joyfully, and then whirled to shake -hands with Merriwell. - -“You’re the one who did it, old man!” he exclaimed, in a trembling -voice. “If it hadn’t been for you, Chip, I’d still be the ‘boy from -Nowhere.’” - - - THE END. - - “Frank Merriwell, Jr. in Arizona” will be the title of the next volume - of the MERRIWELL SERIES, No. 217. Frank’s adventures in the West make - up an absorbing tale. - - - - - BOOKS THAT NEVER GROW OLD - - Alger Series - - Clean Adventure Stories for Boys - - The Most Complete List Published - - -The following list does not contain all the books that Horatio Alger -wrote, but it contains most of them, and certainly the best. - -Horatio Alger is to boys what Charles Dickens is to grown-ups. His -work is just as popular to-day as it was years ago. The books have a -quality, the value of which is beyond computation. - -There are legions of boys of foreign parents who are being helped -along the road to true Americanism by reading these books which -are so peculiarly American in tone that the reader cannot fail to -absorb some of the spirit of fair play and clean living which is so -characteristically American. - -In this list will be included certain books by Edward Stratemeyer, -Oliver Optic, and other authors who wrote the Alger type of stories, -which are equal in interest and wholesomeness with those written by the -famous author after whom this great line of books for boys is named. - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - -By HORATIO ALGER, Jr. - - 1—Driven from Home - 2—A Cousin’s Conspiracy - 3—Ned Newton - 4—Andy Gordon - 5—Tony, the Tramp - 6—The Five Hundred Dollar Check - 7—Helping Himself - 8—Making His Way - 9—Try and Trust - 10—Only an Irish Boy - 11—Jed, the Poorhouse Boy - 12—Chester Rand - 13—Grit, the Young Boatman of Pine Point - 14—Joe’s Luck - 15—From Farm Boy to Senator - 16—The Young Outlaw - 17—Jack’s Ward - 18—Dean Dunham - 19—In a New World - 20—Both Sides of the Continent - 21—The Store Boy - 22—Brave and Bold - 23—A New York Boy - -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 January, 1929 - - 24—Bob Burton - 25—The Young Adventurer - - -To be published in February, 1929. - - 26—Julius, the Street Boy - 27—Adrift in New York - - -To be published in March, 1929. - - 28—Tom Brace - 29—Struggling Upward - - -To be published in April, 1929. - - 30—The Adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy - 31—Tom Tracy - - -To be published in May, 1929 - - 32—The Young Acrobat - 33—Bound to Rise - 34—Hector’s Inheritance - - -To be published in June, 1929 - - 35—Do and Dare - 36—The Tin Box - - - - -NOW IN PRINT - - -By EDWARD STRATEMEYER - - 98—The Last Cruise of _The Spitfire_ - 99—Reuben Stone’s Discovery - 100—True to Himself - 101—Richard Dare’s Venture - 102—Oliver Bright’s Search - 103—To Alaska for Gold - 104—The Young Auctioneer - 105—Bound to Be an Electrician - 106—Shorthand Tom - 108—Joe, the Surveyor - 109—Larry, the Wanderer - 110—The Young Ranchman - 111—The Young Lumberman - 112—The Young Explorers - 113—Boys of the Wilderness - 114—Boys of the Great Northwest - 115—Boys of the Gold Field - 116—For His Country - 117—Comrades in Peril - 118—The Young Pearl Hunters - 119—The Young Bandmaster - 121—On Fortune’s Trail - 122—Lost in the Land of Ice - 123—Bob, the Photographer - - -By OLIVER OPTIC - - 124—Among the Missing - 125—His Own Helper - 126—Honest Kit Dunstable - 127—Every Inch a Boy - 128—The Young Pilot - 129—Always in Luck - 130—Rich and Humble - 131—In School and Out - 133—Work and Win - 135—Haste and Waste - 136—Royal Tarr’s Pluck - 137—The Prisoners of the Cave - 138—Louis Chiswick’s Mission - 139—The Professor’s Son - 140—The Young Hermit - 141—The Cruise of _The Dandy_ - 142—Building Himself Up - 143—Lyon Hart’s Heroism - 144—Three Young Silver Kings - 145—Making a Man of Himself - 146—Striving for His Own - 147—Through by Daylight - 148—Lightning Express - 149—On Time - 150—Switch Off - 151—Brake Up - 152—Bear and Forbear - 153—The “Starry Flag” - 154—Breaking Away - 155—Seek and Find - 156—Freaks of Fortune - 157—Make or Break - 158—Down the River - 159—The Boat Club - 160—All Aboard - 161—Now or Never - 162—Try Again - 163—Poor and Proud - 164—Little by Little - 165—The Sailor Boy - 166—The Yankee Middy - 167—Brave Old Salt - - * * * * * - - 175—Fighting for Fortune By Roy Franklin - 176—The Young