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diff --git a/old/62829-0.txt b/old/62829-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9ec9ac3..0000000 --- a/old/62829-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10155 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Frank Merriwell's Setback, 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's Setback - True Pluck Welcomes Defeat - -Author: Burt L. Standish - -Release Date: August 3, 2020 [EBook #62829] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRANK MERRIWELL'S SETBACK *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - BOOKS FOR YOUNG MEN - - MERRIWELL SERIES - - Stories of Frank and Dick Merriwell - - PRICE FIFTEEN CENTS - - _Fascinating Stories of Athletics_ - - ------- - -A half million enthusiastic followers of the Merriwell brothers will -attest the unfailing interest and wholesomeness of these adventures of -two lads of high ideals, who play fair with themselves, as well as with -the rest of the world. - -These stories are rich in fun and thrills in all branches of sports and -athletics. They are extremely high in moral tone, and cannot fail to be -of immense benefit to every boy who reads them. - -They have the splendid quality of firing a boy’s ambition to become a -good athlete, in order that he may develop into a strong, vigorous -right-thinking man. - - --------------------------------------------------------- - --------------------------------------------------------- - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - 1—Frank Merriwell’s School Days By Burt L. Standish - 2—Frank Merriwell’s Chums By Burt L. Standish - 3—Frank Merriwell’s Foes By Burt L. Standish - 4—Frank Merriwell’s Trip West By Burt L. Standish - 5—Frank Merriwell Down South By Burt L. Standish - 6—Frank Merriwell’s Bravery By Burt L. Standish - 7—Frank Merriwell’s Hunting Tour By Burt L. Standish - 8—Frank Merriwell in Europe By Burt L. Standish - 9—Frank Merriwell at Yale By Burt L. Standish - 10—Frank Merriwell’s Sports Afield By Burt L. Standish - 11—Frank Merriwell’s Races By Burt L. Standish - 12—Frank Merriwell’s Party By Burt L. Standish - 13—Frank Merriwell’s Bicycle Tour By Burt L. Standish - 14—Frank Merriwell’s Courage By Burt L. Standish - 15—Frank Merriwell’s Daring By Burt L. Standish - 16—Frank Merriwell’s Alarm By Burt L. Standish - 17—Frank Merriwell’s Athletes By Burt L. Standish - 18—Frank Merriwell’s Skill By Burt L. Standish - 19—Frank Merriwell’s Champions By Burt L. Standish - 20—Frank Merriwell’s Return to Yale By Burt L. Standish - 21—Frank Merriwell’s Secret By Burt L. Standish - 22—Frank Merriwell’s Danger By Burt L. Standish - 23—Frank Merriwell’s Loyalty By Burt L. Standish - 24—Frank Merriwell in Camp By Burt L. Standish - 25—Frank Merriwell’s Vacation By Burt L. Standish - 26—Frank Merriwell’s Cruise By Burt L. Standish - 27—Frank Merriwell’s Chase By Burt L. Standish - 28—Frank Merriwell in Maine By Burt L. Standish - 29—Frank Merriwell’s Struggle By Burt L. Standish - 30—Frank Merriwell’s First Job By Burt L. Standish - 31—Frank Merriwell’s Opportunity By Burt L. Standish - 32—Frank Merriwell’s Hard Luck By Burt L. Standish - 33—Frank Merriwell’s Protégé By Burt L. Standish - 34—Frank Merriwell on the Road By Burt L. Standish - 35—Frank Merriwell’s Own Company By Burt L. Standish - 36—Frank Merriwell’s Fame By Burt L. Standish - 37—Frank Merriwell’s College Chums By Burt L. Standish - 38—Frank Merriwell’s Problem By Burt L. Standish - 39—Frank Merriwell’s Fortune By Burt L. Standish - 40—Frank Merriwell’s New Comedian By Burt L. Standish - 41—Frank Merriwell’s Prosperity By Burt L. Standish - 42—Frank Merriwell’s Stage Hit By Burt L. Standish - 43—Frank Merriwell’s Great Scheme By Burt L. Standish - 44—Frank Merriwell in England By Burt L. Standish - 45—Frank Merriwell on the Boulevards By Burt L. Standish - 46—Frank Merriwell’s Duel By Burt L. Standish - 47—Frank Merriwell’s Double Shot By Burt L. Standish - 48—Frank Merriwell’s Baseball Victories By Burt L. Standish - 49—Frank Merriwell’s Confidence By Burt L. Standish - 50—Frank Merriwell’s Auto By Burt L. Standish - 51—Frank Merriwell’s Fun By Burt L. Standish - 52—Frank Merriwell’s Generosity By Burt L. Standish - - -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, 1923. - - 53—Frank Merriwell’s Tricks By Burt L. Standish - 54—Frank Merriwell’s Temptation By Burt L. Standish - - - To Be Published in February, 1923. - - 55—Frank Merriwell on Top By Burt L. Standish - 56—Frank Merriwell’s Luck By Burt L. Standish - - - To Be Published in March, 1923. - - 57—Frank Merriwell’s Mascot By Burt L. Standish - 58—Frank Merriwell’s Reward By Burt L. Standish - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - Frank Merriwell’s Setback; - - - OR, - - - - - TRUE PLUCK WELCOMES DEFEAT - - - BY - BURT L. STANDISH - Author of the famous MERRIWELL STORIES. - - - - Publisher’s Logo - - - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION - PUBLISHERS - 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - - - Copyright, 1900-1901 - By STREET & SMITH - ———— - Frank Merriwell’s Setback - - - - - - - (Printed in the United States of America) - - All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign - languages, including the Scandinavian. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - FRANK MERRIWELL’S SETBACK. - - ------- - - CHAPTER I. - - THE GIANT OF THE WHEEL. - - -In its various forms it was an old trick, and it ought not to have -worked on Starbright, who had come from the famous preparatory college -at Andover. But by some chance, Dick had never heard of it, and the -sophomores, discovering this, prepared to “work” him with it. - -It was a principle with the lordly sophomores to annoy freshmen, and the -towering young giant, who had already made himself so famous at Yale, -suffered as much at their hands as less noted mortals. - -There is a streak in human nature which causes those who have been -“through the mill” to want to put others through. This spirit accounts -for “hazing,” in all its forms. - -Jack Ready started it by offering to bet Dick Starbright ten dollars -that he could not ride a bicycle from New Haven to Guilford and back, a -round-trip of thirty-two miles, in three hours. Starbright snapped him -up quicker than a wink, for though there were many things he could do -better than bicycling, Dick knew that he could do this, and the trip to -Guilford, along the pleasant shores for a great part of the way, was an -attractive one. - -The bet was made one Wednesday evening, and Dick was to do the riding -the next Saturday afternoon. Starbright told his friend Dashleigh about -it. - -“Of course you can do it!” Bert declared. - -“Dead easy! Why, I could do that trip in two hours, even if the roads -are sandy. But three! I don’t know what Ready is thinking about. He must -fancy that I can’t ride a wheel. Perhaps it is because I started in to -take part in the relay race and Merriwell pulled me out of it and put me -at other work. But that was only because you are a faster rider than I -am, and my size and strength made me a promising candidate for the -shot-putting and hammer-throwing.” - -“And you did your part well, old man. You covered yourself with glory!” - -“And I’ll show these duffers that I can ride a wheel. I’ll see how -quickly I can do the trip, and I’ll make their eyes bulge out when they -see me back.” - -Dick did not get an opportunity to see Merriwell, but he told Browning; -and Browning, who had been “let in on the ground floor,” assured Dick -that he could make it “dead easy,” and that Jack Ready was a fool for -offering such a bet. - -“It will be a good way to open up Merriwell’s entertainments,” said -Ralph Bingham, when Starbright chanced to speak to him about it. “I’d do -it, if I were you.” - -Bingham was a sophomore, but Dick did not think of that. - -Carker, alone of the sophomores, objected, urging that he disliked to -see so good a fellow as Starbright toyed with in that way. - -“Well, you aren’t going to chip into the thing and spoil the fun, just -because it doesn’t suit you, are you?” demanded Bingham. “We sophomores -must hang together. Ready is an especial friend of yours, and he is -managing the thing. Don’t you think it would be rather a scaly trick to -give the snap away?” - -“If Merriwell should hear of it?” - -“He’ll not hear of it. He has his hands full of other matters just now. -And he wouldn’t interfere, anyway, for he’s no milk-and-water kid. He -had to go through the mill when he was a freshman, just as we did, and -it did him good. I like Starbright. He’s a fine fellow. But he’s a -freshman, and he’s in great danger of coming to think that he is ‘it’! -He has boomed right up, and he’ll be wearing frills of great importance -round the gray matter of his thinking machine the very first thing we -know. Already he believes that he’s better than any sophomore that ever -trod the campus or sat on the fence. This thing won’t hurt him. It will -do him good, and tend to make a man of him.” - -This sort of logic, directed to a fellow classman, was irresistible. - -Ready was not at all sure that Merriwell would interfere; but, fearing -that he might, for Dick was recognized as his protégé, he contrived to -keep the two apart most of the time, managing to be with one or the -other whenever they met, and to so skilfully direct the conversation -that no opportunity presented for a discussion of Dick’s proposed ride. -As for the other students of all classes, they shut up mum on the -subject whenever Frank came to their midst. - -There was a lowering gray sky and a hint of a change in the weather on -that Saturday afternoon when Dick wheeled up in front of the New Haven -House for his start. He rode a very high frame to accommodate his great -height. It was a heavy roadster, not adapted to racing, but Dick had -been able to crack it up for good speed on more than one occasion. - -As for his attire, Dick was comfortably clothed in a woolen bicycle-suit -somewhat the worse for wear, and wore a visored cap. Like most Yale men, -the cut and quality of his clothing were of secondary consideration, his -only demand being that it would suit his needs and be comfortable. - -Jack Ready was there, to lead the cheer with which Dick’s departure was -greeted, swinging his cap and yelling, after a preliminary offer to -double his bet, which offer Dick would not accept. He was sure he would -win Ready’s money, and for that reason he did not want the bet raised. - -Dashleigh was there, too, and other freshmen. There were some juniors -and seniors, also. But the larger number gathered in front of the hotel -were sophomores. - -Starbright liked a bicycle, though he was too large and heavy to become -a crack rider. He was a good wheelman, though, and he swung away with -cheerfulness through the level streets of the college city and out -toward the road that leads close along the shore of the Sound, following -as closely as he could the railway line. - -He found the wind heavy as he began to wheel over the Sound route. The -breeze was off the water and he was forced to bore into it quarteringly, -which, with the character of the road, made the wheeling rather too -heavy for pure pleasure. - -Nevertheless, Starbright “hit it up” at a good gait, bending forward -over the handle-bars and thrusting his visored cap into the wind like -the sharp prow of a racing yacht. - -Now and then a farmer stared curiously at him as he slipped by. This -grew so frequent as he neared the first of the half-abandoned summer -resorts of that part of the Sound that he dismounted from his wheel, -feeling that something in his personal appearance caused these men of -the hoe to inspect him in that way. - -Having looked his wheel over and found it all right, Dick took off his -coat and inspected that. There was no legend pinned or chalked on its -back, and nothing about him which could draw so much attention. - -“The fellows act as if they had never seen a bicycle!” he grumbled, as -he replaced his coat and remounted for the continuance of his journey. -Yet that this could not be so seemed to be proved by the proximity of -the summer-resort hotels, which poured out scores of wheelmen for these -roads every season, to make no mention of the bicyclists of New Haven. - -On reaching the first of the summer resorts, Dick was surprised still -further to find a number of men and women, chiefly composed of the class -who get their living in the winter from the waters of the Sound or by -taking care of the abandoned caravansaries, standing grouped on a corner -as if awaiting his coming, and staring at him with undisguised curiosity -as he wheeled by. - -“Don’t think much o’ yer wheel!” one of them shouted. Then added: “No; I -don’t think I’ll buy one of ’em next summer!” - -Stopping by a spring for a drink, he leaned the wheel against a fence, -and a country youth came forward to look it over. Dick would have -thought nothing of this if the young fellow had not asked him if he -thought he received enough pay for that kind of work. - -“Not doing it for pay,” said Dick. - -“Y’ain’t racin’ ag’in time, then?” was the bland question. - -“Not exactly.” - -“Can’t say that I want to buy the wheel!” - -“I haven’t any notion of selling it.” - -Then the countryman stared at him. - -“You ain’t Jimmy Michael?” - -“Jimmy Michael, the famous bicyclist? No. What made you think so?” - -“And ain’t you advertisin’ a new kind of wheel that’s a world corker?” - -“Nothing of the kind.” - -The country lad flushed and moved away with explanation. - -“What’s the matter with the fellow?” Starbright thought. “Jimmy Michael? -Nobody could mistake me for Jimmy Michael!” - -Still the farmers stared at him as he wheeled by. Sometimes, when they -beheld him coming, they came close down to the road, often the whole -family, and stared after him as he passed on. - -Once a young woman waved a handkerchief roguishly at him from a kitchen -window. Dick began to feel red and uncomfortable; and then, at the next -village, he was asked by a member of the mob that was apparently -gathered to see him, what the make of his wheel was, and if it was to be -sold cheaper than other makes of good wheels, he inquired why the -question was asked. - -For answer the man pointed to a large placard on a wall: - - “Richard Starbright, the world-famous giant of the wheel, will - this afternoon make a race against time from New Haven to - Guilford and return for the purpose of advertising our new make - of record-beater roadsters. Starbright has beaten the record of - Jimmy Michael, and our wheels beat the world. He has circled the - globe in the interest of our wheels. Wait for him! You cannot - afford to miss seeing him!” - -“You look a good deal like a Yale guy, but yer size made us think mebbe -you was the man,” the citizen explained. - -“Yes, I am the man!” said Dick hotly flushing. “I’m a guy all right, -too!” - -“What’s the make o’ the wheel?” another queried, walking round as if to -inspect its fine points. “Looks like you’ve rid it a lot. I should think -they’d have sent you out on a shinin’ new one?” - -“What countries have you ridden through?” queried a vinegary woman in -spectacles. “I do hope you’ve been through Tibet. But if you have, the -natives did’t treat ye as bad as they do some folks. I’ve got some real -good buttermilk, and if you’d like to drop into my house a minute to -rest and tell me about Tibet I’d take it kindly. I’m so interested -readin’ ’bout Tibet that I can’t hardly sleep o’ night sometimes. It’s -the first house on the corner as you go down—a little white house with -green winder-blinds.” - -Starbright was in a profuse perspiration. - -“Thank you!” he said. “You’re very kind. But I must really hurry on. -I’ve stopped too long now.” - -Then, feeling that the only way to get away from these people was to -mount his wheel, he hopped on it and fled through the village, giving a -glance at the little white house with the green blinds as he swept by, -and thinking that perhaps the proper thing would have been to stop there -and talk Tibet to the inquisitive, spectacled lady and sip her -buttermilk while he thought out some plan for outwitting his tormentors. - -“This is Ready’s work!” he panted, as he wheeled down the road. “I’ll -have to murder that fellow! I see there is no help for it! I shall have -to take him between my two thumbs and squash his life out as I would any -common bug!” - -He tried to smile when the village was behind him. - -“It’s a good joke, anyway, and it’s on your Uncle Richard! Of course, -the whole college knows of it now, and New Haven will know it before -night. Heavens! If it should get into the newspapers!” - -Dick wheeled on so fast, hardly knowing now that he was speeding, that -he found himself approaching the next little village almost before he -thought it possible. He saw the inevitable crowd gathered on the -principal corner of the street, through which he must pass unless he -elected to make a wide détour and avoid the village altogether. Some -boys raised a cheer as he drew near, swinging their hats with an -urchin’s delight. - -“I’ll not stop!” Dick grunted, shrinking from the thought of again -encountering some one who would ask him about his world-wide travels. -“They’ll want to know if I’ve been in China, likely, and if I’ve fought -the Boxers, and how many I’ve killed!” - -So he put on extra speed, lowered his visored cap, bent over the -handle-bars, and went through the street like a streak of lightning. The -boys yelled and whooped, and he could not help hearing one citizen -remark that “Jimmy Michael ain’t in it with that feller!” - -“Here comes the bikeist!” a boy was shouting to another group at the -lower corner. “Come quick, Sammy, ’er ye’ll be too late!” - -“Geewhiskers! ain’t he a snorter?” another boy yelled. - -The group broke into a wild cheer as Dick swept past, pedaling as if he -were racing for life. When he had escaped from these innocent -tormentors, he began to think over the situation and to ask himself if -he should go on to Guilford or stop where he was and retrace his way to -New Haven by another route. To do that would be to lose his bet. Not -that he cared so much for the money or for the mere winning, but that -would give Ready and the sophomores a perhaps coveted opportunity to guy -him for cowardice. - -No, he was in it, and there seemed to be no way out but to make the ride -according to plans and schedule and win out, so far as that part was -concerned. So he rode on, wondering if there were no means by which he -could yet defeat the sophomores. - -“Yes, this is the beginning of Frank Merriwell’s entertainments!” he -rather grimly thought. “I didn’t know that I would be chosen to open the -show in this way, though! Merry doesn’t know anything about it, I’m -sure.” - -Merriwell was planning some festivities of an athletic character with -which he and his friends and other students were to celebrate the many -victories won by Yale that season. The college had been wonderfully -fortunate and triumphant on the gridiron, not having lost a single game -during the entire season. Never had a Yale team equaled the performance -of the football eleven of that year under the leadership of the -redoubtable senior. And not only in football, but in many other ways had -Yale won honor with the victorious teams Merriwell had trained and led. - -There was a grim humor in Starbright which made him appreciate the -situation in which he found himself, even though he was the victim. At -first he had paid no heed to anything placarded on the walls, but now, -looking out for those glaring signs, he soon found one stuck against the -side of a barn. It was on the side of the barn that was invisible to him -as he came toward it. - -So this had been Ready’s plan! These glittering advertisements of the -performance of the “Giant of the Wheel,” produced, no doubt, by some New -Haven printing press, had been skilfully plastered up along the roadside -and in the villages in such a way that the wheelman approaching them -could not see them. And the chances were small that he would look back -and discover them after he had whirled by. This accounted for the fact -that Dick had not for a time observed the notices which drew out the -curious villagers and farmers. - -In the next village, which was also of the summer-hotel variety, though -there was a substantial element of people who resided there the year -round, a larger crowd than ever stood in the street to await his coming. - -The crowd broke into a cheer as he came in sight and wheeled up to the -corner. He had resolved to ask some questions. - -“When were these placards stuck up?” he inquired. - -“Yisterday. Say, mister, when’s yer book comin’ out?” - -“What book?” - -“Why, the feller that come along yisterday stickin’ up the bills said -that you was about to put out a book tellin’ about yer wonderful -adventures with the Toltecs while you was coastin’ down one of them old -Peruvian roads in South Ameriky.” - -“What sort of looking fellow was he?” - -“Well, about so high and so wide. He was a sort of stocky chap with -bright eyes and red cheeks. Come to think of it, when he got off his -wheel to stick up the sign, I noticed that he toed in with one foot.” - -“That was Jack Ready.” - -“Was it? I didn’t know! I believe he did say somethin’ ’bout bein’ -always Ready.” - -“Aw! that feller’s a Yale man!” a boy was heard to sneer. “He ain’t -never been in South Ameriky ner nothin’. I know them fellers soon’s I -see ’em.” - -“Be you a Yale man?” an old man growled, not relishing the idea of being -drawn out and fooled in that way by a mere college student. He had -walked nearly a mile to see the “Giant of the Wheel” go by, and he -wanted his money’s worth. - -Dick was saved from answering this disconcerting question by a young man -with a pale face and large nose, who crowded forward to inspect the -wheel, saying that he intended to purchase a bicycle the coming season. - -“I thought, mebbe, when I heard that feller talkin’ yesterday, that it -was one of them headless wheels made in Indianapolis. D’y’ever see one -of ’em? You sort of set in the handle-bars as if they was the arms of a -rockin’chair. I didn’t know but I’d like to have one of ’em. I’m sure -the feller said somethin’ ’bout headless!” - -Dick thought it quite likely that the irrepressible Ready had referred -to the rider of the wheel as “headless,” or something of like character, -indicating that he was “easy.” - -“Well, perhaps I am easy,” he thought, as he wheeled on, glad to be past -another inquisitive village. - -Branford Point, a favorite watering-place, turned out a good-sized crowd -to see the “Giant of the Wheel,” but Dick concluded that he did not care -to ask further questions or make the acquaintance of the curious people, -so he flew through the place as rapidly as he could pedal. - -He was making good time, even though the road was not of the best, in -spots, and the wind blew cold from the leaden clouds in the northeast. -He was warm enough, in spite of the wind, and sometimes, when he -reflected too strongly on the condition in which he found himself, and -of the laughing sophomores in the campus, he grew altogether too warm. - -There were other groups to meet and pass, other farmers who hurried down -to the road to look and wonder, other boys who whooped and yelled and -told each other to “git onto de legs of de Giant,” and other things -equally uncomplimentary to the bicyclist. - -But Dick, having resolved to take the whole thing good-naturedly and -philosophically, smiled back at them; and, whenever he dismounted, he -answered the rain of questions as best he could, without revealing that -he was the victim of a sophomore joke. - -But when he reached Guilford, the end of his route—Guilford, celebrated -as the birthplace of the poet, Fitz Greene Halleck—he met a surprise -that took away his breath. In front of a conspicuous hotel was a brass -band, surrounded by Yale sophomores, with Jack Ready prominent in their -midst. They were waiting to give the “Giant of the Wheel” a right royal -reception; and, as Dick wheeled up, almost too disconcerted to know what -to do or say, the band struck into “See the Conquering Hero Comes!” and -the sophomores gave a yell that shook the building and almost rattled -the curbstones. - -But Dick Starbright was quick-witted, and he pulled himself together, so -that he was able to dismount with a smile and a bow. - -“What sort of fool circus are you idiots trying to make of yourselves?” -he blandly demanded, walking forward, pushing his wheel. - -Ready wiggled his fingers characteristically. - -“An immense one, old man, and you have been the clown of the show. We’ll -take supper at your expense to-night. In the meantime, you will find -refreshments in the house of this publican.” - -He gave his fingers another wiggle and jerked them toward the hotel -proprietor, who stood by with red face expanded in a grin. - -“It’s one on me!” Starbright admitted smilingly. “But the end hasn’t -come. Before Frank Merriwell’s entertainments are over you Smart Aleck -sophomores will acknowledge that the freshmen know a thing or two, and -are more than your masters. And we’ll not resort to deceit to win our -victories or to give us a chance to ‘holler’.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER II - - TO THE AID OF DADE MORGAN. - - -Jack Ready and the sophomores had rushed to Guilford by train with their -band, after Starbright’s departure from New Haven, and had easily beaten -him there, with plenty of time to spare. They returned by train, feeling -supremely joyous over their success. - -Dick, however, in accordance with the terms of the wager, was forced to -wheel back to New Haven over the route he had come, again stared at and -questioned by the curious people along the road. - -The leaden clouds thickened and darkened, portending a northeaster; but, -with the wind for a large part of the trip at his back, Dick sped -swiftly along, approaching New Haven well ahead of time. - -On the outskirts of the city he came upon a sight that stirred his -blood. Dade Morgan, who had been out on a wheel accompanying Rosalind -Thornton, found himself confronted by a rough-looking man whose brutal -face was somewhat familiar to him, and who planted himself in the center -of the street as if to intercept him. - -Dade was not particularly afraid of the man, but rather scorned him. - -“Out of the way!” Dade roughly commanded. - -He rang his bell furiously. Rosalind paled. - -Seeing that the man did not mean to step aside, and having no desire for -an altercation with him in Rosalind’s presence, Dade veered his wheel to -pass. The man leaped at him, thrust a foot out in front of the wheel, -stopping it, and Dade was thrown heavily over the handle-bars. - -Rosalind, who was close at his side, was also thrown to the ground, -though she saved herself from injury and skilfully alighted on her feet. - -When Starbright saw this he set his pedals in still swifter motion, all -his chivalrous instincts aroused. - -Dade scrambled up; but the man struck him a heavy blow which knocked him -backward. - -“Dis is me time I git even wid you fer dat insult. See!” the ruffian -growled. “Ye insulted me t’other night, when ye hadn’t no call. Now I -pays ye back!” - -Rosalind gave a scream of fright. Starbright, swinging forward like a -whirlwind, saw Dade dodge the next blow and grapple with the ruffian and -saw them begin a furious fight. - -Dade, who was a good, hard fighter, had been weakened by his fall, so -that it was evident at a glance that he was no match for his burly -adversary. He struck savagely, however, and managed to release himself -from the man’s grip. - -The tough now struck at him, using a big doorkey as brass knuckles, with -the amiable intention of cutting open the face of the “college dude.” -Morgan evaded this and landed a blow, but the fellow tripped him and -kicked him heavily as he fell. - -Rosalind, screaming for help, ran to one side of the road. Dade jumped -to his feet again, and, managing to fasten on the tough, the two went -down together. - -Then the whirring wheel stopped beside the struggling couple; and, as -the rough pulled loose and tried to strike Dade in the face with the -heavy brass key, a blow from Starbright’s big fist sent him reeling. - -“Anodder college dude!” growled the ruffian, wheeling about. “Ye’ll -wish’t ye’d kep’ out o’ this!” - -His hand went to his hip-pocket, but he found no weapon. Then he -gathered himself and made a spring at the newcomer. As a result, he ran -his face into the big fist on the end of a long, straight, stiffened -left arm. At the other end of the arm were something like two hundred -pounds of hard-trained muscle and over six feet of young manhood. - -A feeling of jarring surprise penetrated to the evil brain. It was not -often that he ran against anything quite like that. He paused a moment -to stare his surprise; and Dick saw that he was a big, brawny fellow, -with heavy jaw, small head and piggish, wicked eyes, the type so often -found in the lowest slums of great cities, but seldom seen in New Haven. - -The effect of that blow rendered the man cautious. - -“Dis ain’t your cut in, young feller!” he snarled. - -Then, thinking to take Dick by surprise, he struck out suddenly, with -the force of a piledriver. But his maul-like fist did not connect with -Dick’s face, and the force of the blow almost threw him to the ground. - -Crack! Dick’s hard right fist sounded like the smack of a board striking -a house. The fellow reeled, but recovered. His head was like iron. - -“W’en I gits me fingers onto ye, ye’ll wilt! See!” - -He dodged Dick’s next blow and rushed in with the ferocity of a bulldog. -Dick stepped lightly aside; and the hard, white fist pounding the -ruffian on the jaw threw him senseless to the ground. - -Dade Morgan, having regained his strength somewhat, was on the point of -coming to Dick’s assistance, but drew back when he saw the man senseless -on the ground. - -“That was handsome of you, Starbright!” he acknowledged. “I’ll try not -to forget it.” - -Rosalind tried to stammer her thanks, but the presence of the ruffian, -even though he was insensible for the moment, made her wildly anxious to -escape from the vicinity. Some people were approaching, those in the -lead seeming to be of the same type as the fellow knocked out. - -Before their arrival the man was stirring into consciousness, making -Rosalind more than ever wildly anxious to proceed. So she and Dade -remounted and wheeled away. - -“Perhaps the fellow is your friend,” said Starbright, speaking to the -man who arrived first. “If he is, look after him. He interfered with -that young lady and her escort, and got what he deserved!” - -Then he, too, rode on into the city. - -Having reported his return, Dick put away his wheel, and, feeling -tremendously hungry, went to a restaurant and had something to eat. It -was not until long after nightfall that he went to his rooms. The -sophomores had returned to New Haven by rail long before. - -“Gone out nagging signs!” was the scrawl left for him on the table by -Dashleigh. - -Dashleigh had not heard of what had befallen his chum on the trip to -Guilford, for the joke had been kept from the freshmen. The sophomores -had feared Starbright would learn of it through his freshmen friends; -and, besides the sophomores had other plans in store for making it -interesting for the men of the lower class. - -After changing his clothing, Dick went out to give instructions for the -“dinner” he meant to give to Ready and other sophomores that night. When -he returned he encountered Dashleigh as the latter was about to ascend -to their apartments. - -“What have you got tucked under your coat?” Dick asked. - -“Sh!” Bert warned. “It’s a sign.” - -“Nagging,” or stealing, signboards is, for some inexplicable reason, one -of the standard forms of amusement for freshmen. No one can tell just -where the fun comes in, unless it is found in imagining the stormy anger -of the storekeepers and others when they find their signs gone. - -“Had a great time!” Dashleigh panted, as he and his chum hurried -up-stairs. “Never had more fun in my life. Ready was with us. Say, that -fellow is a corker!” - -“What time did he get back?” - -“Back where?” - -“New Haven.” - -“I didn’t know he was out of town. Anyway, he didn’t say anything about -it. We nagged a lot of signs this evening. Ready went along to put us -onto the thing right, you see. I hardly thought he’d favor freshmen that -way, but he was just as jolly about it; said he’d been a freshman not -long ago himself, and that he hadn’t forgot it.” - -“What kind of a sign did you get?” Dick asked dryly. - -He had cause to fear the “friendliness” of Jack Ready for unsuspecting -freshmen. - -“The dandiest in the lot. It’s a new blacksmith’s sign, or a -blacksmith’s new sign, and it has a picture of a horse on it that is a -real work of art.” - -They had arrived at their rooms, and Dashleigh carefully unbuttoned his -overcoat and took from under it the sign. He stared at himself and the -sign in comical amazement. - -The sign had been freshly painted, and his clothing was coated with the -paint. In addition, he had slapped the picture of the horse up against -his dark new coat as he tucked the outer coat over it, and the -impression of the horse had been transferred to the coat. Starbright -could not help laughing. - -“Seems to me it is literally a horse on you! That is more of Ready’s -work.” - -“Why——” - -Dashleigh looked from the paint to the red face of his friend. - -“Jack Ready?” he gasped. “Say, did Jack put up a job on me?” - -“He certainly did, and he put up another on me this afternoon.” - -Dashleigh daintily put down the sign, stripped off his overcoat, and sat -flat down in a chair. - -“Well, say, when I meet that fellow I’ll kill him! Don’t you suppose -there was a mistake?” - -“Biggest kind of one!” - -“What?” - -“When we let ourselves forget that Jack Ready is a sophomore and we are -only freshmen.” - -Dashleigh looked ruefully at his clothing and at the fresh red paint of -the sign. Then the humor of the situation came to him, and he smiled, -though the smile was somewhat ghastly. - -“I’m an idiot!” - -“Of course you are. We’re a pair of idiots!” - -“What did he do to you?” - -“Tell me about the sign first.” - -“Well, you see, I’ve been wanting to go out nagging for several nights. -Jack heard of it, and he told me that he could give me some pointers. So -I spoke to some other fellows.” - -“All freshmen?” - -“Yep.” - -“So I thought.” - -“And Ready piloted us to-night. He showed me this beautiful sign in -front of the blacksmith’s, and told me that it had been up there only a -short time, and it would be a lovely one to nag.” - -“It had been up there only a short time!” - -“Confound him! I see it had. I thought it felt damp as I pulled it off -the hooks, but we had a few drops of rain this evening, and I supposed -that was the reason. Then I clapped the thing under my coat and fled -hitherward. And there the thing is. And my beautifulest suit is ruined. -Well, when I meet him I’ll kill him!” - -“It will give a good job to some coat-cleaner. Better tackle the thing -yourself, while the paint is fresh. There is some benzine over on the -shelf.” - -Then, while Bert Dashleigh tried to remove the paint from his clothing, -Starbright told of his race to Guilford and of the advertisements and -greeting given to the “Giant of the Wheel.” - -“Say, we’ll have to murder that villain!” Dashleigh whispered. “I feel -to-night fit for treason, stratagem, and spoil.” - -Nevertheless, after laboring with the suit and benzine for an hour, he -hung the sign against the wall, went out again, and, meeting Ready, -greeted him with great cheerfulness. - -“Thanks for the sign!” he murmured. “I’ve hung it on our wall, and -intend to have it framed as a memento of our adventure.” - -Ready grinned. - -“That blacksmith will be tearing mad in the morning. His sign hadn’t -been hanging there long.” - -“Confound you! Don’t I know it hadn’t? That blacksmith never saw that -sign in his life, and he never will!” - -“It had a beautiful steed on it!” Ready purred. - -“A sort of transfer picture! I transferred it to my coat!” - -Then they adjourned to Traeger’s and buried the hatchet, after which -Ready betook himself to the dinner which Starbright was giving to the -sophomores. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER III - - SPORT WITH THE LASSOS. - - -The first of the “entertainments” was given that night in the gymnasium. -It was a roping-contest between Bill Higgins, of Badger’s ranch, and Tom -Bludsoe, a cowboy from the neighborhood of El Paso, who had been -traveling with a “Wild West” exhibition and had somehow become stranded -in New Haven. Drink may have had something to do with Bludsoe’s loss of -position and his consequent poverty; but he was a fine roper, -nevertheless, and in arranging to put Higgins against him for the -amusement of the students, Merriwell was not at all sure that his friend -from Kansas would be able to win out and cover himself with glory. - -Perhaps because Merriwell had seemed in some of the class contests to -side with the freshmen, Tom Bludsoe was enthusiastically backed by the -sophomores, while the freshmen took Higgins for their champion. - -“It chills the corpuscles of my sporting-blood to have to turn your -picture to the wall to-night, Higgins,” said Ready, ambling into the -gymnasium, after his “feed” at the expense of Dick Starbright; “but the -sophomores have taken up Bludsoe, and I’m a soph.” - -“Oh, that there is all right!” Higgins grinned, as he strung his riata -across the gymnasium floor, to make sure it was in good condition. “This -hyer ain’t fer blood, ye know! Jist a little fun, to please Merry and -t’other fellers! I hear tell there’s another feller that’s got a picture -he’d like to turn to the wall.” - -“Dashleigh?” - -“Picture of a hoss!” grunted Higgins, critically examining his rope and -working at it with his fingers to take out an incipient kink which he -fancied he had found. “I’m going to hold that agin’ you!” - -“He held it against himself!” - -“Yes, so I heerd. But I’m a lover of hosses, and I don’t like to have -even a picture of one fooled with. That makes me willin’ to champion -these pore freshmen fellers to-night, and I’ll string ropes fer ’em fer -all I’m wu’th.” - -Indeed, Higgins was going into the contest with “blood in his eye.” He -believed that he was a better roper than the man from El Paso, even if -Bludsoe had been engaged in giving public exhibitions of his roping -proficiency, and he was glad of this chance. Higgins delighted in -keeping himself in the public eye. Though he was a noble fellow in many -respects, he was as vain as a peacock, and he “felt his oats -considerably” that night, as he stretched his riata across the floor and -walked round in his new cowboy clothing, with his great spurs musically -clinking and jingling on his heels. - -Bludsoe was a lithe, wiry man, younger than Higgins and smaller. He wore -a smooth face, which was as bronzed as a copper mask. It was a sharp, -hatchety face, keen and shrewd—the typical face of the cowboy of the -plains, whose intense activity, combined with the dry, sap-extracting -climate, tends to keep down all superfluity of flesh. - -The opening feature of the contest was an attempt to pull down a tin cup -hung by its handle on a nail against a post. A large roping-space had -been cleared in the gymnasium by removing some muscle-strengthening -machines and horizontal bars. - -The room was filled to overflowing, the pushing, laughing crowd -seemingly the more jolly because the night without was windy and -inclement. - -“Makes me think of the plains,” chirped Higgins, as, in a lull of the -noise, he heard the singing of the wind round the building. “A feller -that’s lived with the wind as I have sort o’ likes to hear its mournful -whistle. I’ve heerd it sing that way, wrapped in my blanket, with the -stars shinin’ brighter’n diamonds; and oncet I remember it had thet wail -when me and some other fellers was lying in a sod house, with the -Pawnees creepin’ onto us through the grass.” - -It was amusing to notice how the Chickering set and all the enemies of -Merriwell invariably became champions of whoever they thought was -opposed to him and his friends. - -When Bludsoe pulled the tin cup from the post in two throws and Higgins -took three throws for the same feat, the Chickering crowd clapped their -hands and stamped the floor in their glee. - -“Say, I will have to go over to the freshmen side if this keeps up!” -Ready moaned in Merriwell’s ear. “It plants an ache in my heart and a -desire in my foot to kick somebody. Yet I seem doomed by fate to howl -with the Chickering set. Don’t jot it down against me in your book of -remembrance!” - -The next attempt of the ropers was to catch and hold the corner of a -swinging trapeze-bar, and as Higgins turned to get his rope, which he -had dropped on a seat while talking with some friends, he roared with -rage. - -His new rope, in which he took such pride, had been split and ripped and -cut in a dozen places by a keen knife. Higgins reddened under his tan as -he surveyed the work of the unknown hand. - -“If I kin lay my paws on the skunk ’t done that, I’ll try to see if -they’s enough of the rope left to hang him with!” he exploded. - -He turned slowly round, with blazing eyes, and looked over the sea of -excited faces. - -“Gents, is this hyer Yale? A man mean enough to be a hoss-thief wouldn’t -do that on the ranges! All I asks is fer the scalawag that done it to -step up to the counter and let me look at him oncet.” - -There was no forward movement, and every one seemed to glance at his -neighbor. Bludsoe sneered. - -“I don’t reckon that any of yer friends did that to keep ye from bein’ -beat?” - -Higgins turned on him with those blazing eyes. He saw that, in spite of -the sneer, Bludsoe had no knowledge of the author of the outrage, and -his hot heart relented. He remembered that Bludsoe was a brother roper -of the plains, and that plainsmen in a strange land ought to be friends -and not enemies. - -“I won’t hold that again’ ye, pardner. If you beat me, I’ll know that -you wouldn’t do it by a trick like that. Some skunk that never set eyes -on the peraries done that!” - -Merriwell knew that another riata could not be had in New Haven, and he -was about to suggest that something be substituted for the -roping-performance, but Higgins asked if a common rope could be had. - -“But a common rope won’t give you much show!” Frank insisted. “I’d like -to have you win in this thing if you go on with it.” - -“I’m goin’ to win, b’jing!” Higgins vowed. “I’ll win now if it kills me! -Send fer a rope!” - -Then he gave more explicit directions; and while some one hurried away -for the rope, Starbright came upon the scene, and was asked to amuse the -crowd by trying to beat the gymnasium freshman record for -hammer-throwing and putting the shot, which he did. - -When the hemp rope ordered by Higgins came he amused the students by -showing them how to make a riata from an ordinary hemp rope. To make the -“loop” he spliced an end back on the rope, wrapping it with shoemaker’s -wax, also securing the ends from fraying by wrapping them tightly with -this wax. Not a knot was used. - -“The thing ought to be soaked in water fer two or three hours,” he -explained, “and then stretched with weights, but it’ll haf to do as it -is.” - -“If you can win out with that rope, you will show yourself to be a much -better roper than if you had used your own lasso,” Merry whispered -encouragingly. - -Then the rope-kings went at it again, catching the trapeze-bar as it -swung from side to side, roping students who volunteered to run before -them for the purpose, pulling caps and gloves from pegs and doing other -roping-feats. - -Though the rope so hastily prepared was clumsy and inclined to kink in -an aggravating way because it had not been stretched, Higgins succeeded -in doing some remarkably good work with it, duplicating every feat of -Bludsoe. - -The applause was pretty equally divided between the ropers, for the -freshmen, feeling that their champion had been foully dealt with by some -sophomore jealous of his ability, cheered every throw of Higgins with -wild delight. - -“Try the trapeze again,” said Merriwell. “Then we’ll try the cane, and -those two things ought to settle it. Higgins is handicapped, but we’re -banking that he will beat Bludsoe anyway.” - -The first throw at the trapeze fell to Bludsoe. He stepped forward, -holding the free end of the lasso in his left hand and the big swinging -noose trailing in his right. He took a keen look at the swinging -trapeze, then threw and caught the end of the bar. - -The Chickering set went wild with joy. - -“That’s all right!” grinned Higgins, getting on his feet. “I dunno ’bout -this hyer rope, but I’ll make my try.” - -Merriwell asked that the trapeze be given a quicker movement. It dropped -like a bird with a broken wing, and Higgins’ noose flew up to meet it. - -The rope kinked and seemed about to fall short, but it caught the tip -end of the bar, hung and tightened, and the descent of the trapeze was -stayed. - -Merriwell had secured a cane, round whose center he wrapped a white -handkerchief to make it more conspicuous. - -“I want Gene Skelding to throw this cane whirling through the air in -that direction!” he requested, indicating the direction. “Let him throw -for both Bludsoe and Higgins.” - -Skelding flushed and colored. Merriwell had made some of the throws, and -Skelding had been claiming that the throws made by Merry for Bludsoe -were not as fair and easy as those made for Higgins. - -He would have backed out, but the sophomores pushed him forward, and he -took the cane from Merriwell’s hand, and sent it spinning end over end, -as directed. - -This was one of the most difficult roping-feats that could have been -chosen, for the object was to put the noose of the lasso over the flying -cane, and so bring it down. - -Bludsoe’s noose struck the whirling cane, but simply sent it on faster. - -Then there were shouts for Higgins, and he rose in all his cowboy -dignity. - -“Gents, I ain’t a-sayin’ that I’m goin’ to do this, but I’m goin’ to -try. I reckon I couldn’t do it every time with the best rope ever strung -acrost a floor. But I’m goin’ to try!” - -Skelding saw that Merriwell was watching him closely and that the eyes -of others were on him, so that, in spite of his desire to make an unfair -toss, he did not dare to. - -The wrapped cane flew out again, a whirling white streak, and Higgins’ -rope shot after it. He had nerved himself to make the throw of his life, -and he made it. The stiff hemp rope swept through the air with the -sinuosity of a serpent, and the noose, dropping over an end of the cane, -brought the cane to the floor. - -There could be no question that Higgins had won, and won fairly; for not -only had he won this trick handsomely, but throughout the contest he had -shown that, even with the handicap of the stiff hemp rope, he could do -as good work as Bludsoe with his smooth, supple riata. - -“Curse the luck!” Skelding growled to his friends, the Chickering set, -some time afterward, when all were in Chickering’s rooms. “Do you -suppose that Merriwell knew I cut that rope?” - -“Did you cut it?” Chickering gasped. - -“Of course I did. I wonder if Merriwell knew it?” - -“Well, it wath the handthometht thing I’ve known done in many a day!” -purred Lew Veazie. “Chummieth, we’ll have to dwink thome wine on that! -That wath gweat!” - -“But the fellow won, anyhow!” Skelding snarled. “And what I did only -made his victory seem the greater. It was a regular boomerang! And my -plan was to claim that some of his friends cut the thing for him to -prevent him from going to the defeat they foresaw. I can’t make that -claim now, confound it!” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - AN APPARENT CHANGE OF HEART. - - -Sunday afternoon Dade Morgan received a call from Donald Pike. The -northeaster had turned to a snowstorm. Pike shook from his coat the -feathery flakes as he came into Dade’s room. - -“There is to be a snowball battle in the campus in the morning, before -college hours, between sophomores and freshmen. I’m told that you’re to -lead the freshmen.” - -“That’s the plan now,” said Dade. “Have a chair.” - -Pike hung up his coat as if he were at home, and seated himself. Dade -closed the door, for he had a feeling that Pike desired to say something -that ought not to go beyond the walls of the room. - -“There’s only one thing in this whole business that I don’t like,” Pike -began. - -“You mean of the entertainments?” - -“Yes.” - -“What is it?” - -“Merriwell!” - -“There are others I like myself better than Merriwell.” - -“That sounded funny. ‘I like myself better than Merriwell!’ Of course -you do.” - -“You know what I mean.” - -“It seems to me that these ‘entertainments,’ as they’re called, are -planned solely to cover Merriwell with glory. That’s the thing I don’t -like. He proposed them, of course. Some way, he always proposes -everything, and then the rest fall in like a flock of sheep following -their leader. We’re not celebrating Merriwell’s victories, but the -victories of Yale. Yet the fellows are already calling them ‘Frank -Merriwell’s Entertainments.’” - -“You’re warm!” - -“I’m hot as a cake of ice!” - -“I think I’ve seen you in that frame of mind before!” commented Dade, -with the utmost coolness. - -“Another thing I don’t like, and which I should think you wouldn’t like, -is the way he has of pushing Starbright forward. He seems determined to -make Starbright the king of the freshmen.” - -Dade’s face darkened, and Pike saw that he had struck a vulnerable spot. -Yet Dade only said coldly: - -“I don’t need to be told that!” - -“And you haven’t anything to say about it?” - -“I’ve had a good deal to say about it, at one time and another.” - -“You’re the real king of the freshmen, Morgan, and you know it. All your -friends know it. It’s for the freshmen to say who shall be their leader. -Yet here comes a senior to dictate who the freshman leader shall be!” - -“I’d like to help it if I could. I don’t see any way to help it just -now.” - -Pike was silent for a moment. - -“Perhaps not. Merriwell seems to have the whip-hand at present.” - -He glanced toward the door. - -“No need to fear that you’ll be heard outside of this room!” - -“Well, about that snowball battle in the morning?” - -“We’ll do up the sophomores, all right.” - -“I hope so. But that wasn’t it. You ought to be able to do up -Starbright, also, while you’re about it.” - -There was not the encouragement in Dade’s face that he hoped to see, but -he went on. - -“I’ve heard of soldiers being shot accidentally by their own men! -Stonewall Jackson was killed that way!” - -Dade looked at him earnestly. - -“You want me to do that work?” - -“Well, I thought you might thank me for a suggestion. You hate -Starbright. There’s your opportunity. When the fight is on, a snowball -with a rock hidden in it would bring that big freshman down like a -bullet if it was thrown right.” - -Dade flushed, and, getting up, took a turn round the room. - -“I’d do it myself if I were one of the freshmen fighters. As it is, I -give you the suggestion for what it is worth.” - -He began to feel that Morgan would accept and act upon the suggestion. -Dade came back and sat down. - -“I ought to thank you for that, Pike,” he said in a low tone. “I’m no -better than I ought to be, and I presume that if you had come to me -yesterday, I should have thanked you for this. But I don’t think I’ll -try to do what you say.” - -Donald Pike stared. - -“Getting goody-goody?” - -“No, it’s not that!” - -“Just the same with all of them!” Pike snarled, under his breath. - -“I don’t think I understand you if you meant that for me.” - -“Well, you are just like all the others!” Pike asserted almost fiercely. -“I don’t know why it is, for it hasn’t worked on me that way, but nearly -every fellow who has started in here at Yale to down Merriwell has done -one of two things: He has either become afraid of Merriwell and -practically dropped out of the fight, or he has gone over to Merriwell.” - -Dade’s face was again flushing. - -“There was Buck Badger! I’ve told you of him before. He was the -bitterest enemy Frank Merriwell had for a while, and he ended by -becoming a Merriwell maniac. He thinks now that there never was another -such man on earth. Why, I’ve been told that even Browning and Hodge, two -fellows who can’t think unless Merriwell first gives them license, were -once his enemies! You’re traveling the same road. I was Badger’s chum -and saw how he went over to Frank Merriwell, and you’re struck with the -same symptoms. What in thunder is the matter with all you fellows, -anyway?” - -“It was Starbright you wanted me to strike with a rock, I believe?” said -Morgan, not pleased with this lecture. - -“Yes.” - -“Starbright isn’t Merriwell.” - -“But he’s Merriwell’s protégé, and when you can’t strike Merriwell -himself, the best way to get at him is to strike Starbright, or some -other of his friends. But you needn’t do it if you don’t care to. It was -merely a suggestion.” - -“I’m still against Merriwell. Don’t let yourself forget that, Pike!” - -“But you won’t be at the end of the year.” - -“And I’m still against Dick Starbright.” - -“I don’t think so.” - -“I’ve a reason for not trying to do what you suggest. It isn’t because -I’ve suddenly grown too good. Perhaps I have a little honor left, Pike, -though you mightn’t think it. Not enough to boast of, I presume!” - -“You haven’t heard of it, but yesterday Starbright saved me from being -half-killed by a tough that I met while out wheeling. The place was a -lonely one in the suburbs, and I was wheeling with Miss Thornton. I met -the tough in a drinking-den a few nights ago, and struck him with a -beer-glass, after we’d had some words. When he saw me yesterday he came -at me for revenge, tripped me off my wheel, and then, while I was too -shaken up by the jar of the fall to be able to do much, he set on me, -and would have pounded and kicked me to a jelly. Starbright happened -along at that moment. He took a hand in the game—and I’m here to-day, -instead of being in the hospital.” - -Both were silent for a moment after the completion of the story. - -“He did you a good turn, and maybe you’re right. But really, I didn’t -think you had any soft spots about you.” - -“You thought such a thing wouldn’t make any difference?” - -“Yes, honestly, that’s what I thought.” - -“And you thought I had no heart at all?” - -Pike was quite blunt. - -“I thought you had something like a gizzard doing duty for that organ. -But it’s all right, of course! I suppose I’d feel the same way if any -fellow should stand up for me in such a fight.” - -“It wasn’t a fight on my part. I was clean knocked out. I would have -been hammered to pieces.” - -“Let the thing drop, then!” Pike begged. “And say nothing about it to -any one. I didn’t know you had changed in your feeling!” - -The sneer stung Dade Morgan. - -“I thought I should never let an opportunity go by to strike at -Starbright or Merriwell. I’ll get over this in a day or two. But I can’t -forget quite so quick. Starbright will do or say something soon that -will make me forget his favor, and then I presume I’ll be ready to -hammer him up. But to-morrow, in that battle, I’m going to play fair, so -far as he’s concerned, at least.” - -“Good-by!” snarled Pike, rising. “You can keep your face closed about -this, anyway!” - -“See here, Pike!” - -The voice was so hard and commanding that Don Pike stopped. - -“I’m a fool! Don’t fancy for a minute that I would mention such a -matter. You’ve stood by me, even though you’re not a freshman, and I -don’t forget it. Some other time I’ll be likely to strike at Dick -Starbright. Just now I feel a little queer about that matter, and I -can’t. That’s the truth of it.” - -“I’m going!” - -“Just remember that. And if you’ve any bets to lay, put them on the -freshmen.” - -“If they win, Starbright will get most of the glory! It doesn’t matter -to me, though. I’m not trying to beat him in the race for the freshmen -leadership. You are.” - -Dade Morgan sat for a long time in silence after Donald Pike’s -departure. Finally he roused himself. - -“I wish the fellow hadn’t come to me with that!” he thought, rising. -“Either that, or I wish that it hadn’t been necessary for Starbright to -come to my help yesterday afternoon. I wonder what Rosalind thinks about -it? I fancied she was somewhat cool to me after it. No doubt he is her -hero now, and I’m nothing. Well, if he wants her again, he can have -her!” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER V - - STARBRIGHT SHOWS HIS LEADERSHIP. - - -The crisp air that blew across the famous Yale quadrangle was filled -with flying snowballs. The freshmen, under the leadership of Dade -Morgan, were battling with the sophomores, under the command of Jack -Ready. - -At one end of the quadrangle a snow-fort had been built. It was held by -the freshmen, and the sophomores were allowed twenty minutes in which to -take it. - -The plan of the battle, of Merriwell’s devising, contemplated after that -the rebuilding of the fort and a change of sides, permitting the -sophomores to hold the fort and the freshmen to become the assaulting -party. - -Behind the snowy walls of the fort and out in the open where the -sophomores were collected were great piles of snowballs, the artillery, -grape-and-cannister of the contending forces. The snow was in the best -of condition for the purpose, balling readily under pressure into light -yet compact missiles. - -Ready had directed his men to begin with a fierce “rifle-fire” of -snowballs, and then charge the fort before the freshmen could recover -from the hail of balls; and the sophomores were doing their best to -follow his instructions. - -Nothing was to be used, however, but snowballs and snow. Tackling with -the hands, and all rough work, such as kicking or striking or the use of -other than snow missiles, was strictly barred, and every offender was to -be summarily ejected from the fight, with the loss of his services to -his side. - -Merriwell stood with his old friends Browning and Hodge at one side of -the quadrangle, all interested spectators. Merriwell was the umpire to -decide on fouls of all kinds, with the power of expulsion from the play -of every offender. - -The freshmen behind the walls met the rain of freshmen snowballs with a -counter-fire that was as hot as they could make it. - -“Better save our ammunition for closer quarters!” Starbright advised, -venturing to speak to Morgan. - -The interference stung Morgan to the quick. - -“Who’s commander here?” he snarled. - -“You are. I only make the suggestion.” - -Morgan moved away, and, as if to show that he disliked the interference, -he gave commands that caused the freshman fire to grow even hotter. -Seeing that this was the order, and determined to be in the front rank, -Starbright flew to the nearest opening, and, with an armful of -snowballs, rained them on the sophomores. - -He had scarcely done this when he felt a crushing blow on the back of -the head which tumbled him half-senseless on his face. As he rose, -staggering, and felt of his head, he found blood trickling down over his -fingers. - -The ball that had struck him had “exploded,” and, noticing it at his -feet, he saw that in its center there had been a ragged rock. - -The air was filled with flying snowballs. Nevertheless, feeling wofully -faint and dizzy, he turned squarely round, cowering meanwhile behind the -snow embankment, and looked over the freshmen. - -“Morgan did that!” he thought. “I’d bet anything Morgan did that!” - -Yet it seemed strange that a commander should want to knock out one of -his own men. - -Starbright picked up the rock and looked at it. Then he thrust it into -his pocket and again felt of his cut and bleeding head. - -“Hello!” said Dashleigh, seeing blood on Starbright’s fingers and the -stain of it on the snow. - -“Hit with this!” said Dick, producing the rock. “It came near laying me -out.” - -The big fellow was reeling sick, but he tried to conceal it. And as -there was no possibility of telling who threw the stone, he gathered -himself together, tied up his head with his handkerchief, and again went -into the fight. - -Dade was now in front of him, at the head of his men, though a short -time before, as Starbright knew, he had been in the rear. - -As Dick straightened up and reentered the fight he saw a ball strike -Morgan in the back of the head, saw the ball split open, and, as it -fell, saw a ragged stone drop out of it. - -Dade went down on his face insensible. - -Dick half-wheeled to ascertain from what point the treacherous missile -came, but at that moment he collided with Dashleigh and fell. - -“Pardon!” Dashleigh bellowed, racing to a point that he thought needed -defense. - -The fire of the attacking party was slacking, and Dick felt sure that an -assault was to come. - -Morgan lay insensible, and Dick saw a red stain on the snow. - -“Was that an accident?” was his thought. “Were they both accidents? If -so, some of our men aren’t fighting fair, but are putting stones in the -snowballs.” - -It was so comtemptible a trick that his blood boiled and he felt ashamed -that such men could be among freshmen. - -But there was no time for thought. There seemed to be no time for -anything, for, under the lead of Ready, the sophomores were advancing to -the charge. - -Outside, the students and other spectators were wildly shouting and -whooping. The rain of snowballs had been so thick that the fall of -Starbright and Morgan had not been perceived even by the keen eyes of -Frank Merriwell. - -“Take care of him!” Starbright commanded, speaking to two of the -freshmen. - -These two were not in the fighting-line, but had been detailed, with two -others, by Morgan to manufacture snow ammunition. - -The freshmen had been weakened by Morgan’s fall, and now were wavering -and undecided. But the instant that Starbright sprang into position at -their head and began to utter sharp, quick commands, they recognized his -natural leadership and gave him instant obedience. - -“Hold them back!” Starbright roared. - -Fierce as the fight had been, the ammunition was not all exhausted; and -the two men left for this purpose began to heap a great mound of balls -at the feet of the fighters. - -“Charge ’em!” came in the shrill voice of Jack Ready; and, with their -arms filled with snow, the sophomores came on in a mighty, sweeping -rush. - -“Now, give it to ’em!” Starbright roared back. - -Ready, in the lead, was right against the walls, with a dozen of his men -at his heels. - -“Snow! snow!” Starbright bellowed. - -It was a signal agreed on, having been issued by Morgan before the -beginning of the fight. - -The snowballs in the hands of the freshmen were thrown; then great -armfuls of snow were picked up and dashed into the faces and eyes of the -advancing sophomores. - -Ready mounted the wall and fell over on the inside. His men tried to -emulate his example. Four of them came over with Ready, but the others -were beaten back and almost smothered. - -Then Ready and Starbright found themselves face to face. At it they -went, each digging up snow by the armful and hurling it at the head and -face of his opponent. - -Ready fought blithely and chirpingly, pushing the snow out of his mouth -and eyes. But a great armful fell on him out of the arms of the giant -freshman, and Ready fell under it. - -As if in a frenzy, Starbright danced about, heaping snow and still more -snow on the prostrate freshman leader, until, from beneath his snowy -covering, Ready was willing to confess his defeat. - -“Let up!” he begged. “I’m not an Esquimaux! My maux is full now, clean -down to my twinkling toes.” - -The other sophomores had been overthrown, and the assault had failed. - -The time was so nearly up that it was seen to be impossible for the -sophomores to take the fort in the few minutes remaining. So there was a -truce. - -Two of Ready’s men had been hurt, and another of Starbright’s; but not -by snowballs containing pieces of rock. - -Morgan was so weak from the effect of the blow that it was seen he could -not again assume the leadership of the freshmen. - -Sitting on a heap of snow, white and weak, he looked up at Starbright, -as the latter walked over to inquire about his injury. - -“You did that, you sneak!” he hissed. - -Starbright grew red. - -“If so, who did that?” - -Dick showed the wound in his own head. - -“I was knocked down by a snowball just before you were, and my head was -split open. I saw the ball strike you.” - -“You were behind me, then?” said Morgan. - -“Yes, and I saw the ball strike you, and saw that it held a stone. Here -is the delightful piece of granite that struck me!” - -Starbright produced it. - -“Well, you know I didn’t throw that!” - -“I thought you did, until I saw you get one of the same kind. Now I -don’t know what to think!” - -“Oh, I guess you threw it, all right!” Morgan grunted. “You were mad -because I told you to mind your own business.” - -Starbright walked away. - -“I don’t know who did it,” he said to Merriwell, explaining the whole -matter. “Dade thinks I threw the stone that struck him, but I wouldn’t -be fool enough to bang up my own head in this way.” - -“I’ll try to look into the thing,” was the promise. “Dade is too weak to -go on with the play. It was a rascally piece of business, and I’m -tempted to call off the battle because of it. The freshmen want you for -captain during the continuance of the fight if it’s to go on. But you’re -looking pretty weak.” - -“Oh, I’m all right!” Dick earnestly asserted. “Give us another man in -the place of Morgan, and we’ll take the fort from the sophomores, or -know why!” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - CAPTURING THE FORT. - - -The snowball battle was raging again, with Dick Starbright captain of -the freshmen and Jack Ready of the sophomores. - -There had been some hasty preliminary work given to the manufacture of -an abundant supply of ammunition. Now, with great heaps of snowballs -near each man and deposited along the line of advance, and with other -snowy heaps inside the reconstructed fort, the conflict was on once -more. - -“Don’t throw away your ammunition. Take time to aim, and throw to hit -something whenever you throw. It don’t do any good to hammer the walls -of the fort. Aim at the openings and at the men behind the walls!” - -These were Starbright’s instructions, and his men were trying to carry -them out. The balls for this reason, did not fly so thick and fast as -when the sophomores were the attacking force, but they did quite as much -execution. - -Starbright intended to make the preliminary “rifle-fire” and “cannonade” -comparatively short, and charge suddenly, in the effort to take the -sophomores by surprise. But when his forces quickly ceased raining -snowballs on the white fort and swept forward, they found themselves -confronted by the sophomores leaping the walls and coming at them. - -Ready had ordered a sortie in force, for the purpose of surprising the -freshmen. In the front of the walls of the snow fort the contending -parties came together. - -Unfortunately for Ready’s plan, some of his men, seeing the freshmen -coming, did not leap over the walls, but remained behind them; and -these, now beginning to shoot snowballs at the enemy, rained their -missiles alike on friends and foes. Within less than a minute it was -hard to tell sophomores from freshmen, for each party, in attempting to -shower and beat down the other with armfuls of snow, found its members -transformed into snowy images of men, in which clothing and features -were hidden under the white coating. - -Again Starbright and Ready came face to face. For a moment they stopped, -looking at each other as if trying to measure strength. Ready tossed -back his hair with a flirt of his right hand that at the same time -cleared the snow out of his face. - -“I’m coming for you!” he panted. - -“Here’s where the Giant of the Wheel evens the score!” Starbright -laughed back. - -Then, with armfuls of snow suddenly snatched up, they dived at each -other, and the hottest fight of the whole field began. - -Starbright had the advantage by being taller; yet Ready was as supple, -lithe, and active as a panther. - -The air was filled with snow. Other sophomores and freshmen were -struggling almost as fiercely on every side, the sophomores trying to -keep the freshmen out of the fort, and the latter desperately struggling -to walk over the opposition and enter the enclosure. - -Ready went down under Starbright’s assault, but clung to one of Dick’s -legs, as this could not be considered, he thought, a violation of -Merriwell’s rules. - -But Starbright, not to be thus impeded, sprang for the fort, dragging -Ready; and the latter, letting go with extraordinary suddenness, -Starbright fell over the wall upon the inside. - -A half-dozen other freshmen had scaled the wall, beating back the -opposition, and these now engaged with the defenders of the fort within. - -In less than ten minutes from the time of the beginning of the struggle -the fort was in the hands of the victorious freshmen. - -Dick seized the flag which had at first been planted on the wall, but -which had been knocked down, and, mounting to the defences, swung it -over his bandaged head and led the almost breathless freshmen in a -cheer. - -It was not loud, for the freshmen were too spent to give the cheer -volume; but an exploding roar was added to it, coming from the throat of -Bill Higgins, the cowboy, who had watched the fight with great interest -at one side of the quadrangle, out of the way of the snowy bullets. - -“Whoop!” Higgins howled, yelling again when the freshmen yells subsided. -“I’d never believed so much fun could be got out o’ a little snow. -B’jings, that’s a sport I’ll ’naugurate on the ranges soon’s I git back -there. If I don’t wallop and throw down and bury Saul Henderson so deep -that a badger can’t dig him out, I’m a liar! That’s the sport fer the -short-grass country!” - -He was speaking to Merriwell. - -“Which Badger?” Frank quietly asked. - -“Which badger? Why, ye don’t reckon I know the names of all the badgers -of Kansas, do ye?” - -Then, seeing the pun, he roared again. - -Starbright came up to them, digging the snow out of his hair. - -“How is your head?” Bruce asked. - -Starbright put a hand to his bandage. - -“Oh, I was so determined to do up Jack Ready that I forgot I had a -head!” - -“You didn’t fight as if you’d forgotten your head, anyway,” said -Browning. “You kept it on your shoulders pretty well, I’m thinking.” - -“Yes, that was a great fight, Starbright!” Merriwell declared warmly. -“And you showed good leadership. I want to congratulate you.” - -The words and the handshake that followed were more to honest Dick -Starbright than had been the winning of the battle. - -That evening Dade Morgan received another call from Donald Pike. - -Dade’s head was bandaged, but he had otherwise entirely recovered. The -blow of the stone hidden in the snowball had been a heavy one, -sufficiently heavy to temporarily knock him out, but, with the exception -of the cut on the head, which promised to heal readily, he had already -thrown off its effects. - -“Nice little souvenir of the fun of the morning!” said Pike, nodding at -the bandaged head. “I guess you know you have Starbright to thank for -that?” - -“I did think so at first, but I don’t know now. He denies it.” - -“Of course he denies it! He’d be an idiot to confess, wouldn’t he?” - -“Then who struck him? I didn’t. How do you account for the fact that he -was also hit on the head with a stone hidden in another snowball?” - -“You’re easy, Morgan!” - -“What do you mean by that?” Dade queried, flushing. - -“Just what I say. You’re dead easy. Starbright threw that snowball. How -do I know? Jimmy Seldon saw him!” - -Dade straightened in his chair, while the dark look on his face -deepened. - -“Did Seldon tell you that?” - -“Oh, I’m giving it to you straight! You were so soft that you declared -you’d play fair in that battle, and the man you were to play fair with -gave you that.” - -“Then who hit Starbright?” - -“He wasn’t hit. He fell as he was rushing toward the walls of the fort, -and was kicked on the head by accident. The kick laid open his head; and -he made a great fuss about it for the purpose of making you think that -he, too, was hit on the head. That’s all there was to that. Seldon was -in the rear at the time, and saw the whole thing!” - -“Why didn’t Seldon come and tell me, then?” - -“He’s ready to tell you now!” - -Don Pike pushed the door open, and a stripling, with a pale, nervous -face, entered. He came in hesitatingly and stood with hat in hand till -Dade asked him to take a seat. - -Morgan knew Seldon well, and did not highly regard him, though the -fellow had been one of the twenty freshmen selected to take part in the -snowball battle. - -“We’ve talked it over, and Seldon is ready to tell you all about it,” -said Pike, as Seldon dropped into a chair. - -“Yes, I saw it!” Seldon avowed. “Starbright was behind you, and he aimed -that snowball straight at your head, while pretending to be aiming it at -the sophomores. I was so close to him that I’m sure I couldn’t be -mistaken.” - -“Did you see Starbright when he was struck?” Dade asked, his heart -flaming again against Dick. - -“No. I don’t think he was struck. He fell, and one of the fellows kicked -him. I think so, anyway, for I saw a fellow stumble over him. A moment -later I saw there was blood on Starbright’s fingers. But I’m sure he -wasn’t hit by a ball.” - -“Why didn’t you make a report of it to Merriwell, or to me?” Morgan -demanded. - -“Well, to tell the truth, I was afraid to.” - -“Afraid to?” - -“Afraid of Dick. He would say it was a lie, and perhaps try to take it -out of my hide. So I kept still.” - -“And only told Pike?” - -“Yes. Pike and I have been pretty good friends, and we got to talking -about the fight, and I told him.” - -“And I insisted that he should come and tell you,” said Pike. “I thought -you ought to know it.” - -Morgan looked at Seldon. - -“This is all right!” he declared. “I’m glad you came to me with it. You -needn’t think I’ll blab and get you into trouble. It’s not my way.” - -“I assured Seldon that it would be perfectly safe for him to tell you, -though he was doubtful at first.” - -“No, I won’t say anything about it. But I’ll get even with Dick -Starbright!” - -When Seldon had gone, Pike sat talking with Morgan for some time, trying -to fan into fiercer energy the anger which Dade again felt toward the -big freshman. Starbright was Merriwell’s friend, and Pike had come to -hate Merriwell so much that he wanted to injure whomever Merriwell -liked, though Frank had never done anything to win such enmity from -Donald Pike. There are some natures, however, which increasingly hate -the man they try to injure, and their hate grows more and more bitter -with each failure. Pike really feared to test strength with Merriwell, -hence resorted to the use of tools to accomplish what he feared to -attempt himself. - -Scarcely was Pike gone when Roland Packard came in with Gene Skelding. -With Don Pike, they formed a trio who seemed to live on hate of -Merriwell. They were no sooner seated than they began to talk of the -snowball fight of the morning, and of the blow which Morgan had -received. - -“It was Starbright who did that,” said Skelding. “I know, because I saw -it. I was standing near one of the monuments where I had a good view of -all that was going on. I thought, when I saw him lift his hand to throw, -that he was aiming at the sophomores, but when I saw you drop as if you -were hit by a rifle-bullet, I knew whom he had aimed at.” - -If Dade Morgan had doubted the story told by Jimmy Seldon, this would -have driven away his doubts. - -“It’s all right, fellows, and I’m obliged to you. I shall remember that -little blow against Richard Starbright. You needn’t be afraid that I -won’t. He did me a good turn the other day, and I was feeling a bit soft -toward him, but I shall not hold back now.” - -“I don’t know how you are going to even the score with him,” Packard -craftily suggested. - -“Oh, there are plenty of ways,” Morgan snarled. “I’ll find a way.” - -“Or make one?” - -“Or make one!” - -“Well, you know that you can count on our aid in anything you want to -undertake.” - -There were times when Dade Morgan despised these tools. He saw their -innate cowardice, but often he felt forced to use them, for he knew he -could not fight the battle he had undertaken against Merriwell alone. - -When his pretended friends had departed, he sat for a long time alone, -lost in thought, trying to plan some means to “even the score” with the -big freshman. - -“I wish Hector King were here!” he muttered finally, as he prepared to -turn out his light. “But he has disappeared since Merriwell unmasked -him. Given up the fight, probably. Well, I haven’t given it up! I’ll -have to be careful, though, and strike in the dark. Merriwell and -Starbright are too dangerous for me to fight them in the open.” - -Then he extinguished his light and crept into bed, where he lay awake a -long time, discarding plan after plan as impossible or impolitic, and -listening to some freshmen singing in another part of the building. - -The silver moon crept aloft in the cold sky and looked down on the snowy -and deserted campus. - -Dade’s heart burned when he heard the deep, rich voice of Dick -Starbright join in the rollicking college songs. Bert Dashleigh was with -the singers, gleefully thumping his mandolin. - -By and by Dade slept. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - ON LAKE WHITNEY. - - -The change in the weather had brought a change in the character of -“Merriwell’s Entertainments.” Down by the famous fence on many a recent -evening the “senior committee of three,” fresh from the gymnasium or -athletic field, had discussed and laid plans for the merrymaking. The -“committee of three” consisted of Merriwell, Browning, and Hodge, into -whose hands everything had been committed. Their first plans had -contemplated field-contests, burlesque football-games, and similar -sports, but the freezing weather suggested something new and different, -and they promptly accepted the hint of the weather-clerk, and made the -change. - -When, on Wednesday morning, it was reported that Lake Whitney would bear -skaters, the “committee of three” decided instantly that races on -ice-skates would be the proper thing for the half-holiday entertainment -of the students that afternoon. - -Except in spots, the ice was found sufficiently thick and firm, and the -new attraction drew an immense crowd to the shore of the lake that -afternoon. Huge bonfires were built, for the air was sharp and the -ground still covered with snow, and a prettier picture can scarcely be -imagined than that of the rosy-faced girls and young women clad in -winter garments gathered round these bonfires, while they watched the -skaters cutting figures and writing the names of themselves and their -sweethearts in the glassy ice with their skates. - -Inza and Rosalind were there, Inza having come out with Merriwell, and -Rosalind with Dade Morgan. - -There was no prettier skater on the lake that afternoon than Dade -Morgan. His movements were as graceful as those of a bird, and Rosalind -watched him with pleasure, now and then casting a sly glance at big Dick -Starbright, as if for the purpose of reading his face. She wondered in -the depths of her heart if Dick were very jealous of Dade, and told -herself that surely he must be. - -As Jack Ready had boasted that he could beat Morgan in a mile race, and -Dade had accepted the challenge, that was the first thing on the -program. - -“Oh, you can beat him!” Rosalind urged in the ear of her escort. - -“Of course I can beat him!” - -Dade made good his boast. Jack Ready had chirped of himself as a “winged -wonder,” but Morgan beat him in at the finish more than twenty yards. - -“Well, you see, it was this way,” Ready explained, stepping up to -Rosalind as Dade moved to meet her. “I knew how you felt about it, and -that took away my heart. No one can skate well with the wishes of a -handsome young lady against him.” - -“Oh, come off!” Morgan snarled. “I beat you fair and square, and you -know it.” - -Somehow, Morgan had never appreciated the humor of the fellow of the -apple-red cheeks. - -Ready wiggled his right hand in his bland way. - -“There’s a fellow over there you can’t beat!” - -“Who?” - -“Dick Starbright.” - -Rosalind’s dark face grew warm, for the words had been caught up by -Dashleigh and some other of Dick’s friends. - -Finding himself growing angry, Morgan assumed a smile. - -“It’s all right! I don’t care to race with Starbright!” - -At the same time he was anxious for the race, for he fancied that he -would be able to defeat Starbright more easily than he had Ready. His -face showed nothing of the anxiety and plotting that had recently -harassed him, and as for the wound on his head, the effects of it had -entirely passed away, though there was a scar concealed by the hair and -the cap. - -As Dick was nothing loath to meet his enemy in a skating-race, the -matter was quickly arranged, with Beckwith for the starter and one of -the athletic-trainers for the timekeeper. - -As the contestants skated away, Morgan remembered that Rosalind had not -insisted that he could defeat Starbright, as she had that he could -defeat Ready. He wondered about it, and his heart grew hot. - -“I’ll beat him, all the same!” he determined, and started in with clean, -quick strokes, remembering to skate handsomely at the same time, for the -eyes of the spectators were on him. - -To all appearances, the big freshman did not seem to be so good or so -fast a skater as his slighter rival, but the way he went over the ice -was surprising. His stroke was longer, though not so quick, and it took -him forward with astonishing speed. - -Morgan tried to draw ahead of him, but found Starbright hanging doggedly -at his heels. - -Away they went like birds down to the half-mile point, and, turning -there, came flying back, with about the same relative distance still -between them, Morgan skating with all his strength and skill, and -Starbright, seeming slow, but still right at Morgan’s heels. - -The crowds on the shore began to cheer. Dade heard it and increased his -efforts. Then he heard Starbright’s stroke quicken, and, to his dismay, -saw the big fellow go by him. - -The fight to the finish was pretty. Starbright still seemed to be -skating slowly, and Merriwell, who was watching him, saw that the giant -freshman had a lot of reserve force, and that he was not doing all that -he could. - -Dashleigh danced up and down and almost broke the ice through, so -jubilant was he when he saw his big chum in the lead. - -Rosalind was paling and flushing by turns, and even Frank, who glanced -at her occasionally, could hardly determine whether she favored -Starbright most, or Morgan. - -In the final twenty-five yards Starbright seemed to lift himself and -fly, and crossed the line easily and neatly the winner. - -The smile was still on Morgan’s face as he returned to Rosalind’s side. - -“My skates are dull,” he said. “I think I could beat him with another -pair. But now we’ll see what Merriwell will do!” - -One of the interesting things of the afternoon was to be a race between -Frank Merriwell and Jack Simmons, a junior, who was everywhere noted as -the “Skate King.” - -The enemies of Merriwell were jubilant. They had openly boasted that -Frank would never dare to meet Simmons in a race on ice-skates, though -they were forced to concede that in nearly every form of athletics Frank -was the best man who had ever been seen in Yale. But Frank, though he -had defeated Jack Ready and some others, had never laid any claims to be -a wonder on skates. - -He had not wanted to enter a race against Simmons, for, in arranging the -“entertainments,” his idea was to give others an opportunity to show -what they could do. Therefore, he had no desire to exploit his -abilities. But he had finally consented, when Simmons came to him and -told him that he personally wished to make the race. - -The excitement over the previous contests was tame compared with that -now witnessed. - -Frank came on the ice wearing the winged skates which had been given him -by Inza Burrage the previous winter. They were as handsome as were ever -turned out by a skate-maker, and on the heels, as ornaments, were pairs -of tiny metal wings, in imitation of the winged sandals of Mercury. - -Jack Simmons wore racing-skates of the most approved pattern. He -believed that he was really the king of skaters, and he was anxious to -prove his superiority to Merriwell in this great winter sport. - -The cheering ceased when the skaters moved forward side by side for the -line, which they crossed together. It broke out again as they sped away, -and was renewed as the racers neared the half-way point. - -“Merriwell is fooling again!” growled Hodge, who was standing with Inza. - -The skaters neared the half-mile turn, with Simmons slightly in the -lead. - -“He will win, you may be sure,” said Inza. “Frank always wins!” - -“Well, I’ve known him to fail, and often to come near failing by being -altogether too generous. It’s not my way!” - -Inza smiled sweetly and serenely. - -“Oh, I know it isn’t, you fire-eater! You want to murder everybody who -comes against you in a contest!” - -“Well, if I could beat them, you bet I’d beat them, without any -monkey-business!” - -There was no “monkey-business” as Frank came down on the home-stretch. -He walked away from the skate king with marvelous ease, the winged -skates bearing him on as if they were truly winged. - -Simmons spurted in an effort to lessen the widening distance, but found -it impossible; and Frank shot across the line far in advance of him, -with Inza clapping her hands in delight, and Hodge growling that he knew -Merriwell had “monkeyed” in the first half of the race. - -There were other races; between Beckwith and Browning, which Bruce won, -between seniors and juniors, and between sophomores and freshmen; races -of all kinds, from singles to team-races. Combined with all of this -there were many exhibitions of fancy skating. - -Some boys came down to the shore drawing their sleds. - -“A sled-race!” said Inza. - -Rosalind heard it. Inza was talking to Starbright, and Rosalind’s -jealous heart was flaming. - -“Starbright beat you before,” she whispered to Morgan. “Perhaps you can -beat him in a sled-race.” - -“How?” Dade asked. - -“Why, don’t you know? When I went to school in our village the boys used -to skate races, drawing girls on sleds. Every fellow was anxious to draw -his sweet-heart in such a race, and to win, of course. You can do it!” - -Something in Dade’s heart made him rebel against the proposition; but -looking at Starbright, and feeling keenly the rankling sting of his -recent defeat, he determined to offer the challenge. So he walked over -to the big freshman and proposed the sled-race. - -“If Miss Burrage doesn’t object,” said Dick, his fair face flushing. -Inza did not object. She had seen and read the jealous look of Rosalind -Thornton, understood its meaning, and was willing that the race should -take place, believing firmly that Starbright could win. - -“I think it would be delightful,” she said. “Only, if I should fall off -while you are going so fast, your skates might run away with you, Mr. -Starbright, and take you into the woods.” - -Merriwell might have objected if he had been consulted, but this was -outside of the program, and he had no wish to interfere. At the same -time, he did not quite like the look in Morgan’s eyes. - -The race was to be across to the opposite point of land, and back; and -as there were to be no official starters and timekeepers or red tape, -the arrangements were quite simple. - -The sleds were brought forward, the girls seated themselves, and -Starbright and his enemy were away, each dragging his fair load in the -race across the ice. - -Rosalind now and then gave Inza a stab out of her dark eyes, but the -other dark-eyed girl affected not to notice this as they were whirled on -almost side by side. - -The character of the ice made a divergence from the direct line -necessary, thus increasing the distance to be skated. - -Dick, who was not “playing” with Dade Morgan, even if Frank Merriwell -had been “playing” with the skate king, reached the opposite point -first, and turned to retrace his way. - -Looking back as he carefully swung the sled round, he saw the crowd on -the opposite shore waving handkerchiefs and caps, and heard their -encouraging cheers. Then an increased desire to defeat Dade Morgan by as -great a margin as possible came to him. - -When Morgan turned the point, more than twenty yards behind Dick, his -face was white and set. This second defeat meant much to him. He had not -thought when he entered into it so readily that its result might mean -his permanent defeat for the freshman leadership by his rival, but now -his heart told him this was the peril before him. - -To be twice defeated in one afternoon by Starbright might bring about -the enthronement of the big freshman as the undeniable leader of the -freshmen athletic forces. - -“I will beat him!” he hissed. “He shall not defeat me again!” - -“I’m not afraid!” Rosalind encouraged, feeling also the sting of defeat. -“Go as fast as you can!” - -Thus urged, Dade swept forward on the home-stretch with all his might. -He saw that an advantage could be gained by pressing nearer the -dangerous ice, and to get that advantage he swung inward. - -“We’re going so fast that there isn’t the least danger!” he told -himself. “At this speed, one could safely pass over the thinnest ice.” - -Then he swerved still more. - -Suddenly Starbright, who, taking the safe course, and was losing by this -device of his opponent, heard the cracking of ice and a scream. He -stopped, turning his skates sidewise, and almost being thrown by the -sled, which ran against his heels. - -Then he saw a sight that chilled his blood. The ice had given way under -Rosalind’s sled, and she had been thrown into a yawning opening. - -She was struggling wildly in the icy waters. - -The momentum had carried Dade across in safety, and the dropping of -Rosalind from the sled had pitched him headlong. - -Before he could recover, Starbright had skated back past him, and, -without hesitation, seeing that nothing but prompt action could save the -imperiled girl, had leaped into the water to Rosalind’s assistance. - -The lake was instantly covered with skaters hurrying to the scene of the -disaster, among the foremost being Merriwell and Hodge. - -Starbright secured a grip on Rosalind’s jacket, and though the icy -waters seemed to strike a chill to his bones, he succeeded in holding -her head up, and swam slowly with her to the edge of the broken ice. - -A half-dozen fellows threw themselves on the ice in a line, with -Merriwell in the lead, crawled to the dangerous and crumbling brink, and -thus drew Starbright and Rosalind out to safety. - -Fortunately, carriages were in waiting, and into these the soaked skater -and the equally soaked and half-drowned girl were quickly placed, and -the drivers lost no time in getting their charges into the city. - -“I’m awfully sorry!” said Inza, as she and Frank returned to town. “It -was partly my fault. But I didn’t think Morgan would be such a fool.” - -“There is no telling what a fellow will do when he is angry or jealous!” - -“Or a girl, either,” said Inza. “I could see that Rosalind was both when -she saw me talking with Starbright.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - DONALD PIKE’S PLOT. - - -There was no more disgusted individual in New Haven that night than -Donald Pike. All his scheming and lies seemed to have come to naught. -Morgan had not only done nothing to Merriwell or Starbright, but had -been badly worsted in every way. - -He met Gene Skelding, and they talked it over, but could get no cheer -out of the situation. Roland Packard came along, in an equally unamiable -mood, and after walking round a while together, the worthy trio climbed -up to Chickering’s rooms. - -They found Rupert and some of his friends trying on various sorts of -costumes for the masked-ball of that night. - -This was another of Merriwell’s “entertainments,” and it seemed that -nearly everybody who had a right to go was going. - -“You fellows make me sick!” said Pike. - -“What troubles you now, Donald?” asked Chickering. - -“Lotht on the watheth thith afternoon, I’ve no doubt!” lisped Veazie. - -“A plague on the races!” Pike growled. - -“Why do we fellows make you sick?” queried Julian Ives, looking at -himself admiringly in the long mirror. Julian had arrayed himself in a -glittering imitation of chain armor, and was going to the ball in the -character of a Knight of the Round Table. - -“For thinking of going to that ball.” - -“Oh, I wouldn’t mith it for anything!” - -“You’re just like all the rest of the fools, Veazie!” - -Veazie looked immensely fierce for a moment; then concluded to change -his attitude, and mildly inquired: - -“I don’t underthand you?” - -“You’re just helping Merriwell out! Can’t you see it? Now, look here! -Yale wins a lot of victories—beats Carlisle, Princeton, Harvard, and -everything else that comes its way. The claim is made by Merriwell’s -friends that Yale’s glorious victories of this season were made possible -because Merriwell had the running of things. Merriwell sits back and -smiles and fans himself and believes that he is ‘it’! - -“Then the idea is conceived that it would be the proper thing to -celebrate the victories of Yale. Immediately Merriwell is put in charge -of that, as if the other things were not enough. He and his two -inseparable chums, Hodge and Browning, are the committee of -arrangements. They are called the ‘committee of three,’ and they proceed -to run things to suit themselves and favor their friends. Again they -contrive to cover Merriwell with glory. Everything is Merriwell. Will -you kindly tell me if we are celebrating the victories of Yale or the -victories of Merriwell? - -“And here, now, I find you fellows arraying yourselves in chain armor -and other togs, for the sole purpose of going to Merriwell’s mask-ball, -that you may help it out with your presence and commendation. After it’s -over you’ll come home, saying what a tremendous success it was, and so -help to stick another star on the gilt crown of Yale’s little tin god. -I’m sick of it!” - -Julian Ives drew his long sword, and, holding it in hand, stood posed -before the mirror. - -“Too late to help it now,” he said, “even if all you say is true, and I -guess it is. The way the fellows are talking, that ball is going to be a -howling success, and it will be that whether I stay or go. So I’m -going!” - -There was small likelihood that Julian would lose any opportunity to put -himself on exhibition. - -“Well, you’re a set of fools! That’s all I’ve got to say!” - -Don Pike was too uneasy in mind to remain long in Chickering’s, and -strolled out shortly, leaving Roland Packard and Gene Skelding still -there. As he went away a thought came to him. - -“Just the thing!” he said. - -“What is?” - -Bertrand Defarge clapped him on the back. - -Pike started and bit his lip. - -“I didn’t know I was talking to myself!” he said. “It’s a bad habit, and -I shall have to break myself of it. Going to the ball?” - -“Certainly. There will he hosts of pretty girls there, and I shouldn’t -want to miss it.” - -“Another fool!” Pike growled, as he and Defarge separated. “No matter -what Merriwell plans, not only his friends but his enemies turn in to -make a success of it. Is it dead luck, or is the man positively a -genius?” - -Hurrying away now to a costumer, Pike hired a cowboy-suit as nearly like -that worn by Bill Higgins as he could get, and, with the long lasso that -went with it, sneaked back to his rooms. - -“Higgins has been drinking a little,” was his thought, “though the -fellow has been awfully mild for a plainsman. He wasn’t drinking any -to-day, to be sure, but who’s to say that he didn’t fill up this -evening? He’s made himself a general nuisance here, whooping things up -for Merriwell. He’s Merriwell’s protégé quite as much as Dick Starbright -is. If I can bring him down and roll him in the gutter of disgrace, it -will be a little something.” - -The trick he contemplated was a small one, worthy of a smaller brain -than Pike was usually supposed to possess. - -In an angle of the wall near the steps which he had seen Professor -Warburton ascend but a few moments before, Donald Pike crouched in his -cowboy garb. Hiding his face was a mask which he had also obtained of -the costumer. - -“If I can just rope Warburton, and make him think it the playful work of -Bill Higgins, I couldn’t ask anything better. Warburton is a fellow who -would hate a creature like Higgins by instinct.” - -Warburton was, indeed, a man of considerable pomposity and -self-importance, whose dignity would have been outrageously offended by -such a thing as Pike contemplated. - -“If I can do it, and Warburton makes a row over it, as he surely will, -Higgins will be in such bad odor that Merriwell will feel precious -small. If the thing gets to the faculty, or into the courts, so much the -better. I’d like to have the newspapers of New Haven make a few roasting -comments on Merriwell’s dear friend from the Western ranches.” - -Don Pike had taken roping-lessons from his former chum, Buck Badger, and -could throw a rope reasonably well, though he could not be called an -expert. He felt sure, though, that if Warburton came down the steps in -his customary leisurely way that there would be no difficulty in getting -the noose over his head. Even if it only struck him, that would answer, -for it would show what Higgins’ intentions were and serve to prove, -also, that Higgins was intoxicated. - -Pike expected Warburton to come out as he went in, but the man who -appeared on the steps five minutes later was masked and wore a -cowboy-suit which looked, in the rather dim light, identically like the -one worn by Pike himself. - -“That costumer lied to me!” was Pike’s thought. “He said I had the only -cowboy-suit anything like that. And I had no idea that Warburton would -think of attending that ball! He’s masked close and tight, and does not -intend to reveal his identity.” - -If Pike had been given time for thought, he might have reached radically -different conclusions. He was not given time, and thinking that if he -made a mistake he could run away and the thing would not be serious, he -let fly with his rope at a venture, and caught the supposed Warburton -round the neck, giving, at the same time, a sharp jerk on the rope. Then -he turned to run. - -The roar that went up was disillusioning; but not more so than the noose -that now dropped over Pike’s own neck. - -“What in time d’ye mean by that?” came in the voice of Bill Higgins -himself. - -Then Higgins began to draw in on the rope, pulling the startled youth -toward him. Pike tried to cast the noose off, and, failing in that, -sought for his knife. - -All the while Higgins was drawing the scared student toward him, making -the air blue with his exclamatory questions and objurations. - -“I’ll learn ye some sense!” Higgins howled. “I’ll wring yer neck fer ye, -b’jings! I’ll hang ye up on one o’ these hyer trees fer the crows to -eat! That’s what! Why, you stepfather to a hoss-thief——” - -He almost fell to the ground as the rope parted under a cutting slash -from Pike’s knife, and, having freed himself, Pike darted away, with -Higgins bellowing at his heels. - -Merriwell and Browning came down the steps, having heard the outcry. - -“What’s up?” Frank demanded. - -Higgins turned back, finding Pike too light-footed for him. He brought -with him the rope which Pike had dropped in his flight. - -“Some feller slammed this hyer round my neck as I come down the steps!” -Higgins declared. “One o’ yer dinged student friends, I reckon, fer no -real cowboy’d do another cowboy sich a measly trick as that. Playin’ -cowboy! Well, if I git my hands onto him, he won’t monkey no more with -yer Uncle William!” - - * * * * * - -The mask-ball was the success Don Pike had known it would be. Everybody -praised it and its excellent arrangements. - -Three nights later Merriwell’s “entertainments” concluded with a banquet -at the New Haven House, which witnessed a crush. - -When the toast came round, “To Yale!” Merriwell responded in his usual -happy way. - -“There was one thing I should have been pleased to say in that little -speech,” he remarked to a number of friends later, “but it wasn’t the -time and place.” - -“What was that?” asked Browning. - -“It’s a bit of news which I must convey to Starbright and Morgan. As the -result of an investigation, I have discovered who threw the rocks in the -snowball battle which struck those two fellows.” - -Hodge was at once interested. - -“It was Jimmy Seldon! I ran the thing down, and then confronted him, and -he confessed. The fellow has fancied from the start that he is an -athlete, and that he ought to be the real leader of the freshmen. It was -a case of unappreciated and unobserved genius! He brooded over it. -Perhaps it turned his head. Anyway, he went into that fight determined -to knock out the men he fancied had without merit been chosen above him. -When the opportunity came, he threw his prepared snowballs.” - -“You’ll report it?” Bruce asked. - -“As he left Yale and New Haven this morning, and isn’t coming back, it -isn’t worth while!” - -“You told him he would have to go?” - -“Well, I talked with him! He said he was going, anyway, for he has -failed in his examinations. Perhaps that was one of the things that made -him desperate. He is better out of Yale than in it, and Yale is better -without him than with him.” - -“And who roped Higgins?” asked Hodge. - -“I don’t know about that, but I think it was Don Pike. He is likely to -go out of Yale, too, very suddenly, unless he mends his ways!” - -“A few other villains came near being unmasked in this series of -entertainments!” droned Browning. “I’m keeping my weather-eye on Dade -Morgan.” - -“If it will show that scoundrel up in his true light, we’ll have another -series!” said Hodge. - -Then he arose and proposed this toast: - -“To the confusion of the few enemies of Frank Merriwell! To the success -of his legion of friends!” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - ROSALIND’S REWARD. - - -“I should like to know what you mean by that, Mr. Morgan?” - -Rosalind Thornton stood before Dade Morgan, her pretty lips trembling. - -He had made an evening call on her at the residence of her aunt, and was -now on the point of taking an early leave. They were standing together -at the foot of the stairs, under the red globe of the swinging hall-lamp -near the outer door. - -“You don’t know how pretty you are in that mood, Rose! But perhaps you -do know? It tempts me to steal a kiss.” - -Rosalind Thornton was, indeed, a pretty girl, and never more so than at -that moment. A flash of hurt pride made her winsomely attractive—so -attractive that Morgan almost relented from the purpose he had formed in -his heart. - -She drew back and put out a little hand. - -“You have no right to say such things to me!” - -There was a glow of fire behind the unshed tears. Morgan laughed in his -usual reckless, nonchalant way, and hurt Rose by saying roughly: - -“Well, I didn’t call to take you out riding this afternoon, as I -promised to do—because I didn’t care to!” - -How handsome he was as he stood there looking at her with eyes as dark -as her own. She was as fully alive to his good looks as he was to hers. -There was a mysterious something in his strong, athletic form; in the -resolute face, smiling mouth, and white, even teeth. Dade Morgan was -undeniably a handsome youth, aside from a trick he had of dropping his -lids down over his eyes, to shut out the strange glitter that -occasionally took the beauty out of them. - -It was the magnetism of his beauty and strength that had made pretty -Rosalind Thornton willing to hurt the honest heart of big Dick -Starbright—had made her willing to turn from him and accept the pleasant -company of this man, who was his confessed and deadly enemy. - -Rosalind’s affections were warm and womanly, but they were not of an -enduring type. She was, besides, of a petulant, jealous disposition. She -had at first accepted Dade’s attentions in the thought that this would -bring Dick Starbright to her feet as a willing and devoted subject. Then -she had suddenly found herself captivated by Dade’s good looks and -winning smile, and wavered in her affection for Starbright, telling -herself that, if Dick did not care to come back, Morgan would be as -acceptable, perhaps more so. - -“I suppose I’m a fool, Rose!” - -He again moved toward her. Once more she put out a detaining hand. - -“Yes, I think you are; but do not call me Rose, please!” - -“Rosalind!” - -“Nor that!” - -He laid his hand on his heart in mock gallantry. - -“Miss Thornton, any fellow is a fool who doesn’t fall in love with you!” - -“Thanks!” - -The laughing smile which he so admired and which he hoped to coax back -to her eyes did not make its reappearance. - -“You are quite angry?” - -“You didn’t care to keep your word this afternoon!” - -Her lips again trembled as she thought of it—thought of the pride and -pleasure with which she had gowned herself—the triumphant pride, which -had made her desire to sweep in Dade’s carriage in grand style past her -former lover, Dick Starbright, whom she was still anxious to draw after -her, as a conquering captor draws a captive. - -Dade laughed and dropped the lids over his eyes. - -“Well, to tell the truth, I came up here to-night principally to say -that I don’t care to go out driving that way any more.” - -The girl’s cheeks paled. - -“You’re an awfully pretty girl, Miss Thornton——” - -She put out her hand again, but he went on. - -“I don’t need to tell you that, for you know it. But there’s no use of -keeping this thing up, you see. You might begin to think that I—I care -for you. To be frank, I don’t. I suppose you’ll say that’s brutal.” - -She dropped into a seat on the stairs. Dade looked at her a moment, -still handsome and smiling. - -“I hope you aren’t crying,” he said, crossing to her side. “When you -seem so distressed, you know, it makes me—makes me almost lo—care for -you!” - -He tried to take her hand. She dashed it away, and turned toward him. -She was undeniably crying now. A strange thrill came to his heart. He -began to think he had been blunt and harsh. His pride was flattered. It -was something to make a pretty girl cry—it evidenced the fact that he -was attractive to women. And he began to ask himself why he had not been -content to go on and make her believe that he cared for her? His vanity -was lashing him, not his conscience. - -“I don’t think you care to talk to me any longer,” she declared, in a -low, icy voice. “At least, I don’t care to continue the conversation. I -thought you something which you are not—a gentleman! You were going, I -believe?” - -“But perhaps I don’t care to go. Perhaps I—perhaps I prefer to stay. If -we can go on with the understanding that what we’re doing is just for -fun, just for a jolly time and to make Dick Starbright——” - -“You were going, I believe!” she icily repeated. - -Her eyes were very bright now, and, with the exception of a red spot -glowing in each cheek, her face was white. The tears had dried. - -A step was heard on the outer step, making Dade start. He stood in a -listening attitude and heard footsteps departing. Some one had been on -the piazza, and was now going away. Morgan stood a moment in silence, -then opened the door and looked out. The electric light was more than -half a block distant, and the light in front of the house was not good. -Yet he saw a tall form moving down the street. - -“If I didn’t know that he couldn’t be guilty of such a thing, I should -say that our good friend Starbright had followed me here this evening -and had been eaves-dropping,” he said, as he withdrew his head and -shoulders from the doorway and closed the door. - -“I don’t want to leave until we have settled this matter!” he continued, -still feeling that perhaps he had acted too hastily, and that Rosalind -was altogether too pretty and winsome a girl to be thrown over in that -manner, even if he did not care for her. - -“It is settled, I think!” she declared; then turned from him and began -to mount the stairs. - -He looked after her, flushed and angry. He had come to the house with -the deliberate intention of telling her that he did not care to take her -driving any more, or to continue their further intimate acquaintance, -and had half-broken down in it because of her beauty and evident -distress. Dade Morgan loved himself better than anything else in the -world, and his self-pride had been hurt. Some way he did not feel as -care-free about the matter as he had fancied he would. He had never -cared for Rosalind Thornton, and had used her merely as a weapon with -which to strike Starbright, but this was somewhat like the weapon -striking back at him when he sought to discard it. - -Yet he did not try to speak to her again, though a strange and fiery -light came into his eyes, which, through force of habit, he besought to -conceal. Then he put on his hat, opened the door without saying “Good -night!” and was soon trailing down the street after the person he had -fancied was Dick Starbright. - -“Well, she’s off my hands!” he reflected, as he hurried on. “I guess -it’s better that way, though she is deucedly handsome, and I might come -to like her in time, if I could ever like anybody! But that finishes it, -unless I really want to go back. I think I can do that, if I care to try -the trick. Likely I sha’n’t care to try it. I wonder if that was -Starbright? It would be a joke if she’s been playing double, and -Starbright has been calling here all the time. But, no, he wouldn’t do -that. Starbright isn’t a chump, whatever else he is!” - -He failed to see Starbright or any one resembling him. - -“Taken an electric for down-town, I suppose!” - -Then his thoughts went back to Rosalind. - -“Umph! Women cry easily; but crying sometimes makes them pretty!” - -Hurt, angered, humiliated, Rosalind had rushed into her room, thrown -herself on her bed, and was crying as if her foolish little heart were -about to break. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XHAZERS IN MERRY MOOD. - - -The youth who had stood for a moment on the steps of the residence of -Mrs. Virgil Throckmorton had indeed been Dick Starbright. He had chanced -to pass along the street, and a sudden impulse had taken him to the -door. His friend, Bert Dashleigh, had told him that Rosalind was soon to -leave New Haven. A desire to see her and have a few words with her -before she went away sent him up the steps, where he became an unwilling -listener to some of the words spoken by her and Morgan, for Morgan had -spoken louder than he knew. - -“I guess I’ve made a mistake!” he had grumbled to himself, his heart -flaming against the conduct of the youth whose words he had overheard; -and he had beaten a quick retreat to the street, mentally raging against -Morgan, and assuring himself that he had been an idiot for yielding to -the temptation to speak again to Rosalind. - -His thought, as he went down the street toward the car-line, was to wait -for Morgan and demand an explanation; but he did not do this, and, -flinging himself into the first electric that came along, he rode back -to the campus. The recent snow had passed away in a rain-storm, which -had been followed by a return of sharp, frosty weather. - -He found the famous quadrangle filled with college men, who seemed to be -having a high old time about something. Dashleigh caught him by the arm. - -“What’s up?” Dick demanded. - -“I don’t know. They’re roping in the freshmen. Perhaps we’d better make -ourselves scarce.” - -But Starbright had already been sighted. - -“Oh, Starbright! Come bow to the golden image!” was shouted from the -crowd. - -Dashleigh started to run, but he found himself opposed by Bingham and -Jack Ready, who cleverly tripped him as he put his nimble legs in -motion. - -“Refuse me!” said Ready, thrusting out his right hand in a wiggling way -as he planted himself before Starbright. “Will you go of your own ’cord, -or shall we cord you?” - -He had an arm linked through one of Dashleigh’s, while Bingham was -holding Dashleigh up on the other side. - -“What’s up?” Dick calmly asked. - -“We are! It isn’t late, you see!” - -He saw other sophomores gathering round him, but made no attempt to run. -Down near the fence was a howling mob of students, mostly sophomores and -freshmen, who seemed to be dancing a war-dance about a captive. - -“There was a fellow in the Scripture——” Ready began. - -“Oh, there was!” Dick interrupted. - -“No impertinence, freshman!” cried Ready, blowing out his red cheeks. -“There was a fellow in Scripture who was commanded to bow before the -image of Somebody-or-other, and he refused, and awful things happened to -him!” - -“Yes; I remember that he came out all right in the end!” - -“Oh, did he? I’ll have to quit quoting Scripture, or go to studying it. -But you’ll not come out all right in the end.” - -Dashleigh tripped Bingham and tried to break away. - -“Oh, gentle friend, why dost thou try to flee?” Ready purred, holding -onto Bert with iron grip. “Dost thou not see that the enemy surrounds -thee?” - -“What’s up?” Starbright again asked. - -“Morgan! Morgan!” came as if in answer; and it seemed strange to -Starbright, too, for he was thinking more of Morgan at the moment than -he was of what Ready was saying, or of the antics of the rollicking -sophomores near the fence. - -For the sophomores, he cared little enough, having long ago made up his -mind that the only way to deal with them was to let them have their way, -if it was not too rough, and so get rid of them in the shortest order. - -Morgan, following Starbright toward the campus, had been suddenly -surrounded by a lot of sophomores who seemed to be lying in wait near -the entrance to capture straggling freshmen. Morgan was in an ugly mood, -because of the events of the evening; and, instead of gracefully -submitting, he began to fight, using his fists freely. In consequence of -this he was roughly thrown down, tied snug and tight with a stout cord, -and then carried bodily toward the rioting mob near the fence, who -seemed to be waiting for just such obstreperous victims. - -“I guess I’ll go along and see the fun!” said Starbright good-humoredly, -though his heart was panting against Dade Morgan. Then to himself, as he -moved on with Dashleigh and another freshman who had been caught in the -sophomore net, he said: - -“I’ll see Morgan after this thing is over, whatever it may be. I’ll see -him, ask him some questions, and get the answers, too!” - -The howling mob gave way, and Starbright saw a large picture of the -rotund proprietor of “Billie’s,” the freshman inn. It was a mere daub on -wood, displaying the round stomach and the shining, bald head of the -genial proprietor. It had been painted by some humorous student and -placed in front of “Billie’s” one night in lieu of a sign-board which -some other student or students had stolen. The proprietor, knowing the -ways of college youths, had smiled his benediction on it and set it up -over the show-case between his two front parlor windows. - -And now this gem of art had been surreptitiously extracted from the -tavern, and all the freshmen caught in the sophomore drag-net that -jubilant, crisp evening were being made to go down on their knees before -it and affectionately kiss the bald head. - -Morgan was hurt and indignant. He somehow fancied that, because he was -conspicuous as a leader of the freshmen and had done many things to draw -about him a circle of adherents, he should not be forced to do so -humiliating a thing as to kneel on the frosty sand and plant an unctuous -kiss on the pictured bald head. - -“Oh, you didn’t half-salute Billie!” Bingham declared, giving Morgan a -push that almost drove his nose through the wood on which the portrait -was drawn. “If you should plant a kiss like that on the ruby lips of -your best girl she would have odious opinions of you.” - -“Oh, let up!” Morgan growled. “This is too silly for anything!” - -“Except freshmen!” said Bingham. “Salute the bald spot of the human -billiard-cue in a respectful manner, or——” - -Two or three sophomores caught Morgan by the neck and shoulders and -forced his lips to the picture, and held him there, in spite of his -protestations, while he kissed Billie’s bald head over and over again. -When released he was mad clean through. - -Starbright was pushed up to the daub, murmuring, though he was known -never to drink: - -“Oh, thou human punch-bowl, thou concocter of that nectar of the gods! -How I love thee!” - -He appeared to want to take the picture to his bosom in a rapturous -embrace, but was dragged back. - -“Thou varlet!” cried Ready, pleased with Starbright’s apparent -nonchalance, which was in such marked contrast to Morgan’s fuming rage. -“Avaunt, there! A dog is not privileged to embrace a king!” - -“The dog was merely trying to bite him!” chattered Bingham. - -“Your pardon!” said Starbright. “The dog mistook his baldness for a link -of sausage!” - -“And thought he recognized a kinship!” laughed Greg Carker. - -At which sally from the solemn and philosophical Carker the boisterous -sophomores cackled with glee. - -The twang of a mandolin was heard, as Bert Dashleigh was made to waddle -forward on all fours and kiss the shiny pate of the pictured host. It -was Dashleigh’s own mandolin, produced by a student who had hastily -invaded Dashleigh’s room for the purpose. - -“How did you get in?” Bert coolly asked, stopping in the midst of his -osculatory adorations. - -“Fell through the transom,” said the student. “Why the dickens do you -always keep your door locked? That transom is so contracted that I -sprained my wish-bone.” - -“Good thing if you had sprained your neck!” Bert flung back; and was -then dragged away, lest in his fervent kissing he should lick all the -paint off the wood. - -Two stools were produced from some invisible source, and, while other -freshmen were compelled to bow before and kiss the picture, Dashleigh -and Starbright were made to sit on the stools and sing: - - “Oh, who will smoke my meerschaum pipe, meerschaum pipe? - Oh, who will smoke my meerschaum pipe, meerschaum pipe? - Oh, who will smoke my meerschaum pipe, when I am far away? - - “Oh, who will go to see my girl, see my girl? - Oh, who will go to see my girl, see my girl? - Oh, who will go to see my girl, when I am far away? - - “Oh, who will kiss her ruby lips, ruby lips? - Oh, who will kiss her ruby lips, ruby lips? - Oh, who will kiss her ruby lips, when I am far away? - - “Oh, who will squeeze her snow-white hand, snow-white hand? - Oh, who will squeeze her snow-white hand, snow-white hand? - Oh, who will squeeze her snow-white hand, when I am far away?” - -It was one of those popular college songs which can run on forever, like -Tennyson’s brook, and never get weary; and while Dashleigh thumped away -on the mandolin and he and Dick bawled out every variation and every -verse they had ever heard of or could think of, the captured freshmen -were, one by one, forced to crawl reluctantly forward and honor the -proprietor of “Billie’s.” - -It was all very funny—to the sophomores, and to students who, like Dick -and Bert, could take the thing coolly and good-humoredly. To others it -was gall and wormwood. Morgan was brought back three times and made to -moisten the top of “Billie’s” head with his “roseate spoon-bill,” as -Jack Ready facetiously termed Dade’s lips, and Dade grew madder and -madder, until he was in a fighting-mood. - -When released at last he stumbled blindly away, vowing vengeance on the -whole tribe of Yale sophomores. As he pitched on in the semigloom, -almost too blind to see which way he was going, he heard his name -called, and, turning about, beheld what he took to be one of the -tormenting sophomores. - -“If you follow me any farther, I’ll spread your nose all over your -face!” he threatened. - -Whereupon the supposed sophomore drew nearer, laughing in a silent, -mirthless way. - -“My dear Dade, you are losing your customary calm!” came the warning in -a familiar voice. - -The supposed sophomore was Hector King. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - SETTLING A SCORE. - - -Hector King’s disguise was so very superficial that Dade wondered at the -daring of the man. Yet it was more effective than an elaborate disguise -would have been. His face and hands were darkened, his hair cut short, -and his dress was that of one of the numerous “sweeps” who take care of -the rooms of the Yale students. The disguise had served so well that -King had been able to hover on the outskirts of the sophomore mob -without detection or question. - -The last time Dade Morgan had seen the man whom he had come to call -Hector King, the latter was in the disguise of a Hindu juggler. The -pretended juggler had been unmasked by Frank Merriwell, to whom he stood -revealed as Brandon Drood, alias Dion Santenel, the hypnotist, the -deadly enemy of Frank and his father, whose ruin and disgrace he sought -with a bitterness and tenacity almost beyond comprehension. Dade had -dragged him from the room in which Merriwell had hypnotized him, and -forced from him an important confession—Frank having overthrown him by -his own methods, in his chosen field, and on his own battle-ground—had -dragged him away, and thus prevented Frank from making him a prisoner -and taking steps for his punishment. - -“You are losing your customary calm!” Santenel cynically repeated. - -“And it seems to me you are losing your customary caution!” - -“I can look out for myself!” Santenel answered somewhat tartly. “You -lost your temper and made an ass of yourself. How long do you suppose -you can hold your influence in Yale by acting in that way? A man who -would be a master of others must learn first to master himself. That is -the very primer of the whole thing—the first lesson.” - -“Oh, well!” Dade snarled. “That stuff made me sick!” - -He was about to say more, but ceased when he observed that they were -being followed. - -“That’s a student, sure! Yes, and it’s Dick Starbright!” - -“Let’s move on!” said Santenel. “I don’t care to make intimate -acquaintances among your student friends.” - -He emphasized the word “friends” in a way that made Dade writhe, for he -knew how Dade hated the big freshman. Though they walked on, it was soon -apparent that Starbright was following them. They did not like the -lighted streets, so they turned into the green, but Starbright sauntered -after them. - -“I’m going to halt and see what the scoundrel means by that,” Dade -declared, stopping. Santenel did not object, but walked on. - -Dade waited impatiently and angrily by the side of the path. - -“You’ve been following me!” he cried curtly, when Starbright came up. - -“Yes,” said Dick; “I’ve a settlement to make with you.” - -Dade coaxed the smile to his face. - -“I’m not a bone, to be followed and sniffed at by a dog like you!” - -Starbright angrily reddened. - -“You’ve been following me all evening!” Dade continued. - -“That’s a lie.” - -Dade clenched his fist. - -“You followed me to Mrs. Throckmorton’s this evening. You stood on the -steps, eavesdropping, trying to hear what I might say. You’re a sneaking -puppy!” - -He was white with wrath, and found it impossible to keep that famous -smile on his face. - -“Go on!” said Dick coldly. “The more you say, the more occasion I shall -find for thumping you to my complete satisfaction when I begin on you. I -did not follow you to Mrs. Throckmorton’s. I went there to make a call -on Miss Thornton, hearing that she is to leave the city soon. I was a -fool for going, I’ll admit. When I mounted the steps——” - -“Crept up like a sneaking dog, you mean!” interrupted Dade, holding -himself in readiness for the blow which he expected. - -“When I mounted the steps I overheard you talking to Miss Thornton, for -you were speaking so loud that I couldn’t help hearing. You know what -you said to her. I caught only a few words, but enough to understand the -whole thing. I have seen it all along, but have had no proof of it till -now. You went with her simply because you thought it would hurt me and -make me jealous. You thought me weak enough to throw myself into the -saloons and make a fool of myself generally. You have seen that I did -nothing of the kind, and now, having failed in your object, you throw -her over with no feeling whatever, showing you to be a thoroughbred -cad!” - -Dade was trembling, but fear of the big freshman’s fist made him -cautious. In spite of his bluster and sharp words he had learned to -respect that fist and the man behind it. - -“Is that all?” he sneered. - -“No. It won’t be enough until I have taught you to respect women. I -regret that I have been compelled to mention Miss Thornton in this -matter. She is a lady, and has had the misfortune to become acquainted -with a conscienceless villain and to be made his tool. I shouldn’t have -mentioned her name, but I want you to understand just what I mean.” - -He slipped up his sleeves. - -“There is no other way to redress such things, and, as Miss Thornton -doesn’t happen to have a brother to do this for her, I shall take the -pleasure. Put up your hands, you scoundrel, or I’ll knock you down!” - -There was no mistaking the tone of Dick Starbright’s voice. Morgan -glanced round. The place was isolated and poorly lighted, and Dion -Santenel had disappeared. - -“Defend yourself!” Dick hissed. - -Dade backed away, but he put up his hands, for he saw that Starbright -meant to strike him. - -“Why, you puppy!” he snarled. - -The freshman’s big fist caught him on the cheek and almost lifted him -from his feet. - -The blow drove away every atom of fear from the heart of Morgan and -filled him with inconceivable wrath. Gathering himself, he rushed at -Starbright with the ferocity of a mad dog. But again that huge fist met -him and knocked him backward. - -“Come again!” said Starbright, as coolly as if he were merely sparring -in the gymnasium. “I want to hammer that villainous smile off your face. -Your friends won’t think you so handsome in the morning!” - -Morgan tried to calm his raging heart. He saw that if he did not he -would be knocked out in short order. So, instead of making another mad -rush, he called to his aid all his undoubted skill, and began to circle -slowly about Starbright, looking warily for an opening. - -Twice Starbright lunged at him, and twice Morgan dodged out of the way. -Then, with a quick leap, Morgan sprang in and landed a resounding blow. - -Dick, finding an opening, then drove his terrible right with such weight -that Morgan went down on the grass with stunning force. - -Thud! A club in the hands of Dion Santenel fell on Starbright’s head, -blinding and stunning him. The club was lifted again and hung poised in -the air. - -Then there was a swish of a rope, which was preceded by light, springy -footsteps, and the club, while poised in mid-air, was plucked from the -hand of Santenel. - -“No, ye don’t!” came in the roaring voice of Bill Higgins, the cowboy. -“Fair play’s a jewel, and I’m the jeweler that sees ’t gits a proper -settin’, b’jing!” - -Santenel knew that voice only too well. He had met Higgins while posing -as the Hindu juggler, and knew that Higgins was the friend of Merriwell. -Visions of a capture and unpleasant interview with Frank, and other -disagreeable consequences, flashed through his mind. The club had been -torn from his hand, and he was weaponless. So, without stopping to -further take the part of Dade Morgan, who was struggling to his feet, -Santenel hurried off and disappeared behind the trees, Higgins looking -after him, as if he did not know whether to follow and rope him or let -him get away. - -Dade rose to his feet, his face distorted with anger, pain, and baffled -hate. He dared not again face the fist of Dick Starbright. - -“I don’t care to fight you further, when you’ve got help!” he sneered, -his words trembling and his whole form shaking. “But I’ll settle with -you yet, Starbright!” - -“Any time!” said Dick, pulling down his sleeves. “I’ve more where that -came from!” - -Though his head was throbbing and he felt a trickle of blood on his -face, caused by the blow of the club, he stood erect again, firmly -facing Dade Morgan. - -“I’ll settle with you for this!” Morgan slowly repeated, as if his brain -were in a whirl and his mind still incoherent. Then he flung the cowboy -a look of hate and disdain, and walked away in the direction taken by -Santenel. - - * * * * * - -“Who was that there feller? The one that hit ye with the club?” asked -Higgins, staring in the direction Dade was taking. “I ’low I was a fool -to let him go.” - -It was a question that Dick could not answer. - -“There was only one thing I clearly understood about that business, and -that was that you ran up against a bigger man than you could handle!” -said Santenel, when they reached Morgan’s room. - -“Oh, don’t say anything more about it!” - -Santenel took a seat by the fire, while Dade applied liberal douches of -hot water to his battered head. - -“But I want to know about it. I stood behind one of those trees while -you were engaged with that big two-fisted cyclone, and I had my -curiosity aroused. My advice to you is to keep away from him. He’s too -much for you. What did he tackle you about? I couldn’t just make out!” - -Dade dropped the hot towel he had been holding to his face, walked to a -drawer, drew out a photograph and threw it into Santenel’s lap. - -“That!” - -“Quarreling about this girl?” - -“Yes, if you must know. I didn’t care anything for her—not a thing! and -I only went with her to spite him and make him jealous. I was fool -enough to think it might drive him to drink. Either he didn’t care for -her as much as I supposed, or that story of his all-absorbing appetite -for liquor is a fairy-tale. I found out that I was wasting my time, and -I threw her over. He heard about it, and he—well, you saw what he did!” - -His face crimsoned; not with shame for his treatment of Rosalind -Thornton, but because he had been worsted so completely by Starbright, -and the memory of it stung him to the quick. - -“A handsome girl!” commented Santenel. “Well, you failed!” - -He seemed in a lenient mood, and tossed the photograph back. He -remembered that he, too, had met with a bitter failure some days before, -when he thought he had Frank Merriwell completely under his hypnotic -control, only to discover, when too late and after he himself had been -hypnotized by Frank, that Merriwell had been playing with him all along -for the purpose of getting him in his power and unmasking him. The -recollection was quite as irritating as that which so stung Dade Morgan. - -Dade gave the photograph a savage kick, which landed it in the fire. -Santenel watched it leap into flame and crisp and curl to ashes. A -cynical smile sat on his cold lips, and the leaping flame seemed to -light up kindred fires in the depth of his black eyes. They were -peculiar eyes; and, as he sat staring into the grate, the pupils -appeared to contract and expand somewhat like those of a cat. - -“You are wondering why I am here again?” he said, at length, to Dade, -who had gone back to his hot towels. Dade affected a show of -indifference. - -“I knew you would tell me after a while—when you got ready!” - -“I’m back here because I never give up. I never yet was defeated at -anything which I seriously undertook, and I never will be. You know my -purpose?” - -He spoke in a low, droning tone, seeming to direct his words to the dim -face of a girl which he fancied he could still see in the ashes of the -photograph—spoke in so low a monotone that, though the words were -clearly heard by Dade, they could not have been overheard by any one -with less alert ears or beyond the room. - -“You have told that to me scores of times!” - -“You’re no more likely to forget it than I am. But you thought I failed -and abandoned the field. You were mistaken. You don’t know me yet as you -ought. I can still crush Merriwell and his father, and I shall do it. -That’s what I’m here to talk about—to plan for.” - -Dade did not answer, though he stood with a hot cloth to his face, -staring at Santenel in a fascinated way. There was so strong a bond -between them, and the capabilities of the greater villain were of so -sublime and audacious a character that Dade felt drawn to him, as an -inferior mind to a superior. - -Santenel was thinking, as he looked at the face in the ashes of the -photograph—thinking first of a face somewhat like that, which he had -known and loved so many years ago, then of his life since those distant -days, and particularly of his connection with the elder Merriwell, whom -he had deeply wronged—Merriwell, who had hounded him throughout the -world, and whom he was now determined to crush at once and forever in -the most humiliating way that his fiendish inventiveness could suggest. - -“You want to get even with the young fellow who knocked you out a while -ago?” he asked, at last arousing himself, but speaking in that same low -monotone, as if addressing the picture. Dade, who had not taken his eyes -off the strange man, started at the sound of his voice. - -“Be careful, or you will be heard!” - -Santenel sat more erect, shrugged his shoulders, passed a hand -half-dreamily over his darkened and stained face. - -“I’ve studied something of acoustics,” he answered. “You couldn’t have -heard that yourself if your ears hadn’t been on edge.” - -“I hate him!” snarled Dade, speaking of Starbright. “I shall never rest -until I’ve wiped out the insult of those blows to-night.” - -“You can’t do it by going at him face to face and fist to fist. He would -simply knock you out again. You must try another way. Only fools and -pugilists resort to slugging-matches to settle real or fancied wrongs. A -man who is a mere bulldog fighter is only a bungler and blunderer. There -are other ways, surer ways, safer ways.” - -Dade had crushed the towel in his tremulous hand and was still staring -at Santenel, as if the reserved and unseen power of this terrible man -enchained him. - -“There are two things!” Santenel droned on, dropping his shoulders and -sinking lower in his chair, as he again seemed to talk to the fire. “I -want to strike Charles Conrad Merriwell, and you want to even your score -with Dick Starbright. Both can be done at the same time.” - -Dade leaned forward, his face working with hate against Starbright. - -“How?” he whispered. “Only tell me how?” - -“I had Charles Merriwell in my power a short time ago, and his son broke -my grip and got him away. I must get him in my power again. I can’t do -it while Frank Merriwell is here in New Haven, for his father will not -leave the place now for a number of days, and it may be weeks and -months. He fears me too much since that. Frank must be lured out of the -city.” - -“How are you to do it?” Dade demanded. - -“Get him away on a ball-game, or some kind of game.” - -“The football season is over.” - -“There is a polo-team at New London.” - -“Merriwell might play them if they would come here.” - -“He must play them there.” - -“He won’t do it.” - -“He must be made to do it.” - -“How?” - -“That’s for you to answer. Perhaps I can help you. But it must be done. -Starbright is on his team?” - -“Yes.” - -“That’s what I thought. They must play the New London polo-team in New -London. And while they are over there I will work my plans to get -Charles Conrad Merriwell again in my power. But Frank must be out of New -Haven. Must be lured out, I say. I can’t cope with him, and I must have -a clear track here if I am to win. I know I can win if he can be led -away. I don’t care how you do it, so it is done. Perhaps I can help -you.” - -He sunk his head deeper between his shoulders, and his eyes blazed as -brightly as the fire. - -“And Starbright?” Dade anxiously and tremulously asked, for he was, at -the moment, more interested in the overthrow of Starbright than of -Merriwell. - -“A polo-game is a rough game, and a polo-stick may be a dangerous weapon -in the hands of the right man. If there is not a man on the New London -team who will do the work for you, scheme some way to get a man on that -team who will. I have heard of men having their arms broken in such -games. I see no reason why a man mightn’t be killed in such a game!” - -He spoke as coldly as if his eyes were not flames of fire and his heart -a seething volcano. Dade flushed and paled, while his breath came -panting hot from between his lips. - -“I’ll do it!” he said, gasping out the promise. “I’ll do it, somehow. -I’ll need money to work the trick, maybe, and a lot of it. Money can do -anything, if a fellow only has enough of it.” - -Santenel turned on him those awful eyes. The pupils had shrunk to a -pin-point in size and Dade shivered, for they seemed to shoot out at him -points of fire. - -“You’re a devil!” he half-gurgled to himself, but the words caught the -keen ears of Santenel. - -“Only a villain, with the purse of Fortunatus! How much will you need? -I’ll help you out of what I won from Frank Merriwell in those -poker-games with him, when I was trying to conquer him and he conquered -me. There will be an added pleasure in fighting him with his own money. -The battle isn’t lost, Dade; the fighting has only begun!” - -He felt in an inner pocket, and taking out a roll of bills, threw it to -Dade. - -“That’s a good deal more than I obtained from Merriwell. But take it. We -can’t afford to count the cost. Spend it like water. A thousand dollars -will buy half the thugs in New York. Get the right men on that New -London polo-team, and do what you please with Starbright; just so you -secure for me a clear field here in New Haven. We’ll have money enough -after we have won out!” - -Dade took the roll, looked it through with paling and flushing face, for -he saw that Santenel had been more than generous, then he tucked it away -in his pocket. - -“I could buy up the police force of New Haven with that!” he laughed. -“Don’t be afraid but that I’ll put it where it will do the most good!” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - MORGAN SETS THE BALL ROLLING. - - -“Seen yer friend goin’ away!” said Bill Higgins, catching hold of -Starbright’s arm, the next morning. “I reckon’t you thumped him so that -he’s goin’ to cut out. Anyway, he looked like a critter that had pulled -his picket-pin and was stampedin’ from the range.” - -“Oh, you mean Morgan?” - -Starbright had been walking up the street from the station toward the -college when overtaken by the cowboy. - -“Yep! You give him sich a thumpin’ last night that I reckon he’s lit -out. ’Feared you’d tell of it, and he hain’t the sand to face the laugh -that the fellers will give him.” - -Starbright also had been at the railway-station, though he had not been -observed by Higgins. - -“Didn’t know but there mought be an elopement, first off!” grinned -Higgins. “Durn purty young woman come trippin’ ‘long at the same time he -did, goin’ to take the same train, and he waltzed toward her and offered -her his wing, er ruther I thought ’t he was goin’ to offer it to her. -But dinged if she seen him at all! Mighty queer, too, for he was big -enough. But she didn’t see him—didn’t notice him, when he tuck off his -cap and scraped his foot across the floor like a nigger fiddler at a -dance, per nuthin’, but jist sashayed right by him ’thout lookin’ at -him, and hopped onto the car steps all by her lonesome! Say, ye don’t -reckon she done that there fer a blind, and that they was really goin’ -away together, do ye?” - -Starbright had observed the same performance—had seen Rosalind Thornton -come down to the station and cut Dade Morgan dead when he came forward -to assist her to the platform of the car. - -“No elopement!” said Dick. “I guess she wanted to cut his acquaintance.” - -“Well, the manners of this hyer effete East goes ahead of me,” said -Higgins. “Out on the ranches when ye want to cut an acquaintance ye do -it with a knife. But I reckon I’ll ketch on bimeby. Had a notion hoppin’ -on that there train myself, only it was goin’ the wrong way. I’d ‘a’ -gone if’t hadn’t been fer Merriwell. Say! I tie to that feller! I never -seen another like him. Hyer I come fer a day er two, and I’ve been hyer -I don’t know how long, a-stayin’ jist on account of him. If them Yale -perfessors would let a feller read their books with a lasso and write -with a picket-pin, I’d enter the blamed old college myself, jist to stay -with Merriwell. Never seen no sich man on this hyer earth. Treats every -feller like a king! And ’t don’t make no difference to him whether a man -stepped out of a bandbox er come straight off the ranges. All he asks is -that a man shall be a man!” - -Dick Starbright was quite as willing, ordinarily, to sing the praises of -Frank Merriwell as any one, but just then his thoughts were too much -engrossed with the departure of Dade Morgan and Rosalind Thornton from -the city. He did not know that Dade was on his way to New London, with -scheming brain filled with plans for the carrying out of the wishes of -Dion Santenel, but he knew that Rosalind was on her way home after her -prolonged visit in New Haven. - -He made rather a poor companion for Bill Higgins, as he and the cowboy -walked together up the street, almost forgetting Higgins’ chatter while -thinking of all that had occurred since Rosalind came to New Haven on a -visit to her aunt. He and Rosalind were confessed sweethearts then; now -she had gone away, and he had not even said good-by to her. - -It had been his intention to at least say “good-by” as she took the -train, if a favorable opportunity came, but Morgan had loomed into the -foreground at the wrong time, and the words had not been spoken. He had -not even gone forward, and he did not believe that Rosalind had observed -him as he stood in the crowd at the station. - -“It’s just as well, no doubt!” he thought, with a little ache in his -big, generous, manly young heart. - -Yes, it was just as well. Rosalind had shown that she had a jealous, -narrow, spiteful disposition, which was certain to bring trouble to any -young man who really cared for her. But Starbright knew that she was, in -spite of all this, a lovable girl in many other respects; and, though -the dream he had cherished concerning himself and her was shattered and -gone, and he felt that it was better so, he could not quite cure that -ache in his heart—yet. - -Starbright and Higgins separated on reaching Chapel Street. They met -again in the gymnasium late in the afternoon, where Merriwell and some -others were skimming round on roller-skates engaged in roller polo -practise. - -“Oh, he won’t accept the challenge!” Bertrand Defarge was sneering. “He -never jumps at anything that isn’t dead sure.” - -“Who ye talkin’ ’bout?” Higgins asked, for he saw that Defarge was -looking toward Merriwell. - -“Merriwell!” the French youth answered, not abashed by the presence of -the cowboy, who was known to be a “Merriwell maniac.” Higgins’ hand went -into his pocket and drew out a bulky wallet, from which he produced a -roll of bills. - -“Bet ye any amount you’re minded to name that he will!” - -“Will what?” asked Starbright, stepping forward; whereat the Chickering -set, who had been grouped round Defarge, drew back as if they feared his -bulk or the weight of his fist. - -“Durn if I know!” Higgins admitted. “But he seems to think that -Merriwell’s afraid, and I’m backin’ the general proposition that -Merriwell ain’t afeared of anything! So there’s yer money. Put up er -shut up!” - -“I don’t care to bet with a man who doesn’t know what he’s talking -about!” sneered Defarge. - -“I know Merriwell! That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout and what my money’s -talkin’ ’bout! Put up er shut up!” - -“Oh, come away!” begged Chickering, the professed peacemaker, tugging at -Defarge’s sleeve. “We don’t care to bet about this thing, you know.” - -“Put up er shut up!” bellowed Higgins; but Defarge and the Chickering -set moved away. - -“He shut up!” Higgins observed, grimly tucking the money back. “That’s -what I intended. I dunno a durn thing what he was talkin’ ’bout, but I -don’t ’low nobody to slander Merry.” - -They soon discovered what Defarge had been talking about. A challenge by -wire had been received by Merriwell’s polo-team from the polo-team at -New London, asking Frank to set a date for a game, but insisting that -the game should be played in New London. This was of interest to -Starbright, for he was a member of the polo-team which Frank had -organized and was training. - -Defarge came back after a while, and this time he had a roll of bills -which he had obtained from Dade Morgan. Roland Packard and Don Pike also -appeared on the scene with goodly sums of money, which they were willing -to wager that Merriwell’s team would not dare to accept the challenge of -the New London men. - -“Why do you want to bet against Yale?” Rupert Chickering hypocritically -protested, when Gene Skelding also appeared, clothed with funds and -renewed confidence. “Loyalty to Old Eli, you know!” - -“Rot!” said Skelding. “It isn’t a question of Yale and Old Eli. -Merriwell has organized a team of his individual friends. They represent -nothing but Merriwell’s swelled head. They are trying to make themselves -and every one else believe that they can wipe up the earth with -everything in the polo line. We intend to prick the bubble. We’re going -to show that they won’t dare to meet any team that can play.” - -“You’re sure of the New London team?” - -“Yes; but it isn’t the regular New London team. It’s a private team, -just as Merriwell’s is; but it holds some crack players. They are -willing to meet Merriwell. If he was at the head of a regular Yale team -he could refuse by saying that he would only meet college teams. But as -it is, he won’t have a leg to stand on if he refuses. We’re going to -make him play or take water.” - -That night Hodge met Merriwell in a troubled mood. He was a member of -Frank’s team, and the bets that were being freely offered more than -irritated him, and he did not hesitate to say so. - -“You’ll have to meet them, Merry, just to take the wind out of these gas -balloons!” he argued. “They say that you won’t accept the challenge, and -that if you should you would insist on playing the match here. Those New -London fellows demanded that we should go over there because they say -they wouldn’t have a fair show in a New Haven rink.” - -“I don’t know that I shall pay any attention to the challenge. Whoever -heard of those fellows before, anyway?” - -Dick Starbright talked the matter over with Bert Dashleigh that night in -the seclusion of their room. Dashleigh sat in an easy chair, toying with -his mandolin, which he now and then thumped when the conversation -lagged. There was a rap on the door, and when it was opened Ready came -in. - -“Going into the thing?” he queried, squatting on the arm of a chair. - -Dashleigh had risen, and now put down his mandolin. Though Ready had -hazed and annoyed him in common with other freshmen, he had great -respect for him. - -“Camp down!” Ready requested, then repeated his question. - -“Into what thing?” Dick asked, wondering if Ready was setting another -sophomore trap for him and his friend. - -“Oh! Then the news hasn’t floated hitherward? I’m to be congratulated. -Thanks! I think I’ll shake hands with myself.” - -Which he did, very solemnly. - -“Chance for a fortune!” he said, winking owlishly. “Merriwell’s -polo-team, of which you and I are the most important members”—bowing -toward Starbright—“has been challenged by a little upstart-team from -hinky-dinky New London. Now, I’d like to go to New London. Acquainted -with a young lady over there, you know. I should like to wear my -beautiful polo-suit and show her that I am a Pole. Merriwell won’t go. -At least, he says he won’t. Now, we’re getting up a sort of combination -jack-pot. Every Merriwell enemy is walking around the streets of this -great and glorious city with his pockets turned inside out and his hands -bulging with great rolls of green-backs, saying that Merriwell won’t go. -So we’re collecting a fund for the needy, which is going to say that -Merriwell will go, and that his team will knock the tar out of the -boasters at New London. I was sure you’d want to get into the game; -hence trotted my feet hitherward. Subscriptions to this fund unlimited; -repayment guaranteed with one hundred per cent. interest immediately -after the New London match.” - -Then, seeing that Starbright hesitated, he continued, as if the -information was all that was needed: - -“Bill Higgins heads the subscription-list with fifty dollars, which he -says he already owes for board, but which he is willing to stack up on -Merriwell. Bart Hodge goes Higgins ten better. Browning has roused -himself long enough and sufficiently to stop smoking and draw a check -for a pretty little sum. Yours truly, the undersigned, is into it so -deep that I’ll have to shave myself for the next five years or grow -Pfeffer whiskers if we lose. And there are likewise others and some -more. So, I thought——” - -He took out a square of legal cap, on which the signatures of various -students appeared, with figures set opposite their names. This he tossed -to Starbright. - -Dashleigh was going down into his pockets. - -“Oh, I’m always strapped!” he grunted. “I’m spending my allowance faster -than it comes to me. But if Starbright will lend me twenty-five, I’ll -wager it.” - -Starbright passed him the paper. - -“Why, you’re bound to lose!” - -Ready winked another owlish wink of wisdom. - -“Milord, why sayest thou so?” - -“Because, as you say yourself, Merriwell has declared that he won’t -accept the challenge.” - -Ready rose, reseated himself, wiggled the fingers of his right hand from -the armhole of his vest, and winked again. - -“What makes you so confident?” Dick demanded, while Bert was looking -over the list. - -“I have been commanded to tell it not in Gath, to publish it not in the -streets of Askelon, yclept New Haven; but in these rooms——” - -He arose, walked solemnly about as if peering for a possible -eavesdropper, peeped under the lounge and under some chairs, and came -back. - -“Put all you can beg, borrow, or steal on this proposition. It’s a dead -sure thing. The bet isn’t that our team will win the game, but that our -team will play. We’re going to clean out the boasters that have been -tantalizingly shoving their money under our noses—clean them out so -slick that they won’t have enough to take them home for the Christmas -holidays. Why do I know?” - -He looked around again, lowered his voice and funneled his hands. - -“I know, because Charles Conrad Merriwell has himself bet a little roll -with a New London man that Frank will accept the challenge and will beat -the New London challengers!” - -Both Starbright and Dashleigh stared. The thing was unbelievable. - -“Are you sure?” Dick asked. - -“Sure! The fellow came to the New Haven House to-night, made the offer -in the presence of a dozen men, shook the cold cash under Charles -Merriwell’s nose, and Merriwell, like the true sporting man and -gentleman that he is, promptly covered the money.” - -“Oh, say! let me have a hundred, somebody!” Dashleigh begged. - -“The New London man was a fool to offer such a wager!” - -“I think so myself; and a ‘fool and his money’ are likely to be soon -parted. But the idea is out, somehow, that Frank is afraid to accept the -challenge and will not accept it under any consideration. They say he -values his reputation as a successful leader of athletic-teams more than -he does his father’s money; that five thousand dollars is nothing to -Charles Merriwell, and a defeat of his polo-team, made up as it is of -his close friends, would be everything to Frank. So, the fools are silly -enough to think Frank won’t play, and that they’ve got a cinch.” - -“You’re sure, then, that Frank will accept?” - -“Why, of course he’ll accept! If I didn’t know him so well I’d think he -was holding off this way on purpose to get big bets out of the -proposition. He will accept the challenge to please his father. Nothing -else would make him do it, probably; but that will.” - -“Say! somebody lend me two hundred dollars!” Dashleigh begged. “If I -thought my folks would do it, I’d telegraph them to forward me two or -three months’ allowance in advance. But they wouldn’t. You’re going to -put up money on the game, too?” - -“Sure!” - -Jack Ready did not go away from the rooms of the chums empty-handed; and -not long after, when all arrangements had been made and other sources -laid under contribution, Bertrand Defarge, Don Pike, Roland Packard, -Gene Skelding, the members of the Chickering set, and many others who -had been flashing their “rolls” under the nose of every friend of Frank -Merriwell, found their offered bets covered, and were bantered to lay -wagers on the game. - -It was a night of excitement, for in all the places of resort for -students, and in many other places as well, the challenge of the New -London men and the probable action of Frank Merriwell, together with the -bets that were being offered and made, were almost the sole topics of -conversation. - -Dade Morgan went to his rooms smiling and elated. He had worked out the -plan given to him by Dion Santenel. - -To his surprise he found Santenel sitting before the grate, awaiting his -coming. - -These mysterious appearances and disappearances of the man he obeyed, -loved, and feared were often quite puzzling to Morgan. Time and again he -had walked into his rooms, after carefully unlocking the door, and found -sitting there the strange man of mystery; and often, after leaving the -man there, he returned in a very few moments to find Santenel gone for -an absence of a week or more. Santenel’s abiding-place seemed to be as -changing and unsubstantial as that of the Wandering Jew; and where he -stayed while in New Haven Dade had never yet been able to learn. - -“Waiting for your report,” said Santenel. “I heard a few things myself, -but I thought it unwise to appear too publicly.” - -“Everything has gone on swimmingly!” was Dade’s jubilant preface. -“Things worked right from the start. I found two men at New London who -played right into my hands. One of them I knew before, and that made the -thing easy for me. He had done dirty work for me before, and he’s all -right. They had been talking of organizing a polo-team out of some -fellows who had been rejected or expelled from the other team, and they -organized it on the spot, and wired their challenge.” - -Then he gleefully told of the bets that had been made, dwelling -especially on the bet which Charles Conrad Merriwell had made with one -of Dade’s tools from New London. - -“The challenge will be accepted, and the game will be played,” was -Santenel’s satisfied comment. “I’ll see that Charles Conrad Merriwell -stays in New Haven that day and meets me. You must have the game early -in the afternoon—Saturday afternoon. Not a night game! I want plenty of -time to do my work. Have the New London men stand to that.” - -He rubbed his fingers joyously, and, sinking into the chair, stared into -the grate with his burning eyes. - -“Merriwell will accept the challenge!” he declared, as he rose to go. - -He was a true prophet. Frank accepted the New London challenge the next -morning. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - THE POLO KING. - - -Saturday morning the Yale forces trooped to New London. The number of -persons who went that morning, or said they were going later in the day, -was really surprising. That such a mob should be drawn to New London to -see a polo-game between Merriwell’s team and an unknown team of New -London was, on the surface, unaccountable; yet Merriwell’s friends -accounted for it by the fact that Merriwell and the men who composed his -five were wonderfully popular, and that a tremendous interest had been -aroused by the sky-rockety character of the betting. - -But there was something below the surface that they did not see; the -crafty hand and brain of Dade Morgan, and the mysterious man who was -standing behind him urging him on. Santenel wanted the mob bound for New -London to swallow up every Yale man who was likely to interfere with his -plans concerning Charles Conrad Merriwell. Hence Morgan sent all of his -friends and adherents, and all the enemies of Merriwell he could muster, -knowing that this would cause a counter rally of the friends of -Merriwell and take them to New London, also. - -But the elder Merriwell himself was not going. He could not go, he told -Frank, because he had received a telegram from a broker who was handling -Western mining stock for him, and who was coming on from New York that -day for a business interview. - -The importance of the occasion seemed to demand music, and Dashleigh’s -mandolin club invaded the New London train, loaded down with cases -containing mandolins, guitars, and various other musical instruments. -The crowd was very jolly and very musical, and bellowed such classics as -“Good-by, Lady!” and “Good-by, My Lover, Good-by!” until many of the -passengers who were not interested in such things, and particularly some -Boston drummers on their way to Providence, who were investigating the -mysteries of a jack-pot at the other end of the car, wished that -mandolins had never been invented, or that musically inclined students -had all been born dumb. - -Dashleigh and his fellow musicians were supremely satisfied with -themselves, however, and with the world in general, proving it by -bubbling over with exuberant spirits. Dashleigh and Starbright had taken -the first train, in order that they might get ahead of the crowd and -secure good hotel accommodations. When New London was reached, and, -finding there a great crowd assembled, Starbright put his bulky weight -in the advance, with Dashleigh and the mandolin club trailing after him, -and plowed a wide furrow through the crowd and escaped to a hotel in -time to get the desired rooms and accommodations. - -“There’s only one thing that can save my mandolin,” said Bert, when he -and Dick were ensconced in comfort and security. “You’ll have to lend me -another tenner. And, then, it may not save it.” - -“What’s that?” - -“Well, I haven’t money enough to liquidate for this gorgeousness.” - -Starbright frowned. - -“Been betting some more?” - -“Well, you see, I couldn’t help it. And I’ve about bet the mandolin.” - -“How was that?” - -“Well, you see, Rol Packard shook a fiver under my nose, and I told him -I hadn’t any more money, but would put my mandolin against it.” - -Starbright sighed. - -“Dashleigh, you’ll bet the coat off your back next!” - -“There are others! And I’ll be all right as soon as I get the money I’ve -already won.” - -Indeed, there were “others” of Merriwell’s friends who were as wild in -their betting as Bert Dashleigh. - -The game was to be called at half-past two o’clock. Before that hour the -polo-rink was crowded with men and boys, Yale students and pretty girls, -who were interestedly watching a preliminary match-game between two New -London teams of amateurs. - -Dashleigh’s mandolin club was there, in seats at one end of the big -rectangular “surface,” thumping away in the intervals of play. - -The blue colors of Yale were everywhere conspicuous, as if to refute the -assertions of Merriwell’s enemies that Frank’s team was not an -accredited Yale institution. More blue would not have been displayed if -a regular Yale college five was about to meet a five from another great -university. The crowd grew denser and denser, as the watches showed the -approach of the hour. - -By and by the amateurs concluded their playing, and the New London team, -which was a New London team in name only, came upon the “surface” for a -warming-up before meeting Merriwell’s men. - -While they were engaged in this, Frank and his five entered the room, -their entrance immediately attracting attention. They came in, clothed -in their roller-polo costume, with roller-skates on their feet. - -Then more than half the crowd seemed to rise up; and, led by Bill -Higgins, who swung his big sombrero and yelled like an Indian at a -horse-race, they gave Merriwell and his men a rousing cheer. Dade Morgan -whitened with rage. - -“Hear the fools!” he inwardly snarled. “When will they ever get done -worshiping Merriwell?” - -The difference between the two teams was marked. Two of the opposing -team looked like New York toughs, which they were, and the captain was a -truculent-looking fellow, with eyes set close together. - -When the New London team gave way for Merriwell’s, and Frank led his men -on the floor for practise, the difference between the teams was so -noticeable that Higgins again started a cheer which seemed to rock the -building. - -“I thould like to get that fellowth wope awound hith neck and choke -him!” Lew Veazie disgustedly lisped to his chums of the Chickering set, -as he listened to the cowboy’s bellowing. “It maketh me thick!” - -“You’ll be sicker before the game is over!” said Beckwith, the big guard -of the Yale football-team, who chanced to overhear him. “It makes me -ashamed to know that you fellows are Yale men.” - -“But Merriwell’s isn’t a Yale team!” snarled Skelding. - -“Oh, it isn’t? Well, the best men in Yale think so. Listen to that -yelling, if you don’t believe it! Look at those blue ribbons, if you -don’t believe it! Merriwell is the king of Yale, and you know it, you -miserable puppies!” - -“If he wathn’t tho big I’d thump him!” Veazie gasped, when Beckwith had -pushed on. “Why, the audathious villain!” - -Merriwell’s team finished its practise. Silence reigned; even -Dashleigh’s mandolin club ceasing its efforts when the hour arrived for -the match-game on which so much was staked. - -The referee came upon the floor, or “surface,” with the ball, and the -teams grouped in front of the goal-cages. This was the line-up of the -teams: - - - YALE. POSITION. NEW LONDON. - Merriwell Rush Crowder. - Starbright Rush Gates. - Ready Center Mehan. - Hodge Half-back Weathers. - Browning Goal Bascom. - - -The referee placed the rubber-covered polo-ball on the spot in the -middle of the floor. The members of the teams, who had been standing in -front of their respective goal-cages, straightened up and leaned -strainingly forward, ready to dash for the ball when the whistle -sounded. - -The referee stepped to one side of the surface when he had placed the -ball, and put his whistle to his lips. Crowder, who was captain and -rush—he of the narrow eyes and truculent face—was in motion before the -sharp blast cut the air, but the referee did not send him back, and the -whistle blew almost immediately. Then Frank went down the floor like a -shot, and from under Crowder’s outstretched stick uncovered the spot and -sent the ball bang against the planking at the back of the New London -cage. - -Bill Higgins opened up again with the roar of a buffalo, and the Yale -men yelled. - -Weathers, the New London half-back, got the ball and sent it flying -toward the middle of the surface, where Ready blocked its passage with -his feet and shot it again toward the New London goal. Bascom was in -front of it, however, and kicked it away with a savage snarl, as if he -were kicking at an enemy’s head. He was big and fat, with an enormous -face and an unwholesome form. - -Then Weathers struck the ball; but it was stopped by Hodge, and there -was a furious mix-up near the center of the floor, from out of the midst -of which the ball was shot by Starbright. - -Mehan now took a hand and skipped the ball toward the Yale end; and -Gates, getting in ahead of Starbright and Merriwell, shot it for the -Yale goal. - -Big Bruce Browning was there, however, with legs and stick ready for -duty, and he blocked the play, driving the ball to one side. - -Gates, who was a fast skater, got behind it with his stick and again -sent it toward Bruce. It missed the goal, however, going behind it; and -a struggle for its possession ensued between Crowder and Starbright, -Crowder roughly trying to shoulder Dick out of the way; but in the -attempt he was hurled against the planking, and the ball, dragged by -Starbright’s stick away from the wall and from behind the goal, was -caromed by him to Ready, who ran with it down the floor and shot it -toward the New London end of the surface. - -Here another fight ensued for its possession, the ball being batted and -banged about, stopped by clubs and feet and sticks, until it was flirted -out of the mêlée by Bart Hodge and again flew toward the New London -goal. - -Bascom was in place. He kicked it out of the way, and, lunging for -another kick, uncovered the ball, and Merriwell shot the ball into the -cage. - -The first goal of the play had been made. - -The teams now changed goals; and, while this was being done and they -were getting in readiness for the next play, Dashleigh’s mandolin club -began to “discourse sweet music,” which was drowned, however by the -yells of the Yale men, led by Bill Higgins. - -The yelling and the music ceased as the referee advanced again toward -the middle of the floor with the ball. The contesting teams crouched in -readiness while he put the ball on the spot. Then, before walking aside, -the referee made his announcement: - -“First goal, Yale; made by Merriwell. Time, two minutes and twenty -seconds.” - -He put the whistle to his lips, having walked aside while concluding the -announcement, and Crowder started. The referee waved him back; then -sounded his whistle, and the rushers darted out. - -Again Merriwell got the ball and sent it flying down the floor. It was -stopped by Mehan, the New London center; but Ready took it away from him -and sent it again toward the New London goal, where it was stopped by -the fat goal-end, who knocked it back with his stick. Then Hodge -succeeded in getting the ball and started down the floor with it, -driving past Mehan and Weathers. But Gates, who had skated round in a -half-circle, stopped the ball with his stick before it reached the -goal-end. - -Bang! Weathers drove it straight and hard to the Yale end of the floor -and against the planking, Starbright and Merriwell drove it from the -vicinity of the Yale goal, Merriwell running it down to Starbright and -the latter passing it around Crowder by a handsome carom against the -wall and on to Hodge, who again tried to drive a goal. - -But in doing so he slipped and came down with a thump on the floor. One -of his skates had broken. The referee’s whistle blew and time was given -for Bart to put on other skates. - -Dade Morgan, who had secured a good seat in one of the side galleries, -which enabled him to look down on the surface and observe every movement -of the players, found it difficult to keep the smile on his face. He -fiercely wanted the New London men to win—not because of the bets which -had been made, but because he fancied the loss of the game would -humiliate Merriwell and Starbright. - -He was watching Mehan and Bascom, who, with others, were walking about -the floor near their goal with their skates skewed to the sides of their -feet, in this interval of play. Bascom and Mehan were the men from New -York who had been hired by him to knock out Dick Starbright, by breaking -his arm, or otherwise seriously injuring him before the end of the game. - -Dade was thinking, too, as he looked at them, of what he fancied was -transpiring in New Haven at that time, and rejoicing in the probably -successful result of the efforts of Dion Santenel to snare Charles -Conrad Merriwell. - -“I’m afraid that Merriwell’s men are the better players,” he was forced -to confess to himself. “But only one goal has been made, and there are -plenty of chances. Anyway, if one of those fellows knocks out Starbright -satisfactorily I shall be satisfied, whichever way the game goes.” - -Again the game was on, the skaters flying here and there after the -elusive sphere, swooping down on it from all quarters, as it skipped -back and forth under the constant strokes of the sticks. - -It was clearly to be seen that Merriwell’s men were the more scientific -players. They did not hammer at the ball constantly, as if trying to -smash it into dust, as the New Londoners did, but made team plays, -gliding the ball from man to man around opposition players, caroming it -against the walls and skilfully shooting it for goal. - -The playing of the New London men was of the slugger type, as befitted -their appearance. Bascom, their goal-tend, was savage and fierce as a -chained wolf, hopping about in front of the cage, kicking at the ball, -striking at it, and frantically warding it off when it was shot at the -cage. Now and then he lifted his club and glared at the Yale men as they -swooped on him, as if he desired to hammer their heads. More than once -Mehan caught a Yale player round the shoulders and pushed him about, yet -the referee did not announce a foul. - -Mehan tried this once too often, jamming with terrific force into Dick -Starbright, who was skating in the opposite direction. The result was -disastrous to the New London man, who was hurled from his feet by the -force of the impact, being literally lifted by Starbright’s greater -weight and strength. He fell with a crash, striking his head on the -floor, and lay for a moment stunned. - -The referee blew his whistle; and, as if to cover up the confusion, -Dashleigh’s band began to play. - -“I’ll git even with ye for that!” Mehan growled viciously, as he crawled -to his feet. - -Then it was found that in the fall he had broken his skate, and a wait -was occasioned. - -“Look out for that fellow, Dick!” Frank warned. “He has been acting ugly -toward you ever since the game began. Once, when he struck at the ball -in the air, as if his stick were a baseball bat, and missed it, I -thought he really struck at you. I believe now he did!” - -“Oh, I saw the rascal!” Dick smiled. “I’ve been watching him ever since. -But I don’t fancy he will care to run into me again, as he did just -then.” - -The fierceness of the New London men seemed to increase when the play -began again, and within two minutes they had caged the ball, catching -Browning off his guard and shooting the sphere between his legs. - -Then how the friends of Dade Morgan cheered, in spite of the fact that -the goal had been won from Yale! - -“They’re fools!” Morgan snarled to himself. “I warned them against -making such a show of themselves; but lots of fellows haven’t any more -tact than to exhibit themselves in that way.” - -Yet he was so pleased that the smile came to his face without any effort -on his part. - -Dashleigh’s band was again twanging away, but its strains could not -soothe the heart of Morgan, who, in that moment of temporary victory, -felt that he hated Merriwell and Starbright more than he had ever hated -them. - -When the playing recommenced it was fast and furious, and within less -than a minute Starbright made a goal. Then Crowder drove a goal for New -London, the score was again tied, and the referee’s whistle blew, -announcing the end of the first period of the match. - -When the referee’s whistle blew again and the game recommenced, -Merriwell reached the ball first and sent it flying for goal. Bascom -stopped it with his padded shins, kicked it away, and a fight for its -possession took place near the middle of the floor. - -Then Starbright secured it and drove it again toward the New London -goal; but Weathers, the half-back, blocked it with his feet, and it shot -to one side of the hall, with four or five men diving after it. Ready -was there, and drove it into the New London goal, but it bounded out; -and another struggle for its possession ensued, right in front of the -cage, yet far enough away to prevent the calling of a foul. Hodge now -got the ball and shot it into the cage, and it stayed there. - -There was a transference of goals, and the game was renewed. Again -Merriwell drove the ball for the cage; but Bascom, the goal-tend, -stopped it with his foot. Weathers skipped it back to the middle of the -floor, where there was a struggle for it, and such hot work that the -spectators were brought up standing with a yell. - -The New London men secured the ball and fought their way toward the Yale -end. But Browning was there, and, though they made a desperate effort to -put the ball in the cage, he prevented it. - -Starbright drew the ball out of the mix-up, but lost it; and, to keep it -from being caged, Ready shot it behind the goal. It caromed against the -wall, flying to Merriwell’s side, and before Crowder could get to him, -Merriwell shot it for a goal. - -It went across the room like a streak of light. Bascom jumped to prevent -it from going into the cage, but missed it; and another goal was added -to the score of Merriwell’s side. - -Again goals were changed, but before another score was made by either -team the referee’s whistle blew, announcing the end of the second period -of the game. The work had been so hot and fierce that neither spectators -nor players had realized the quick passage of time, and the sound of the -whistle came as a surprise. - -Bascom, the fat goal-tend of the New London team, who had worked with -such savage energy, was dripping with perspiration, and all of the men -were more or less blown. - -Whizz—plunk! The game was on again, and Merriwell had again driven the -ball into the New London cage. Morgan’s face looked black. He had -forgotten to smile. He saw that Merriwell’s men were playing now, and -that the New London sluggers, though they were fierce fighters, were -really no match for the Yale five. - -The goals were changed, and the battle raged anew. Crowder was furious. -At the sound of the whistle he tried to take the ball off the spot ahead -of Merriwell, a thing he had not yet been able to do. But Frank took the -ball, as before, and shot it past him, bang against the netting of the -cage. It bounded out, was caught up by Weathers’ stick, and danced to -the middle of the floor. Then Mehan sent it along, and there was another -tussle near the Yale goal. - -In the struggle that ensued, Mehan struck savagely at Dick Starbright’s -head. Dick saw the blow coming and dodged, and the stick, swinging over -and banging against the floor, was broken short off. - -The ball had been in the air at the time, and Mehan, profusely -apologizing, declared that the blow had not been aimed at Dick, but at -the ball; and, after another stick had been given to him, the game was -renewed. - -“See here!” Dick hissed, when he was skating by the fellow, “if that -happens again, I’ll know it’s no accident, and I’ll thump you as soon as -the game is over. See?” - -Mehan whitened, but made no answer. - -The New London men, appearing now to realize that if they were not to be -defeated badly they must make a fierce fight, began another effort to -cage the ball on the Yale side. But Merriwell’s men pushed the ball away -from the neighborhood of their goal out into the center of the floor. It -came back, however, and Bruce time and again stopped it, in a way to win -admiration from the spectators. - -“They can’t get it past him!” Bill Higgins bellowed, hopping up and down -in his excitement and waving his big sombrero, while his great spurs -tinkled and jingled. - -Two more skates were broken, and stops were made. Then Bruce, trying to -stop a ball, pitched forward headlong on the floor, and Crowder, who was -striking at the ball, deflected his stick and struck Bruce heavily over -the head. - -“It was an accident,” was the verdict of the referee. - -Bruce’s head was bandaged, and, though he felt so dizzy from the effect -of the blow that he could hardly stand, he remained at his post. - -Then Ready drove another goal, and Bill Higgins whooped. - -“Them New London fellers’ll never git another!” he yelled. - -But they did. The New London men rallied, and in less than two minutes -made two goals, setting their sympathizers wild with excitement. - -“I ought to have prevented that,” Bruce apologized. “If I do that again, -Merry, take me off the team.” - -But Frank knew that New London would not have made those goals if Bruce -had been in his usual condition, and he kindly told the big fellow so. -The pain seemed somehow to go out of Bruce’s head after that, so that, -when the next time the ball came skipping toward him, he blocked it -promptly with his padded shins, and sent it flying back to the other end -of the room with his stick. Again the battle was forced out into the -middle of the rink. - -Two goals were made, one by Starbright and the other by Merriwell. The -New London men, growing more and more furious, tried again and again to -cage the ball; but Bruce Browning was seemingly himself again, and each -time cleverly blocked it and kept the Yale cage empty. - -“Beat ’em out of sight!” Higgins yelled from his seat in the balcony; -and Merriwell seemed suddenly to resolve to do this, and show the -spectators what real polo-playing looked like. He was angered, too, by -the dastardly blow which had been given Bruce and by the attempt against -Starbright. - -There were not many minutes more of play, but in that time Merriwell -proved his worthiness of the title of Polo King. Again and again the New -London men came charging down the room with a clanking roar, for a -struggle for the ball, but Merriwell’s men, seeming to be imbued with -the resolution which had come to Frank, met them firmly, took the ball -from them easily, and, shooting it from man to man in beautiful team -play, caged it again and again. Ready caged a goal, being followed by -Bart Hodge, and he by Dick Starbright. Each time, when these goals were -made, it was Merriwell who sent the ball to the one who made the goal, -sending it at just the right time and in just the right way to enable -the player to do the work. - -Then Merriwell himself took a hand at the work of goal-making, and caged -the ball twice in less than two minutes of play. - -The New London men found that they simply were not in it, though they -tried to pull themselves together and prevent this furious goal-making -on the part of the Yale team. Bascom hopped up and down and to and fro -in front of the cage, like the proverbial chicken on the proverbial pan -of live coals. He lunged, kicked, flounced, and writhed; but he could -not prevent the goals, for they seemed to shoot from Merry’s stick past -his lunging feet, over them, under them, and between them. - -Everybody in the big barnlike building was standing up in mad -excitement, as the game thus drew toward its close, and Bill Higgins was -whooping as if he meant to take off the roof. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - THE BLOW OF THE HYPNOTIST. - - -While the polo-teams were battling at New London, Dion Santenel was not -idle. Charles Conrad Merriwell, sitting up-stairs in his pleasant front -room at the New Haven House, looking over a paper, heard a knock on the -door, and a colored boy came in bearing a card. - -“Fisher Stokes, stock-broker and mining-agent, Denver, Colorado,” was -what Mr. Merriwell read on the card. - -“Been waiting for you,” said Merriwell, smiling pleasantly, when -“Stokes” was shown into the room. - -“Detained by a little business down-town,” the man explained suavely, -giving the apartment a comprehensive, sweeping glance out of the corners -of his dark eyes before sinking into the chair which Merriwell politely -placed for him. - -The furnishing was substantial and old-fashioned. In the center of the -room was a round-topped table covered with a heavy slab of marble. -Between the two windows which looked out on Chapel Street and the green -was a long pier-glass. A green velvet carpet covered the floor, and the -room was furnished with an abundance of comfortable chairs and a sofa. -An alcove bedroom opened off from this main room, its doorway -half-concealed by curtains. In addition to this there was a bathroom. -The apartments were the best and most expensive in the house, and the -house the best that New Haven afforded. - -As Fisher Stokes took all this in, he came to the quick conclusion that -the white-haired man who had been waiting for him, seated at the round -marble-topped center-table, was comfortably situated, to say the least. - -“As I had to come on to New York, I wired you that I would call here -this afternoon to see you about the shares in the Anaconda group in the -Cripple Creek district,” he continued, beginning to open a case which -the colored boy had brought into the room. He looked now with his keen, -dark eyes at Merriwell pretty much as he had looked at the room and its -furnishings. - -“I knew you were Merriwell as soon as I saw you. I think I should have -known you, even if I had met you by chance in the street, though we have -never met before. You see, I had a man in my office who once worked for -you in Arizona in a minor capacity. When he found out that I was -handling stocks for you, he became so interested that he gave me a -complete description of your personal appearance and told so many things -concerning you that I have felt for months as if we were personally -acquainted. Some of this business might have been conducted by mail and -wire, but I thought, as I was so near in New York, that it was a duty I -owed to myself and you to run up and see you.” - -There was nothing in the man’s appearance to indicate to Merriwell that -he was Brandon Drood, alias Dion Santenel, his old and bitter enemy, -from whose power he had escaped so short a time before, through the aid -of Frank. “Fisher Stokes,” who was evidently past middle age, was almost -Frenchy in appearance, with well-waxed mustache and imperial that hid -the lines of his thin lips and cold, cruel mouth. His thin, straight -form was encased in a dark-gray business suit. A diamond blazed on the -middle finger of his left hand and another shone in his scarp-pin. The -fiery gleam of the eyes had been subdued and almost banished; and, as he -talked, Merriwell noticed that his voice was soft and well modulated. It -held nothing of the real accents of Brandon Drood, nor of the droning -tones of the pretended Hindu. In all things “Fisher Stokes” seemed to be -what he professed to be, a prosperous, alert, rather self-important -mining-broker of the West. And, as Mr. Merriwell had never seen the real -Fisher Stokes, who was handling Western mining-shares for him, he was -the more easily deceived. - -“What was the name of the man?” Merriwell asked, at once interested in -Drood’s statement; for, like many men who have made themselves immensely -wealthy by a lucky turn of fortune, Merriwell was sometimes garrulously -fond of recalling and dilating on the past and on the days of his -hardships and misfortune. - -“Byron Macomber.” - -“Ah, yes!” - -Mr. Merriwell’s face lighted. - -“Macomber was one of my most trusted clerks while I was in Arizona. So -he is with you now? I am afraid that I failed to reward him properly for -his services to me. Tell him so, please, and that at any time if he -needs aid I shall be glad to extend it.” - -Santenel had taken the papers from the leathern case and placed them on -the table. - -Then the fiery gleam came into Santenel’s eyes—those terrible, -fascinating, serpentlike eyes—and they glowed and burned, contracting -and expanding their pupils, as they eagerly studied the face of Charles -Conrad Merriwell. - -“So soon!” Santenel mentally croaked. “So soon I have him in my power! -And I feared it might be the work of hours. Yes, he is already under my -influence and does not know it. I have him again. Ah! Charles Conrad -Merriwell! You, who hounded me over the earth until at length I turned -at bay, determined to crush you instead of permitting you to crush me, I -have you again in my power, and you shall not escape!” - -The reflective light began to fade out of the eyes of Mr. Merriwell, to -be replaced by a look of vacancy. Then he made a struggle to arouse -himself, but the struggle was weak and ineffective. Santenel’s -mysterious power was already over him, holding his will in subjection. - -And Frank, who had saved him before, was far off in New London, battling -with the New London polo-team! - -In a little while Santenel began to talk in a low, soothing monotone, -still stabbing Merriwell’s face and eyes with his terrible eyes. - -“In those days I was not known as Dion Santenel,” he droned, as if -seeking to strengthen a memory that he sought to stir in the mind of the -man he was subjugating. “Then I was called Brandon Drood. You struck me, -you know—struck me like a dog, for cheating you at cards, and I planned -a revenge, a sweet revenge. I discovered, as I lay on my bed where your -blow had placed me, that I was able to hypnotize you—made the first -discovery of the fact that I have that mysterious power over other men. -I used it. I made you imprison yourself in that tunnel in the Ragged -Queen Mine, where I supposed you would die. But you found a way out. You -regained possession of what I thought a used-out mine, which you named -the Lost Man, and from which you dug a fortune. Then, with that wealth -at your back, you began to hound me, pursuing me everywhere, dragging me -down when I climbed to affluence and striking at me without mercy. But -now my time has come! The worm has turned. I have studied and plotted -and planned for this hour. For this hour I have made myself all -men—coming and going with the silence of night and like the changing -characters on the theater boards. All for this hour! What have I not -suffered, endured? For this hour! For this hour!” - -The dilating and contracting pupils seemed miniature furnaces with their -shooting flames, and the words lulled Merriwell as the crooning lullaby -of a mother lulls to sleep the babe. - -“You are in my power, and you will do as I wish!” Santenel said at -length, ceasing that low droning. - -He arose and locked the door, turning the key in the lock and hanging a -cloth over it to keep out any penetrating gaze, though the position of -the door made it most unlikely that any one could see where Merriwell -sat, bolt upright now in the chair. - -Coming back, Santenel made a pass with his hands over Merriwell’s face, -commanded him to rouse up, and Merriwell sat up yawning as if he had -been aroused from a nap. He looked at Santenel with vacant curiosity. - -“Now as to that business,” said Santenel, spreading out some blank paper -on the marble-topped table and producing pen and ink. - -“Oh, yes,” said Merriwell. “Let me see, I forgot what it was?” - -“This is the last day of your life, you know! When the sun rises -to-morrow, Charles Conrad Merriwell will have ceased to exist. Aye! -before the sun goes down in the west to-night—goes down where the Ragged -Queen was and the Lost Man Mine now is—you will be gone from this -world!” - -“Yes, yes!” Merriwell assented, without a note of fear or regret in his -voice. “That was what brought you here? I had forgotten, but that was -it.” - -“But before you go I want you to write a statement, which will show the -world why you go and what is to become of some of your property—a great -deal of your property.” - -“Yes, yes!” Merriwell again assented. - -Santenel produced a book of bank-checks which he had previously filled -in. There were many of them, all for large amounts, and bearing various -dates, some as much as six months before. - -“You are not so wealthy as the world thinks you, when your debts are -paid! My commissions for kiting the Blue Bird mining-stock for you were -one hundred thousand dollars. It was no fault of mine that the Blue Bird -was a worthless hole in the ground. You knew that, and I was only -pushing your ventures. You lost, but you gave me two notes of fifty -thousand each for my commission.” - -He pushed out two notes, which Merriwell merely stared at. - -“Then I took up and developed the Golden Nugget, at a cost to you of one -hundred and fifty thousand dollars, every cent of which I paid out of my -own pocket, though for business reasons we permitted the world to think -you advanced the money yourself. The Golden Nugget had no golden nuggets -in it, and you lost; but, of course, I must have my money, and you gave -me two more notes for that, each of seventy-five thousand dollars.” - -He pushed them over, properly filled out, bearing interest, and a date -of five months previous. - -“Then there was that big deal in Rocky Mountain coal land, and all those -other deals which you so readily remember. The whole of it amounts to -eight hundred thousand dollars, and I should make it two millions if I -wasn’t afraid of the courts. Sometimes a man’s desire to suddenly enrich -himself bumps him up against the courts, and he loses all that he hoped -to gain and more, too. Your son Frank is a fighter!” - -These last remarks seemed to be directed to himself and not to -Merriwell, and Merriwell appeared not to hear them. - -Santenel slowly pushed the prepared notes across the table and reached -out the pen to Merriwell, the latter taking it without hesitation. - -“You will sign these notes; after which you will prepare a written -statement of the reasons which led you to take a sudden departure from -this earthly sphere!” - -Merriwell drew the notes to him, not noticing that they were drawn -payable to another name than that of “Fisher Stokes,” and, dipping the -pen in the ink-well, he proceeded to append his name. - -Santenel dried the ink of the signatures with a blotter and placed the -notes in a little heap on the marble table. Then he shoved a sheet of -paper to Merriwell and commanded him to write. - -“This is what you are to say,” commanded Santenel, and Charles Conrad -Merriwell set his pen to the paper: - - “TO MY SON FRANK. - - “DEAR FRANK: The only regret I have is in leaving you, for I - know that you love me and that you will be shocked and grieved - at my death, the death of a suicide. But life has become - unbearable to me. I can stand it no longer. I have studiously - concealed this from you, though I fear sometimes that you have - read it in my face. I am in good mental health; but I have - ceased to have any desire to live. You have sometimes noticed - idiosyncrasies in me. The attempt to hide from you my real - feelings and my heart-sickness of the world will go far toward - explaining them. I hope that my body will not be cast up by the - waves, and that if it should be, it may lie unburied, though - this last I know you will not permit. Pay all my debts. I have - some notes outstanding, among others some heavy ones occasioned - by wildcat mining speculation. These I must ask you to meet. The - rest of my fortune is yours. So good-by; don’t think too hard of - me, and do not grieve, for I am not worthy of it. - - “Your unfortunate father, - - “CHARLES CONRAD MERRIWELL.” - -This was properly dated. - -“We will leave that here on the table—or, rather, you will; and then you -will do what I tell you. Just a plunge, and it will all be over. Any man -might crave so easy an exit from the world!” - -He was again fixing his terrible eyes on the now almost vacant face of -Frank’s father, thinking at the same time of the steps he must now take -to carry out his plan to its conclusion and secure his own safety. - -“You will do all that I tell you?” - -“Yes,” Merriwell answered. “Everything!” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - INZA TO THE RESCUE. - - -Spat—whiz—plunk! The game was still on at New London, and Frank -Merriwell drove and caged a ball. - -The referee’s whistle blew, denoting the close of the last period of the -game; and he followed this with the announcement of the scores: - -“Goals made by Yale, fifteen; by New London, four.” - -Dade Morgan was gnawing his smiling lips, in his seat in the balcony. - -“Curse the fellows, they have failed me!” he was thinking. - -Then he saw Bascom jostle heavily against Dick Starbright! saw a sudden -altercation, and beheld Bascom’s polo-stick flash through the air. When -it fell, Dick Starbright fell with it. - -The crowd was rising and streaming out of the building. Bascom dived to -the nearest netting, which he cut away with furious slashes of a knife, -leaped through the opening thus made, pushed aside the men who were -there, and sprang for a small door, the position of which he had -previously ascertained. Before the extent of Starbright’s injury could -be known or a pursuit organized Bascom was gone. - -Frank Merriwell was the first to reach Starbright. He lifted Dick and -saw that the polo-stick had struck his head. There was a small gash and -some blood. But Frank saw almost immediately that, though the blow had -knocked Starbright senseless, its effects were not likely to be of a -serious character. - -A doctor came out of the crowd, and an excited group soon gathered in -the “surface.” - -Bart Hodge and others were trying to discover what had become of Bascom. -The other members of the New London polo-team pushed into the crowd and -expressed their sympathy, and were free in their declarations that -Bascom must have acted in a fit of anger on the impulse of the moment -and without any malice. - -Dick Starbright did not long remain unconscious. The blow had been aimed -well enough, but Dick’s upthrust arm had deflected it and it had fallen -glancingly, producing only temporary concussion. - -“Oh, he’s all right!” - -The doctor said it, and the doctor laughed encouragingly. A boy pushed -toward Frank with a telegram. Frank tore open the envelope and read: - - “Man here with your father. I think D. S. Come quick. Will meet - you at wreck with automobile. - - “INZA.” - -Inza Burrage had sent it from New Haven. - -Frank, after a cheering word to Dick Starbright, jumped out of the room, -hurrying toward the street without changing his clothing. As a short -cut, he took the little door through which Bascom had fled. He was about -to emerge into the light from a small and unused side entrance, when he -heard a rustling and became aware that a man who had been about to leave -the place ahead of him had drawn back and was now apparently in hiding. - -“Bascom!” was Frank’s thought. - -Before the man knew that his presence had been observed, Frank was on -him, pouncing down like an eagle. - -It was indeed Bascom, who had succeeded in hiding in the building, and -who, fancying that the coast was now somewhat clear, had decided to -venture forth and try to get out of the town before a more thorough -search might reveal his place of hiding. - -Frank clutched him by the throat, bore him backward to the floor, -calling for assistance. Before it came, however, he had found a rope and -tied Bascom up ready to turn him over to the authorities. - -Then he relinquished him to Hodge, who had come with others in answer to -his call. After a few words with this most faithful friend, Frank -hurried away for the railway-station and telegraph-office. - -There he learned that a freight had been wrecked on its way from New -Haven, and that the track would not be open for some time. - -Then he fully understood Inza’s message. It would be impossible for him -to get through to New Haven by rail, because of this wreck; and she -would be at the place where the wreck occurred, with the automobile, -ready to take him on into New Haven at the highest speed of the auto, as -soon as he reached her. - -“Brave and quick-witted as ever!” was his thought. “I wonder what she -has learned of Dion Santenel now? I thought the rascal would abandon his -attempts and be afraid to return to New Haven. But I will get there, and -I will thwart him in his scheme, whatever it is.” - -Frank might not have been so confident if he had known just what -Santenel was doing, and how he was succeeding. - -“When will there be a train through to New Haven?” he asked of the -agent. - -“All trains abandoned,” was the answer. - -“What about a wrecking-train?” - -“It won’t take passengers, and it will go no farther than the wreck.” - -Frank did not ask anything more, except the distance the wreck had -occurred from New Haven. He heard two men talking, and from their -conversation learned that the wrecking-train would be along in ten or -fifteen minutes, from some city down the road, and that the chances were -it would go through New London without making a stop. - -Frank’s mind was at once made up. He would try to get on that -wrecking-train, even if he had to make a flying leap for it at great -risk from the New London platform. Then he sent a message to Inza. - -“Ten minutes to spare, anyway!” he reflected. “I’ll make a change in my -clothes.” - -Hurrying back to the polo-rink for this purpose, he thought over the -message from Inza. There was a possibility that she might have been -deceived as to the identity of the man who was with his father, but -Frank knew that her eyes were keen. The chances were that she was not -deceived. In that case, there could be no doubt that the elder Merriwell -was in serious peril. - -The thought that he might be too late made Frank wish for a special -train for the scene of the wreck; but that could not be had in New -London. Nor was anything to be gained by trying to hire a special -engine. He decided that if he missed the wrecking-train he would try to -get a special engine by wire. - -When he returned to the station, having been stopped on the way by -crowds of enthusiastic men who insisted on shaking hands with him over -the great fight he and his men had made in the polo-game, he sent a -telegram to Selton Dirk, the little New Haven detective whom he had more -than once employed, asking Dirk to call on his father at the New Haven -House and do what in his judgment he thought proper. - -“Dirk is quick and he’ll catch on,” was Frank’s thought, as he gave this -message to the operator and asked him to hurry it through. The message -went through; but Frank did not know until later that Dirk was out of -the city and that it could not reach him. - -The whistle of the engine of the special wrecking-train was heard at -this moment. Its character told him that the train was not to stop. - -Frank remained close against the wall of the station until the engine -whirled in sight, then walked toward it. - - * * * * * - -Five miles out from New Haven, at the scene of the wreck, Inza Burrage -sat in Frank Merriwell’s automobile, with smiling confidence. She had -received his message, which said he would reach that point on the first -train through, and she believed he would do so, even though the men who -were plowing round the wreck with spades and picks told her that the big -wrecking-train, whose coming they anxiously awaited, would not stop at -New London, and that her friend could not possibly come through on that. - -When the train came and stopped at the wreck Inza found her faith in -Merriwell justified. He was in the caboose of the wrecking-train; and, -leaping down the clay embankment, he extended his hands to her, climbing -at once into the automobile. - -“I knew you’d be waiting for me!” he said, starting the machine. - -“And I knew that you would come, even though the men at the wreck told -me you couldn’t. You always do the things that other men can’t do, or -are too timid to do, and I knew it would be so this time.” - -“It was very simple,” Frank answered. “There were some empty flat cars -on the New London siding. I climbed upon these, took a good run along -them as if I was going at a hurdle when the wrecking-train came along, -and jumped from them to a flat car of the train. It was a lively jump, -but I made it. The conductor didn’t want me there, and said I oughtn’t -to be there, and some other things, but he was in too big a hurry to -stop and put me off, as I knew he would be, and I came right through at -a double quick, without further trouble.” - -He gave the lever a touch and sent the automobile forward at its highest -speed. - -“Father?” he questioned simply. - -“I’m sure that Santenel is with him! I shouldn’t have thought anything -about it, if you hadn’t told me that awful story of the Hindu. I saw -this man, and some way I was sure he was the Hindu, for you’ll recollect -that I saw the Hindu at the charity fair. Well, I followed him along -Chapel Street, saw him enter the New Haven House, and heard him ask to -have his card taken up to Charles Conrad Merriwell! Perhaps I was a bit -bold in following him into the New Haven House, but I thought it a thing -I ought to do, and there was no time to get any one else to do it. - -“Before venturing to send you the telegram I hired a boy on the street -to go again to the New Haven House and ask the proprietor if Mr. -Merriwell could be seen, and he came back and said that Mr. Merriwell -was busily engaged and was to be seen by no one. Then I sent you the -telegram, and as soon as I got your answer I started for this point with -your automobile.” - -For a time there was nothing heard but the br-r-r-r-r of the automobile, -as it took the straight road before it like a racer under Frank’s -manipulation. He had an inner feeling that Inza’s keen eyes had seen and -perceived the truth, and that his father was in the greatest peril of -his life. - - * * * * * - -The feeling that makes a cat love to toy with a mouse which is helpless -in its power and half-unconscious filled the soul of Dion Santenel. - -“If Frank Merriwell should learn that I am here he could not reach me, -unless he has the wings of a bird!” the villain chuckled, as he looked -at Charles Conrad Merriwell. “If he should telegraph Selton Dirk, Dirk -is in New York City, sent there on a mission by one of my trusted -agents. If any ordinary policeman should attempt to touch me, I should -simply laugh at him and make the fellow go away feeling worse than a -sneak for having suspected me. Everything has worked to my hand. Frank -is away, and can’t even dream of the plot that sent him away, and I am -free to work my will!” - -Then he began again to talk to the elder Merriwell, speaking in the -droning way he sometimes delighted to affect, again playing with the -helpless man like the cat with the mouse. By and by he took up the -statement which Merriwell had prepared at his dictation, smilingly read -it, and placed it on the table in a conspicuous manner, with a -paper-weight to hold it down. - -After that, he looked through the notes bearing the signature of Charles -Conrad Merriwell, ascertained that they were all right in every way on -their surface, and tucked them away in an inner pocket in a leather -wallet. - -“Come! It’s time to go!” he said, speaking to Merriwell. - -Merriwell aroused. - -“Yes?” - -“You will take the electric car at this corner for the boat landings. -There you will hire a boat or steal one, row out a half-mile from shore, -and throw yourself overboard and sink. This letter on the table will -explain to the world why. This is my command. You will do it. You obeyed -me in the mine and fired the blast that shut you in; you must obey me as -implicitly in this. I will it, and my will is now your law. Go!” - -His face had assumed a wolfish look, and his eyes were again shooting -out their red gleams. - -“Yes!” - -Merriwell made the promise and rose to his feet to carry it out, as -completely subjected to the will of the man before him as if he were an -automaton. - -“But I will go first,” said Santenel, speaking to Charles Merriwell. -“Ten minutes after I am gone you will leave this house and carry out my -instructions. Good-by!” - -“Victory is mine!” chuckled Santenel, as he turned to leave the room. - -At that moment there was a whirr of wheels and the br-r-r-r of an -automobile in the street, which stopped in front of the house. A second -later and a knock sounded on the door. - -Santenel muttered a malediction, but walked to the door and opened it. - -The colored boy stood there, and with him Frank Merriwell. - -Before Santenel could recover from his surprise and mentally resume his -pretended character of “Fisher Stokes,” the broker, Frank crowded -through the doorway and stood before him. - -“You scoundrel!” Frank hissed, and with a swoop of his hand he tore away -the false mustache and imperial. - -With a cry of defeat and fear Santenel leaped at Frank, and was stricken -to the floor, where he lay in a senseless heap. - -Frank Merriwell had come in time! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - THE FALL OF SANTENEL. - - -With difficulty Frank Merriwell held himself in check. He was in a -towering rage, and the impulse was strong in him to hurl himself on the -prostrate form of Dion Santenel. He felt an awful thirst for the life of -the wretch who lay on the floor before him, sent there by a mighty blow -of his fist. Twice before had such a feeling come to him—once when he -struggled with Sport Harris on the rotten bridge in England, and again -when he overthrew Santenel in Louisville and held his life, as it were, -in the hollow of his hand. - -“You miserable whelp!” he panted, looking with loathing and contempt -into the face of the man who had sought his father’s ruin and death. - -He cast a quick glance at his father, who had dropped down, crouching, -into the chair by the marble-topped center-table. - -Though Santenel had now entirely recovered consciousness, he lay -cowering on the floor, in deadly fear of the young athlete whose wrath -he had felt. The fierce fire had gone out of his shining black eyes, to -be replaced by a gleam that was full of subdued and cowardly hate. - -Then he recollected that he had come to the room, not in the person of -Dion Santenel, or Brandon Drood, or even of Hector King, but as “Fisher -Stokes,” the mining speculator and stock-broker of Denver. - -“You are making a mistake!” he cried quickly. “I don’t know why you -knocked me down as you did. I’d have you know, sir, that I am Fisher -Stokes, of Denver, stock-broker and mining speculator. And I shall have -you arrested for this insult and for your unwarranted blow!” - -“Bah!” Frank sneered. “Put these on, will you?” - -He snatched up the false mustache and imperial which he had torn from -the man’s face but a few moments before, and flung them at him. - -Santenel sank back, pale and trembling. He saw that further lies and -threats would not serve him. The fire died out of his eyes, to be -replaced by a look of pleading. He glanced toward the door. - -Frank turned to the colored boy, who stood dumb with amazement, and sent -him with a hasty message to Inza, who was waiting below. The boy -vanished, diving for the elevator with comical speed. - -Santenel rose to his feet and looked longingly at one of the closed -windows. - -“You can’t go out by the door,” said Frank, “and if you pitch yourself -out of that window it will be pretty sure to save the hangman an -unpleasant job.” - -Santenel groped weakly to a chair. - -“You are making a great mistake,” he quiveringly urged. “On my honor, -Mr. Merriwell, you are making a dreadful mistake!” - -“Release him from that spell!” Frank ordered, in so commanding a tone -that Santenel fairly leaped in his chair. - -“Yes, yes!” the hypnotist replied, though he wanted to deny that the -elder Merriwell was under any spell. But he did not dare to do this; -and, with a word and a few passes of his long, thin hands, he removed -the strange influence under which Charles Conrad Merriwell had been -laboring. - -The change produced was remarkable. The face resumed its accustomed -appearance and the eyes held their natural light, except that Mr. -Merriwell seemed to be stupefied by what he beheld. He recognized Frank, -but it was clear that he did not recognize the man who was retreating -from him and who soon again crouched uncomfortably in the chair. - -“It’s all right, father. This is our mutual friend, Santenel.” - -Frank said this with an unnatural and bitter laugh. - -“Our mutual friend has struck again, and again he has failed!” - -The elder Merriwell could hardly credit the words. He recalled the -entrance into the room of “Fisher Stokes,” the pretended stock-broker. -The man who crouched and whined in the chair wore the same clothing, yet -the mustache and imperial and the jaunty business air were gone. What -had occurred after the man’s entrance and their talk of a few moments -Charles Merriwell could not remember. The interval was now a blank to -him. - -Yet, with eyes enlightened by Frank’s words, he perceived that this was -really “Fisher Stokes,” minus the mustache and imperial, which he now -saw on the floor; and Frank had assured him that the man was his bitter -and deadly enemy, Dion Santenel. - -Charles Merriwell’s brain whirled when he tried to comprehend this -transition and the peril he had been in. A sense of terror filled him, -giving to his face, under its crown of white hair, a pitiful look. - -“It must be as you say!” he managed to articulate. - -Santenel was racking his clever brain for something that would stand him -in stead now, and trying at the same time to still the trembling of his -limbs and subdue the fear that filled him. - -“I am Santenel,” he gaspingly confessed. “But there is a great mistake.” - -He saw the “confession” which he had forced Charles Merriwell to write, -lying, as he had meant to leave it, on the marble-topped table. He put -out his hand, hoping he might be able to secure it unobserved. - -Frank Merriwell saw the movement, and, advancing to the table, secured -the writing, his face darkening as he read it over, for it revealed in -all its details Santenel’s cruel plan against his father. Nevertheless, -Frank put it quietly in his pocket. He had regained control of himself. - -Santenel sat with fear-filled face and blue lips, staring at him. - -“What do you intend to do with me?” he asked, seeing that further -efforts at evasion and concealment were useless. - -There was a rap on the door, followed instantly by entering footsteps. - -“This!” said Frank. - -Two officers had come in, sent by Inza in response to the request -conveyed to her by the colored boy. Santenel rose, after another -hesitating glance at the closed windows. Then his coolness returned to -him. He advanced toward the officers. - -“I am informed that you have been sent for to place me under arrest. I -demand to know with what I am charged, for I have committed no crime. -You have no right to seize me without a proper warrant, merely on -complaint of this person!” - -The smaller officer smiled and produced a paper. - -“We have a warrant,” he said. “It was sworn out by a young lady, Miss -Inza Burrage, who charges that you cut the balloon-rope on the day of -the Yale-Carlisle football-game, with the intention of causing her death -and the death of Charles Conrad Merriwell, who was in the balloon with -her. You will see, therefore, that we can do nothing but go ahead, and -we place you under arrest.