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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ba407ea --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62930 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62930) diff --git a/old/62930-0.txt b/old/62930-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e40b86f..0000000 --- a/old/62930-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12047 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Dick Merriwell's Backers, by Burt L. Standish - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Dick Merriwell's Backers - Or, Well Worth Fighting For - -Author: Burt L. Standish - -Release Date: August 14, 2020 [EBook #62930] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DICK MERRIWELL'S BACKERS *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, David Edwards, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Dick Merriwell’s Backers - OR, - WELL WORTH FIGHTING FOR - - - BY - BURT L. STANDISH - Author of the famous MERRIWELL STORIES. - -[Illustration] - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION - PUBLISHERS - 79–89 Seventh Avenue, New York - - - - - Copyright, 1907 - By STREET & SMITH - - Dick Merriwell’s Backers - - - (Printed in the U. S. A.) - - All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign - languages, including the Scandinavian. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - CHAPTER I. LACK OF CONFIDENCE. - CHAPTER II. A HEART-BREAKING FINISH. - CHAPTER III. A SURPRISE FOR DICK. - CHAPTER IV. A HEARTY WELCOME. - CHAPTER V. THE DINNER. - CHAPTER VI. THE BLACKMAILER. - CHAPTER VII. BEHIND THE PALMS. - CHAPTER VIII. HUSH MONEY. - CHAPTER IX. ARLINGTON TAKES A HAND. - CHAPTER X. A HOT OPENING. - CHAPTER XI. CAUGHT WITH THE GOODS. - CHAPTER XII. RETURNING THE MONEY. - CHAPTER XIII. JEALOUSY. - CHAPTER XIV. HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF. - CHAPTER XV. THE ABANDONED CAPTIVE. - CHAPTER XVI. AN EVIL BAND. - CHAPTER XVII. TUCKER GETS WARMED. - CHAPTER XVIII. THE FIRE. - CHAPTER XIX. THE NEXT MORNING. - CHAPTER XX. A PAIR OF RASCALS. - CHAPTER XXI. FURTHER PLOTTING. - CHAPTER XXII. A CERTAIN VISITOR. - CHAPTER XXIII. THE CONSOLER. - CHAPTER XXIV. SOMETHING DOING. - CHAPTER XXV. REFUGE IN THE RIVER. - CHAPTER XXVI. WHAT HAPPENED TO BRAD. - CHAPTER XXVII. FROM THE BAR Z RANCH. - CHAPTER XXVIII. A PITCHER NEEDED. - CHAPTER XXIX. DICK ACCEPTS A CHALLENGE. - CHAPTER XXX. THE FRESHMAN PITCHER. - CHAPTER XXXI. THE GREAT REBELLION. - CHAPTER XXXII. CUT DOWN. - CHAPTER XXXIII. THE RED STAIN. - CHAPTER XXXIV. THE UNSEEN SHADOW. - CHAPTER XXXV. AN APPARITION. - CHAPTER XXXVI. A TERRIFIED TRIO. - CHAPTER XXXVII. PANGS OF CONSCIENCE. - CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE ESCAPE. - CHAPTER XXXIX. THE GHOSTLY FACE. - CHAPTER XL. A QUEER DELUSION. - CHAPTER XLI. SILVER BULLETS. - CHAPTER XLII. BAD NEWS. - CHAPTER XLIII. THE SILVER BULLETS. - CHAPTER XLIV. LYNCH CONFESSES. - CHAPTER XLV. MIKE PUTS IT ON PAPER. - CHAPTER XLVI. TURNING A NEW LEAF. - CHAPTER XLVII. A BITTER DOSE. - CHAPTER XLVIII. WAS HE SINCERE? - CHAPTER XLIX. A WASTED WARNING. - CHAPTER L. WOLFE HAS AN IDEA. - CHAPTER LI. THE HOLDUP. - CHAPTER LII. ROUTING THE RUFFIANS. - CHAPTER LIII. THE ODDS AGAINST YALE. - CHAPTER LIV. MANHATTAN IN THE LEAD. - CHAPTER LV. A BEAUTIFUL BINGLE. - - - - - DICK MERRIWELL’S BACKERS. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - LACK OF CONFIDENCE. - - -At the beginning of the sixth inning, Sam Kates went into the box -against the Tufts freshmen. The score then stood seven to one, in favor -of Yale Umpty-ten. Tufts had shown no ability to connect with Dick -Merriwell’s shoots and benders. This was the opportunity to give Sam a -good try-out, and so, at Dick’s suggestion, he changed places with -Kates, who had been playing first. - -At the opening of the game, Tufts had professed a hilarious confidence -in its ability to hit Merriwell, but within a short time this confidence -oozed away, and the game was proving tiresomely one-sided and monotonous -when Yale changed pitchers. - -Immediately Tufts braced up and took heart. Kates was nervous, and the -visitors seemed to know it. They whooped and barked joyously as the -first man to face Sam lined out a sizzling two-bagger. - -“Never mind that, Kates,” came reassuringly from Dick. “Those things -will happen occasionally. They can’t all do it.” - -Nevertheless Kates realized that he was trying to fill the position just -vacated by one vastly his superior, and he also knew