Steel Worker By Frank H. MacDougal - 177—The Go-ahead Boys By Gale Richards - 178—For the Right By Roy Franklin - 179—The Motor Cycle Boys By Donald Grayson - 180—The Wall Street Boy By Allan Montgomery - 181—Stemming the Tide By Roy Franklin - 182—On High Gear By Donald Grayson - 183—A Wall Street Fortune By Allan Montgomery - 184—Winning by Courage By Roy Franklin - 185—From Auto to Airship By Donald Grayson - 186—Camp and Canoe By Remson Douglas - 187—Winning Against Odds By Roy Franklin - 188—The Luck of Vance Sevier By Frederick Gibson - 189—The Island Castaway By Roy Franklin - 190—The Boy Marvel By Frank H. MacDougal - 191—A Boy With a Purpose By Roy Franklin - 192—The River Fugitives By Remson Douglas - - - - -A CARNIVAL OF ACTION - -ADVENTURE LIBRARY - -Splendid, Interesting, Big Stories - - -This line is devoted exclusively to a splendid type of adventure story, -in the big outdoors. There is really a breath of fresh air in each of -them, and the reader who pays fifteen cents for a copy of this line -feels that he has received his money’s worth and a little more. - -The authors of these books are experienced in the art of writing, and -know just what the up-to-date American reader wants. - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - -By WILLIAM WALLACE COOK - - 1—The Desert Argonaut - 2—A Quarter to Four - 3—Thorndyke of the Bonita - 4—A Round Trip to the Year 2000 - 5—The Gold Gleaners - 6—The Spur of Necessity - 7—The Mysterious Mission - 8—The Goal of a Million - 9—Marooned in 1492 - 10—Running the Signal - 11—His Friend the Enemy - 12—In the Web - 13—A Deep Sea Game - 14—The Paymaster’s Special - 15—Adrift in the Unknown - 16—Jim Dexter, Cattleman - 17—Juggling with Liberty - 18—Back from Bedlam - 19—A River Tangle - 20—Billionaire Pro Tem - 21—In the Wake of the Scimitar - 22—His Audacious Highness - 23—At Daggers Drawn - 24—The Eighth Wonder - 25—The Cat’s-Paw - 26—The Cotton Bag - 27—Little Miss Vassar - 28—Cast Away at the Pole - 29—The Testing of Noyes - 30—The Fateful Seventh - 31—Montana - 32—The Deserter - 33—The Sheriff of Broken Bow - 34—Wanted: A Highwayman - 35—Frisbie of San Antone - 36—His Last Dollar - 37—Fools for Luck - 38—Dare of Darling & Co. - 39—Trailing “The Josephine” - - * * * * * - - 40—The Snapshot Chap By Bertram Lebhar - 41—Brothers of the Thin Wire By Franklin Pitt - 42—Jungle Intrigue By Edmond Lawrence - 43—His Snapshot Lordship By Bertram Lebhar - 44—Folly Lode By James F. Dorrance - 45—The Forest Rogue By Julian G. Wharton - 46—Snapshot Artillery By Bertram Lebhar - 47—Stanley Holt, Thoroughbred By Ralph Boston - 48—The Riddle and the Ring By Gordon McLaren - 49—The Black Eye Snapshot By Bertram Lebhar - 50—Bainbridge of Bangor By Julian G. Wharton - 51—Amid Crashing Hills By Edmond Lawrence - 52—The Big Bet Snapshot By Bertram Lebhar - 53—Boots and Saddles By J. Aubrey Tyson - 54—Hazzard of West Point By Edmond Lawrence - 55—Service Courageous By Don Cameron Shafer - 56—On Post By Bertram Lebhar - 57—Jack Cope, Trooper By Roy Fessenden - 58—Service Audacious By Don Cameron Shafer - 59—When Fortune Dares By Emerson Baker - 60—In the Land of Treasure By Barry Wolcott - 61—A Soul Laid Bare By J. Kenilworth Egerton - 62—Wireless Sid By Dana R. Preston - 63—Garrison’s Finish By W. B. M. Ferguson - 64—Bob Storm of the Navy By Ensign Lee Tempest, U. S. N. - 65—Golden Bighorn By William Wallace Cook - 66—The Square Deal Garage By Burt L. Standish - 67—Ridgway of Montana By Wm. MacLeod Raine - 68—The Motor Wizard’s Daring By Burt L. Standish - 80—A Submarine Cruise By Donald Grayson - 81—The Vanishing Junk By Remson Douglas - 82—In Strange Waters By Donald Grayson - 83—Afloat with Capt. Dynamite By Wilson Carew - 84—Bob Steele’s Motor Boat By Donald Grayson - 85—The Filibusters By Frederick Gibson - 86—Bob Steele’s Reverse By Donald Grayson - 87—On Wooded Trails By Frederick Gibson - 88—Bob Steele’s New Aeroplane By Donald Grayson - 89—Buck Badger’s Ranch By Russell Williams - 90—Bob Steele’s Last Flight By Donald Grayson - 91—In Full Cry By Richard Marsh - 92—The Fatal Legacy By Louis Tracy - 93—His Heritage By W. B. M. Ferguson - 94—The Treasure of the Golden Crater By Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry - 95—The Ape and the Diamond By Richard Marsh - 96—The Camp in the Snow By William Murray Graydon - 97—Nobody’s Fool By Frederick