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - FORCING HIS ENEMY’S HAND. - - -Frank Merriwell took his way thoughtfully toward the rooms of Dade -Morgan, whither Dade had gone but a moment before. Dion Santenel lay in -prison, having been committed to jail that afternoon. - -When Frank rapped on the door of Morgan’s room, the freshman calmly -invited him to come in. He was sitting on his trunk, with various -articles scattered about in confusion. Appearances indicated that he had -contemplated a hasty flight from New Haven. - -“Not going to leave us?” Frank asked, dropping into the chair to which -Morgan pointed. - -“No! What made you think so?” - -“This array, or, rather, disarray.” - -“Merely getting some things together for the laundry.” - -He smiled in his pleasant way and really was so cool that Frank could -not help admiring him. - -“I think I’ll close the door,” said Frank, stepping over and shutting -it. “I came up for a little talk.” - -Dade did not get off the trunk. - -“It is a bit cool in here. I ought to have done that myself. You’ll -pardon me.” - -“Perhaps you can guess what I want to say?” - -“I suppose it’s something about that polo-game. I’m free to admit that I -wanted the other fellows to beat, Merriwell, chiefly because I don’t -like certain members of your team. I hope the fact that I bet on the -other team doesn’t stick in your crop?” - -“No; I didn’t intend to talk of the polo-game. As for that rascally -goal-tend who struck Dick Starbright on the head and laid him out, the -law will take care of him. Of course, you had nothing to do with that?” - -Dade flushed. - -“It’s an insult to insinuate such a thing, Merriwell!” - -“I beg your pardon, then, if I am wrong. I have no means of knowing; but -I’m fully aware of the fact that you don’t like Starbright—and you would -do such a thing!” - -Dade lowered his eyelids and turned over a pair of golf-stockings which -lay on the trunk-lid beside him. He feared what was coming and shrank -from it. - -“I didn’t come up here for polite talk, Morgan,” Frank went -remorselessly on. “We’re alone here?” - -“Quite alone.” - -He had thrown down the stockings and now turned squarely toward Frank. - -“You know that Hector King is in prison!” - -Dade paled and perceptibly weakened. - -“I don’t know the man. I heard that you had sent somebody to jail this -afternoon, but I thought it was another name.” - -“We want to be quite plain, Morgan. A man was jailed here to-day. He is -your friend, Hector King, alias Dion Santenel, alias a dozen other -things probably. What you and he have plotted against me and my father I -don’t know; but I know of some things—enough to send him ‘up,’ I am -sure. As I said, I will be quite frank with you. It is my way. I can’t -prove it, but I am sure that all that skyrockety betting, on money which -I believe you furnished, was done to get me and my polo-team out of New -Haven to-day. I can’t prove it, and may not be able to prove it, unless -Santenel makes a confession that you did that to give him opportunity to -work his plans against my father.” - -“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Dade protested. - -“I can’t prove those things, but I think I have collected enough -evidence of various kinds against you to convince the faculty that you -are not a proper person to be a student in Yale. Perhaps I can’t put you -in jail, but I can send you headlong out of college.” - -Dade whitened still more. - -“And that is what you intend to do?” he demanded, almost fiercely. - -“I don’t know. I have as yet reached no conclusion. But I am here now to -ask you to tell me why you have struck at me? I see that there is a -connection between you and Hector King, alias Santenel. When you entered -Yale, at the beginning of this year, you had not, so far as I know, ever -seen me before. At once you became my bitterest enemy. These things are -not done without reason. You had some powerful reason.” - -“I——” - -Merriwell cut short the protest. - -“You told me once, you will remember, that you were my enemy. I did not -ask why, at the time. I can see why enmity might grow up between you and -such a man as Starbright—might grow up, I say. Yours against me did not -grow up; it was full grown at the start, and without apparent reason. As -to whether or not I use the proofs against you which I have, and force -your expulsion from Yale, depends in a great measure on your answer to -my question: Why are you my enemy?” - -Dade Morgan sat still, but waited a moment before replying. - -“If I tell you, Merriwell, you will not believe me!” - -“If you tell me the truth, I will believe you. When I hear your story I -shall know whether it is the truth or not. You won’t be able to deceive -me in the matter.” - -“Why, you have a multitude of enemies in Yale!” Dade evaded. - -“But not one who was my enemy before he knew me or saw me; not one who -came to the college and was my deadly enemy with no seeming cause -whatever. It has not been jealousy on your part, for there can be no -real ground for jealousy between a senior and a freshman. Most of my -enemies dislike me merely because of jealousy. It hasn’t been so with -you.” - -Again Morgan began to evade and shuffle. Frank took his watch from his -pocket and consulted it. - -“I’ve a good many things to attend to this evening. I have asked my -question. Suit yourself about answering it. I will not say that any -answer you can give will keep me from putting my proofs in the hands of -the faculty. Perhaps it will. I haven’t yet made up my mind.” - -“There isn’t much to tell, but if I tell you all, will you keep mum?” - -“I haven’t any promises to make. I hoped that you would be able to say -something in defense of yourself which would incline me to let the -matter drop. Your sins have been largely against me, Morgan. In other -respects you have been a capable, even an admirable college man. You -have, I’m told, made good progress in your classes. You have, for a -freshman, won wonderful distinction in the field of athletics. You have -gathered round you many friends—not of a class I admire—yet a numerous -following. You are recognized as a freshman leader. This shows that you -have uncommon abilities. If you should use your undoubted abilities in a -proper way, a great future may lie before you. It might be a great wrong -for me to set anything in your pathway. I have asked you a question. You -may be able to show that you are not so black as appearances indicate!” - -Morgan saw that “confession and avoidance,” as the lawyers phrase it, -was the only safe course left open to him. - -“Well, it isn’t much, Merriwell,” he said, assuming a show of frankness. - -“Whatever it is?” Frank invited. - -“I did come to Yale as your enemy—your enemy before I ever saw you! That -sounds strange and even mysterious, but you’ll see that there is no -mystery about it; for the man you have put in prison is my uncle!” - -Frank showed his surprise. - -“I thought you were in his pay!” he admitted. - -“Not in his pay. If I disliked and even hated you, he taught me to. He -taught me, schooled me to hate you and your father—your father far worse -than you. For, as perhaps you know, your father pursued my uncle nearly -over the world, trying to ruin him or kill him. When he made a fortune -in New York, speculating, your father took it from him by -counter-speculations which were aimed solely at him. He lost the Ragged -Queen Mine, and your father has taken an immense fortune out of it. But -for your father he would to-day be a wealthy man, and I, as his only -heir, would be the heir to a splendid fortune. As it is, he has but a -beggarly pittance. He has been forced to save and scrimp in many ways to -get money. He borrowed the money with which he sent me here to Yale, and -I am now living on money which he furnishes me. He has been able at -times to get hold of and make use of considerable sums, but mostly by -borrowing. If the truth were known and payment forced, he would to-day -be a pauper.” - -Frank could see that Dade was telling the truth in the main. He believed -that the story contained exaggerations, and some concealments, but he -saw that its thread was true. - -“That makes a good many things plain that were quite dark to me before,” -Frank admitted. - -Dade was quick to catch at the hope thus held out. - -“If our positions had been reversed, Merriwell, I think you would have -been as bitter against me as I have been against you. It isn’t pleasant -to feel that money and fortune which rightfully are mine are in the -possession of some one else.” - -“That will do, Morgan. I haven’t said that I accept your story without -reservation, and you will not be able to win me to your way of thinking -by slandering my father. I know the history of that case much better -than you do.” - -“No offense intended,” Morgan urged. “I have given you the story as it -was told to me. It explains why Mr. Santenel is so bitter against you, -and why I have done the things that you complain of. But I have never -struck at you criminally.” - -Dade’s face was firm as he made the claim, even though it was under -Frank’s searching glance. - -“You look as if you don’t believe that, Merriwell; but it is true, every -word of it. I have tried to injure you, I will admit, but in legitimate -ways.” - -“Are there any legitimate ways of injuring a man?” - -“Well, you understand what I mean! I tried to organize Yale sentiment -against you. You were flying pretty high when I came here, and I thought -to take you down.” - -The smile had come back to his face, and with it an air of almost -defiant courage. - -“And failed!” said Frank. - -“Well, yes; I suppose I shall have to admit that I didn’t accomplish -just the things I intended.” - -“Perhaps you think that the things you attempted against me were -allowable; but the faculty will not think so, if I go before them with -the proofs.” - -Dade wavered again. - -“I hope you won’t do that.” - -“It will depend on you somewhat. I understand the situation now, even -though I don’t accept everything you have said as absolute truth. I will -say quite frankly that the villain back of you is a greater villain than -you are. He has reached the end of his rope. Perhaps his fall will serve -as a lesson.” - -“You’re too hard on me!” Morgan insisted. “I have failed in my efforts -against you. Santenel has even charged me with being your friend and -playing into your hands. Well, there are things about you, Merriwell, -that I like, that any one must like! I’m willing to call it a truce, if -you say so?” - -Merriwell arose to go. - -“As I said at the first, I haven’t much time to spare. If you understand -your own interest, there will be a truce on your part. As for myself, I -have never done anything to injure you. What I may do hereafter will -depend on you.” - -Dade Morgan scowled at the door after Merriwell’s departure. - -“It’s a good thing that he’s squeamish. If he had the disposition of -some men, he would kick me out of Yale without a word.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - DASHLEIGH IS LATE AGAIN. - - -The snow came again, covering the levels and the hills and the icy -expanses of the lakes. The morning after its fall, Bert Dashleigh -appeared in the campus on skies, and was promptly challenged by numerous -freshmen friends for various races. - -“Hello, old ski-zicks!” said Ready, coming on the scene. “I’ll race you -on those things. No, I don’t mean just that, for you’ll want to wear -those. I mean I’ll race you on another pair.” - -“You’ll wear the other pair?” - -“Yes. I’ll wear a pair and you’ll wear a pair, and we’ll race. The -instructor told me yesterday that my exuberant English needed pruning. -He seemed to think that was what I came to Yale for. And that’s strange, -for I thought I came here to study football.” - -He was examining the skies as he talked. - -“I thought you came here to torment freshmen!” Bert mildly ventured. - -“Well, yes, come to think of it, soph life would hardly be worth living -if it wasn’t for you freshies. But I’ll take pity on you and overlook -the wide difference in our stations and condescend to race with you on -skies this afternoon, or this morning, or any other old time. I’ve a -pair in my room. The fellow who took them up there thought they needed -pruning by the time he got them through the doorway, and stacked them up -against the wall.” - -There are few more attractive winter sports than a run into the country -on Norwegian skies, especially if the snow is in good condition for the -sport, and there are hills for swift descent. - -Ready and Dashleigh made a ski-ing trip that afternoon which yielded -sport, pleasure, and healthful exercise. - -“I thought likely you had something up your sleeve when you challenged -me this morning,” Dashleigh chattered, as they were on their homeward -way. “I thought if you were with me, though, it would be hard for you to -duplicate any such trick as you sophs played on Starbright the other -day. Say, that was too bad, billing him as the ‘Giant of the Wheel,’ -when he made his bicycle trip to Guilford!” - -“A freshman has no right to presume to criticize a sophomore,” said -Ready. - -But Ready was not like most of the sophomores. He was so different from -the other members of his class that, in spite of the fact that he was an -inveterate practical joker, so far as the freshmen were concerned, the -harassed freshmen liked him surprisingly well. In their eyes he stood -among the sophomores pretty much as Frank Merriwell stood among the -seniors, though the two were as unlike as is imaginable. - -There was only one incident on the trip that seemed worthy of an -afterthought, and it was after-events that caused it to be remembered. -Not far from the suburbs, as they were ski-ing slowly in, being somewhat -tired, a slightly built young man, with a handsome face and dark eyes, -approached them and asked about the ice-hockey game which was to be -played on Lake Whitney soon. - -“Oh, that’s the match Merriwell is getting up!” said Ready. - -Then he gave the desired information, and the fellows on skies continued -on their way. - -“Had a great time!” Bert declared, when he invaded the rooms and found -there his chum, Starbright. “Ought to have been along. Ready is a -corker!” - -“No freshman tricks, then?” - -“Not a trick!” - -He threw himself down on the lounge. - -“I’m to wind up the day by attending that ‘feed’ to-night at Mrs. -Whitlock’s on Whitney Avenue. I wish you’d received an invitation, for -we could go together.” - -“You mean I’d go first, and an hour later you would come tagging along -behind.” - -“Now, see here! Don’t throw that at me any more. I know I’m slow, but -the fault hasn’t always been mine. When I was late at Thurlow’s, it was -the fault of my watch. The confounded idiot who overhauled it for me -ruined it.” - -“And that other time at Mrs. Throckmorton’s?” - -Bert picked up his guitar and began to strum it. Finally he put it down. - -“Confound you! Why do you look at me that way? If reasons were as plenty -as blackberries, I wouldn’t give you a single one. I know I’ve been late -a good many times, but it will not happen this evening.” - -Dashleigh was fast earning for himself the reputation of being the -champion procrastinator of Yale; not because he desired to be slow, but -through laziness and his inability to tear himself away from the -particular enjoyment in hand. For this reason, whenever he began to -strum and sing, which was often, he was likely to forget there were such -things as lessons and classes. When talking to a group on the campus, he -was slow to tear himself away, if the subject of the conversation was -interesting. If he made a call which he enjoyed, he was almost sure to -prolong it beyond endurance. Yet he was withal so light-hearted and -jolly, so genuinely unselfish, and so pleasant a companion, that he was -universally liked. - -“I’ll be on time this evening,” he said; then he put away the guitar and -dived into some books, suddenly remembering that there was a great -quantity of unlearned lore which it behooved him to stow in his brain -without delay if he did not want to be dropped or get an awfully low -rating. - -Then he proceeded to forget all about the “feed” at Mrs. Whitlock’s, and -did not remember it again until nearly eight o’clock that evening. It is -probable he would not have recalled it then but for a remark made by -Jeffreys. - -Jeffreys was a freshman, who, with other freshmen, had dropped into -Bert’s rooms for a jolly hour or so that evening, after Dick Starbright -had gone out. Jeffreys was “a jolly dog,” and so likewise was each of -his companions, and Bert was having such a good time that the minutes -and the hours slipped by almost unnoticed. - -“They’ll have a bang-up time at Whitlock’s!” Jeffreys casually remarked. - -Dashleigh fairly jumped out of his chair. - -“Gee!” - -“Who stuck a pin into you?” Jeffreys asked. - -“Why, I’m billed for that entertainment to-night—myself and the -mandolin!” - -“Well, if that’s so, old man, you’d better get a move on!” Jeffreys -assured. - -But Bert was not listening to him. He had thrown aside the instrument -and was dragging out a dress suit. - -“If you will excuse me!” he panted. “Forgot all about that affair. By -Jove! what will they think of me? And I told Starbright I’d be on hand -to-night on time or break something. Well, there, I’ve kept my word; for -I’ve broken that button!” - -Then Bert began to “pitch himself into his clothes” in a hurried manner, -talking all the time and bemoaning the fate that made him so forgetful. -When he was dressed in what he considered a proper manner, he had his -friends “look him over” to see that he was all there; bade them a hasty -good night, and, with mandolin-case in hand, went out of the room like a -shot. - -Finding no carriage in waiting on Chapel Street, or the neighborhood, he -hurried on and was soon in a car. Suddenly it occurred to him that he -was somewhat hazy as to the street-number. He thought he had written it -down and had put it in his pocket, and began to search for it, until he -remembered that he had just made a change of clothing. - -“It was surely 113,” he reflected. “Yes, that was it.” - -So he alighted from the car in the neighborhood of what he supposed was -the right number, and, after a search, approached a house which he had -figured out must be 113. To his amazement, it was wrapped in darkness. -Not a light gleamed in it. To make sure that the house was 113, he -entered the yard, and, climbing up the steps, struck a match and looked -at the number. It was 113. - -“Could it have been 131?” he asked himself, and set out hastily for that -number. - -Having reached it, he stood on the street and listened. There were -lights in the house, but no sounds of merriment, such as he fancied -befitted such a gathering as he expected to find. - -“I’ll bet my next month’s allowance this isn’t the place!” he groaned; -then climbed the steps and timidly pulled the bell. - -After a little wait the door was opened by a servant, and in answer to -his inquiry he was told that Mr. Remy lived there, not Mrs. Whitlock. - -“No, I can’t tell you where the Whitlocks live,” was the answer to his -next question. “Perhaps they can tell you at the store on the corner.” - -Dashleigh began to feel desperately uncomfortable. Nevertheless, he -sprinted with his mandolin across to the store on the corner. - -“Which Whitlock?” asked the proprietor, somewhat gruffly. - -“Whitlock, of Whitney Avenue.” - -“Well, there are a lot of Whitlocks on Whitney Avenue.” - -Seeing a New Haven directory, Bert pulled it down and began feverishly -to consult its pages. He stood aghast. There surely were a “lot” of -Whitlocks on Whitney Avenue. He tried to recall the first name of his -hostess. - -“Marcus, Marcellene, what in the deuce was it? Seems to me it began with -an M!” - -But there were no Whitlocks on the avenue whose first names began with -M. He looked for 113, 131, 213, and 231, and everything else he could -find with the combinations of the figures 1 and 3. When he had done this -he consulted his watch. The time was eight-thirty, and the dinner was to -be given at eight. - -“I’m up against it!” he groaned, while the perspiration began to pour -out on his face. “Mrs. Whitlock told me personally that she wanted me to -be there, and it doesn’t help the matter to think that she wanted the -mandolin worse than she did me. They depended on me chiefly for their -music, and here am I and the mandolin lost in the deserts of New Haven, -with not an oasis in sight.” - -Then he attacked the directory again, emerging from its pages more -confused than ever. He even began to think that perhaps Mrs. Marcellene -Whitlock did not live on Whitney, but on some other thorough-fare, which -he had somehow got inexplicably mixed with that of the well-known -avenue. - -“I’ll begin to think soon that perhaps the name wasn’t Whitlock, and -that mine isn’t Dashleigh!” - -He slammed down the directory and hurried into the street. - -Fortunately, he found a cab there. - -“Take me to all the Whitlocks on Whitney Avenue,” he begged. “And be -quick about it.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - WHAT DASHLEIGH SAW. - - -The cab-driver stared. - -“Well, it’s this way, you see,” Bert tarried to explain. “I’m overdue at -some Mrs. Whitlock’s—Mrs. Marcellene Whitlock’s, I think—for dinner this -evening. Big feed and all that, you understand. I was to have been there -at eight sharp, and it’s now hurrying along toward nine. I don’t know -where they live—forgot the number—and can’t find it in the directory. -The best way, I suppose, is to take them in turn and chase the right one -down in that way. Slow process, but I don’t know anything better.” - -The driver grinned. - -“P’r’aps ’twasn’t Whitlock!” he ventured. “I heard that there was to be -a big dinner at Mrs. Warlock’s, on Whitney Avenue, this evening.” - -“Warlock? Well, that may be the name. Hanged if I know! Drive me to Mrs. -Warlock’s, as fast as you can.” - -He tumbled himself and his mandolin into the vehicle, and the driver -springing to the box, they were soon rattling away. - -There was a “party” at Mrs. Warlock’s; Bert could not doubt that, for -when he jumped out in front of the house he heard the unmistakable -sounds of merriment and music. - -“Wait a minute!” he asked of the driver, and darted up the steps. - -In answer to his rather nervous ring, a white-aproned servant appeared. - -“Yes, we have a party here to-night,” was the answer to his question. - -Bert felt so much better that he was about to pass into the house, when -the driver called to him: - -“Forgot something, didn’t you?” - -Bert reddened again; and, dropping his mandolin on the steps, rushed -down to the street and paid for the use of the cab. Then he tore up the -steps again, and, hurrying past the wondering servant, left his coat and -hat and mandolin in the hall, and, without further questions, strode -into what he took to be the dining-room. - -He stopped on the threshold in amazement. Some couples were on the floor -dancing. But they were all strangers to him. Not a face there had he -ever seen before. The hostess came forward with a gracious smile. - -“I guess I have made a mistake,” Bert stammered. “I am due at a -dinner-party at Mrs. Whitlock’s.” - -“This is Mrs. Warlock’s.” - -“Yes, yes, I know; but I—I——” - -He was retreating, covered with confusion. - -“I beg your pardon!” he managed to stammer, then dived for the outer -air, picking up his hat, coat, and mandolin as he ran. - -The cab was a third of a block away, but it stopped in answer to the -bellowing hail which he gave as he jumped down the steps, and turned -round and drove back. - -“Wasn’t the place!” said Bert, in some confusion, as he met the cab. -“We’ll have to make another try. It was a Whitney—no, I mean a Whitlock -where the party is that I am trying to reach. That was Warlock’s.” - -“I told you it was Warlock’s.” - -“I know you did. Take me to a Whitney Avenue of Whitlocks, I mean to a -Whitlock’s of Whitney Avenue.” - -He looked at his watch again and saw that the hour was nearly nine. - -“Heavens! I won’t dare to tell Dick of this!” he thought, as he again -stowed himself in the cab. - -The driver took Bert to the first Whitlock’s of that avenue, and it was -not the place. - -“Go right ahead,” Bert commanded, as he descended from his fruitless -search. “We’ve got to find that old number, if it’s in New Haven. I’m -going to swear off on accepting invitations for myself and the mandolin -after this.” - -The cab tore away again, finally stopping in front of a house which Bert -felt sure could not be the place. - -“Yes, it must be,” he thought, “for there goes Amos Belton, of the -juniors.” - -A dark-complexioned man, who looked young and springy as he mounted the -steps, had drawn Bert’s attention. - -“Just wait a minute till I know that I’m right,” Bert begged of the -driver, for he had learned caution. “I’ll be down in a minute, whether -it’s right or wrong!” - -Then he made a dash for the house that he hoped was Mrs. Marcellene -Whitlock’s. - -The young man whom he took to be Amos Belton disappeared in the -building; and Bert, following closely after him, gave the bell a tug. - -It was evidently out of repair, for no ring could be heard. Time was too -precious to wait long in uncertainty, and when no one appeared in answer -to his rap, he pushed open the door and looked in. - -He saw a light in a room at the farther end of a long hall; and, -thinking to gain information, if nothing else, Bert put down his -mandolin and advanced toward the illumination. As he walked along the -carpeted hall, his feet making little noise, he reached a point which -enabled him to see a large part of the interior of the room. - -He stopped in bewildered surprise. In the room was one whom at first -sight he took to be Inza Burrage. In a bewildering way there came to him -a memory of some talk he had heard that Amos Belton, the junior, was -madly in love with Miss Burrage. Then it occurred to him that this must -be Mrs. Whitlock’s, and that Inza was one of the guests. Perhaps -Merriwell was there? - -He was about to advance and speak, when the person whom he took to be -Inza turned round from the mirror, and he had a good look at the face. -It was surprisingly like Inza’s, so much so that at first he was sure it -was Inza; but he saw a moment later that, while the face looked so much -like that of Miss Burrage, there was a distinct difference. It was as if -some girl had tried to “make up” to look like Inza. - -Then his bewilderment increased, for it came to him that the face on -which he was looking was that of the young man who had inquired of him -and Ready in the suburbs that afternoon when the hockey-match was to be -held. - -“It can’t be, though!” Bert gasped, beginning to feel that he must be -dreaming. “Perhaps this is the fellow’s sister. Yes, that must be it.” - -He had unintentionally made a noise, whereupon the girl—if it was a -girl—turned, saw him in the hall, and, immediately drawing back, -disappeared. - -A moment later he heard voices; then all was still. - -“I guess I’ve lost my head completely this evening!” thought the -astounded freshman. “Anyway, this isn’t Mrs. Whitlock’s; and, as no one -has hurried to give me the glad hand, I’ll get out as quickly as I can.” - -His watch told him that it was after nine when he again reached the -street, where he found the cabman patiently awaiting his return. - -“Wrong place again?” questioned cabbie. - -“Yes. Make another try!” - -Again the cab containing Bert and his mandolin rattled away. - -“I’ll be arrested soon as a lunatic or dangerous person!” he groaned. -“Makes me want to go home and manufacture some lie that will let me out -of the thing easily. I might say that I had a touch of fever or -something. Well, I’m in a pretty pickle! And who in thunder could that -have been? That couldn’t have been Inza, and it couldn’t have been the -fellow that Ready and I saw this afternoon. I shall have to tell Ready -about that.” - -Two other houses which the driver said were occupied by Whitlocks were -visited. At the last of these unhappy Bert secured a clue. - -“Perhaps you are looking for the people who moved into 141,” suggested -the lady of the house. “I think that’s the name—Whitlock, and as I came -by there this evening I heard sounds which indicated that they were -having some kind of a party.” - -“Just moved in?” Bert gasped. “Then that’s it. That’s the reason I -couldn’t find the name in the directory.” - -Then he made another dive for the cab, asking himself why folks who had -just moved into a new neighborhood didn’t say so on their cards, or in -some other manner notify people. - -“No. 141,” he said to the jehu. “We’ll try that; and, if we don’t dig up -the right place this time, we’ll give it up as a bad job.” - -But it was the right place; and, although he was “desperately late,” as -he admitted, he was graciously received. After he had feasted as well as -could be expected at that late hour, he found that there was still an -hour or more in which he and his mandolin would be very welcome. - -When Bert reached his room that night he found Dick Starbright just -turning in, and he hastily told his chum his story, for he had decided -that he must ask him what he thought of the counterpart of Inza Burrage -he had beheld in that house on Whitney Avenue. - -“I knew you’d be late,” said Starbright. “You always are.” - -“But I wouldn’t have been if I hadn’t forgotten the number,” Bert -insisted. “But I don’t want a sermon; I want to know what you think -about that young woman who looked so much like Inza Burrage that at -first I could have sworn it was she?” - -Dick sat down and deliberately looked his chum over. - -“You haven’t been drinking?” - -“Honor bright, not a thing, except a glass of wine at Mrs. Whitlock’s. -But I hadn’t even smelled the wine when I saw that girl.” - -“I shouldn’t think anything about it if it hadn’t been for Amos Belton,” -declared the big freshman. “His presence there makes the thing a mystery -to me, though, of course, there is no mystery in it. Perhaps he called -on some young lady there who remarkably resembles Inza Burrage. You say -yourself it was not Inza Burrage, but only looked like her.” - -“That doesn’t explain anything.” - -“No, perhaps not. But, as you know, it’s been reported that he is wildly -in love with Inza. She doesn’t care anything for him, of course, for -she’s crazy about Merriwell.” - -“Lucky dog, too!” nodded Bert. - -“Yes, that’s what I think myself. Well, now, does it strike you as -possible that Belton, being unable to get any encouragement from Inza, -may have turned to this girl, who looks so much like her? Seems to me -there may be your explanation.” - -“But what made them disappear so strangely when she discovered me?” - -“You scared her, probably,” grinned Dick. “Perhaps she took you for a -burglar. I’ve an idea that you looked rather wild-eyed about that time. -You were excited, and, no doubt, your face showed it. Seeing a man -standing in the hall, which she supposed unoccupied, she was naturally -frightened. Any girl would have been.” - -“But what became of Belton?” - -“Well, now, ask me something easy. How do I know?” - -Dashleigh sat down in a chair. He was not satisfied. - -“I heard the other day that Belton is soon to quit Yale,” Dick -volunteered. - -“That doesn’t explain anything!” - -“Who said it did? I merely made the remark. He has fallen so low in his -exams that he can go no farther. Seems to me that was what I heard. -Either that or money matters forces him out of Yale. But probably it -isn’t money matters, for he could find something to do to keep himself -up.” - -“Yes, if he was willing to work like a horse and live like a hermit. -That’s about the only way for a fellow to go through Yale, or any other -college, without money.” - -“And wasn’t it Horace Greeley who said that if a man is to succeed in -anything he must live like a hermit and work like a horse? Anyway, he -said something like that.” - -“Belton is from the South, isn’t he?” Dashleigh asked. “Scarcely -probable he’d work like a horse to get through college.” - -“From Washington, I think. Do you know, that fellow looks almost like a -negro to me. I don’t wonder that Inza Burrage has never given him any -encouragement.” - -“I believe you’re getting struck in that direction yourself,” Dashleigh -laughed. - -Starbright flushed and looked uncomfortable. - -“You’re off! But there aren’t many nicer girls than Inza.” - -When Dashleigh fell asleep, his dreams placed him in a cab, in which, -throughout the remainder of the night, he pursued Mrs. Whitlock, of -Whitney Avenue, with the relentlessness of a detective, suddenly to find -her standing before him in the person of his instructor in mathematics, -who naively assured him that what he had really been searching for was -the elusive. - -“Get up!” came in the voice of Dick Starbright. “You’re flouncing there -like a fish.” - -“Is it morning?” Bert asked, suddenly rousing. - -“Yes, and a beautiful day. A better one for that hockey-match this -afternoon couldn’t have been made to order!” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - FRANK MERRIWELL’S DILEMMA. - - -When Starbright and Dashleigh appeared on the campus they were greeted -with a sensation. Dion Santenel was no longer a prisoner. He had escaped -from the jail the previous evening. - -Merriwell, Browning, and Hodge were talking about it over by the senior -fence; and though the mass of the students had no knowledge that Dade -Morgan was in any way connected with the man who had been placed in jail -by Merriwell, the escape of the prisoner was being discussed by little -knots of Yale men gathered here and there. - -“Will it interfere with the hockey-match this afternoon?” Bert asked. - -“I don’t see why it should,” was the answer of the student of whom Bert -had inquired. - -“On account of Merriwell.” - -“Oh, yes; I forgot that you’re one of the fellows who think the sun -can’t rise of mornings unless Frank Merriwell pries it up with a lever. -That hockey-match can be played without Merriwell!” - -“You’re joining the Chickering set!” said Bert. - -“Oh, no! Only I happen not to be insane over Merriwell!” - -There were others who asked themselves and their acquaintances that -question, but all conjecture was set at rest by an announcement from -Frank that the game would be played. - -When Frank returned to his room he found Dade Morgan awaiting him in the -corridor. - -“I thought I’d like to have a few words with you,” said Morgan. - -Frank showed him into his apartments. - -“I didn’t know how you might feel?” Morgan queried. - -“I don’t know that I understand you?” - -“About the hockey-match.” - -“It is to be played this afternoon on Lake Whitney. The ice is being -cleared of the snow now for the game.” - -“Yes, I knew that. But I wanted to know if you’d be willing for me to -play. I’m down as one of the opposition players, you know, and after -what has happened I didn’t know how you might feel. I’d like to play in -that match, but——” - -Morgan’s manner was subdued and almost penitent. - -“I have had no thought of objecting to your playing in that match, -Morgan. I’ve been wondering, though, how much you know about that escape -of Santenel.” - -“No more than you do,” Morgan declared. “I was afraid you might think I -had a hand in that, though you’ll see that I couldn’t.” - -“Some one got a file to him, and he cut through the bars,” said Frank, -watching Dade closely. “He escaped early last evening. No one seems to -know how he secured the file, and some of the prison officials affect to -believe that he had it concealed about him when he was put in jail. Any -way, he is out. If he’ll steer clear of New Haven and let me and my -father alone hereafter, I shall not care much. You don’t know anything -about it?” - -“Not a thing.” - -“You’ve asked me about the hockey-match. I’ll say this: It won’t be -healthy for you to attempt any underhanded work in that game. I shall -discover it if you do.” - -Morgan began a protest. - -“Ever since I’ve known that you and Santenel were connected, I’ve been -in a dilemma,” Frank went on. “You understand what I mean.” - -“I’ve cut loose from all that, Merriwell. I don’t expect you to believe -me until you’ve had the proof. But I’ve cut loose from work of the kind -you complain against.” - -“If you had any hand in helping Santenel to escape, I shall discover it -by and by. I’m talking plain to you, Morgan. It’s not my style to beat -around the bush in a matter like this. You have tried your best to -injure me here at Yale. I haven’t forgotten it, and I’m not likely to. I -have, as I told you, proofs enough to force you out of Yale. Perhaps I -shall use them. If I find that you had a hand in that escape, I shall -certainly use them.” - -“Just give me time to show you that I’m all right,” Dade begged. “I’m -going to play fair hereafter. By that I don’t mean that I’ve any notion -of joining your flock.” - -“No one joins that who isn’t invited.” - -Dade flushed. - -“What I meant was that I can’t expect to become your warm friend and -supporter right off. I shall retain the privilege of kicking against -things you do, and of working against you in an honorable manner. But I -have cut loose from everything else. I’ll prove it in time; and as for -that game this afternoon, I’ll promise you that you won’t have a man on -your team who will fight harder to win.” - -“You’re a star in athletics, Morgan. For that reason alone I have put -you on various teams. But I have never trusted you, and I do not trust -you now. So you may look out, for I shall be watching you.” - -Dade was rather pale as he went down from Vanderbilt. He realized that -he had never been in quite so close and ticklish a place. One false step -might hurl him out of Yale in disgrace. - -“You bet I’ll play fair this afternoon,” he thought. “It stands me in -hand to play fair just now, and I’m the boy to do it when it’s -necessary. But I wonder how Santenel got out and what’s become of him? -He’ll hang round New Haven, no doubt.” - -So strong was this feeling on Dade that he almost expected to see -Santenel crouching over the fire in the grate when he returned to his -room, but the hypnotist was not there. - -Hodge passed Morgan on the stairs as the latter was descending, and -entered Frank’s room with a displeased look. - -“I wouldn’t trust that fellow an inch!” he growled. - -“I’m not trusting him,” said Frank. “I’m merely watching him.” - -“Of course. I’ve protested so much that you’re not likely to listen to -anything I say,” Hodge grumbled. “But I wouldn’t even permit the -scoundrel to come into these rooms. He’d do anything. When I come in -here and know that he has just left you I find myself looking round in -search of an infernal machine or something of the kind. That fellow has -no more honor than a rattlesnake.” - -“I’m not trusting him,” Frank repeated quietly. - -“Yet you will let him play on that opposition team this afternoon. You -haven’t said so to me, but I know that you will do it, simply because he -is a good player.” - -“I have no right to say who shall be on the other team. Then, I’ve -another reason, Bart,” Frank explained. “I can watch him better while he -is there than if he were somewhere else. I am sure he will not try to do -anything risky, for he knows that he dare not. I’ve told him just how -the land lays, and, understanding that, he will hold himself in. I shall -take steps which I hope will bring about the recapture of Santenel. Dirk -is working on the case. The police officials feel chagrined, and they -will do all they can.” - -“And of course you’ll let Morgan remain in Yale?” said Bart, with -curling lips. - -“I don’t know. I’m in a dilemma about it. You see, it is this way: -Morgan is such a capable fellow that if he could be brought round right, -he would make a man worthy of Yale. With, possibly, the exception of -Starbright, he is the most promising freshman here. If I’m lenient with -him, it may bring him to realize just how he stands. He may turn short -about and make a man of himself. While, on the other hand, if I should -brand him with the disgrace of an expulsion from the college, he might -go headlong to the bad. That’s what makes me hesitate. I’d like to give -him a chance to become something more than a brilliant villain.” - -“Well, he will never be anything else.” - -Hodge had been quite mild in his protest against Morgan, but he said -this last very positively. When he was gone Merriwell sat for a long -time thinking. Usually he could not agree with Hodge in such matters; -but he was not sure that in this instance Hodge was not right. - -“I’ll give Morgan a chance, any way!” was his conclusion. “I’ll let him -play in that match, and I’ll watch him.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - OLD FRIENDS. - - -A large crowd hastened out to Lake Whitney that afternoon to witness the -match between the two Yale sevens. - -The snowfall had spoiled the ice for skating, but a space sufficiently -large for an ice-hockey match had been cleared of the snow, revealing a -surface to please the eye of the most critical hockey-player. - -Not only was Yale well represented, but a number of New Haven people -added their presence to the crowd, being anxious to see the playing, -chiefly because Merriwell was on one of the teams. - -Frank Merriwell and Inza Burrage drove out. They had been much together -recently, but Inza was to leave New Haven that night for an indefinite -absence. - -As Frank descended from the carriage and assisted Inza to alight, a -sleigh, the only one there, came up with the horse at a dead run. Out of -the sleigh proceeded a roar, and tumbling out after the roar fell Bink -Stubbs and Danny Griswold. - -“Whoop!” squealed Danny, making a dive for Merriwell. - -“Wow!” squeaked Bink, diving after his chum. - -Ready puffed out his cheeks and leaped toward them with the “glad hand.” -Dozens of others appeared to forget all about ice-hockey and gravitated -toward the two little fellows, who were now hopping up and down, -chattering out their delight and shaking hands with every one who came -forward. - -“We were afraid we wouldn’t be in time,” Danny explained. “Bink came up -with me on the train this afternoon——” - -“Don’t believe him, gentlemen!” Bink begged. “He came up with me. Why, -you don’t suppose I’d be caught dead chasing that thing around, do you? -If he hadn’t come up with me——” - -“You mean if you hadn’t come up with me!” - -“If you hadn’t come up with each other?” Merriwell put in. - -“Why, we wouldn’t be here, of course. Say, Ready, heard the last joke on -Danny?” - -Bink turned to his old friend. - -“I never expect to hear the last,” Ready averred. - -“It’s fortunate that Ready knows what a liar you are!” Danny said. - -“We were coming by the gym when Danny saw a man buying some lunch out of -that old lunch-cart stationed there, ‘Say,’ he whispered, and he took -hold of my arm as solemnly as an astronomer announcing the discovery of -a new comet, ‘I’ve discovered something! I know what they mean now when -they talk about dinner à la carte.’ And, gentlemen, if you’ll believe -me, the ignoramus meant it.” - -“When it comes to lying, you’re like the moon,” Danny declared. “Nothing -on earth can touch you.” - -“Oh, yes, I’m a warm baby, but not so warm as you were the other evening -when you were singing ‘A Hot Time.’” - -“Rats! I never sing it.” - -“Don’t you remember when those boys heated that old watch and laid it -nicely down on the pavement, and you picked it up, thinking you’d struck -a find?” - -“Well, I didn’t sing ‘A Hot Time.’ I simply remarked that all the hot -springs were not in Arkansas. Now, you slanderer, I’ll make it cool for -you!” - -He grabbed an armful of snow and dashed it into Bink’s face. - -“‘And I’ll follow suit,’ as the Jew said when he began to chase the -stolen clothing down the street.” - -They were at it, and for a little while there was a whirling mass of -snow, arms, and legs, with a head bobbing out now and then. Ready stood -by and serenely whooped his encouragement. - -“It seems good to have the little idiots back again,” Jack remarked to -Merriwell. - -“Idiots?” - -“That’s my pet name for them. Yale has seemed lonesome, somehow, without -them.” - -The pair of snow images into which Bink and Danny were transformed had -ceased fighting and were again joking. Danny came over to Inza and again -shook her hand. - -“Bink is staying in New York now, you know. You haven’t any idea of how -foolish and sentimental he has become. Why, he’s actually fallen in love -with an heiress down there. The other day he went to the father of his -honeysuckle and asked the old gent for the hand of his daughter.” - -“Of course he instantly consented,” was Inza’s smiling comment. - -“Well, he wasn’t in a hurry, and I don’t think he’ll give his consent -now. He told Bink that before he answered his question he’d like to know -a little more about him, and asked him what was his station. And will -you believe it, the idiot said that he usually got off at Hyde Park!” - -“You’ll get off the earth in a little while!” Bink squeaked, catching -the last words. - -“We’ll have to get into the hockey-match,” said Frank, looking at his -watch. “We’re nearly an hour late.” - -The teams were taking their places on the ice amid the hand-clappings of -their supporters. They were merely individual teams, one led by -Merriwell, the other by Beckwith, the big guard of the football eleven. -The names and the positions occupied were as follows: - - MERRIWELL’S. POSITION. BECKWITH’S. - Browning. Goal. Beckwith. - Carson. Point. Harlan. - Dashleigh. Cover-point. Bingham. - Starbright. Forward. Ned Silver. - Ready. Forward. Roll Packard. - Hodge. Forward. Defarge. - Merriwell. Forward. Morgan. - -“I’d like to play that game,” cried Danny, waving his short arms -encouragingly. - -“You’d hoodoo the whole thing,” was Bink’s uncharitable answer. - -“Hood-doo it?” Ready mildly asked, as he struck at an imaginary puck. - -“They’re doing it!” Bink shrieked. “See that drive! Oh, Sally!” - -The puck had been “faced” in the center of the field between the sticks -of Merriwell and Morgan, the referee had uttered the word “Play!” and -Morgan scooped the puck back to one of his men with a dexterous movement -that caused Bink to yell. - -The smile appeared on Dade’s face. Since his last severe defeat by -Merriwell he had almost forgotten the winning smile that he sought -always to wear; but it came back now. - -“Oh, say, that fellow’s a wonder! Did you see that?” Bink demanded. - -“I see that you’re a fool!” Danny snarled. “Just wait till Merriwell -gets into gear. I think he could have prevented that.” - -“Oh, that’s the way with you fellows, always!” sneered Gene Skelding, -who chanced to be standing by. “Whenever Merriwell wins, it’s an -indication that he’s the greatest player in the world; and when he loses -it is because he is so generous that he does not wish to hurt the -feelings of an opponent by defeating him.” - -The little fellows turned on Skelding with flashing eyes. - -“Oh, don’t fight!” Inza smilingly begged. “You’ll miss some interesting -playing while you’re at it.” - -“It’s a good thing you interfered,” said Bink, speaking to her a moment -after. “We’d have eaten the fellow up.” - -“I knew it, and so I interfered. I was like the little boy who ate up -the piece of pie belonging to his little brother.” - -She smiled sweetly. Bink stared. - -“How was that?” - -“I took the weaker one’s part.” - -Bink fell over gurgling in the snow, and Danny gave him a kick to “drive -some sense into him,” as he said. - -“You’re missing it all,” Inza urged. - -“And we came down from New York on purpose to see this great and -glorious game!” - -Bink would have tackled Danny, but the cheering of the spectators warned -him that he was indeed losing some good playing. - -Beckwith’s forwards had the puck and were forcing it toward Merriwell’s -goal. Silver pushed it to Packard and Packard to Defarge, and the latter -drove it toward Merriwell’s flags. - -“Stop it! Stop it!” Danny yelled. - -“Oh, he’s doing it!” shrieked Bink. “That’s right, Browning, old boy! -Drive it back!” - -Browning was a capital goal-keeper. He not only blocked Defarge’s play, -but he sent the puck skipping back along the ice toward the goal of the -opposing team. - -There were yells of “off-side,” from the spectators as the members of -the opposing teams came together, but the play went on. - -Silver tried to carom the puck against a board at the side of the -natural rink, and so shoot it toward Merriwell’s goal, Merriwell being -in front of him; but Merriwell’s stick caught it, deviated it, and sent -it between the goal-posts of his opponents. - -The puck was again faced in the center of the field between the sticks -of Morgan and Merriwell. Dade had secured it before, and he was alertly -watchful for this advantage again. - -Morgan was a handsome fellow, and as he and Frank stood in position for -the beginning of the play their pose was worthy of the genius of a -sculptor. There was a silence, broken by the “Play!” of the referee. - -Morgan scooped at the puck as he had done before, but to his surprise he -found his quickest movement too slow. The puck was moved by Merriwell’s -stick and shot across the ice. - -Packard stopped it and sent it flying back, where it was caught by the -stick of Jack Ready, who dribbled it forward, skating easily and -gracefully; then, seeing it was in danger of being taken from him, he -managed to pass it to Merriwell. Starbright was in a better position -than Merriwell to receive it, but to have sent it to Starbright would -have put Merriwell off-side, and Ready believed that Merriwell could -handle it better than any one else. - -The result justified his judgment, for Merriwell promptly drove the puck -between Beckwith’s goal-posts, and another score was added to his side. - -“Second blood for Merriwell!” shrieked Bink, throwing up his cap and -catching it on his head. “I’m betting my little wad on Merriwell!” - -“’Rah for Merriwell!” Danny squealed. - -The play was on again, and Merriwell’s team was working for another -drive. Frank had selected and disposed his men to the best advantage, as -was shown by their playing. But it was quickly seen that Beckwith had -been equally clever, and that he had in his team some of the very best -hockey timber in the college. Morgan was a veritable wonder on skates. - -Though Starbright on a previous occasion had beaten Morgan in a race on -skates, thus proving himself the faster skater, he was not as nimble and -sinuous as Morgan, who seemed to have the twisting powers of an eel and -the quickness of a wildcat. - -And Morgan was playing for all that was in him. He was playing fair, -too, for he knew that Merriwell was watching him. He had greatly feared -that Frank would object to his continuance on Beckwith’s team. Now he -was setting himself to do two things: To prove his superiority as a -hockey-player and thus endeavor to recover whatever ground he had lost -in the estimation of the freshmen, and to show Merriwell that he had -entered on a course of square dealing. - -Morgan was the real leader of the Beckwith team, even though Beckwith -had made up the team and was nominally its captain. Every one soon saw -this, even Beckwith himself. But Beckwith was a big, generous fellow, -who did not care where the honor went so long as his team made a good -showing, and possibly managed to win the game. - -Now, getting possession of the puck, Morgan, assisted by the other -forwards, pushed it down the ice, and, in spite of the exertions of -Merriwell’s men, shot it safely for goal. - -The play was renewed, and within two minutes this was repeated. - -“Hold ’em! Hold ’em!” Bink and Danny were bellowing to Bruce. “Oh, thou -lazy giant, hold ’em!” - -The fight was on again, with the puck once more going toward Merriwell’s -goal. Some enthusiastic Morganites began to bellow: - - “Morgan, Morgan, you are true! - You’re an honor to the Blue! - Make a dive - And let her drive, - We will pin our faith to you. - - “On your team is Silver, white, - And old Beck, so golden bright - Bingham true, - And Harlan, too! - Hold ’em down, and make ’em fight. - - “Defarge, Packard, paste away! - If the Merrys get too gay, - You’ve the team, - To make them dream! - You can show them how to play.” - -The playing became so brilliant that the most sated Yale man was -awakened to active interest, and soon found himself yelling like mad for -the side he favored. - -Morgan secured the puck. - -Biff! - -It flew toward Merriwell’s goal, but Browning, the goal-keeper, cleverly -stopped it. Merriwell’s stick caught it up and it went sailing toward -the opposite end of the ice. The forwards tried to get it as it whizzed -past them. The cover-point and cover tried to stop it. But it did not -get between the goal-posts, for Beckwith was there—Beckwith, who as a -goal-keeper was a match for any goal-keeper in Yale, not excepting big -Bruce Browning. - -The puck skipped to the middle of the cleared space, and another fight -took place for its possession. - -Suddenly Morgan was declared off-side in a play, and the puck was taken -back to the center of the rink, where it was faced again for a renewal -of the game. - -The off-side play had been unintentional on Morgan’s part, due to -excitement; but his dark face flamed, nevertheless, for he had lost an -advantage, and he fancied that Merriwell would believe he had been -trying trickery. Then the game again raged. - -Again Merriwell drove the puck toward Beckwith’s goal; but it was -stopped by Ned Silver, who, in trying to send it back, made a quick play -which merely skipped the puck off the cleared ice. There was a little -delay while it was brought on; then the fight for a goal recommenced. - -The puck came once more beneath Merriwell’s stick. - -“Now, drive it!” yelled Bink, who, with Danny, had been hopping about -through it all in the greatest excitement. - -“Drive it!” squealed Danny. - -Merriwell drove it straight as an arrow between the goal-posts of his -opponents; and the score became three for the Merriwells, with two for -Beckwith’s men. - -“That’s right!” Bink piped. “If you’ll just obey the orders of your -uncle, you’ll always do the right thing!” - -When the play was resumed Beckwith’s team began again their tactics of -rushing the puck headlong, and with volcanic energy, toward Merriwell’s -goal. They came near making a goal in less than a minute, too; for -Dashleigh, who had been doing excellent work, slipped in, making a quick -turn to drive, and, falling headlong on the ice, left the puck uncovered -for a moment. Defarge skated in with lightning speed, and, taking the -puck, drove and dribbled it toward Merriwell’s goal. - -He tried to send it through between the goal-posts, but Starbright -blocked it, and sent it flying back. - -“Hooray!” yelled Bink, for he thought Starbright had made a goal. - -But Beckwith had stopped the play; and Morgan now drove the puck between -the Merriwell flags, and the score was tied. - -The whistle of the timekeeper sounded. The first half of the game had -come to an end. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - HOT WORK. - - -Bink and Danny locked arms at the conclusion of the first half of the -game and walked up and down like crowing bantam roosters, bellowing -college songs, in which the name of Merriwell figured largely. - -“What are you bawling about?” Defarge demanded. “Your favorites haven’t -won the game. You’ve heard of the fools who ‘hollered’ before they were -out of the woods?” - -“Oh, go use some salt!” Danny flung back at him. - -“What in the dickens did you mean by that?” Bink asked, when an -opportunity offered. “Use some salt!” - -“I meant for him to get off the ice,” Danny chuckled. “Salt or ashes, -either one. I simply happened to think of salt first.” - -Then the two marched on, singing: - - “Oh, our Merry is the lad, boys! - Rally round him true! - Beating the battle-drum of Eli. - He’s the best that Yale has had, boys, - Rally round him, do! - You’ll never see another at Old Eli. - - “Oh, Merry forever, - Hurrah, boys! hurrah! - Oh, Merry forever, - The king without a flaw! - We’ll sing his praises true, boys, - For the honor of the Blue! - For Merriwell, the glory of Old Eli!” - -The teams again went on the cleared space, the puck was faced, and the -referee sharply called “Play!” - -Again, as in the beginning, Morgan secured the first scoop of the puck. -He sent it toward Merriwell’s goal-posts and the Beckwith team again -tried to rush it on. - -Browning was in place, blocked it with his feet, and skipped it off to -one side. But it was in position for another drive at Merriwell’s goal -in a surprisingly short time. Starbright tried to get it, but Packard -drove it past him, making a perilous lunge that came near pitching him -on the ice. But Hodge’s stick caught the puck, cracked heavily against -it, and the two teams rushing after it, the fight for its possession -raged at the other end of the surface. - -Then Merriwell secured the puck, shooting it back to Ready, who -boastingly claimed that he was always “Ready” for anything. Jack proved -his worthiness of the name and drove the bit of rubber between -Beckwith’s flags. - -Morgan was determined to win the game from Merriwell, and when he and -Frank again faced each other with the puck between their sticks, -awaiting the word of the referee, this determination was increased by -the fact that Merriwell’s team was now one goal ahead. - -But in spite of his determination, Merriwell’s stick was the first to -move the puck. But he could not drive it for goal. It went down to -Bingham, the opposing cover-point, who whirled it back. Then Hodge’s -stick cracked against it, and it skipped once more toward Beckwith’s -goal-line. Harlan stopped it here, and an exciting scrimmage occurred. - -Out of the welter it flew back toward Merriwell’s goal, against the -stick of Harlan, who began to dribble it down the ice. Fearing to lose -it, he sent it back to Bingham, who shot it to one side to Ned Silver, -who drove it, amid cries of “off-side,” for Merriwell’s goal. - -Carson and Browning both tried to stop it, but they failed. Another goal -was added to Beckwith’s side, and the score stood four to four. - -“Oh, this isn’t easy work!” squealed Bink. “This is the kind of playing -that turns a fellow’s heart into a force-pump!” - -“Hang it! I’d hate to have Merry beaten after all our howling,” Danny -grumbled. - -“You base skeptic!” said Inza, turning on him. “Doubters have no place -in Merriwell’s camp!” - -“I ain’t ‘doubtin’ him,’ as the old country woman said when told that -her husband was having an awful fight with a bear. ‘I ain’t doubtin’ him -a mite; but I’m kinder oneasy!’” - -Morgan was fighting now with great coolness, but with a sort of -fierceness under it all that was wonderful to see. He was marvelously -skilful. He was as quick as lightning, and as he was able to skate fast -or slow, he was not easily thrown off his feet by the body-checking, -blocking, and interference of an opponent. - -He could dodge and twist as cleverly as Merriwell himself, and he could -stop with a suddenness that was startling. Nearly every other player had -at some time during the game been thrown from his feet, some receiving -jarring falls, but nothing apparently could overthrow Dade Morgan. - -In the next two minutes of play Beckwith’s men secured another goal -through the fine work of Morgan, making the score five in their favor to -four for the Merriwells. - -Then how the friends of Morgan yelled! Bink and Danny tried to lift a -song of encouragement for Merriwell’s men, but it was drowned in the -roar that went up for Morgan. - -Dade’s face was darkly flushed, his eyes were shining brightly and the -smile had deepened. He began to see the possibility of defeating -Merriwell’s men. If he could do that, he felt that it would reinstate -him in the good graces of all his former friends, and perhaps give him -the unquestioned leadership of the freshmen. That would, he fancied, -humiliate both Starbright and Merriwell. - -The game had begun nearly an hour late, and the short day was rapidly -drawing to a close. But none of the players, none of the spectators, -noticed this, so great was their interest and excitement. The spectators -had come out expecting a good game, but not prepared for such bulldog -and wildcat style of hockey-fighting. It was worth going miles to -witness. - -Again the play was on, with the groups round the cleared space crowding -as close up as they were permitted, and all howling for their favorites -and vociferously applauding. - -Now and then through the uproar could be heard the shrill squeals of -Bink and Danny as they piped for Merriwell. - -After a fierce struggle Merriwell secured the puck in the open and made -a rush of the entire length of the rink, dodging three opponents and -scoring a beautiful goal, tieing the score, which was now five to five. - -In the next play Beckwith’s men forced the puck to the flags of their -opponents and made a desperate effort to get another goal. But they -failed to get by Browning. Time after time his wonderful lifting and -stopping sent the puck from his goal. - -Then Beckwith’s men made another effort, and sent the puck between the -flags with a high shot which was instantly protested. It had been made -by Ned Silver, and no one thought that Silver had tried to cheat; but -the rules provided that no player should raise his stick above his -shoulder, and Silver had done that. - -The goal was not counted; and with the match still a tie, the fight for -goals was renewed. - -Silver might have been ruled off the ice, but, the referee believing no -infraction of the rules had been intended, this was not done. - -Merriwell now began to push the work toward the other end of the rink, -twice sending the puck for goal, but each time the disk was stopped by -Beckwith, whose agility was remarkable for a man of his size. Beckwith -was a great football-player, and he showed that he was equally good as a -goal-keeper in a hockey-match. - -The position of goal-keeper is a hard one, and often thankless. Though -Beckwith frequently gained possession of the puck he was never given -time or room to pass it down the rink, but was forced to shoot it off to -one side, thus preventing another try-for-goal until the rubber could be -worked back into favorable position. - -Finally Merriwell found the opening he was seeking and drove the puck -between the goal-posts, and the score became six for his team to five -for Beckwith’s. - -“Fellows, we can beat them!” Morgan urged, before the beginning of the -next play. “We’ll do it.” - -The response was all that he wished, so far as effort went. But -Merriwell seemed now to have struck the winning streak. The puck went -toward Beckwith’s side, and then farther along by clever lifting and -dribbling. - -The musical ring of the skates and the sinewy movements of the skaters -were inspiring. Bink and Danny lost their heads completely and yelled -and squeaked until they were hoarse. - -Every inch of the way was hotly contested, and the puck skipping back -and forth, the excited spectators could hardly tell for a time in which -direction it was really progressing. - -Several times there were cries of “off-side,” but Frank saw that his men -were doing no off-side play, and the infractions of the rule by other -players seemed inconsequential. Once, however, he saw a skater—it was -Roland Packard—advance the puck with his skate. Merriwell would have -protested against this if the puck had not been checked and sent on -toward Beckwith’s goal. The officials did not see the trick of Packard. - -Starbright secured the puck and was about to drive it for goal, when it -was “biffed” away by Morgan’s stick. Morgan shot it to Silver, who -attempted to send it farther along. - -Then Ready secured it and started with it down the rink, dribbling it -just ahead of him. He tried to “lift” it over the heads of the -cover-point and others, but it was stopped, and came whizzing back -again. - -Dashleigh obtained it and sent it bang against Beckwith’s shins, and -Beckwith shot it to one side. - -After some more quick work it came into Merriwell’s possession. Morgan -skated in with the speed of lightning to prevent Frank’s play; but, -swift as he was, he was too slow. Frank’s stick pushed the puck with a -quick flirt past Morgan and between the posts, and another goal had been -added. - -The score was seven to five when the timekeeper’s whistle blew. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - THE ABDUCTION OF INZA. - - -As if it were an echo of that whistle, a scream came from the lips of -Inza Burrage. Having grown tired, she had seated herself in the sleigh -which had brought out Danny and Bink. - -Merriwell turned and beheld an astounding sight. A man he believed to be -Amos Belton, the junior whom rumor said had fallen wildly in love with -Inza, was driving rapidly down the road in the sleigh, holding Inza to -his side in a clutch she could not cast off. He had thrown something -over her head, and this smothered her further screams, and also rendered -her helpless in his hands. - -The spectators, who but a moment before had been wildly cheering the -playing of the hockey-teams, stood as if frozen with astonishment. While -they hesitated, out of their midst leaped Merriwell, running on his -skates. - -For the first time he observed the extreme lateness of the hour. The -delays caused by falls and the protest of Silver’s play had wonderfully -lengthened out the playing time. The sun had set and night was fast -coming on. - -Bink and Danny were aghast. - -“Our team!” Danny squalled. “Did you ever?” - -As they were not aware of Belton’s infatuation for Inza, they had -nothing on which to build a theory. - -Merriwell’s leap for the nearest vehicle set the whole crowd in motion. -Starbright and Dashleigh sprang toward a horse. Dashleigh’s mind was in -a whirl, as it went back to what he had seen in that house on Whitney -Avenue while he was searching for the “party” given by Mrs. Whitlock. He -could not help feeling that what he had beheld there was in some way -connected with what was now happening. Yet he could not see the -connection. The girl seen in that house was not Inza Burrage. He knew -that, though she had looked so much like her. - -“I don’t know what to think!” he stammered to Starbright. - -“You can see what Belton is doing!” - -“Yes, but——” - -“Hello!” cried Starbright in dismay. “The harness is cut!” - -Merriwell made the same discovery concerning the horse to which he had -run. The harness had been slashed with a sharp knife, which had cut -through the leather in several places, rendering it useless. - -Merriwell darted to the next horse. The harness of that horse was also -severed. He saw beyond this horse a sleigh which had recently been -driven up, as was evidenced by the fact that the horse seemed blown. -This animal was unblanketed, and all those brought to the lake earlier -in the afternoon had been heavily blanketed to protect them from the -wind and cold. - -“The fellow came out in that sleigh!” he thought. - -Seeing that the harness was intact, he sprang toward the vehicle, at the -same time glancing down the road where the sleigh holding Inza and her -abductor was vanishing. - -Hodge and Browning had jumped toward carriages with the intention of -taking the first they came to and joining in the chase, but the -harnesses were so cut and slashed that they could not be used. - -Merriwell leaped into the sleigh and turned the horse toward the road. -Then he reached over, took the whip, and gave the animal a cut. It -started down the road at a speedy gait. - -Frank’s mind was in as much of a whirl as Dashleigh’s. He did not know -what Dashleigh had seen on Whitney Avenue, but he had heard of the -infatuation of Amos Belton for Inza. He had learned, too, that Belton -had dropped behind in his studies and was likely to be forced out of -Yale on that account. The report which had reached him accounted for -Belton’s low grade on the theory that the junior’s mind was so taken up -by thoughts of Inza that he could not study. - -But Merriwell had never dreamed that Belton would do what he now seemed -to be doing, and the only theory on which he could build for a possible -solution was that the junior had suddenly become insane. - -Filled by this fear, Merriwell gave the horse another cut, and sent it -down the road at a racing gallop. - -With the horse going at top speed, Merriwell gave a moment to the -removal of his skates; then again took up the whip. - -Back by the lake students were engaged in frantic efforts to tie and -splice the cut harnesses, while most of the great crowd was streaming on -foot down the road. In the midst of these ran Danny and Bink, whose -shrill voices Merriwell could hear amid the din. - -Then Starbright loomed out of the crowd, mounted bareback on a horse -which he had cut loose from a buggy. But he was far in the rear of -Frank, and his chances of aiding Inza seemed poor indeed. - -The sleigh containing Inza and the miscreant who had seized her was -flying along straight for New Haven, a good distance in advance of -Merriwell. - -Suddenly Frank noticed that his horse was losing speed and beginning to -limp. He applied the whip, rendered heartless in his treatment of the -animal by the fear that possessed him. - -But the limping increased and the speed became slower. A half-dozen -times the horse stumbled and almost fell. Then it stopped, doggedly -refusing to make another effort. It was dead lame. - -Frank realized now why this horse had been left and the other taken. -Probably Inza’s abductor had not meant to take the other horse as he -drove out, but his own horse falling lame, he had seized the one driven -by Bink and Danny. Fortunately for his plans, Inza was seated in that -sleigh, making the work easier for him. - -Seeing that it was useless to depend further on this animal, Frank -sprang out of the sleigh. - -He would have continued the chase on foot, but glancing back, he saw -Starbright coming on the horse cut loose from the buggy. Behind -Starbright, at varying distances, streamed the students and the -spectators. - -“Let me have your horse!” Merriwell commanded, as Starbright came up, -for Dick seemed about to ride by. - -Starbright reined in with a jerk and slipped to the ground. - -“You’re lighter than I am,” he said, “and can get more speed out of the -beast. Take him and welcome. You must get Inza out of the clutches of -that rascal. He must be crazy!” - -Frank vaulted to the back of the big black and was away. The horse was -fleeter than the other at his best, and Frank’s hopes began to rise. Yet -so much time had been already lost that it began to look impossible for -him to overtake the sleigh before it reached the tangle of city streets, -if it could be done at all. - -“Crazy as a loon!” was Frank’s thought as he tore along, a terrible -dread at his heart. “It’s singular that he drives straight toward the -city!” - -The lights were beginning to glow in the streets when Frank, still a -considerable distance behind, saw the sleigh turn down a side avenue and -disappear behind some buildings. - -He had ridden his horse at such high speed that he had greatly decreased -the distance separating him from the sleigh. Riding hard for the avenue -down which the sleigh and its occupant had vanished, Frank saw them -again at the crossing of another street. - -Then the houses shut them from sight, and when he again beheld the -sleigh it was returning to the principal street. When he reached that -street, however, it had again vanished. - -“It is singular that Inza doesn’t cry out and attract attention.” - -His heart was chilled by the answering thought: - -“No doubt she is unconscious. The villain has choked or smothered her. -She is not a girl to faint easily otherwise. He must be crazy. This -zigzagging back and forth shows it.” - -Frank seemed to be chasing a will-o’-the-wisp. At one moment he would -see the sleigh, then the driver would send it down some side street, -after which it would appear again, to repeat this maneuver. - -Observing a policeman at a corner, Frank leaped from his horse, called -the bluecoat’s attention to the sleigh; then, leaving the horse to be -cared for by other hands, he dived into the nearest cab and instructed -the driver to follow the sleigh, and on no account to let it get away -from him. - -“He’ll be a good one if he slips me!” was the driver’s assertion, which -he began to make good by sending the cab forward at a swinging pace. - -Frank, looking from the cab door, beheld the sleigh again. It had -reentered a street running parallel with Chapel and was flying on. - -“I never saw anything quite so queer,” was Frank’s conclusion. “If the -man isn’t crazy, it looks as if he wants me to follow him.” - -“There it goes!” called cabby. “Shall I just follow it, or try to catch -it?” - -“Try to catch it!” - -“Ga-ed up!” - -The whip cracked, and the hackney stretched out at a gallop. - -It was a strange chase through the New Haven streets—a chase that began -to draw attention. The sleigh was keeping to the less-frequented -thorough-fares, apparently for the double reason of attracting less -notice and of getting better, and therefore faster, sleighing. On Chapel -Street the wear of travel and traffic had well-nigh dissipated the snow. - -The darkness of fast-gathering night had deepened, but the streets were -fairly well lighted, and the cabman found no great difficulty in keeping -the sleigh in view, though he could not overtake it. - -Frank’s alarm increased. There were no indications that Inza was calling -to any one for help, and this strange silence could mean nothing to him -but that she was unconscious and unable to call. - -More and more he was convinced that Amos Belton had suddenly become a -raving maniac. He had always been considered somewhat peculiar. He was -dark and taciturn, making few friendships and seeking none. - -The fact that he had some time before fallen wildly in love with Inza -Burrage was a matter of common report. Belton had not taken pains to -conceal his passion, and on more than one occasion he had annoyed the -girl by thrusting himself into her company. - -“Overtake the sleigh!” Frank called to the driver. “I will pay you well -for it.” - -The command was easy to give, but not easy to carry out. The driver had -been doing his best. - -Now and then people ran out of their stores or gathered in groups on the -corners as pursued and pursuer tore by. Not another policeman had Frank -seen, and no one made an attempt to stop the sleigh, which was now -approaching the waterside and the wharves. - -The ride across the city had been made in an incredibly short time, in -spite of the zigzagging character of the route. - -Frank kept the cab door open most of the time, ready to spring out if -there was any advantage thus to be gained. The part of the city they -were now in was not as well lighted nor as thickly populated as that -they were leaving. - -Again the sleigh took a side street and Frank obtained a look at the -occupants. The man was sitting bolt upright, holding the reins, and the -girl was apparently leaning against his shoulder. Her long silence had -greatly increased Frank’s alarm and anxiety. Inza would not remain in so -passive a state unless she were unconscious. - -The cab flew round the corner, taking the side street with the wheels -tipping. Again the sleigh shifted its course, going straight toward one -of the wharves. The driver was evidently familiar with the streets and -locality. - -“He has some desperate plan in his crazy mind,” was Frank’s conclusion, -“and he has studied the thing out in advance with all the cunning of -insanity. But he will not be able to go much farther in this direction.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - THE FATE OF SANTENEL. - - -There was no light on the long wharf down which the sleigh was driven. - -“We’ve got him now!” said the driver, twisting round on his seat and -speaking to Frank, who was again looking out of the cab door. - -“Unless he goes into the water!” was Frank’s startled thought. “A -lunatic may be expected to do anything.” - -He saw the sleigh reach the end of the wharf and come to a stop at the -side of the wharf building, then beheld the driver alight. - -A scream came as the driver roughly pulled the muffled figure out after -him. - -Frank leaned half out of the cab, ready to jump to the ground. The -cabman gave the horse an extra cut when he heard the scream, and the cab -tore along like mad. - -But the man who had been in the sleigh was quick of movement. He dragged -the reeling figure toward the water. - -Then for the first time Frank saw a large steam-launch tied up at the -wharf. Toward this the man hurried. The place was so dark that Frank -could not see the faces of those he was pursuing, and when the cab -reached the spot occupied by the sleigh the cabman drew in, fearing to -risk his horse farther. - -Frank sprang out like a flash and pursued the man on foot, leaping -across the wharf with reckless bounds. - -“Stop!” he called. “Stop, you villain!” - -Again that scream came to urge him on; and, turning the corner of the -low building, he saw the man roughly bundle his half-inanimate burden -into the steam-launch. The man tumbled in also, and both instantly -disappeared. - -It looked clear to Frank that Amos Belton had previously placed the -launch there to aid him in his crazy scheme. Without a moment’s -hesitation, he sprang from the wharf to the launch. The summer awning -had been removed, and the little deck was like that of a small yacht. - -A door, seeming to lead into a companionway or cabin, was open before -him, and into this Frank pushed, sure that Inza and her abductor had -vanished through it. - -He found himself in total darkness, except for the light that came in -through the door. Outside on the wharf he heard the trample of horses’ -feet and the voice of the cabman shouting some question after him. - -Not taking time to strike a match, Frank pushed straight ahead, feeling -out before him with his hands. In a moment he came against a wall, which -seemed to bar his farther progress in that direction. - -“Inza!” he called. “Inza!” - -There was no answer. He heard the voice of the cabman again, then felt a -footfall jar the launch. Apparently the cabman had leaped to the deck. -The next instant Frank found himself in total darkness. - -To his astonishment, he also heard the exhaust of a steam-pipe, and felt -the launch tremble as it began to get under way. - -He stood stock-still, with wildly beating heart. Apparently the crazy -student had made him a prisoner and was putting the launch in motion, -with the intention of running it out of the harbor. - -“Well, he can’t hold me in here!” was Frank’s fierce declaration. “And I -can’t risk any delay in getting out.” - -He again shouted Inza’s name, and heard only the exhaust of the pipe. - -“That was not the cabman who leaped on deck,” was his conclusion. “It -was Belton, who came round there to shut me in. I hope the cabman will -lose no time in giving the alarm!” - -Realizing that he was quivering with excitement, and that he needed a -cool mind now if ever, Frank stood still in the darkness, gathering -together the tangled thread of conjecture and evidence. - -Then he coolly took a match from his pocket, struck it, and looked about -the room. It was very small, with a door leading toward the stern of the -launch. - -“Perhaps Inza is beyond that door!” was his thought as the match flamed -up and then burned out. - -He stepped to the door, rapped heavily on it, and called Inza’s name. As -before, there was no answer. The launch seemed to be tearing through the -water at a rapid rate, presumably moving down the harbor. - -Frank struck another match, took a good look at the door, and kicked on -it heavily. It sprung inward with quivering timbers, but withstood the -assault. Again and again he kicked on the door, throwing himself also -against it with his shoulders. He was becoming desperate now, for his -prison walls were stronger than he had at first supposed. - -No better results came from an attack on the other door; and, returning -to the one he had first tried to force, he flung himself at it with so -mighty a leap and so irresistible an impetus that it yielded. - -The door flew from its hinges, and he was flung out into another dark -little room—flung with such heavy force that he was almost stunned. - -Before he could get up, he was set upon in the darkness by a man, who -seemed to rise up beside him. Presumably he had been waiting to attack -him if the door yielded. - -Believing that he had come in contact with Belton, Frank struck heavily -at the man in the gloom, thinking the best way to fight the supposed -maniac was to knock him out at once and render him incapable of further -mischief. The man dodged the blow and struck back with an enraged snarl, -exclaiming: - -“If you go out of this boat it will be to drown!” - -For a moment Frank felt weak and dazed. The blow had not reached him, -yet he fairly reeled against the wall. - -He was not fighting Amos Belton, but Dion Santenel! - -Could the man who looked so much like Amos Belton be Santenel, the -hypnotist? The thing seemed impossible, yet Merriwell believed it true. - -Another conviction came to him. Santenel had not abducted Inza for the -purpose of carrying her away or harming her, but to draw him into this -trap, knowing that he would follow Inza to whatever point she might be -taken. - -“You again, Santenel!” Frank hissed, lunging at the dimly seen form of -his enemy. - -“So you know me?” screamed Santenel. “You triumphed the other day; it is -my turn now!” - -The struggle that followed was fierce in the extreme. Santenel’s catlike -eyes seemed able to penetrate the gloom. Raging like a madman, he -bounded to and fro, striking with the quickness of a rattlesnake. Twice -his fist found Frank’s face, each time Santenel dodging back and ducking -in the darkness in time to escape a counter-blow. - -The launch was speeding through the water. - -“Where is Inza?” Frank demanded, as he leaped in between these blows. -“Tell me, you scoundrel, or I’ll choke the life out of you!” - -Santenel’s laugh was almost maniacal. - -“Food for fishes!” he cried. “What you will be mighty soon!” - -Then the hypnotist, again ducking and dodging, renewed the fight with a -vindictiveness which Merriwell had never seen equaled. - -Notwithstanding that the gloom seemed to favor Santenel, Frank at length -succeeded in landing a blow that knocked the hypnotist against the wall. -He went against it with a thud, dropped downward as if falling in a limp -heap, then straightened half up and pitched toward a door which opened -to the little deck. - -Before Frank could take advantage of his successful blow Santenel had -drawn his thin body through this door and was scrambling out of the -place. - -Frank lunged and caught the man by the coat as he gained the deck. But -the hypnotist slipped out of the garment, leaving it in Frank’s hands. - -Merriwell sprang after him, intending to catch him and force him to tell -what had become of Inza. He did not believe that Inza had fallen or been -thrown overboard, in spite of Santenel’s horrible declaration that she -had become “food for fishes.” - -Santenel tried to dive into and through the other door, the one Frank -had first entered, but it stuck fast or was locked. Before the hypnotist -could get it open Frank was again on him. and the struggle that had -raged below deck was again renewed. - -“Tell me what you have done with her!” Frank hissed, getting Santenel by -the throat and pushing his head backward. The fiend tried to wriggle -away. Failing in this, he struggled to trip his assailant, in which -effort he threw himself from his feet, and, falling with his head -against the deck, was knocked into temporary insensibility. - -Seeing that he was unconscious, Frank glanced about for a rope with -which to tie him. Finding none, he retraced his way across the little -deck toward the stern of the launch. - -A hasty glance at the lights of the city showed that the launch, no -doubt with wheel tied, was steaming straight out toward the channel. -Already it was far from the wharf it had so recently left. - -“Inza!” Frank began to call, as he kicked about with his feet for a -rope. “Inza! Inza!” - -There was no answer. A horrible fear weighted him down. He wanted to -begin an immediate search for her, but he dared not until Santenel was -safely secured; for the desperate hypnotist was capable of doing -anything as soon as he recovered. - -When no answer came to his cries, Frank was about to strike a match and -descend into the interior of the launch and make a search, regardless of -Santenel. But at this moment the man recovered consciousness and began -an effort to get on his feet. - -Frank rushed toward him. - -“Stop!” he shouted, for he fancied he saw Santenel drawing a weapon. - -For reply, the villain hurled a heavy iron bolt at him. Seeing this had -missed, for Frank rushed straight on, the hypnotist, with his mind -apparently muddled by his fall, gave a shriek, climbed to his feet and -leaped over the rail into the water. - -Frank stood still. - -“Retribution!” he muttered. “Food for fishes! It is the hand of outraged -justice, and it has fallen at last!” - -For one brief moment he saw the dark face tossed to the top of a wave; -then it disappeared. The launch plowed on through the water. - -“The last of Santenel!” was Frank’s hoarse exclamation. - -In spite of his fears concerning Inza, he stood staring at the spot -where the man’s head had vanished, though the darkness hid everything in -that direction now. - -Then the memory of Inza dragged at his heart-strings and pulled him away -from the launch’s side. - -“Inza! Inza!” he called again and again. - -There was no response. The sweat came out on his face and his limbs -trembled. - -“Heavens! Can it be possible the man spoke true?” - -He groped his way into the vessel in search of a lamp. Then, remembering -that the launch was steaming out toward the bay, he stopped this hunt, -made his way to the tiny engine, slowed it down and turned the boat -about with a whirl of the wheel. - -Having done this, with a lantern he had discovered he resumed his search -for Inza. But she was not to be found. What he had thought two cabins -proved to be a tiny cabin and a bunk-room. These seemed to be the only -rooms or semblance of rooms in the vessel. - -Sick at heart, with that awful fear stunning his brain, Frank now took -charge of the launch and sent it back toward the wharf, but guiding it -so that it would pass over or near the spot where Santenel had thrown -himself into the water. - -The gloom on the water was so great that he could see nothing but the -waves, which were black and oily. There was no sign of Santenel. - -Then, with his fears for Inza driving him almost frantic, Frank began to -zigzag the launch so as to cover a greater area of surface. There seemed -a bare possibility, if Inza had fallen overboard or been thrown -overboard, that she might have caught hold of something and sustained -herself in the water. - -“She couldn’t hold on long, though!” he groaned. “The villain told the -truth! She is dead!” - -He grew cold at the thought, his heart seeming to turn to ice. But a -little while before, Inza, handsome, spirited, joyous, had been -applauding the playing of the hockey-teams on the lake. Now, as he -believed, she had passed suddenly from the land of the living. - -“And her murderer has gone with her. Yes; he was her murderer, even if -he did not throw her overboard.” - -Frank sat as if frozen, his eyes staring almost blankly at the lights on -the wharf toward which the launch was now moving. He heard nothing of -the voices rising on the wharf. - -As he drew nearer he became conscious that Bink and Danny were dancing -about in the glow of a lantern, howling and exclaiming. Usually the -little fellows amused him. Now he felt that he did not want to see them -or hear them. Their seeming levity jarred on him. - -As in a dream, Frank guided the launch up to the wharf. He scarcely -observed the group of friends who had gathered there, nor the cab and -cabman in the background. Nor did he notice the questions and -exclamations that were being shouted at him. - -But as the launch grated against the wharf he pulled himself together by -a great effort and looked with wild eyes at the crowd. - -The blood which had seemed to be congealed round his heart rushed back -in a hot wave. - -Inza Burrage stood in the forefront of the crowd, alive, well, unharmed! - -The last plot of Dion Santenel had been extremely desperate—such a plot -as the brains of a madman alone could devise. - -Bert Dashleigh had come near revealing it when he blundered into that -house on Whitney Avenue and beheld the youth disguised as a girl and -made up to look like Inza. - -Santenel had carried Inza in the sleigh from Lake Whitney into the city; -but, having choked her into insensibility, he dropped her out in an -alley, at which point the youth dressed to resemble her took her place -in the sleigh. It had been Santenel, disguised as Amos Belton, and this -youth whom Merriwell chased through the city streets. - -Without doubt the disguised youth concealed himself somewhere in the -darkness of the old buildings on the wharf. - -Santenel’s plot was no doubt murderous, inspired by feelings of baffled -hate and a desire for revenge. - -Three days afterward a body identified as his floated to the wharf where -the launch had laid, and was found there by a boatman. - - * * * * * - -“I have decided not to try to force Dade Morgan out of Yale,” said -Frank, talking over the situation afterward with Bart Hodge. “I have -been in a dilemma about it. The fellow is almost a genius in some lines. -He might go headlong to the bad if I should move against him, while a -little leniency and kindness may let him see where he stands and turn -him in the right direction. With Santenel dead, I see no reason why he -should attempt anything further against me.” - -“I guess you are right,” Hodge admitted. “There seems to be no reason -why he should strike at you again. But it’s awfully hard for a -rattlesnake to forget that it is a rattlesnake.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - IN FRANK’S ROOM. - - -“I say, Merriwell,” cried Jack Ready, strolling into Frank’s room, his -hat set rakishly over one ear and his hands thrust into his trousers -pockets, “do you know what they call a young black cat in England?” - -“Why, I’ve been in England,” said Frank, rising from his open trunk, -which he was packing, “but I don’t believe I can tell what they call a -young black cat over there.” - -“Why,” chuckled the visitor, with great satisfaction, “they call her -‘kitty, kitty,’ just the same as we do on this side of the water. Oh, -Merry, you’re a good thing!” - -Frank laughed heartily, Ready’s jovial mood being contagious. - -“You’re steadily growing sharper and sharper, old man,” said Merry. -“You’re becoming dangerous to fool with of late.” - -“Oh, yes,” nodded Jack, striking a pose, with one hand thrust into the -opening of his vest. “The mantle of Bink Stubbs hath descended upon me -and I am ‘it.’ I am making enemies in a merry way with my persiflage. -Sprung that on two other fellows this morning. One told me it was so old -it had whiskers, while the other got his back up and wanted to t’ump me -in my mild, blue eye. This being a practical joker is getting to be a -great responsibility, and I feel the strain. I am glad vacation is at -hand, as it will serve to give me a short breathing-spell. Packing your -paper collars and pajamas? Leave to-morrow, I suppose? Whither do you -fly?” - -“Yes, I leave in the morning,” nodded Frank. “Got to run down to New -York to attend to some business concerning my play, ‘True Blue.’” - -“Which way after that?” - -“Well, Starbright has invited me to visit him.” - -“I’m another. Going to accept?” - -“I may.” - -“Then, by all the eternal gods of Olympus! I’m going to try to get round -there myself. You hear me chirp! You catch the silvery cadence of my -voice!” - -“He invited you?” - -“Did he? Why, he fell on my neck and wept like a brother at thoughts of -parting. We mingled our weeps, and we spilled brine enough to start -another ocean. It was sad, and touching, and sloppy. He said, ‘Ready, -old man, I hate to leave you—alive.’ I said, ‘Starbright, my baby, -you’re the only freshman for whom I entertain the slightest feeling of -affection, and I’ve always felt for you—with a brickbat.’ It was a -strange, weird spectacle—a soph and a freshie weeping in each other’s -arms. Any minute I expected he would toss me down and jump on me, but he -did nothing of the kind, and it has dawned on me that the fellow really -likes me and really meant it when he invited me to run over and visit -him with the rest of the gang during the holidays.” - -“Did you accept?” - -“Not on the spot; but now—now I know you are going—I may. Who’s going?” - -“Well, I understand Browning is one—and Hodge.” - -“Browning’s all right, but Hodge—well, he’s a good fighter when that is -necessary, but he doesn’t add much jolliness to a gathering. A joke -always seems to rub him the wrong way.” - -There came a sound of many feet and voices outside, the door was flung -open, and Bruce Browning came in, followed by Bart Hodge, Dick -Starbright, Bert Dashleigh, and Greg Carker. Bruce made straight for a -comfortable couch, on which he dropped, brought forth a clay pipe and -began to fill it. The others greeted Merriwell, Hodge saying: - -“Thought we’d come up, Frank, just to get the crowd together for a -little while before we separate for the holidays. You don’t mind?” - -“Fellows, I’m delighted to have you come in just like this,” declared -Frank. “Make yourselves at home, every man of you.” - -“That’s right,” said Ready, “if you can’t find chairs, sit right down on -the carpet; it won’t hurt it much. What’s that thing you’re filling, -Browning—a clay pipe? Ye gods and little fishes! How have the mighty -fallen! I didn’t think you’d come down to that! How did it happen?” - -“Well,” grunted Bruce, getting into a comfortable position, as he -lighted the pipe, “you see even a clay pipe has its advantages.” - -“What are they?” - -“Why, if you let one fall on the pavement or a hard floor, you don’t -have to bother to pick it up,” exclaimed the laziest man in Yale, -causing a laugh at his expense. - -“That surely is a bad case of ennui,” said Carker reprovingly. - -“What’s that?” yawned Browning. “How do you define ennui?” - -“I can define it,” declared Ready, at once. “It’s when you’re tired of -doing nothing and too lazy to do something.” - -“That’s what’s ailed Bruce ever since the football season closed,” -nodded Frank. “I had begun to fancy that Bruce had reformed—that he’d -put laziness behind him forever. Why, he trained like a slave, and he -worked like a fiend to reduce flesh. He was in the very pink of -condition the day he went onto the field in the Harvard game. Looked -healthy and handsome.” - -“Thanks,” rumbled the lazy giant. “Bow to the gentleman for me, please, -Ready. It’s too much of a job for me to rise. I know I was a perfect -Apollo, but the task of being an Apollo was too great a strain. I had to -throw it up.” - -“But not till we had downed Harvard beautifully,” said Starbright, his -fair, handsome face glowing. “Oh, they thought they had us! They came -mighty near it in the first half, and——” - -“Gave me heart-disease,” put in Dashleigh. “I’ll never get over it. -Sometimes I wake up nights now, yelling, ‘Three yards more and -Harvard’ll have a touch-down! Hold ’em, boys—hold ’em!’” - -“That was Bart’s constant cry,” said Browning. “He begged us separately -and collectively to hold ’em, but the only thing that saved the day was -Merry’s appearance on the field at the close of the game. They had us -going all right in that half, and they’d have scored in another minute.” - -“But you made a gallant fight,” said Frank, his eyes flashing—“a fight -to be remembered always. I am proud of every man on the team.” - -“Yah!” muttered Hodge sourly. “Are you proud of that dog Morgan? I don’t -believe it!” - -“In a certain way, I am proud of him,” asserted Merry positively. - -“But you were ready to wring his everlasting neck a short time ago. You -announced your intention of kicking him out of Yale.” - -“And you could have done it, all right,” put in Carker. “He heard the -rumbling of the approaching earthquake, and he——” - -“Oh, choke that earthquake business!” cut in Ready. “Don’t use the -expression; reserve it for your socialistic lectures.” - -“Fellows,” said Frank, “I admit that I was ready and resolved to crush -Dade Morgan a short time ago.” - -“But you have not crushed him,” spoke Hodge. “Why was it? Tell us. We -want to know.” - -“I cannot explain everything, for it will take too much time if I do; -but I will say this much, I discovered that Morgan was not wholly -responsible for his actions toward me. Another will than his own -controlled and directed him. This may seem too remarkable to be true, -but it is a fact. The one who controlled him hated me with a hatred that -only death could terminate. If Morgan rebelled, this monster put on the -screws and forced his tool to perform his work. Mind you, I do not claim -that Dade Morgan naturally would be perfect or even a fine fellow; but -he was led to the very verge of murder by the wretch who impelled him to -his acts. Morgan in his right mind and being his own master would never -have gone that far.” - -“Perhaps not,” muttered Hodge; “but I believe he’d do anything.” - -“I think,” Merry pursued, “that there came a time when Morgan was -anxious to cease troubling me. I have thought the whole matter over, and -I have decided that I know when that time arrived. Then it was that the -monster behind him put on the screws and forced him forward against his -will.” - -“And if you do not wind Morgan up,” said Dashleigh, “may not this same -monster continue his dirty work?” - -Frank shook his head, with a strange, grim smile of satisfaction. - -“Neither Morgan nor myself will be troubled by him any more,” he -declared. “That man is dead.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - WHAT ELSIE SAID. - - -“Say, old fellow,” said Ready, edging up to Browning, “lend me fifty, -will you?” - -“Fifty what?” grunted Bruce. - -“Why, fifty dollars. I——” - -“Quit your joking.” - -“I’m not joking. I need the money. I’m broke.” - -“My dear boy,” said Browning, “you’re not broke; you’re cracked. Lend -you fifty dollars! I see myself!” - -“I am desperate,” asserted Jack wildly. “There is no telling what a man -will do when he needs money.” - -“That’s so,” admitted Bruce. “Look at all the fellows who get married.” - -“Ah!” sighed Dashleigh, “you know they say love is blind.” - -“But as a rule,” put in Carker dolefully, “marriage is an eye-opener.” - -“I,” laughed Starbright, who was sprawling on a Morris chair, “shall -refuse to be mercenary when it comes to marriage, I shall marry for -beauty.” - -“My dear boy,” said Frank, “the fellow who marries for beauty is usually -the victim of——” - -“A skin game,” interrupted Ready. “The dollars are good enough for me.” - -“Speaking about dollars,” said Bart, “do any of you believe that old -story about George Washington throwing a dollar across the Potomac -River?” - -“Why, of course,” nodded Merry immediately. “It’s a very likely story.” - -“I fail to see it in that light. He couldn’t do it.” - -“Why not? Washington was a powerful man, and, besides, a dollar would go -twice as far in those days as it will now.” - -Ready gasped and dropped with a crash upon a chair. - -“Fan me!” he said faintly. “Merriwell takes his place at the head of the -class. I think I’ll have to touch him for the cold cash.” - -“Why is it,” questioned Carker, “that people always speak of money as -cold cash?” - -“I suppose,” said Merry, laughing softly, “it’s because so many human -beings have a way of freezing to it.” - -“What—again?” howled Ready, popping bolt upright and staring at Frank. -“How do you dare, sir! In my presence, too! I am the only one who has a -right to do such things. But, really and truly, I’ve got to borrow some -spondulicks before I leave for vacation. Got a bill from my tailor. He -wrote on the bottom: ‘Dear sir, if you pay the enclosed bill, you will -oblige me; if you don’t, I shall oblige you.’ Now, wouldn’t that bump -you!” - -“Don’t talk of tailors!” grumbled Browning. “You’ve got a regular -hand-me-down suit on.” - -“Bah!” retorted Jack instantly. “That suit of yours reminds me of an -unripe watermelon.” - -“Why?” - -“Because it’s so different. One isn’t fit to cut, and the other isn’t -cut to fit. Refuse me! Wouldn’t let me have a small loan, eh? Well, you -shall repent in sackcloth and ashes. Yea, verily!” - -Carker began whistling mournfully to himself. - -“Listen to that,” murmured Frank, nudging Ready. “I wonder if he -whistles to himself when he’s alone.” - -“Prithee I cannot tell,” answered Jack. “I’ve never been with him when -he was alone.” - -“Fellows,” said Starbright soberly, “I know a scheme whereby we can all -make money.” - -“Unwind it to us!” cried Ready. - -“Let’s hear it,” urged Hodge. - -“We’re listening,” said Dashleigh. - -“Go on,” urged Browning. - -“It’s simple,” assured Dick, still with perfect gravity. “All we have to -do is perfume our paper money.” - -“Hey?” said Carker, who had stopped whistling. - -“What?” grunted Browning, ceasing to puff at his pipe. - -“What are you giving us?” muttered Hodge. - -“That’s right,” declared the fair-haired freshman. “You see by perfuming -our paper money we can add a scent to every dollar.” - -Frank laughed again, while Ready thumped himself behind the ear with his -clenched fist. - -“Another rival!” he groaned. “This is driving me to suicide. And still I -need that money.” - -“Why, my dear boy,” smiled Frank, “I heard that you won some money from -Skelding last night.” - -“Oh, no!” Jack hastened to deny. “No money; I merely won a few bets from -him.” - -There came a rap on the door. - -“Come in,” called Merry. - -But every fellow in that room, Browning included, sprang to his feet -when the door opened and they saw Inza Burrage and her father just -outside. - -“Perhaps we’re intruding?” suggested Mr. Burrage apologetically. - -“Oh, no!” exclaimed Merry. “Come right in!” - -He sprang forward and greeted Inza warmly with outstretched hand. She -never before had looked so stunning and dashing. At least, Frank thought -so. - -“We thought we’d come round and call a moment before you left, Frank,” -she said, in her well-modulated, musical voice. “You go——” - -“To-morrow. I was packing my trunk when the fellows strolled in. I’m -glad you came, Inza.” - -He drew her into the room, and the boys bowed, greeting with enthusiasm -the former mascot of the crew. She spoke to them all, but it seemed that -even a little more color mounted to her flushed cheeks when Starbright, -the handsome giant freshman, bowed low before her. - -And keen eyes might have seen that Dick was not quite at ease, though he -made a desperate effort to appear thus. - -Mr. Burrage shook hands with the boys, having a pleasant word for each -one, but the arrival of Inza put an end to their free-and-easy badinage -and joking. They gathered about her in an admiring circle, listening to -every word she uttered, each feeling in his heart that she was a most -bewilderingly handsome and adorable young lady. In her presence, even -Carker forgot to be pessimistic and melancholy, and not once did he -speak of the “rumble of the approaching earthquake.” - -But Starbright hung on her words in a breathless way, and his heart -leaped when she turned toward him with one of her dazzling smiles, or -spoke to him directly, and he felt that he was being robbed of his just -due, if for a little time she gave him no special attention. - -Dick Starbright knew that Frank and Inza were fast friends, he knew they -were almost sweethearts, he knew Inza would not be there but for Merry; -yet since the day he first saw this dark-eyed, black-haired radiant -queen of a girl something he could not hold in check had been growing in -his breast—growing, growing, growing. He sought to tell himself that it -was no more than mere admiration for an unusually handsome young lady, -and he sought to believe that he could readily and easily forget her; -but she crept into his dreams with her stately grace, her dark, -bewildering eyes, her laugh that thrilled the blood, her mouth that -seemed made for kisses. - -And now, sitting in Merriwell’s room, with Inza near, his blood throbbed -in his big, strong body with all the full flood of healthy, robust -youth. - -“Why shouldn’t I win her for my own?” he mentally cried. - -Then he looked at Frank Merriwell, and he believed he had found his -answer. Contrasting himself with Frank, he seemed very immature, despite -his size, and there was something of greenness about him that must count -against him. How dared he think for a single moment that he, the raw -youth, could win from this clever and experienced young man of the -world! He was crushed and abashed. - -Coming out of his trance, Dick found Frank was telling Inza of some -photographs he had taken. She wished to see them, and he said they were -in an adjoining room. She rose at once, and they passed beyond some -portières. - -Though he still could hear her voice through the open door, it seemed to -Dick Starbright that something went out of the sunshine, leaving it dull -and somber, and there was a strange sensation like a pain in his heart. - -Frank and Inza chatted over the pictures, which consisted of a group of -the Yale football-team, with Merry the central figure, and a number of -snap shots of the team in practise and at play. The smell of Browning’s -pipe pervaded the rooms, and Merry threw open a door leading into the -hall, which gave a draft. - -“I suppose you are glad the holidays have come?” said Inza. - -“I don’t know,” he admitted. “You see, it is different with me than with -other fellows. They have homes, and fathers, and mothers, and brothers, -and sisters to which they go. Their fathers and mothers are waiting to -greet them with affection, while their brothers and sisters will regard -them with admiration and pride. They are going to pleasant firesides, -Christmas trees and merry times. I have no home, no mother, sisters, or -brothers. True, I have a father, but he is worn and old and strange to -me, for I’ve never seen much of him. But I love him, just the same. Poor -old man! He has suffered much, and now, with no enemy to harass him -further, I trust he may have peace and happiness.” - -Inza was touched by Merry’s words. For the first time, it seemed, she -fully realized his unfortunate position in the world. - -“I’m sorry, Frank,” she said, looking into his eyes. “But your play has -given you money so that you might purchase a home of your own, and your -father has a fortune. He could buy a mansion.” - -“He might,” admitted Merry; “but he cannot get over the feeling that the -ghost of his enemy may rise to haunt him as of old, and he is the most -restless person I ever saw. Were he a younger man, I’m sure nothing -could keep him from traveling constantly. Even now, I worry for fear he -may take a freakish notion to strike out suddenly for parts unknown.” - -“Are you sure his mind is just right?” - -“I think it is—now. A short time ago I was not so sure; but never again -will he fall beneath the spell of Brandon Drood. Drood is dead, and his -wicked career is ended.” - -“He was a dreadful man!” exclaimed Inza. “Think how he tried to bury -your poor father alive! He should have been punished for his awful -crimes.” - -“I am willing to leave his soul in the hands of One who doeth all things -well,” came solemnly from Merry’s lips. - -“Where do you expect to spend the most of your vacation?” - -“Starbright has invited me to visit him in his home, and I think I shall -go there. Then I am to meet father in New York. Several of the fellows -are going to visit Starbright.” - -“Isn’t he a splendid fellow!” exclaimed the dark-eyed girl -enthusiastically. “He is so big and grand! It was magnificent to see him -tear through the enemy’s line in the football-game. And he’s handsome, -too!” - -“Here! here!” cried Merry reprovingly. “This will never do! Why, I -believe you are interested in him, Inza!” - -His heart was smitten by a pang of jealousy, for he was like other -fellows in this respect, and no one is flawless. She laughed when she -saw him looking at her almost accusingly. - -“I am,” she boldly declared. “Why shouldn’t I be? He is your friend, and -you have told me what a great, big-hearted chap he is. You want me to -like all of your friends, don’t you?” - -“Oh, yes; but there are different ways of liking a fellow, Inza.” - -“I like him as I might a big, handsome brother.” - -“Oh, well! that will do. I can’t object to that.” - -“Do you think,” she said teasingly, “that you could object under any -circumstances? If I really and truly fell in love with him, could you -object?” - -She had him cornered, and he knew it. - -“Oh, I don’t suppose I’d have a right to object!” he laughed, though -that pang of jealousy still gnawed at his heart. - -“Surely not!” Inza exclaimed. “According to your own tell, Dick is one -of the finest fellows in the world, and were he to take a fancy to me, -you ought to be glad and happy. It would be your duty to help it along.” - -He felt that she was teasing him, but still it was a tender spot, and it -made him squirm a bit. - -“Inza,” he said sincerely, “once I did my best to keep you from marrying -a man your father had selected for you, but a man you told me you did -not love.” - -“For which,” she admitted, “I owe you much. I can see now that it would -have been a fatal folly.” - -“I felt that way about it, dear girl, and that was why I did my best to -keep you from taking the false step. Had I known you really and truly -loved him, I should have remained silent. In this case it is different, -for Starbright is worthy of a fine girl; but he is young yet—even -younger than you, Inza.” - -“Not much younger. A year cannot make much difference.” - -“No, not much. If I knew Starbright loved you and you cared for him more -than any one else, whatever I might feel in my heart, I would do my best -to bring you together, and would say, ‘Bless you, my children.’” - -She laughed in her merry way. - -“I believe it, Frank,” she said. “But I was jollying, that’s all. There -is no danger that Starbright will ever care for me that way, and perhaps -I’d not care for him if he did. I am waiting to be one of the -bridesmaids when you are married to Elsie. I shall live and die an old -maid.” - -She made this final declaration in the most solemn manner possible. They -were standing by a window, now, looking out upon the bare elms and the -ground lightly covered with snow, which had fallen the previous night. - -“I’ll wager something you do not!” he exclaimed, leaning over her -shoulder. - -“What will you wager?” - -“A kiss,” he breathed softly. “And, as I know I’ll win, I’ll take it -now.” - -“Oh, no! don’t be so hasty, sir! I’m not willing to confess that I shall -lose the wager.” - -“But still,” he pleaded, “for old times, Inza. You remember the far-away -days at Fardale? You remember the night we leaned on the gate before -your home, with the moon hidden for a moment behind a cloud? You -remember what happened then, Inza?” - -She grew strangely pale, and then the blood rushed to her cheeks in a -burning flood. - -“I’ll never forget, Frank!” she whispered, a tremor running over her. -“Never!” - -Memory took her back to that sweet summer evening of her girlhood days. -It seemed that she could see the peaceful, moonlighted village street -and could feel the touch of the fragrant breeze that fanned her cheek. -Then Frank was a handsome cadet at the little military academy, and she -had loved him with all the depth of her impulsive girlish heart. He had -kissed her over the gate in that masterful, undeniable way of his, and a -million times since then she had thought of the joy of that moment. - -But years had wrought a change in them both. Between them had risen a -pretty, sweet-faced, golden-haired girl. That girl was Inza’s dearest -friend, and sometimes her heart had cried out in rebellion against -Elsie, who had caused Frank’s thoughts to stray from her. - -“Those were happy days,” said Frank gently. - -“Yes,” came faintly from her lips; “happier than I have ever known -since.” - -She felt his arm slip across her shoulders, and, for a moment, she -permitted it to remain there, little dreaming that she had again come -between Frank and Elsie. - -Outside the door that opened into the hall—the door that Merry opened to -permit fresh air to sweep through the room—stood a blue-eyed girl, -rooted to the floor, gazing in upon them, her heart throbbing madly and -painfully in her breast. It was Elsie, who had mounted the stairs, and -she saw Frank bending over Inza, heard the murmur of their voices, -beheld him put his arm around Inza’s waist—then turned and fled -noiselessly down the stairs, not pausing until she had reached the -street; and everything that had looked so bright but a moment before -suddenly seemed to change. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - - ELSIE’S STRANGE FLIGHT. - - -Buck Badger and his wife, former Winnie Lee, were in New Haven, having -come on to visit Winnie’s relatives during the holidays. Coming up the -stairs in Vanderbilt Hall, they saw through the open doorway Frank and -Inza talking by the window. At that moment, Frank turned, saw them, -uttered an exclamation of surprise and pleasure, and sprang forward with -outstretched hands. - -“Buck!” he cried. “Is it possible? And Winnie! Excuse me—Mrs. Badger.” - -“But Winnie still, Frank,” laughed the handsome young wife, her face -suffused with color. - -Frank had Badger by the hand, while Winnie and Inza rushed into each -other’s arms. - -“Well, if this isn’t great!” cried Merriwell. - -“That’s whatever!” came from the lips of Badger, who quivered through -all his sturdy frame. - -“Talk about surprises! I’m overjoyed to see you!” - -“And I,” said the young rancher, “am just roaring glad to grip the hand -of the best friend I ever had in all my life! I can’t say more, -Merriwell; but I mean that—I mean it! You were my best friend. I’ve had -time to think the old days here at Yale all over and over a hundred -times, and I allow I’ve come to see things in their right light. I was -an onery coyote, but you were my friend, and you kept me from going to -the dogs. You gave me Winnie,” he whispered, “the best and truest little -wife a man ever had! I can never repay you for that, Frank!” - -“Don’t talk about paying for anything,” said Merriwell. “I am paid a -thousand times for anything I did for you by seeing your happiness, old -man. But I think you’re giving me credit for doing altogether too much. -I don’t know that I ever did much of anything for you.” - -“Yes, you did!” insisted the Kansan, with intense earnestness. “Nobody -ever did so much for me besides you. You made a man of me! You might -have kicked me into the gutter and turned me into a dog, but you held -out your hand and pulled me up to the top of the heap, even after I’d -done you more than one onery, mean turn. That’s whatever! Nobody but a -white man all the way through would have done as you did, partner. You -might have had me expelled from Yale in disgrace, and that would have -turned my old man against me; but, instead of that, forgetting all the -bad things I’d tried to do to you, you helped me get started on the -right trail. I was pretty weak in those times, Merriwell; I know it now. -I thought I was strong, but I was right ready to go wrong. A little push -from you would have sent me wrong. And you helped me win Winnie! That -was the greatest thing you ever did for anybody, partner!” - -In that moment Frank Merriwell was rewarded for all he had endured at -the hands of this repentant young man, who had once been his enemy, and -his heart was filled with thankfulness because he had never permitted -his resentment and desire for revenge to get the best of him and induce -him to push Badger down. - -With this thought came another. He had been lenient toward Dade Morgan -just when he might have destroyed the fellow at a single stroke. It had -seemed like weakness, after all Morgan had tried to do to him; but now -Merry was happy in the knowledge that he had given Morgan another -opportunity and had not thrust him down. - -“I’ve learned one thing,” said Badger, who seemed determined to reveal -to Frank all that his heart had taught him since the happy day of his -union with Winnie. “It’s the coward who tries to kill his enemies; the -brave, strong man turns his enemies into friends. That’s whatever!” - -In the meantime, in ways peculiar to budding young womanhood, Inza and -Winnie were expressing their delight over the meeting. - -“I didn’t know we should find you here, but we were speaking of you,” -said Winnie. “You are handsomer than ever, Inza.” - -“And you, Winnie,” said the dark-haired girl, gazing at her friend with -love and admiration, “why, you’re simply wonderful.” - -“Oh, it’s the West and the air out there!” laughed Buck’s wife, in -blushing confusion. - -“Well, I think I’ll have to try that air.” - -“You don’t need it, Inza; you’re handsome anywhere, and you require no -air tonic. But how does it happen you are here. Why, just before we -reached the steps, Elsie said it would be just lovely to find you in New -Haven.” - -“Elsie?” - -“Yes.” - -“Why, is Elsie——? Where is she?” - -“Yes,” cried Frank, who had noted Winnie’s word. “Where is Elsie?” - -“She was with us,” explained Badger. “Winnie and I paused a moment on -the steps to look around, while she ran up-stairs ahead.” - -Frank and Inza looked at each other in amazement. - -“She’s not here,” said Merry breathlessly. - -“No,” said Winnie. “She came back quickly, meeting us just as we were -entering. I don’t know what ailed her, but she was very pale and said -she was ill.” - -“Never saw such a change come over anybody in a minute,” declared Buck. -“I don’t understand it now. Why, a little while before she was all life -and happiness, and her cheeks were like two sun-kissed peaches, and -she——” - -“That will do, sir!” cried Winnie, frowning. “You may talk like that -about me, but not about other young ladies. Don’t forget that you are a -married man.” - -Then Buck and Winnie laughed, but neither Frank nor Inza joined them. - -“It’s very strange,” said Frank slowly. - -“She seemed trembling, too,” explained Winnie. “I asked her what was the -matter, and she said she was ill.” - -“Quickest fit of sickness I ever saw strike anybody,” muttered Badger. - -“I urged her to come up to your rooms,” Winnie went on; “but she said -she couldn’t climb the stairs.” - -“I’d brought her right up in my arms, if it hadn’t been for the looks of -the thing,” asserted Buck. - -“She said she must have some air,” Winnie continued. “We wanted to stay -with her, but she wouldn’t hear to it. Said it would attract attention. -Said she’d walk about down there.” - -Again Frank and Inza glanced at each other, and then both of them -glanced toward the door, which remained open. From the point where they -had stood by the window the head of the stairway could be seen. The same -thought came to each of them. - -“Frank,” said the dark-eyed girl, “go right down and find Elsie. Bring -her up here at once.” - -“I’ll do it!” he exclaimed, springing through the doorway, without -pausing to take a hat. - -Down the stairs he bounded, out into the court he rushed; and there, -bareheaded and eager, he looked around for Elsie. - -She was not to be seen. From the court he rushed out through the gate to -the campus, where the light fall of snow had been trodden by hundreds of -feet. - -A little group of fellows lingered by the fence, some with the collars -of their coats turned up, some with their hands thrust deep into their -pockets, some with overcoats buttoned about them. Their heads were close -together, and they were talking earnestly about some topic of deep -interest. A few students were hurrying across the campus, their -appearance seeming to indicate that they were making haste to reach -their rooms and pack up that they might get away for the holidays. But -nowhere could Merry see a thing of Elsie. - -“Where the dickens could she have gone?” he muttered. “I wonder if she -saw us from the stairs!” - -He was seized by a feeling of guilt and a sensation of wrong-doing. -Something told him the time had come when he must choose between Inza -and Elsie, and that he could not longer entertain more than friendly -relations with both of the girls. The thought that Elsie had seen him -with Inza by the window, and had fled, her heart throbbing with pain, -made him desperate and wretched. - -“I must find her!” he muttered hoarsely. “Not even for the memory of old -times should I have permitted what happened to-day! Elsie! Elsie!” - -He seized by the arm a hurrying student and asked if he had seen -anything of a young lady without escort. No such person had been seen by -the one questioned. Then Merry went straight to the group by the fence. -Yes, one of them had seen Badger and the two girls go over to -Vanderbilt, and then, a few moments later, had seen one of the girls -hurry away alone. - -“Which way did she go?” asked Frank, repressing his eagerness so that he -attracted no particular attention by his manner. Being told, he hurried -over to the street. A few cabs and trucks were there. In a moment Merry -had learned that such a girl as he described was seen taking a cab a few -minutes before. - -“She’s gone!” he huskily muttered, as he turned back. “I must find out -where she is stopping, and I’ll call on her without delay. The time has -come for me to choose and make my choice known. I’ll do it!” - -When he again entered his rooms, he found Inza had taken Buck and Winnie -into the study, where all were chatting with Frank’s friends who had -gathered there. - -Merry lost little time in drawing Buck aside and asking where Elsie was -stopping, explaining that he had not found her. - -Buck did not know, nor did Winnie, who told how she had corresponded -with Elsie, who had been in New York, thus informing her when she would -arrive in New Haven. Elsie had called soon after their arrival, and the -trio had set out for a visit to Merry. - -“But she is coming to my house to dinner this evening,” Winnie -explained. “You may see her then, for I want you to be there, Frank. -You’ll come?” - -Of course Merry accepted the invitation. Winnie added that it was to be -a little party of college friends, and that Inza would likewise be -present. - -Frank glanced toward the dark-haired girl, discovering that she was -engaged in earnest conversation with Starbright, the big fellow standing -in an attitude of absorbed attention, while his blue eyes devoured her -with an expression of intense admiration in their honest depths. Winnie -noted Frank’s look, and she pinched his arm, whispering: - -“That looks very, very bad—for you. She told me he is your friend, and I -invited him to dinner to-night. If you’re still sweet on Inza you want -to be careful that your friend Richard Starbright doesn’t cut in and -take her away from you. He is just the sort of fellow a dark-eyed girl -like Inza is liable to get struck on.” - -Again that strange pang of jealousy smote through Frank Merriwell’s -heart, but he calmly said: - -“I do not believe Inza could find a finer fellow in the whole wide -world.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - - A DINNER-PARTY. - - -That evening a jolly party gathered at the home of Fairfax Lee, Winnie’s -father. Browning, Hodge, Starbright, Dashleigh, and Merriwell were -there. Winnie and Inza, together with two girl friends, sought to -entertain them. But one person was missing; and in vain they waited for -Elsie Bellwood, who did not come. - -Frank tried to conceal the agitated state of his feelings as best he -could, and he succeeded so well that the others enjoyed themselves. Not -till dinner-time came and passed and it was impossible to wait longer -did Merry give up hope of Elsie’s arrival. At last he whispered to -Winnie, telling her that it was useless to wait longer, and they went -down to the dining-room, which was beautifully decorated with flowers -and college flags and trophies. - -Badger sat at the head of the table, and his beautiful little wife -smiled at him from the foot. Inza was placed between Frank and Dick -Starbright, Winnie having slyly whispered to Merry that he would have a -fair chance to hold his own against the big freshman. - -Winnie’s girl friends fell to Browning and Dashleigh. Bert was the soul -of ease and politeness, but big, lumbering Bruce was restless and -awkward, although he did his best to be entertaining. - -Bart Hodge, alone, did not seem to enter fully and heartily into the -spirit of the occasion, though it was evident that he did his best to -make Badger and Winnie feel that all old animosities had been buried and -forgotten. - -In course of time the little party grew very merry, chatting of things -that interested them, from football, baseball, rowing, and kindred -sports, to ranch life and the glorious freedom of the plains and -mountains. Badger was supremely happy. He seemed to radiate good nature. - -“Look here, Hodge!” he exclaimed, suddenly shaking his finger at Bart, -“be careful down there! That’s my wife! You and I have tried to lift -each other’s scalps before this, but I’m willing to bury the hatchet if -you don’t flirt too hard with Mrs. Badger.” - -Hodge started a little, but Buck broke into a hearty laugh, and Bart -smiled a little. - -“Don’t mind him,” said Winnie. “I suppose you’ll marry, Mr. Hodge, when -the golden opportunity offers, won’t you?” - -“Well,” answered Bart deliberately, “that will depend on how much gold -there is in the opportunity.” - -“Oh, you mercenary wretch!” Winnie gasped, while Frank stared, wondering -to hear Hodge crack a joke. - -Browning was heard saying to the girl at his side: - -“I wonder why it is that the most beautiful girls are the stupid ones?” - -“Sir!” she exclaimed, giving him a cutting look; “am I to understand -that you desire to cast reflections on my mental capacity?” - -“Oh, no!” gasped the big fellow, wishing to put himself right in her -eyes; “I think you are one of the brightest girls I ever met.” - -Then, realizing he had said the wrong thing, and could never straighten -it out, he hemmed and hawed and nearly exploded in consternation and -confusion, causing the entire party to break into a shout of laughter. -As the merriment subsided, the jolly girl exclaimed: - -“You flatter me, sir! After all, though, beauty is but skin-deep.” - -“Just so,” gurgled Bruce, “but just think what a host of girls there are -who haven’t it half that deep.” - -“That lets you out, Browning,” said Merry. “You were in so deep that I -thought you’d go under sure.” - -“The trouble with me,” explained the lazy giant, “is that I’m bothered -with sleepless nights, and I sometimes talk in my sleep daytimes. Now, -what is a good thing for sleeplessness?” - -“A shotgun,” replied Badger. - -“Shotgun?” - -“Yes. I was troubled that way till I shot five or six cats. Now I am -completely cured.” - -“What troubles me more than anything else,” put in Dashleigh, “is -thoughts of the coming exams. It’s a constant horror to me.” - -“Do the questions bother you?” asked Badger. - -“Oh, no!” declared Bert. “The questions are quite clear. It’s the -answers that bother me.” - -They could not restrain their laughter, for Dashleigh had said this in a -most mirth-provoking manner. - -So, with joking and laughter, the feast progressed; but for Frank the -one person who would have made the occasion a perfect one was absent; -and, although he tried to conceal the fact, his thoughts were turning to -Elsie. At length Inza spoke of her. - -“Why do you suppose she is not here, Frank?” she asked, in a low tone, -under cover of the chatter of conversation. “I do not understand it.” - -“I’m afraid,” confessed Frank, “that she has been hurt or offended by -something.” - -“How?” whispered the dark-eyed girl. “I don’t understand——” - -“You know she ran up-stairs ahead of Buck and Winnie.” - -“Yes.” - -“And one of the doors to my rooms was open.” - -“Yes.” - -“We were in that room, looking at some pictures by the window.” - -“And she saw us; that may be true,” said Inza. “She is a sensitive -little soul. Frank, you must find her—you must bring her to me. She is -somewhere in New Haven. Find her to-night. Just because we happened to -be speaking of the past, which is gone forever, is no reason why we -should make Elsie unhappy. I’ll give her cause for happiness, Frank. -Bring her to me.” - -“I will!” he exclaimed, with suppressed earnestness. “I’ll make my -excuses and leave as soon as dinner is over.” - -Badger was on his feet, making a speech in his blunt, straightforward -way. He extolled Yale and Frank Merriwell. He spoke of the grand -victories of the eleven under command of Merry. Then he told how much he -owed to the friendship and influence of Merriwell, till, at last, Frank -laughingly entreated him to stop. - -“Well, I’ll stop,” said Buck, “but I want everybody here to drink with -me to the health of Frank Merriwell, the squarest, whitest, manliest man -that ever lived!” - -The glasses had been filled with punch, and they all rose to drink the -toast. Frank bowed his thanks, feeling his face grow warm, despite the -fact that he had seen much of the world and been greeted with applause -and admiration in many places. - -“My friends,” he said, “nothing could touch me more than such a tribute -of esteem from a Yale man, one who has been an open and honorable foe in -the past and is now just as enthusiastic in his friendship toward me. -From the lips of any other man the compliment could not mean as much.” - -“When Buck says a thing he means it,” declared Winnie, with a look of -admiration toward her husband. - -Then Merry made a brief speech, in which he referred to the days of toil -and struggle and ambition at college—happy days, now nearly over for -him. - -“One of the greatest and proudest achievements,” he asserted, “something -I prize above all things, is the fact that I have made here at Yale so -many stanch, true friends.” - -When dinner was over, they returned to the parlor, where Dashleigh tuned -up his mandolin, and there were music and singing and a good time -generally. Winnie sat down to the piano, and the others gathered round. -The old college songs were sung one after another, Starbright joining in -with his magnificent bass voice. - -Frank had excused himself to Winnie, telling her why he was going to -leave, and, in the midst of the singing, he went out quietly with Buck, -who helped him on with his coat in the hall, gave him a hearty -hand-clasp, and wished him luck in his search for Elsie. - -As he was about to leave, Merry glanced back on the happy party in the -parlor. He saw Starbright bending over Inza to look through some music, -saw her smile up at him when he said something in a low tone; and, with -this picture in his mind, he went out into the frosty December night. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX - - FRANK MERRIWELL’S HEART. - - -Frank’s quest for Elsie was vain, but he found she had been stopping at -one of the hotels. Her name was on the register. When he asked for her, -however, he was informed that she had left that day. The clerk could not -tell him whither she had gone, save that her trunk had been taken to the -railway-station. But this was enough to make him feel certain she had -left New Haven. - -There was a pain in Frank’s heart when he turned toward his rooms in -Vanderbilt. Quite alone, he paused by the fence. There were lights all -about him in the windows of the college buildings. A few were dark and -unlighted, but it was the gleam of the lighted ones that gave him a -feeling of sadness and desolation. He knew many of the students had -started for their homes that night, while to-morrow there would be a -grand exodus. Going home! The thought thrilled the vibrating chords of -his heart. He had no home to which he could go. - -The sky was thickly studded with stars, gazing down upon him like a -million gleaming eyes. He leaned on the fence and gazed up at them, and -he fancied they gave him their sympathy. - -“Elsie!” he murmured; “where are you? Why did you leave me without a -word?” - -Many, many times, he had lingered there at the fence, with stanch, true -friends about him. It was there he had discussed football, baseball, -sports of all kinds, and talked over the gossip of the college. Now he -was alone! - -Finally he turned toward Vanderbilt and climbed the stairs to his room. -This was his only home, but now it seemed lonely and deserted. - -He lighted the gas in his study and stood there looking around. It was a -pleasant room, yet the time was approaching when it would know him no -more. The walls were adorned with pictures, flags, photographs, and the -many curios he had gathered in his wanderings about the world. His desk -was standing open, the pigeonholes stuffed with the various things which -were of value to him alone. There were papers and letters upon it. -Before it stood the office chair, with an easy rocker close at hand. - -In a window alcove was a long, easy seat, piled with cushions. Over the -window in big white letters was the word, “Yale.” Magic word, dear to -the heart of every loyal lover of Old Eli! Near the window was the -well-filled bookcase, containing many well-thumbed volumes. Through the -portières he could look into the adjoining room and see the square table -on which lay the photographs he had inspected in company with Inza. - -Frank sat down in the rocker and fell to thinking of many things, but -his mind would always revert to Elsie and her strange and hurried flight -from New Haven. - -“The time has come!” he finally exclaimed. “This is my last year at -college, and soon I must go out into the world for myself. I must choose -between Elsie and Inza. Perhaps I have done wrong not to choose before, -but the friendship of both girls has been very dear to me.” - -He paced the room, his mind filled with thoughts of both the charming -girls. He saw before him Elsie’s sweet, smiling face, crowned with -golden curls, he felt the touch of her soft, sympathetic hand, heard the -music of her voice, and his heart yearned for her. Then came -Inza—dark-eyed, dark-haired, dashing, handsome, self-possessed, and -magnetic. He felt the spell of her powerful influence, and it seemed -that she was trying to crowd gentle, modest Elsie out of his heart. - -Then he remembered her as he had last seen her, smiling up into the face -of Dick Starbright. He shrugged his broad shoulders and continued to -pace the room. There was a knock on the door, and a messenger-boy stood -outside. - -“Been here twice before, sir,” said the boy. “Lady said I must give the -letter to yer to-night, sure.” - -Frank took it and gave the boy a quarter. Then, having closed the door, -as the messenger had said there would be no reply, he hastened to tear -open the envelope. His fingers trembled a little and his heart pounded -violently in his throat. He saw his name written on the envelope. - -“From Elsie!” he murmured hoarsely. The message was brief, and this is -what he read: - - “DEAR FRANK: I know you will think it strange that I changed my - mind so suddenly about seeing you, and have left New Haven. I - meant to come to you and tell you that in the future we were to - be nothing but friends, but my heart failed me at the last - moment. Not because I changed my mind on that point, but because - I knew it would be very unpleasant for us both. I have been - contemplating this for some time, as I have a very good reason - for it. I know you do not care to claim me as anything more than - a friend, if such a tie would be obnoxious to me. Good-by, - Frank! I wish you all the happiness you deserve, and that is all - the world can give you. I shall write to Inza. - - ELSIE.” - -He stood and stared at the writing for a long time, now and then lifting -a hand to brush back his hair. Fie read it over and over, seeking to -discover a hidden meaning in the words. Finally he crushed the sheet of -paper in one hand and flung it from him. - -“It is her choice!” he exclaimed. “I would not force her to care for me -against her will—I could not if I would! I believe I understand what is -back of this. She has met some one else for whom she cares more than for -me. She speaks of a closer tie than mere friendship between us being -obnoxious to her, and there is no other explanation. All right, Elsie! I -suppose it is as it should be. You wish me happiness! I’ll have it—with -Inza!” - -His mind was made up in that moment. Elsie was thrust from his mental -vision, and Inza, radiant and beautiful, rose like a queen before him. - -“Inza!” he murmured. “Perhaps it is best. You—you were the sweetheart of -my boyhood days. Fate must have intended you for me.” - -Up and down the room he strode, his breast heaving, his cheeks flushed. - -“Starbright,” he laughed, “you’ll have to stand aside, old fellow! I -can’t have you take her from me! You know, and I hardly think you’ll -object. I’ll find her at your home, and, during these merry holidays, -I’ll win her promise to be mine forever.” - -He fancied the struggle was over, and he flung open his window to admit -the cold night air. It fanned his hot forehead, and he drank it in with -long, deep breaths. Leaning on the window-sill, he looked out upon the -campus, where a solitary student walked hastily along, the frosty ground -seeming to creak and complain beneath his feet. - -Then he turned back into the room, closing the window. A moment he stood -looking down at Elsie’s crumpled note. Suddenly a quiver ran over him, -and he stooped, picked up the paper, smoothed it out, and thrust it into -a pocket near his heart. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXX - - DICK STARBRIGHT’S HOME. - - -On the southeastern shore of Seneca Lake, not many miles from the little -village of Burdett, stood the handsome home of the Starbrights. Old -Captain Starbright had purchased this splendid country place, intending -to settle down there some time, far from sight and sound of the grim and -restless ocean, to spend the latter part of his life in peace and -quietude. But his dream of peaceful old age in the bosom of his family -had never been realized, for he died in the cabin of his vessel far from -his native land. Gossip said he drank himself to death. - -However, he had made a comfortable fortune, and the home he left to his -widow and children was an ideal one. He had enlarged and remodeled the -old country house till it was regarded by the neighbors as a veritable -palace. He had spent large sums on the surrounding grounds, and his -landscape gardening was the wonder and awe of the plain people of that -section of the country. Not a few of them declared he was determined to -bankrupt himself by his foolish extravagance in these matters; but the -result of his labors was pleasing to the eye, to say the least. - -The homestead was situated on a hill that sloped gently westward to the -shore of the lake, where the captain built a handsome boat-house. From -Watkins, on the south, to Geneva, on the north, Seneca Lake is fifty -miles long, and there is plenty of yachting to be had, for which purpose -the old mariner purchased a handsome sloop, and Dick had been taught to -handle her with the skill of a veteran. - -There were rowboats and canoes, and both Dick and his younger brother, -Phil, had built up the muscles of their arms and backs pulling at the -oar and paddle. But now the lake was frozen over from end to end by the -week of cold weather before the holidays, and sailing and boating could -not be enjoyed. There was plenty of skating, however, and Phil had an -ice-boat, which he had constructed with his own hands. - -Dick’s mother was a handsome, kind-faced lady, refined and sad in her -manner, although her face could light up with a smile that was like a -golden sunburst. She was very proud of her two boys, and of big, manly -Dick in particular. He was so much like her husband as she had known him -in his younger days. Yes, Dick was like him in many respects, yet she -could see that he was finer-grained, for the old sailor had been -somewhat blunt and bluff in his ways. - -No wonder Dick was finer-grained, for it were impossible for him to be -otherwise with such a mother. Her influence had been over him always, -and she was to him the type of perfect womanhood. She liked to think of -him as like her husband in his youthful days, and yet that thought -brought to her sometimes one great fear. - -Captain Starbright had been beset by one great weakness—his love for -strong drink. All his life he had fought against it, but it had -conquered him at last and cut short his days. The one great fear that -haunted Dick’s mother was that some time her elder son might fall -beneath the ban of intemperance; but from the time little Dick knelt at -her knee to lisp his bedtime prayers she had sought to instil in his -mind a loathing and repulsion for the demon of strong drink. - -Phil Starbright regarded his brother as just about “the proper thing” in -every way. Phil was slenderer and more like his mother, and Dick seemed -to him a marvel of strength, courage, and energy. At school there had -never been a fellow who could whip Dick, and whenever Phil was in -trouble Dick could easily and readily be summoned to help him out. - -Phil, also, was fitting for Yale. At Andover he had read with breathless -interest the accounts of the Yale football-games in which Dick had taken -part; and his pride swelled and grew when report after report told of -the marvelous playing of the young freshman giant who was known as the -protégé of Frank Merriwell. - -Frank Merriwell! Phil had heard of him many times before Dick went to -Yale; he had talked of him to Dick, and he had longed to see the most -famous college man in the country. When Dick wrote to Phil, telling of -his meeting with Merriwell and how kind Merriwell had been to him, the -younger brother felt like turning somersaults and yelling with joy. - -And then, just before the holidays, Phil received a letter, in which -Dick said he had invited Merriwell and a number of his friends to spend -a portion of the vacation at the Starbright home, which invitation had -been accepted. Phil came near having a fit. At last he would see Frank -Merriwell! The day that he had dreamed of was coming! - -With a bounding, eager heart the Andover lad packed up and started for -home, for he could get off a day sooner than Dick, and he wished to have -everything ready to receive his brother’s guests in the proper manner. - -Thus it came about that Merry, Browning, Ready, and Dashleigh were -warmly welcomed at the fine old country place on Seneca Lake. And Phil’s -heart ceased to beat for a moment when Frank Merriwell pressed his hand -and said he was glad to know Dick’s brother. - -Mrs. Starbright was so happy that the sad look had fled from her face, -and she quickly made them all feel quite at home. - -“You must blame Dick for bringing such a crowd along, Mrs. Starbright,” -said Merry. “He would make us come.” - -“And I am very, very glad he did,” she earnestly declared, in a way that -left no doubt of her sincerity. “He has written me about all of you, -particularly of you, Mr. Merriwell. I think I’ve hardly ever received a -letter from him in which he has not made some reference to you. You were -very kind to him, and I have much to thank you for.” - -“And I,” said Ready, “I have been very kind to him, also. He will tell -you how I have entertained him as a sophomore should entertain a -freshman. Oh, I have labored with him many a night.” - -“Thank you, too,” she said, “for helping him nights with his studies. I -am sure I appreciate it, Mr. Ready.” - -“With his studies!” gasped Jack, taking care she did not hear. “Oh, my! -Wouldn’t that kill you! Think of a sophomore helping a freshman with his -studies! I’ve helped him do a jolly turn at Billie’s; I’ve marched him -about the campus in his pajamas, and I’ve trained him through the -streets with his left trousers leg rolled to the knee and a broom on his -shoulder for a gun; but helped him with his studies—oh, Laura!” - -“But these are not all, mother,” laughed Dick. “There are more coming. -To-morrow two young ladies and two gentlemen will arrive. One of the -gentlemen is the father of one of the young ladies, while the other -gentleman is the husband of the other young lady. The old house will be -filled, and we won’t do a thing!” - -“I think we’ll be able to find room for everybody,” she said. “The -holidays are to be very happy for me, I’m sure.” - -“I hope she’s provided plenty of fodder for the herd,” whispered Ready -to Browning. “I’m hollow as—as your head.” - -“Now, don’t try to get funny at my expense,” warned the big senior. “I’m -hungry myself, and I don’t feel like being made a fool of.” - -“It would be hard to improve on what nature did for you in that -respect,” murmured the irrepressible sophomore. - -The boys were shown up to large, pleasant rooms, which had been prepared -for them. Frank and Bruce were given a room together, but there were two -old-fashioned beds in it, and it opened into another and smaller room -that was designated for Ready. - -“Thank goodness!” said Jack, when he found he was to have a room by -himself. “I’ll not have to sleep in the same apartment with Browning. If -I did, by the gods of Olympus! I’d get a clothes-pin and place it -straddle of his nose to keep him from snoring. His snore is one of the -most frightful things I ever encountered. Yea, verily! I know, for I’ve -listened to it in the stilly hours of many an awful night, and it has -filled me with despair and an intense desire to do murder.” - -“Oh, shut up and get into your own quarters!” growled Bruce. “Your mouth -must be tired. It’s been going yawp! yawp! yawp! ever since we left New -Haven. You’re the worst case of talk-and-say-nothing I ever knew.” - -“Refuse me!” chirped Ready, bowing low. “I happened to be built that -way. It soothes my nerves to work my jaw.” - -“But it tears up the nerves of everybody within hearing,” declared -Bruce. - -“Well, here we are, fellows,” said Frank cheerfully. “Starbright has a -splendid home and a beautiful mother. I’m glad I came.” - -“Wait till I get down to the supper-table and I’ll tell you better -whether I’m glad or not,” said Jack. “I wonder if they’ve really got -enough for us to eat. Even a railroad sandwich would have no terrors for -me now.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI - - A BILLIARD-MATCH. - - -Winnie and Inza, with Buck and Mr. Burrage, arrived the following day -and found an enthusiastic lot of young men there at the Starbright -homestead. Frank was the first to meet Inza, and he gave her hand a warm -pressure, while telling her how glad he was that she had come. - -“We’ll have a glorious time here,” he declared. “The finest old place in -all New York! A billiard-room, a bowling-alley, a regular gymnasium—oh, -but old Captain Starbright knew how to lay out his money to make an -ideal home! And Dick’s mother—one of the gentlest mothers in the world. -She’ll make you welcome, you may be sure.” - -She did; she took the girls to her heart and said those things which -only a woman like her would know how to say to make them feel how glad -she was to see them. In a moment they were at their ease. - -She shook hands with Buck and Mr. Burrage. Something she said to the -young Westerner, giving Winnie a glance, brought the color to Buck’s -face and made him throw back his shoulders and look very proud. - -Browning, with his hunger abated, smoking a pipe, was comfortable and at -his ease; but not even the sating of Ready’s hunger had toned him down. -He was the same happy-go-lucky, talkative, joking chap. - -“The happy family has assembled at last,” he proclaimed. “We’re all -here, Mrs. Starbright, and now we’ll proceed to eat you out of house and -home. Oh, we’ll have a good time reducing you to poverty! My! my! but -I’m glad I came. Badger, you should have seen the old-fashioned plum -pudding we had for supper last night. It was a peach! But I only got -about half of it before Browning annihilated the other half.” - -“Huah!” grunted Bruce. “Don’t try so hard to be funny.” - -“Oh,” said Dashleigh, “some of Ready’s jokes last night were really and -truly funny. They would have made a donkey laugh. Why, I actually -laughed till I cried.” - -Then Bert grew furiously red when everybody shouted, nor did his -confusion abate when afterward Ready seriously addressed him as “The -Donkey.” - -Mrs. Starbright took charge of the girls. Mr. Burrage was very weary and -retired to his room for a brief rest. After washing his face and hands -and brushing his clothes, Buck was ready to be shown about the place, -and Dick took charge of him. - -That afternoon Dick challenged Frank to a game of billiards, and the -party assembled in the billiard-room to witness the match. - -“Oh, Richard, my boy, you are up against the real thing now,” chirped -Ready. “Going to play a hundred points, eight-inch balk? He’ll beat you -fifty points, or I’ll eat my hat! But you should see me play! I’m the -bird at that game. Why, I’ve often run two points without stopping.” - -“I’ll tell you what,” laughed Starbright, his eyes flashing, “let’s play -for something to make it interesting. Will you do it?” - -“Well, say a thousand dollars,” suggested Ready carelessly. “I’ll offer -that sum as a purse. It’s a mere nothing to me.” - -“I do not mean that we are to bet on the game,” explained Dick. “But if -there were a prize of some sort——” - -He paused and looked at Inza. - -“Can’t you suggest something?” he asked. - -She smiled back at him, and then, roguishly, she said: - -“Oh, I might suggest something—if it would be worth struggling for.” - -“Name it!” cried Frank and Dick in a breath. - -“To-morrow we are to have a sleighing-party.” - -“Yes.” - -“Well, I will go in the sleigh of the one who wins this match. What do -you say to that?” - -There was a brief pause, then both fellows cried: - -“Done!” - -“Oh, say!” cried Ready; “let me into this! With such a prize in view, I -can wipe you both off the map! Give me a cue.” - -“Your cue is to keep quiet,” rumbled Browning, who was seated in a big, -easy chair, placidly looking on. - -The balk-lines were freshly drawn, Frank was given his choice of cues, -and then the contestants prepared to “string” for the start. - -“Frank,” murmured Dick, “I’m going to beat you if it is in me. You will -have to play your best. I give you fair warning.” - -“All right,” Merry nodded. “It is a battle to the finish.” - -They sent the ivories rolling down the table to rebound from the lower -cushion and come gently back, side by side. All waited anxiously for the -balls to stop. They rolled up to the head cushion, against which they -lodged and “froze.” - -“Tie,” declared Bruce. “You’ll have to try it over.” - -They did so, and on the second trial Dick obtained a slight advantage, -which gave him the lead. Frank was wondering just how skilful his -antagonist would prove to be, and he watched closely the manner in which -Starbright made his first shots. - -Dick studied the positions of the balls a moment, and then made a -skilful draw that brought them together in a group. Immediately, Merry -understood that he had no easy task before him. He saw on Dick’s face a -look of resolution and determination, and he knew the big freshman would -play as if for his very life. - -“He means to win the privilege of having Inza in his sleigh—if he can,” -thought Frank. “That’s plain enough. A careless stroke or the least let -up on my part may mean defeat.” - -He knew now that he must be on his mettle to the very finish. Glancing -toward Inza, he saw her dark eyes fastened on Dick, and she was watching -the play with breathless interest that seemed anxiety. - -“Is it possible she wishes him to win?” Frank asked himself. “It almost -seems so. If I thought it, he should win, even were I able to defeat -him.” - -But his heart rebelled against the thought, and again he resolved to -play the match at his best. - -Having the balls together, Starbright proceeded to nurse them in a -skilful manner, running thirteen points, and then missing an easy massé. - -“Oh!” exclaimed Inza, with a catch of her breath. “You stopped at -thirteen! That’s an unlucky number.” - -Then, in a moment, she laughed merrily, warning Frank to take care to -make as many as thirteen. - -Merry started in. Fortunately, the ivories lay well for him, and he ran -off point after point with care and still with swiftness till he had -made thirty-one. Then he missed on an effort to gather them in a corner. - -“That is thirteen turned round,” he laughed; “but it may be just as -unlucky.” - -“I’d rather take my chances on it,” declared Dick. - -Starbright seemed to have the balls in a good position, and again he -began playing with care—too much care, perhaps, for he missed with his -third shot. - -“Oh!” again came from Inza’s lips. “I don’t believe you’re even going to -make it interesting.” - -“I’m afraid not,” admitted Dick, with a tone of the utmost regret. “But -you may be sure I shall do my best.” - -Frank ran seventeen more points before missing, making him forty-eight -in all, while Dick had only fifteen. - -There was a look of grim determination on Dick’s face as he began again. - -“Get into the game and make a touch-down,” urged Ready. “What are we -paying our money for! With such a prize in view, I could run a -hundred—feet. Oh, you should see me dally with the ivories! It is a -sight to make the gods weep.” - -Dick took pains. He studied his shots, and got the balls across the line -at one corner and worked them there with great skill, beginning to pile -up point after point. His playing brought applause, Merry giving it as -readily and honestly as the others. - -Ten—twenty points he ran without a break. It was a grand exhibition of -skill. Inza was watching with intense earnestness, and again Merry -fancied she might be anxious for Dick to win. Then, at a critical point, -came a miscue, and Dick’s run came to an end with him just three points -behind Frank. - -“You gave me a shock, then,” confessed Merry, as he made ready to play. -“You had ’em going, and I didn’t know that you were ever going to stop.” - -“It was my opportunity,” declared Starbright regretfully. “If I had not -made that miscue!” - -“That’s the way in this world,” philosophized Ready. “Just as we have -the balls rolling our way and everything looks bright and radiant, we -slip a cog and fall down with a slam. It’s sad and disgusting, but -true—alas!” - -“Will somebody be good enough to smother him,” mumbled Browning. “Makes -me think of Dismal Jones.” - -“Ha! ha!” laughed