the Yale men who -had been cheering lustily in the stand were aware of the same fact. This -placed him at a disadvantage, for he was extremely anxious, and a -pitcher who gets anxious in the box is almost sure to be an easy mark -for the opposing batters. Kates, under the manly influence of Dick -Merriwell, had broken away from former undesirable associations and was -now putting forth his best efforts to redeem his past mistakes. - -The following Tufts man pounded a long fly into the outfield. The ball -was caught, but the runner on second advanced to third after the catch. - -“It’s all right,” again assured Dick. “They haven’t scored, Sam.” - -But, unfortunately, the team had even less confidence in Kates than he -had in himself. Therefore, they were likewise anxious, and this anxiety -caused Claxton, at second, to let a warm grounder get through him. - -The little band of Tufts rooters yelled wildly as another tally was -chalked down for their side. - -“Keep after him! keep after him!” whooped a coacher, as the next batter -pranced out to the pan. “Got him going!” - -“We’ll put the blanket on him in a minute,” came from the other coacher. -“Knock his eye out, Tompkins!” - -Tompkins responded by slamming a hot one into right field, where Bouncer -Bigelow fell all over himself, and lost the ball until another run had -been credited to the visitors and Tompkins had third safely within his -clutch. - -“Not your fault, Kates,” said Dick, as the wretched pitcher cast him an -appealing glance. “Nobody can blame you.” - -Blessed Jones, captain of the team, rushed part way in from left field -and called to his players to steady down. - -On the bench Robinson, the manager, was fidgeting ponderously, and -muttering to himself that Merriwell would have to go back on the slab. - -Dick walked out into the diamond, and many thought that he was going to -change places with Kates once more. Instead of doing so, he placed a -hand on Sam’s shoulder and spoke to him in low tones. - -“Don’t get worried now because of those errors behind you. They’ve made -one clean hit off you, and that’s all. This sort of a thing is likely to -happen to any one. It might have happened to me.” - -“But I don’t believe it,” muttered Kates. “They won’t back me up, -Merriwell, old man.” - -“They’ll learn to back you up before the season’s over.” - -“Not if I throw away the first game in which I’m given a chance to -pitch.” - -“But you’re not throwing it away. Don’t look round, Kates. That fellow -on third is going to try to steal home. He thinks neither of us sees -him. He’s edging off. Now—nail him!” - -Kates whirled like a flash, and found the runner well off third, -balanced on his toes, and ready to make a sprint for the plate. - -With a snap Sam sent the ball to Otis Fitch, who had covered the sack -behind the runner’s back. - -Nipped just in time, the Tufts man tried to plunge headlong back to -third, but Fitch clutched the ball and nailed it onto him. - -“You’re out!” shouted the umpire. - -This piece of work caused the Yale men to cheer, while the Tufts lad who -had been caught in his own attempt to work a bit of craft walked in to -the bench shaking his hanging head. - -“Rotten! rotten!” snapped one of the coachers. “Why don’t you keep your -eyes open? Why don’t you do your sleeping nights? You can’t afford to -get dopy on bases.” - -“But everybody hits! everybody hits!” came from the coacher at the other -side of the field. “We’ll keep right on. We’ll pound him off the rubber -just the same.” - -But, somehow, Sam’s nervousness had disappeared beneath the effect of -Merriwell’s touch and words. Having caught the runner in this manner, -Kates grew cool and collected, and the next man up promptly bit at two -twisters that he did not touch. - -“Now you’re pitching, old fellow,” laughed Dick. “The poor boy can’t see -the ball. He’s yours, Sam—he’s yours. Eat him up!” - -Kates had a huge drop, and this was the next ball he used. As he -delivered it, however, he pretended it had slipped from his fingers, and -he yelled for Buckhart to “look out.” The batter thought the ball too -high, and made no move to swing. The sphere shot down in an astonishing -manner and crossed the batter’s chest. - -“Three strikes—out!” announced the umpire. - -The deceived hitter stood as if dazed for a moment, and then savagely -hurled his bat to the ground. Once more the Yale stand cheered, and -Merriwell walked in to the bench with Kates, congratulating him with -sincere pleasure. - -“You’ve got to do your best work