Gibson - 98—A Case of Identity By Richard Marsh - 99—Randy, the Pilot By Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry - 100—The Reluctant Queen By J. Kenilworth Egerton - 101—The Goddess—A Demon By Richard Marsh - 102—The Survivor By E. Phillips Oppenheim - 103—The Fate of the Plotter By Louis Tracy - 104—Philip Bennion’s Death By Richard Marsh - -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 January, 1929. - - 105—Mysterious Mr. Sabin By E. Phillips Oppenheim - 106—The Strange Disappearance of Lady Delia By Louis Tracy - - -To be published in February, 1929. - - 107—Master of Men By E. Phillips Oppenheim - 108—The Whistle of Fate By Richard Marsh - - -To be published in March, 1929. - - 109—The Wooing of Esther Gray By E. Louis Tracy - 110—The Great Awakening By E. Phillips Oppenheim - - -To be published in April, 1929. - - 111—A Strange Wooing By Richard Marsh - 112—His Father’s Crime By E. Phillips Oppenheim - - -To be published in May, 1929. - - 113—At the Court of the Maharaja By Louis Tracy - 114—In the Service of Love By Richard Marsh - - -To be published in June, 1929. - - 115—As a Man Lives By E. Phillips Oppenheim - 116—The Glitter of Jewels By J. Kenilworth Egerton - - - - -_NOTE THE NEW TITLES LISTED_ - -Western Story Library - -For Everyone Who Likes Adventure - - -Ted Strong and his band of broncho-busters have most exciting -adventures in this line of attractive big books, and furnish the reader -with an almost unlimited number of thrills. - -If you like a really good Western cowboy story, then this line is made -expressly for you. - - -_ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - 1—Ted Strong, Cowboy By Edward C. Taylor - 2—Ted Strong Among the Cattlemen By Edward C. Taylor - 3—Ted Strong’s Black Mountain Ranch By Edward C. Taylor - 4—Ted Strong With Rifle and Lasso By Edward C. Taylor - 5—Ted Strong Lost in the Desert By Edward C. Taylor - 6—Ted Strong Fighting the Rustlers By Edward C. Taylor - 7—Ted Strong and the Rival Miners By Edward C. Taylor - 8—Ted Strong and the Last of the Herd By Edward C. Taylor - 9—Ted Strong on a Mountain Trail By Edward C. Taylor - 10—Ted Strong Across the Prairie By Edward C. Taylor - 11—Ted Strong Out for Big Game By Edward C. Taylor - 12—Ted Strong Challenged By Edward C. Taylor - 13—Ted Strong’s Close Call By Edward C. Taylor - 14—Ted Strong’s Passport By Edward C. Taylor - 15—Ted Strong’s Nebraska Ranch By Edward C. Taylor - 16—Ted Strong’s Cattle Drive By Edward C. Taylor - 17—Ted Strong’s Stampede By Edward C. Taylor - 18—Ted Strong’s Prairie Trail By Edward C. Taylor - 19—Ted Strong’s Surprise By Edward C. Taylor - 20—Ted Strong’s Wolf Hunters By Edward C. Taylor - 21—Ted Strong’s Crooked Trail By Edward C. Taylor - 22—Ted Strong in Colorado By Edward C. Taylor - 23—Ted Strong’s Justice By Edward C. Taylor - -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 January, 1929. - - 24—Ted Strong’s Treasure By Edward C. Taylor - 25—Ted Strong’s Search By Edward C. Taylor - - -To be published in February, 1929. - - 26—Ted Strong’s Diamond Mine By Edward C. Taylor - 27—Ted Strong’s Manful Task By Edward C. Taylor - - -To be published in March, 1929. - - 28—Ted Strong, Manager By Edward C. Taylor - 29—Ted Strong’s Man Hunt By Edward C. Taylor - - -To be published in April, 1929. - - 30—Ted Strong’s Gold Mine By Edward C. Taylor - 31—Ted Strong’s Broncho Boys By Edward C. Taylor - 32—Ted Strong’s Wild Horse By Edward C. Taylor - - -To be published in May, 1929. - - 33—Ted Strong’s Tenderfoot By Edward C. Taylor - 34—Ted Strong’s Stowaway By Edward C. Taylor - - -To be published in June, 1929. - - 35—Ted Strong’s Prize Herd By Edward C. Taylor - 36—Ted Strong’s Trouble By Edward C. Taylor - - - - -VALUE - - -Although literature is generally regarded as more or less of a luxury, -there is such a thing as getting your money’s worth, and a little more, -in the way of literature. - -For seventy years the firm of STREET & SMITH has specialized in the -publication of fiction. During all this time everything bearing our -imprint represented good value for the money. - -When, about thirty years ago, we began the publication of a series of -paper bound books, which has since become world famous by the name -of “The S & S Novel,” we did our best to publish the right sort of -fiction. 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