Jack, with his old flippant air. “Refuse me! Let’s be -merry. Why does a chicken cross the road? Don’t hit me! My fingers are -crossed.” - -Frank had seen enough to know now that Starbright was a brilliant -billiard-player, and more than ever he was determined to do his level -best. Nevertheless, Merry was somewhat rusty, and thus it happened that -he missed his fifth shot. - -“Now’s your chance, Dick!” exclaimed Dashleigh, who was acting as -marker. “You can get the lead right here.” - -The shot was a very hard one. - -“You can’t make that, Starbright,” asserted Browning. “I don’t believe -it can be made.” - -“Oh, there is a way to make any shot on the table,” Frank asserted. - -But Dick was not so sure of succeeding in this case. He took great -pains, and succeeded. It was a handsome shot, and Merriwell gave a cry -of admiration and approval. - -“That reminds me of my playing,” murmured Ready. “It is so different, -you know.” - -Inza gave Dick a smile of admiring approval, which did not escape -Frank’s keen eyes. But the balls remained separated, and Starbright’s -success and the applause that had greeted the feat seemed to rattle the -big freshman, so that he missed the very next shot. - -“I must get them together and hold them,” thought Frank. “No fancy -playing in this. The fellow might run forty or fifty any minute, and -that would be my Waterloo.” - -However, his effort to bring the balls together caused him to miss the -very first attempt, and left the ivories for Starbright, everything -being favorable. - -Thinking of the prize for which they were contending had made Dick -nervous, despite the fact that he had always fancied his nerves were -like iron. The glances he had received from Inza had added to his -nervousness, so that he discovered his hand was shaking a trifle. - -Immediately he braced up, not wishing any one to discover that he was in -that condition. He was deliberate in his movements, though inwardly -eager and in haste. - -The first shot attempted was made by a rank scratch, although he made no -sign that he had not tried for it in that manner. Instead of rattling -him more, the shock of getting the point after he thought he had missed -it served to steady his nerves. He looked toward Inza as he came round -the table. Their eyes met, and he fancied she was urging him to do his -best. - -“I will!” he resolved. “I am going to win! I’ll beat Frank Merriwell at -something!” - -Dick’s brother was looking on with breathless interest, being more -excited than the big college man, if possible. He longed for Dick to -come off victor, yet fancied such a thing could not happen, with Frank -Merriwell for an opponent. - -That look from Inza aided in giving Starbright courage. He swung into -the work with remarkable skill, making another beautiful run, reeling -off point after point. - -Phil Starbright could scarcely keep still. He wanted to dance and shout -when Dick passed Frank and took the lead. Browning looked on in amazed -silence, while Ready gasped: - -“What’s this? what’s this? I fear me much the result is to be a -surprise. Be still, my fluttering heart, be still!” - -“I believe Mr. Starbright is going to beat Frank!” whispered Winnie to -Buck. - -“None whatever!” returned the Westerner. “Don’t get that idea into your -head, girl. I’ve seen Frank Merriwell before, and he’s never beaten till -the game is ended. He has nerves, while the big fellow is unsteady and -liable to go into the air any minute. You hear me!” - -Starbright ran eighteen points, which gave him a lead of twelve. - -“Now, Merry, old man,” urged Buck, “get into gear and do your pretty -work. We know you’re a bit out of practise, but just show us how you can -play at any old game when you have to play.” - -Not a word did Frank say, though he smiled faintly at Badger. He began -by making three difficult shots, the third one bunching the balls. Then -he played in splendid form till he had added nineteen to the three, -making a run of twenty-two, which turned the tables on Starbright, -leaving Merry ten in the lead. - -Dick missed his first effort, and Frank was given the balls again. He -sought to get them together for a run, and the attempt caused him to -fail to count with his second shot. - -“You want only eleven to tie, Dick!” palpitated Phil. “You can get ’em. -I’ve known you to run thirty.” - -Once more Starbright tried to steady his nerves and play with the -coolness that was a feature of Merriwell’s work. Somehow that coolness -made the big fellow feel sure that under ordinary circumstances Frank -would completely outrank him at billiards. But the prize lured -Starbright to do his best. That Christmas sleigh-ride with Inza was -something worth working for. - -Click, click, click—the big freshman tapped off the points, Dashleigh -counting the buttons as he slid them along the wire. One, two, three, -four, five, six, seven—ha! at last the ivories rolled hard and lay in an -extremely difficult position. - -Pausing to study the shot, Dick heard Badger whisper to Winnie that he -must surely miss. - -“I won’t miss!” he mentally cried. - -Then, with his utmost skill and nerve, he played a cushion-carom shot -and counted. - -“Good!” exclaimed Frank, promptly leading the applause. - -Dick wiped the perspiration from his face. Not even the strain and -thrill and excitement of a football-game could set his nerves on edge -like this. - -Inza’s laugh caused him to thrill with pleasure. - -“She’s glad I made it!” he told himself. “Now I know I’m going to win!” - -Having succeeded at that critical point, Dick soon brought the balls -together, astonishing himself by his skill in this respect. Never before -had he made so many hard shots with absolute confidence, and the -witnesses of his work were breathless with suspense. - -“He is going to win!” breathed Winnie, clutching Buck’s arm. - -“Don’t you believe it!” returned the Westerner stiffly. “Frank won’t let -him win.” - -Ten points, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five—no, he failed on the -twenty-fifth. - -“Eighty-eight points to Merry’s seventy-five,” announced Dashleigh. -“You’re just thirteen ahead, Dick.” - -“Thirteen?” exclaimed the freshman, with a start of annoyance. - -“The fatal number again!” exclaimed Inza, but she laughed. - -“Here’s where you have to do it, if you’re going to do it at all, -Merry,” said Browning. “Twelve more points lets Starbright out, and -you’ll ride with me to-morrow, instead of with Inza.” - -Frank needed twenty-five, and he started in to make them, but the balls -persisted in running hard, despite his greatest care. Time after time he -came near missing, but not till he had scored ninety-four buttons in all -did he fail to count. - -“Hard luck!” growled Browning. - -“Now, Dick!” cried Phil; “this is your chance, and you must do the -trick.” - -Starbright did not dare to glance toward Inza again; but, fancying she -was watching him and wishing for his success, he began the task of -trying to run out. - -The first shot was a close shave, the cue-ball barely brushing one of -the object balls. Indeed, Browning fancied Dick had missed, but Frank -promptly declared he had plainly seen the shot, and it was a fair count. -Dick thanked him and proceeded with the play. However, he was extremely -anxious and excited, and his anxiety increased as he passed ninety, -crept up to ninety-five and then found himself drawing close onto the -end of the string. - -The silence was intense. Indeed, it was so great that it began to -oppress Dick, and he longed for the spectators to talk, laugh, or do -something. He was tingling from his head to his heels. - -Ninety-six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight—only two points to make. - -“I told you!” whispered Winnie to Buck, in disappointment. “He has -beaten Frank!” - -“Not yet!” returned the unshaken Kansan. “If he beats Merry, he’ll be -the first galoot to do the trick in a long time. He won’t!” - -Ninety-nine! - -One point more to be made! - -“Nobody can beat Frank Merriwell!” huskily whispered Buck to his wife. -“He’ll miss this shot, and Merry will win.” - -The silence was so great that Starbright heard Badger’s words just as he -was on the point of trying to score the final button. He was struck with -the conviction that he must miss—that it would be a marvel for him to -defeat Frank Merriwell. - -He missed! - -“Well,” said Merriwell quietly, as deep breaths were heard on every -side, “you made a handsome try for it, and that was a case of hard luck. -I’ve got to make six, and I may slip up on doing that.” - -Starbright’s failure at the critical point left him shaking all over. -His last faint hope was that Merry might fail, but Frank played with -care, precision, and coolness, and slowly but surely scored the six -points he needed, winning the match. - -“Miss Burrage,” cried Frank, “remember your promise.” - -Her merry laugh rang out. - -“I’ll not forget it,” she said; “but there was a time when I thought I’d -surely ride with Dick.” - -That laugh cut Starbright, for it seemed full of satisfaction and -relief. - -“I guess it’s all right!” he thought. “She wanted to ride with him all -the time, and she thought he’d beat me more than he did. She is glad I -lost!” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII - - BOWLING. - - -A merry Christmas it was there at Starbright’s. The sleighing-party was -enjoyed by all who took part, and never had Inza seemed merrier and -brighter than on that occasion. She laughed, and sang, and joked; but -Frank observed that she was not in the least sentimental, and she took -pains to turn the conversation into another channel when it approached a -dangerous point. She seemed to enjoy talking of Dick, his home, and his -beautiful mother. Somehow these thoughts did not please Merry, but he -betrayed nothing of the sort, and he spoke words of highest enthusiasm -about Starbright. - -The dinner-party that night was one never to be forgotten. The table was -decorated with flowers and evergreens, the lights were softened and -shaded, and Jack Ready declared the turkey was a “feast for the woozy -old gods.” - -Ready came out with a new batch of jokes, some of them fresh and some -“wearing whiskers.” Merriwell made a happy speech, and Browning ate till -his ravenous hunger was completely satisfied. - -Then there was singing and music and a good time generally. There was no -Christmas tree, but the surprise came in the form of a table-load of -presents found in a room to which all were finally invited by Mrs. -Starbright. Everybody had been remembered, and all declared they -received just what they wanted more than anything else in the world, -which probably was an exaggeration in many instances. - -On entering the room, Frank had observed a bit of mistletoe suspended -from the chandelier. At last, Inza innocently paused directly beneath -it, and, in a moment, Merry had her in his arms, claiming the privilege -of a kiss. - -But Dick had been equally observant, and he was on hand at the same -instant. Quick as a flash, she held them both off, laughing merrily. - -The others shouted and told her she could not escape paying the forfeit. - -“But what am I to do?” she asked, blushing crimson. “Both these rude -chaps seized me at the same moment, and both claim they were first.” - -“Oh, but I’m slow!” exclaimed Ready. “Why didn’t I have my eyes open and -get into that? It was ever thus! I’m getting to be a retired number.” - -“I don’t see but you’ll have to surrender to both, Inza,” laughed -Winnie. - -“Oh, I can’t do that,” she protested. “They must settle it between them -somehow. Till they do, let both keep their distance.” - -Then she skipped away from them, leaving them standing there, face to -face. Dick looked straight into Frank’s eyes, smiling a bit, but there -was a challenge in his aspect and look. More than ever Merry realized -that this big, fair-haired youth was a rival at whom it were folly to -scoff. - -“How shall we settle it?” asked Merriwell pleasantly. “I’ll let you name -the manner, Dick.” - -“Another game of billiards,” suggested Ready. “That’s the trick! Ah! it -takes me to solve these little difficulties. I’m a handy chap to have -round.” - -“No,” said Starbright. “I have another way.” - -“Name it,” urged Merry. - -“We’ll bowl a string of candlepins. The one who makes the highest score -wins the privilege given by the mistletoe.” - -“Done!” - -Winnie clapped her hands and Inza laughed. - -“To the bowling-alley!” cried Ready, with a flourish. “I’ll be pin-boy, -and every little candle shall be on its post to a fraction of an inch. -Forward the Light Brigade! Charge for the pins!” - -So down to the alley in the basement of the house they went. The lights -were turned on by Phil, and soon everything was ready for this second -match between Frank and Dick. - -The entire house was heated by steam, and the spectators could look on -in comfort. The alley was regulation length, well built, well kept, and -handsomely polished. - -It fell to Frank to lead off. He examined the balls, finding them all of -a size and in fine condition. - -“I am going to beat you at this, Merry,” asserted Dick. “I know you are -too much for me at billiards, but I’m better at this business.” - -“That being the case,” smiled Merry, “I must take care to begin strong -and hold out. Here goes.” - -He sent the first ball skimming down the alley, and it cracked into the -pins, striking them fairly in the center and splitting them, taking out -three, which left four standing on one side and three on the other. - -“Oh, Laura!” exclaimed Ready, from his position beside the pins. “This -doesn’t look much like a strong start. Seven soldiers will be good work -for that break.” - -“Look out for that hole, Frank,” warned Browning. “Keep away from it.” - -Merry obeyed the injunction to the letter, and he swept off the group of -four pins with his second ball, leaving three standing. - -“That’s clever,” nodded Dick. “Let’s see if you can clean them up.” - -With moderate speed, Frank sent down a curve for the little line of -pins, but he barely missed the head one, clipping off the last two. - -“Nine for Merriwell in his first box,” announced Dashleigh, who had been -selected to keep the score. - -Ready set the pins up with care, while Starbright prepared for his first -effort. He stood on the left side of the runway, took a slow start, and -sent a swift ball into the bunch of pins, striking them on the quarter -and tearing them up as if they had been hit by a cyclone. Only the head -pin was left standing. - -“Refuse me!” gasped Ready. “It’s dangerous down here. Oh, but that was a -soaker! Methinks I smell a spare.” - -He was right, for Dick drove the second ball straight and true at the -single pin, which went flying against the padded end of the alley with a -sodden thump. - -“Spare in the first box for Starbright!” cried Dashleigh, in great -delight. “It’s your turn now, Dick! He did you at billiards, but this is -different.” - -“This is only the beginning,” smiled Dick. “I’m not liable to keep that -work up right along.” - -“I should hope not!” exclaimed Frank. - -Frank came up for the second box, trying a wide curve, which missed the -head pin and swept down one side of the bunch. His second ball was sent -straight down the middle of the alley, but it took a slight shoot just -before hitting the pins and left two standing, one on the center and one -on the corner. - -“Spares are scarce on this side,” he smiled, apparently not a bit -disturbed. - -“Hard luck!” growled Browning. - -“No,” said Merry, “poor bowling.” - -Instead of trying to get just one of the two pins left, he used a curve -to the right for a billiard-shot, hoping to make them both, but the head -pin was missed by a fraction of an inch, and neither fell. - -“Eight pins,” cried Dashleigh. “Seventeen in all.” - -“Starbright is bound to have a big start,” said Badger. “In this kind of -a game, every pin counts.” - -“Don’t forget this first ball counts on your spare, Dick,” warned -Dashleigh. - -Dick did not forget. He whistled the ball down the alley, struck the -pins prettily, and tore down six of them. - -“That gives him sixteen in his first box,” said Bert. “And he has a -splendid chance for another spare.” - -Dick took the chance, too, for he got into the pins finely, cleaning the -alley, which caused the spectators to utter cries of applause. - -“This is hot!” muttered Frank. “You seem to be keeping it up, old man.” - -“He’s making me lots of work,” observed Ready, as he deftly stood the -fallen pins on the spot. - -Frank changed his position on the alley, but again he split the pins, -leaving two standing, one on each corner. - -“No spare there!” cried Dashleigh. - -“No poor bowling in that,” growled Bruce. “It should have been a -strike.” - -Frank clipped off the two remaining pins with two straight balls, which -gave him ten in his third box, making twenty-seven in all. - -Starbright got into the bunch again, but secured only five on his spare, -which left the pins in a difficult position. He did well in raking down -nine with three balls; but his lead on Frank was great, the second spare -having given him thirty-one in the second box, and on even rolls with -Merry he had forty. - -“Up against the real thing now,” chirped Ready. “This Starbright has -played the game before, my friends. You’re buncoed, Merriwell.” - -On his next roll Frank was able to make but nine pins, obtaining a total -of thirty-six, while Starbright cleaned the alley, which gave him a lead -of fourteen pins. - -Merry had been trying different kinds of balls and different positions -on the alley, seeking to discover just where he could do his best work. -Now he opened with a cross-ball, which struck the bunch on the quarter -and swept them down clatteringly. A shout went up, for it was seen that -but one pin remained standing, and that one was tottering and swaying. - -“Go down, you scoundrel!” roared Browning. - -But it refused to obey the command, settling into position. - -“Robbery!” declared Starbright. “You should have had it, Frank. All the -same”—with a quick glance at Inza—“I’m very glad you didn’t get it.” - -Merry made no complaint, but sent the next ball true as a bullet from a -gun, clipping down the pin and making a spare. - -“Here’s where you gain,” said Browning. - -But Starbright seemed on his mettle, and he proceeded to duplicate -Merry’s performance, making a particularly difficult spare. - -“He refuses to let me overtake him!” exclaimed Frank. - -“Gentlemen,” cried Ready, “have you no pity for a poor working boy? -Please leave a few standing once in a while!” - -Frank had decided that the cross-ball was the one to use, and now he -made ready to get all he could on his spare. There was a hush as he -picked up the first ball and sent it spinning anglewise down the alley. - -Crash—clatter! - -“Seven pins!” shouted Ready. - -“Good work!” muttered Browning. - -But the remaining pins were left in such a way that it seemed impossible -to get them all with a single ball. Frank studied them a moment and did -his best, but his best left one standing. This one he removed with the -third ball. - -“Fifty-three on your half,” said Dashleigh. “Sixty-three in your sixth -box.” - -Starbright struck the head pin too full, which cut out four, leaving -standing two wings of three pins each. - -“Four pins with his spare ball,” said Bert. “Sixty-four on his half. -That’s all right.” - -“But Frank gained three pins there,” murmured Inza. - -“Frank will win,” asserted Badger, speaking so low that Dick could not -hear. “I tell you he can’t be beaten! That’s whatever!” - -“But he has a hard task before him,” whispered Winnie. “Mr. Starbright -is a wonderful bowler.” - -Dick took pains and smashed down one of the standing wings with his -second ball. His third, however, left a pin standing, and Frank had -gained another. - -In the sixth box Starbright had seventy-three, with Merriwell just ten -pins behind him. - -By this time Frank had the range of the alley, and now he sent a -strike-ball tearing into the pins, mowing them all down in a twinkling. - -“I knew it!” said Browning, with intense satisfaction. - -“Oh, mercy!” whooped Ready. “Did you ever in your life! Wasn’t that a -bird!” - -“Here is where he gets right into it,” said Buck to Winnie. “I knew he -would.” - -But Starbright was not shaken in the least, and he came near duplicating -Merry’s feat, for, with his first ball, he smashed down every pin but -one. - -“Now, that was genuine hard luck!” exclaimed Frank sincerely. “That ball -was just as good as mine, but the pins did not happen to fall just -right.” - -Dick looked grim and determined, and he went for the single pin, getting -it easily, which gave him a spare. - -“You may get as many with your spare as he does with his strike,” said -Dashleigh, encouragingly. - -“But I’d rather have the strike,” confessed Dick. - -Frank cut only two pins out of the bunch with his first ball, and it -began to look bad for him; but he placed the second ball perfectly, -sweeping off all the remaining pins but one, which gave him a score of -nineteen in his seventh box, the total being eighty-two. He knocked down -the last pin with his third ball, which added ten more for his eighth -box. - -Strangely enough, Starbright did precisely the same thing with all three -balls, getting only two on his spare, which left Merriwell but three -points behind in the seventh and eighth boxes. - -“This is too close for comfort, Dick,” palpitated Dashleigh. “You have -let him come right up on you. You must hold your lead in the last two -boxes.” - -Frank was in fine fettle. He had a “good eye,” and his hand was steady, -while his aim was perfect. Again he put a ball into the heart of the -bunch, striking the head pin on the quarter, and again he cleaned the -alley. - -“Wow!” whooped Ready, dancing about. “Wouldn’t I cut a cake of ice in -this game! My! My! I don’t know a thing about bowling!” - -“It’s the first time in all your life that you ever told the truth,” -flung back Browning. - -“Frank will win!” murmured Inza, and somehow Winnie fancied that she -seemed disappointed. - -Starbright did not smile now. His strong, handsome face looked grim and -resolute. He sent a straight, true ball shooting down the alley, and, -like a flash, every pin was swept off clean. Then what a shout went up! -Both had made a strike in the ninth! - -Dashleigh leaped to his feet and danced with joy, while Phil wished to -hug his big brother. - -“He’ll keep his lead now!” declared Bert to Phil. “Don’t you fear about -that!” - -Merry was not smiling. He knew that overconfidence might prove a great -mistake, and yet he was determined to win if possible. However, his -first ball slipped from his fingers and barely knocked down a single pin -on the corner. - -Dashleigh wanted to whoop again, while Browning felt like thumping -somebody. Only Buck Badger remained perfectly unshaken in his belief -that Merriwell could not fail to win. - -Frank was deliberate in his movements, and he placed the next ball to a -fraction of an inch. The result was the complete collapse of the pins -and a spare for him in his last box! - -Dashleigh’s heart went into his boots, while Phil Starbright simply sat -down on a bench, gasping. - -“Twenty in the ninth; one hundred and twelve total,” said Bert huskily. -“I’m afraid that does the trick!” - -The pins were up, and Starbright prepared for the last effort. His first -ball brought everybody to his or her toes, for it went straight and true -into the proper place, and down crashed nine pins. - -“Hooray!” yelled Phil, leaping up. “He’s going to do the same thing! -He’ll get a spare, too!” - -But now Starbright found himself shaking a bit. In this respect he -lacked Merriwell’s nerve, for Frank was always the coolest and steadiest -when the critical moment came. - -“I must do it!” thought Dick, but in his heart there was a faint fear -that he might fail. He sent the ball straight toward the pin, and -several cried: - -“He’s got it!” - -But the ball curved the least bit, brushed the pin, caused it to move -off the spot at least half an inch, but left it standing. - -Dashleigh collapsed and seemed disheartened until he made a sudden -discovery. - -“Hold on!” he shouted. “Merriwell has but one ball left! He should have -rolled that one off before Dick. There is a bare chance left if Dick -gets that last pin.” - -“I fail to see it,” grunted Browning. - -“Why, it’s plain enough,” declared Bert. “Frank has one hundred and -twelve in his ninth box, hasn’t he?” - -“Sure.” - -“And he’s made ten with two balls.” - -“Right.” - -“That ten goes into the last box, together with what he gets on the next -ball.” - -“Correct.” - -“What if he gets only one? He’ll have one hundred and twenty-three. Dick -has that already. If Dick gets that pin, Merriwell must have two to tie -and three to win. It often happens that a man doesn’t get but one or two -on one ball. Get that pin, Dick!” - -Dick got it, making his total score one hundred and twenty-four. - -“That’s enough to win any bowling-match,” muttered Phil. - -“Any but this one,” said Badger. “You’ll see that Merriwell is a hard -man to beat. I found it out some months ago.” - -Frank now took up his last ball and sent it at the pins which Ready had -placed on the spots. It struck them, sent them whirling and crashing, -and left but a single pin standing. - -“That does it,” admitted Dashleigh, at last. “He makes one hundred and -thirty-one.” - -This is the score kept by Bert: - - MERRIWELL. STARBRIGHT. - - 9 9 1 16 16 - - 8 17 2 15 31 - - 10 27 3 9 40 - - 9 36 4 10 50 - - 17 53 5 14 64 - - 10 63 6 9 73 - - 19 82 7 12 85 - - 10 92 8 10 95 - - 20 112 9 19 114 - - 19 131 10 10 124 - - —— —— - - Total 131 Total 124 - -Frank had won the privilege he sought to claim beneath the mistletoe. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII - - DEFEAT AND SUCCESS. - - -Indoor sports were not the only kind enjoyed at Starbright’s. There was -skating on the lake, and Phil took them out for a spin over the ice on -his ice-boat. The day after Christmas, however, an accident happened -that made the girls afraid of the ice. - -It is a well-known fact that, even in the coldest weather, any large -body of water that is frozen over has weak or open spots in the ice; -“breathing-holes” they are sometimes called. - -In this respect Seneca Lake was like other lakes, and so it chanced -that, skating together, with hands clasped, Inza and Winnie struck one -of those places. Before they could turn about, the ice broke beneath -their feet and they found themselves struggling in the chilling water. - -Several of the fellows were skating near-by, and they were startled and -horrified by the shriek that came from the girls as they broke through. -In a moment, every youth was dashing toward the spot. - -Starbright was nearest. His heart sprang into his throat, for he -realized the terrible peril of the girls, knowing they were liable to -clasp each other about their necks and go down immediately. - -Frank was only a short distance behind Dick, but Starbright reached the -spot first. As he came up, he saw Inza’s head disappear beneath the -surface, and straight into the water he plunged, clutching at her in the -wild hope that he might be successful. - -Fortunately, Dick was able to grasp Inza before she sank beyond his -reach, and he dragged her back to the surface. Then the others came up. - -Badger was there almost as soon as Frank, and they pulled Winnie out on -to the solid ice. Immediately Merry turned his attention to Inza. - -“Take her!” Starbright chattered. “Get her out quick, Merriwell! I -thought she was gone!” - -“Guess she would have been if you hadn’t plunged in after her as you -did,” said Frank. - -The ice was solid close to the dangerous spot, so there was little -trouble in drawing Inza out, after which Starbright was helped from the -water. - -Then the girls, wrapped in the coats which the boys stripped off and -threw about them, were hurried away to the house, where they were -doctored and given warm drinks and placed in bed. - -Some hours later, when the boys were all together again, Winnie and Inza -appeared and thanked their rescuers. Frank observed that Inza first went -straight to Dick, giving him her hand. - -“I thought I was gone,” she said. “I was stunned when I went into the -water, and I couldn’t seem to do a thing to help myself, though I knew I -was sinking. Then I felt a strong hand grasp me, and you pulled me back -to the surface. I know I owe my life to you!” - -Dick’s face was crimson, and his heart thrilled as she gave his fingers -a warm pressure, looking straight into his blue eyes. - -“We all did what we could,” he stammered. “Frank was on hand to pull you -out.” - -“But Starbright was the only one who really saved you,” said Merry, with -perfect generosity. “There can be no doubt of that.” - -After a little time, he slipped away unobserved and retired to his room, -in the solitude of which he sat a long time, pondering over the things -that had happened since his arrival at the home of the Starbrights. Once -more in his heart throbbed the pain of loneliness that had seized him in -his room the night he received the brief message from Elsie. - -“I will delay no longer,” he finally murmured. “I’ll seek Inza, and come -to an understanding with her.” - -Then he went down-stairs, having first looked into the billiard-room, -where Ready and Dashleigh were indulging in a game. In the library -Browning was stretched on a Morris chair, reading a book. Through the -house Frank searched, but he found nothing of Inza till, at last, he -heard the crash of falling pins in the basement. - -“They are bowling,” he said, and descended the stairs. - -Dick and Inza were there. He had been instructing her in bowling, and -neither of them heard Frank, who paused on the stairs. - -“It was just too bad he beat you!” Inza was saying. “I don’t believe he -could do it again.” - -“I don’t know about that,” laughed the big fellow. “But I don’t think I -ever wanted to win anything more in all my life than I did that string -of candlepins.” - -“Did you?” she murmured, idly marking on the score-board. - -“I did!” he declared, getting close to her and watching her write. “And -I’ve felt ever since that I was robbed of something.” - -“Perhaps,” she murmured—“perhaps somebody else wished you to win.” - -“You?” he breathed, all atremble—“did you wish that—Inza?” - -“Perhaps so.” - -“I didn’t know—I thought you might want Frank to beat me. What are you -writing—my name?” - -“Yes—and mine.” - -Having written her own name beneath Dick’s, she began to strike out such -letters as she could find in both names. He watched her with interest. - -“Let’s see,” he said, “how it is done? You take the letters that are -left, and how do you say it?” - -“Love, hate, marriage; love, hate, marriage,” she explained. - -“There are seven letters left in my name,” he declared. “It’s love for -me, and never anything in this world came truer!” - -His voice betrayed his emotion. - -“There are four letters left in my name,” said Inza, her face turned -from him. - -“Love again!” exclaimed Dick softly. “Love for both of us! Inza—is -it—can it be—true?” - -“Didn’t I say I was sorry Frank defeated you at candlepins?” she -murmured. - -“By Heaven!” he hoarsely exclaimed; “he has not defeated me after all. -And I’ll not be robbed of the privilege the mistletoe gave me!” - -Then he caught her in his strong arms and kissed her. - - - THE END. - - - No. 67 of the MERRIWELL SERIES, entitled “Frank Merriwell’s - Search,” by Burt L. Standish, has a thrilling tale of the sea - and many exciting adventures in which Frank acts like the hero - he is and proves once more that he is without fear where duty is - concerned. - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - WESTERN STORIES ABOUT - - BUFFALO BILL - - Price Fifteen Cents - - Red-blooded Adventure Stories for Men - - ------- - ------- - - -There is no more romantic character in American history than William F. -Cody, or as he was internationally known, Buffalo Bill. He, with Colonel -Prentiss Ingraham, Wild Bill Hickok, General Custer, and a few other -adventurous spirits, laid the foundation of our great West. - -There is no more brilliant page in American history than the winning of -the West. Never did pioneers live more thrilling lives, so rife with -adventure and brave deeds as the old scouts and plainsmen. Foremost -among these stands the imposing figure of Buffalo Bill. - -All of the books in this list are intensely interesting. They were -written by the close friend and companion of Buffalo Bill—Colonel -Prentiss Ingraham. They depict actual adventures which this pair of -hard-hitting comrades experienced, while the story of these adventures -is interwoven with fiction; historically the books are correct. - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - --------------------------------------------------------- - --------------------------------------------------------- - - - 1—Buffalo Bill, the Border King By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 2—Buffalo Bill’s Raid By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 3—Buffalo Bill’s Bravery By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 4—Buffalo Bill’s Trump Card By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 5—Buffalo Bill’s Pledge By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 6—Buffalo Bill’s Vengeance By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 7—Buffalo Bill’s Iron Grip By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 8—Buffalo Bill’s Capture By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 9—Buffalo Bill’s Danger Line By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 10—Buffalo Bill’s Comrades By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 11—Buffalo Bill’s Reckoning By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 12—Buffalo Bill’s Warning By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 13—Buffalo Bill at Bay By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 14—Buffalo Bill’s Buckskin Pards By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 15—Buffalo Bill’s Brand By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 16—Buffalo Bill’s Honor By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 17—Buffalo Bill’s Phantom Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 18—Buffalo Bill’s Fight With Fire By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 19—Buffalo Bill’s Danite Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 20—Buffalo Bill’s Ranch Riders By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 21—Buffalo Bill’s Death Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 22—Buffalo Bill’s Trackers By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 23—Buffalo Bill’s Mid-air Flight By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 24—Buffalo Bill, Ambassador By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 25—Buffalo Bill’s Air Voyage By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 26—Buffalo Bill’s Secret Mission By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 27—Buffalo Bill’s Long Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 28—Buffalo Bill Against Odds By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 29—Buffalo Bill’s Hot Chase By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 30—Buffalo Bill’s Redskin Ally By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 31—Buffalo Bill’s Treasure Trove By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 32—Buffalo Bill’s Hidden Foes By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 33—Buffalo Bill’s Crack Shot By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 34—Buffalo Bill’s Close Call By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 35—Buffalo Bill’s Double Surprise By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 36—Buffalo Bill’s Ambush By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 37—Buffalo Bill’s Outlaw Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 38—Buffalo Bill’s Border Duel By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 39—Buffalo Bill’s Bid for Fame By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 40—Buffalo Bill’s Triumph By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 41—Buffalo Bill’s Spy Trailer By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 42—Buffalo Bill’s Death Call By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 43—Buffalo Bill’s Body Guard By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 44—Buffalo Bill’s Still Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 45—Buffalo Bill and the Doomed Dozen By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 46—Buffalo Bill’s Prairie Scout By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 47—Buffalo Bill’s Traitor Guide By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 48—Buffalo Bill’s Bonanza By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 49—Buffalo Bill’s Swoop By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 50—Buffalo Bill and the Gold King By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 51—Buffalo Bill, Deadshot By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 52—Buffalo Bill’s Buckskin Bravos By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 53—Buffalo Bill’s Big Four By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 54—Buffalo Bill’s One-armed Pard By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 55—Buffalo Bill’s Race for Life By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 56—Buffalo Bill’s Return By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 57—Buffalo Bill’s Conquest By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 58—Buffalo Bill to the Rescue By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 59—Buffalo Bill’s Beautiful Foe By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 60—Buffalo Bill’s Perilous Task By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 61—Buffalo Bill’s Queer Find By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 62—Buffalo Bill’s Blind Lead By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 63—Buffalo Bill’s Resolution By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 64—Buffalo Bill, the Avenger By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 65—Buffalo Bill’s Pledged Pard By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 66—Buffalo Bill’s Weird Warning By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 67—Buffalo Bill’s Wild Ride By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 68—Buffalo Bill’s Redskin Stampede By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 69—Buffalo Bill’s Mine Mystery By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 70—Buffalo Bill’s Gold Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 71—Buffalo Bill’s Daring Dash By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 72—Buffalo Bill on Hand By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 73—Buffalo Bill’s Alliance By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 74—Buffalo Bill’s Relentless Foe By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 75—Buffalo Bill’s Midnight Ride By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 76—Buffalo Bill’s Chivalry By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 77—Buffalo Bill’s Girl Pard By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 78—Buffalo Bill’s Private War By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 79—Buffalo Bill’s Diamond Mine By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 80—Buffalo Bill’s Big Contract By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 81—Buffalo Bill’s Woman Foe By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 82—Buffalo Bill’s Ruse By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 83—Buffalo Bill’s Pursuit By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 84—Buffalo Bill’s Hidden Gold By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 85—Buffalo Bill in Mid-air By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 86—Buffalo Bill’s Queer Mission By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 87—Buffalo Bill’s Verdict By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 88—Buffalo Bill’s Ordeal By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 89—Buffalo Bill’s Camp Fires By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 90—Buffalo Bill’s Iron Nerve By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 91—Buffalo Bill’s Rival By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 92—Buffalo Bill’s Lone Hand By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 93—Buffalo Bill’s Sacrifice By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 94—Buffalo Bill’s Thunderbolt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 95—Buffalo Bill’s Black Fortune By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 96—Buffalo Bill’s Wild Work By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 97—Buffalo Bill’s Yellow Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 98—Buffalo Bill’s Treasure Train By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 99—Buffalo Bill’s Bowie Duel By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 100—Buffalo Bill’s Mystery Man By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 101—Buffalo Bill’s Bold Play By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 102—Buffalo Bill: Peacemaker By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 103—Buffalo Bill’s Big Surprise By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 104—Buffalo Bill’s Barricade By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 105—Buffalo Bill’s Test By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 106—Buffalo Bill’s Powwow By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 107—Buffalo Bill’s Stern Justice By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 108—Buffalo Bill’s Mysterious Friend By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 109—Buffalo Bill and the Boomers By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 110—Buffalo Bill’s Panther Fight By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 111—Buffalo Bill and the Overland Mail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 112—Buffalo Bill on the Deadwood Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 113—Buffalo Bill in Apache Land By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 114—Buffalo Bill’s Blindfold Duel By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 115—Buffalo Bill and the Lone Camper By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 116—Buffalo Bill’s Merry War By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 117—Buffalo Bill’s Star Play By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 118—Buffalo Bill’s War Cry By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 119—Buffalo Bill on Black Panther’s Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 120—Buffalo Bill’s Slim Chance By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 121—Buffalo Bill Besieged By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 122—Buffalo Bill’s Bandit Round-up By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 123—Buffalo Bill’s Surprise Party By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 124—Buffalo Bill’s Lightning Raid By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 125—Buffalo Bill in Mexico By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 126—Buffalo Bill’s Traitor Foe By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 127—Buffalo Bill’s Tireless Chase By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 128—Buffalo Bill’s Boy Bugler By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 129—Buffalo Bill’s Sure Guess By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 130—Buffalo Bill’s Record Jump By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 131—Buffalo Bill in the Land of Dread By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 132—Buffalo Bill’s Tangled Clue By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 133—Buffalo Bill’s Wolf Skin By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 134—Buffalo Bill’s Twice Four Puzzle By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 135—Buffalo Bill and the Devil Bird By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 136—Buffalo Bill and the Indian’s Mascot By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 137—Buffalo Bill Entrapped By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 138—Buffalo Bill’s Totem Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 139—Buffalo Bill at Fort Challis By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 140—Buffalo Bill’s Determination By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 141—Buffalo Bill’s Battle Axe By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 142—Buffalo Bill’s Game with Fate By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 143—Buffalo Bill’s Comanche Raid By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 144—Buffalo Bill’s Aerial Island By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 145—Buffalo Bill’s Lucky Shot By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 146—Buffalo Bill’s Sioux Friends By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 147—Buffalo Bill’s Supreme Test By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 148—Buffalo Bill’s Boldest Strike By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 149—Buffalo Bill and the Red Hand By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 150—Buffalo Bill’s Dance with Death By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 151—Buffalo Bill’s Running Fight By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - -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, 1923. - - 152—Buffalo Bill in Harness By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 153—Buffalo Bill Corralled By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - To Be Published in February, 1923. - - 154—Buffalo Bill’s Waif of the West By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 155—Buffalo Bill’s Wizard Pard By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - To Be Published in March, 1923. - - 156—Buffalo Bill and Hawkeye By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 157—Buffalo Bill and Grizzly Dan By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - To Be Published in April, 1923. - - 158—Buffalo Bill’s Ghost Play By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 159—Buffalo Bill’s Lost Prisoner By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - To Be Published in May, 1923. - - 160—Buffalo Bill and The Klan of Kau By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 161—Buffalo Bill’s Crow Scouts By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 162—Buffalo Bill’s Lassoed Spectre By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - - To Be Published in June, 1923. - - 163—Buffalo Bill and the Wanderers By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - 164—Buffalo Bill and the White Queen By Col. Prentiss Ingraham - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - BOOKS THAT NEVER GROW OLD - - ALGER SERIES - - Clean Adventure Stories for Boys - - Price, Fifteen Cents - - _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 are included certain books by Edward Stratemeyer upon whose -shoulders the cloak of Horatio Alger has fallen. They are books of the -Alger type, and to a very large extent vie with Mr. Alger’s books in -interest and wholesomeness. - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - --------------------------------------------------------- - --------------------------------------------------------- - - 1—Driven From Home By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 2—A Cousin’s Conspiracy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 3—Ned Newton By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 4—Andy Gordon By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 5—Tony, the Tramp By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 6—The Five Hundred Dollar Check By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 7—Helping Himself By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 8—Making His Way By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 9—Try and Trust By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 10—Only an Irish Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 11—Jed, the Poorhouse Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 12—Chester Rand By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 13—Grit, the Young Boatman of Pine Point By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 14—Joe’s Luck By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 15—From Farm Boy to Senator By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 16—The Young Outlaw By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 17—Jack’s Ward By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 18—Dean Dunham By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 19—In a New World By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 20—Both Sides of the Continent By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 21—The Store Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 22—Brave and Bold By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 23—A New York Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 24—Bob Burton By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 25—The Young Adventurer By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 26—Julius, the Street Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 27—Adrift in New York By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 28—Tom Brace By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 29—Struggling Upward By Horatio Alger, Jr - 30—The Adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 31—Tom Tracy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 32—The Young Acrobat By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 33—Bound to Rise By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 34—Hector’s Inheritance By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 35—Do and Dare By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 36—The Tin Box By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 37—Tom, the Bootblack By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 38—Risen from the Ranks By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 39—Shifting for Himself By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 40—Wait and Hope By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 41—Sam’s Chance By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 42—Striving for Fortune By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 43—Phil, the Fiddler By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 44—Slow and Sure By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 45—Walter Sherwood’s Probation By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 46—The Trials and Triumphs of Mark Mason By Horatio Alger, Jr. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - ------------------------------------------- - ------------------------------------------- - - - _Adventure Stories_ - _Detective Stories_ - _Western Stories_ - _Love Stories_ - _Sea Stories_ - - ------------------------------------------- - ------------------------------------------- - -All classes of fiction are to be found among the Street & Smith novels. -Our line contains reading matter for every one, irrespective of age or -preference. - -The person who has only a moderate sum to spend on reading matter will -find this line a veritable gold mine. - - - -------------- - -------------- - - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION, - 79 Seventh Avenue, - New York, N. Y. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ● Transcriber’s Notes: - ○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. - ○ Typographical errors were silently corrected. - ○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only - when a predominant form was found in this book. - ○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Frank Merriwell's Setback, by Burt L. 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