to-day, Sam,” said Dick. “You’ve got to -prove yourself. I need you. Toleman won’t come out. He’s still sulking. -I can’t do all the pitching. The games are coming too thick.” - -“It wasn’t wholly my fault, was it, Merriwell?” asked Kates. - -“Certainly not. Still, you’d better not kick about your support, for -that gets the fellows sore. They know what they did, and they feel as -rotten about it as any one can. You’ll hold Tufts down after this.” - -“But if you see they’re going to win the game, Dick, you must go onto -the slab again. You’ll do this, won’t you?” - -“If you don’t get the idea into your head that it’s necessary, I believe -I won’t have to pitch another ball to-day.” - -“But if it is necessary——” - -“Oh, I won’t see them win the game if I can help it, you may be sure of -that.” - -The Tufts pitcher, who had improved as the game advanced, now seemed to -be at his best, and Yale could do little with his delivery. - -Not until the first of the eighth did anything more of a sensational -nature occur. In the eighth Tufts got a batter to first by an error, and -then Kates had the misfortune to hit the next man. The third batter -lifted a long fly into center field, where Spratt made a disgraceful -muff and lost sight of the ball. While Jack was spluttering to himself -and pawing around wildly in the grass, all three of the Tufts men romped -over the sacks and raced across the pan. - -There was now great excitement, for Tufts needed only one more run to -tie the game. - -Kates gave Dick a questioning look. - -“No fault of yours,” came once more from Merriwell. - -“But they won’t support me, they won’t support me!” muttered Sam, in a -disheartened manner. - -The uproar was so great that Dick could not hear these words, although -he read them plainly by the movement of Sam’s lips. Again he trotted out -into the diamond, and once more the spectators fancied it was his -intention to resume pitching. - -“Don’t you quit, Kates,” was what he said. “If you do, they’ll never -give you any backing. Pitch as if your life depended on it, but keep -cool—keep cool and use your head.” - -There was an audible groan as Dick was seen returning to first. - -The next Tufts man batted a slow grounder at Tucker, who juggled the -ball a moment and then made a disgustingly bad throw to first. Dick was -forced to leave the sack and leap into the air to get the ball, and the -hitter crossed the hassock in safety. - -With no one out, Tufts’ prospects of tying the score were bright indeed. - -“Look out for a bunt, Sam,” warned Dick, who believed the visitors would -try to sacrifice. - -The infielders crept in toward the plate, and poised themselves on their -toes, every muscle taut. - -The intention of the enemy had not been miscalculated. The bunt came, -and the runner on first reached second while Kates got the ball and -“killed” the batter at first. - -But now a fine single properly placed would be almost sure to give the -enemy the coveted run to make the score a tie. - -More than that, the next hitter was one of the cleverest batsmen on the -visiting team. Kates used all his art and skill on the man, but finally -the fellow smashed the ball, driving it on a line toward right field. - -Dick was playing ten or twelve feet into the diamond. He made an -electrified leap, shot out his right hand, and pulled the liner down. -The moment his feet touched the ground he was ready to throw to second, -but he made sure that Claxton would get the ball. The runner on second -had started for third, but he stopped and nearly broke himself in two in -an effort to get back. - -He was a second too late, and the double play put something of a -dampener on Tufts’ elation. - -Kates heaved a great sigh of relief, and something like a sickly smile -of joy passed over his face. - -This was what he needed to put him once more at his best, for he struck -out the man who followed. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - A HEART-BREAKING FINISH. - - -But Kates’ troubles were not over. Yale did nothing with the Tufts -twirler in the eighth, and Tufts opened the ninth with another two-sack -bingle that made the Yale crowd feel sick. - -Some one yelled for Merriwell. Kates again cast a questioning glance -toward Dick. - -“If we pull him out,” Dick thought, “he’ll have no further backbone for -pitching.” - -Jones started in from the field. Divining the intention of Blessed, Dick -hurriedly waved him back. - -Buckhart looked disgusted, and shook his head. - -“Reckon my pard wants to throw this game away,” he muttered to himself. -“We’ll lose it if we let Kates stay on the rubber.” - -But Kates stayed. Aware that Dick still had confidence in him, Sam -forced the following Tufts man to put up an easy infield fly, which was -captured by Tucker. - -“All we want is a clean hit, Stroud!” cried a Tufts coacher. “You’re the -boy to do it!” - -Stroud was a dangerous man with the stick, and the spectators hung -poised on a point of painful suspense. - -Four times Stroud fouled. Then Sam twisted one round his neck, and he -missed cleanly. - -“That’s the way! that’s the way!” laughed Dick. “Now it’s all right! -That lively lad will pass away on second.” - -With two strikes and only one ball called by the umpire, it began to -seem as if Kates would mow down the last Tufts batter. But the fellow -picked out a corner-cutter and raised it far into left field. - -“All over!” shouted some one. “Jonesy has it.” - -Jonesy thought he had it, but as the ball settled it took one of those -exasperating curves which are troublesome to handle, and Blessed merely -touched it with the fingers of one upthrust hand. - -Before the dismayed Yale captain could get the ball back into the -diamond the score was tied, and Tufts had another runner on third. - -“We’ve got this game—we’ve got it!” barked a coacher. “They’ll never get -away from us now!” - -“Everybody knew what would happen,” cried a voice. “The game was lost -when they changed pitchers.” - -Strangely enough, Kates was no longer downcast and lacking in -confidence. He told himself that any person with good baseball judgment -must know he was not responsible for what had happened. He did not cast -any further questioning looks toward first, but placed himself on the -rubber, ready to pitch at his best as long as they would let him remain -there. - -His best proved good enough to fan the next Tufts man, and Yale came to -bat in the last of the ninth with the tally tied. - -“We’ll do ’em up in the next inning,” announced the Tufts captain, who -seemed confident that there would be an extra inning. - -It quickly began to look as if there would be such an inning, for the -first two Yale batters went out, one on a fly and the other on an easy -grounder into the diamond. - -Then came a bad error for Tufts. Spratt, who batted ahead of Kates, -bumped a bounder toward third, and reached first on an infielder’s -fumble. - -For an instant Kates seemed benumbed as he realized he was the next -person to hit. A strange silence had settled over the field, and Sam -fancied he could feel the eyes of every spectator fixed upon him as he -stepped out, bat in hand. - -As if from a great distance he seemed to hear some one say: - -“Perhaps he’ll win his own game.” - -“If he only could!” said another; but there was only doubt in the words -and the voice. - -Kates glanced toward Spratt, and a signal told him that the desperate -fellow on first would try to steal. To assist Jack, Sam swung wildly at -the first ball pitched, although he was careful not to hit it. - -Spratt’s thin legs carried him down the line to second with deceptive -speed, and a beautiful slide landed him safely on the sack a second -before he was tagged. - -“Safe!” shouted the umpire. - -Spratt leaped up, dusting his clothes and grinning. - -“You’re dud-dud-dreadfully slow,” he observed mockingly to the second -baseman. - -“Oh, never mind,” was the retort. “You won’t go any farther.” - -“Th-think so?” said Jack. - -“Know so.” - -“Bub-bub-bet you on it. Kates is gug-going to biff it.” - -Sam heard those words. Here, at least, seemed to be one person besides -Merriwell who had confidence in him. - -“I will biff it!” he decided. - -He made good in a way that brought the Yale men up standing. Bat and -ball cracked together, and the ball was laced into the field halfway -between right and center. - -Tucker, on the coaching line near third, waved his arms frantically and -shrieked until he was purple in the face as Spratt came straddling on. -Jack’s teeth were gleaming, his hands clenched, and his eyes bulging out -of his head. As he crossed third the breath whistled from his nostrils -with a sound that reminded one of a racehorse coming under the wire. - -A fielder had the ball. He whipped it to the second baseman. The second -baseman turned and lined it to the catcher. - -“Slide!” shrieked Tucker and many others. - -Spratt flung himself headlong, as if making a dive. Along the ground he -scooted in a manner that seemed to proclaim the dry soil greased at that -particular point. - -Plunk!—the ball landed in the catcher’s mitt. Down he ducked and planted -it between Spratt’s shoulders. - -But Jack had both hands on the plate, and the umpire yelled: “Safe!” - -To Dick Merriwell’s unspeakable satisfaction, Sam Kates had really won -his own game. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - A SURPRISE FOR DICK. - - -In the dressing room there was a jabber of youthful voices as the -players got into their street clothes. Kates was feeling pretty well, -for the fellows who had made errors behind him, one and all, had come -forward and offered congratulations over his work, at the same time -blaming themselves for repeatedly putting him into a bad hole. - -Casper Steele, in a motoring suit, appeared and expressed his -appreciation of the hair-lifting game he had witnessed. - -“I was really losing interest when you went out of the box, Merriwell, -old man!” laughed Casper. “That finish was a heart-breaker, though. How -long before you and your friends will be ready to start for Meadwold?” - -“On my word,” said Dick, “I’d forgotten about your invitation.” - -“But you can go?” questioned Steele anxiously. “You said you’d let me -know if you couldn’t get away, and I haven’t heard a word from you.” - -“It’s all right, I can go.” - -“How about Claxton and Buckhart?” - -“They will come along. It’s all fixed.” - -“Good! A day off to-morrow will be to the benefit of all of you.” - -“How about Tucker?” asked Dick, in a low tone. “I don’t like to go away -and leave him to himself for even a day. I’ve taken the liberty of -asking him if he’ll join us, providing you don’t object.” - -“Now, look here, old man,” said Steele, “didn’t I tell you this was to -be your party? Didn’t I tell you to invite any one you wished?” - -“Yes, but——” - -“I meant it. It’s to be a little housewarming, you know. The gov’nor -will have a party of his own down there next week. Just now he has some -sort of a business deal on that is keeping him mighty busy. I have my -car here, and I’ll take you and your chosen friends to pick up your -dunnage. It’s forty miles to Meadwold, and it will be dark before we get -there, anyhow.” - -“It was mighty fine of you to plan this little outing, Steele,” said -Dick. - -“Well, I hope you and your friends enjoy yourselves, and I think you -will.” - -Meadwold was the name given to a large country estate purchased the -previous year by Peyton Steele, Casper’s father. Steele was a man who -loved the country and country life, and it was his intention to make -this newly acquired property an ideal summer home for his occupancy. The -old farm buildings had been renovated and enlarged. Broad verandas had -been built. A fine stable was put up, and the place was stocked with -blooded horses and choice cattle. A complete corps of servants had been -installed at Meadwold, and everything was ready for the housewarming. - -Blessed Jones had been invited to become one of the party, but had -solemnly expressed it as his duty to remain in town and look after those -ball players who needed watching. He now came up, with a sad and doleful -expression on his face. - -“Methinks thou wilt have a high old time, brothers,” he said. “But look -here, Steele, you want to remember that these fellows are under -training-table regulations. Don’t gorge them with ice cream and cake and -such disastrous delicacies.” - -“Leave that to me,” said Dick. “We’ll behave, Jones. Don’t be afraid. -Too bad you don’t feel that you ought to come.” - -“It is too bad,” nodded Steele. “I’d enjoy having you.” - -“Without doubt,” said Blessed. “I would add immensely to the gayety of -the aggregation. I’m generally about as funny as a funeral.” - -Tucker was pleased when he learned beyond doubt that he was to be one of -the party. Steele took them in his car, and soon they were at the curb -in front of the lodging house on York Street. - -“I’ll get my things and come back here,” said Rob Claxton, as he sprang -from the car. - -Thirty minutes later the big touring car was bearing them out of the -city. - -“It’ll certainly be fine to get out into the country, where we can -gambol with the little lambkins,” laughed Tucker. “I need it. My! but -wasn’t that a lovely throw I made to you, Dick? I had a spasm when I -realized what I’d done. Didn’t think you’d ever touch it, but you raked -her in with one paw. Say, how long is your arm? I swear you reached -eleven feet into the air for that ball!” - -“Please don’t talk about errors, suh,” entreated Claxton. “I’d like to -forget that awful mess I made.” - -“Kates sure pitched a good game,” observed Buckhart. “But there was one -time I thought he had gone to the bowwows.” - -“That game reminds me of the last one I played in before coming to -college,” said Tucker. “The finish was just about as sensational. We had -the other fellows going up to the seventh inning, when they got after -our pitcher and bumped him. In the ninth inning they needed one run to -tie, and two to win, and they had the bases filled. It was their last -turn to bat, and two men were out. I was playing center field. Up came -the heaviest batter on their team, and he slammed a long fly out into my -garden. The ground out there was awfully soft in spots, and when I -started for that fly one of my feet got stuck in a hole so that I -couldn’t pull it out to save my neck. There was the ball coming down -just about six feet beyond my reach, and me held fast by one hoof. I -tell you it was awful. Perspiration literally started out on my face in -drops as big as gooseberries. But I got the ball.” - -“How did you do it, suh?” asked Claxton curiously. - -“Why, you see, I just stooped down, cut my shoe laces, pulled my foot -out of my shoe, made a lunge, and grabbed the ball.” - -“Remarkable!” breathed Rob. “Cut your shoe laces, did you?” - -“Yep.” - -“Do you usually carry a knife around in your baseball suit?” - -“Oh, no,” confessed Tommy, looking a bit confused. “I didn’t cut my -laces with a knife.” - -“What did you cut them with, if you don’t mind telling?” - -“With a blade of grass, of course,” snorted Tucker. - -Merriwell, Buckhart, and Steele laughed, and, after a moment, Claxton -joined in. - -“That’ll about do for you, Tommy,” said Dick. “Don’t tell us any more -such wonderful yarns. We can’t quite digest them.” - -New Haven was now left behind, and the car was humming smoothly over the -road. The boys had brought along their heavy coats, and, therefore, were -quite comfortable, although it was growing cool as the sun sank in the -west. A beautiful sunset filled them all with admiration and delight. -The ride in that big, easy car was calculated to soothe their -overstrained nerves after the excitement of the game. - -“Strange,” said Claxton, “I didn’t see Miss Ditson or Miss Midhurst at -the game. They usually attend. Were they there, Dick?” - -“I didn’t see them myself,” confessed Merriwell. - -“Nor I,” said Buckhart. “I reckon they were not there.” - -No one observed the faint smile that flitted across the face of Casper -Steele as he bent over the steering wheel. - -“I fancy you’re right,” he said. “I looked around at the crowd in the -stand, and I saw nothing of those girls.” - -The sun had vanished, and purple shadows were spreading in the east. -They stopped to light the lamps, and then bowled on again. Night -enfolded them softly, and the bright glare of the lamps grew more and -more effective as the darkness increased. - -“We’re getting near Meadwold,” Steele finally announced. - -A few moments later they swung in at a gate with high stone posts, and -followed a private road that wound between long lines of gnarled old -trees. - -“We’ll see the lights in a minute,” said Casper. - -Surmounting a little rise, they beheld before them the gleam of many -lights, and Steele told them that was Meadwold. - -“Gee whiz!” piped Tucker. “They’ve certainly illuminated gorgeously for -our arrival.” - -“I have a party of friends there who are expecting us,” was Casper’s -surprising announcement. - -He now pressed the pedal, and the Gabriel horn sang sweetly through the -spring night. - -“That will tell them we’re coming,” he laughed. “They’ll be on the -veranda to welcome us.” - -And now the boys discovered that the veranda and the trees in the -immediate vicinity of the house were hung with hundreds of Japanese -lanterns. - -As they swung up the fine road to the front of the house they heard a -chorus of youthful voices, and forth from the wide front door came -swarming a merry band of boys and girls. There were fully thirty of -them, and they crowded to the steps, waving their handkerchiefs and -laughingly crying welcome. - -“Great horn spoon!” muttered Brad Buckhart. “What are we up against?” - -But Dick was speechless, for there, in the mellow light of the many -lanterns, standing in front of all the others, her hands outstretched to -him, was the one girl he knew best in all the world—June Arlington! - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - A HEARTY WELCOME. - - -“Welcome, welcome to Meadwold!” cried the merry voices. - -Dick’s eyes swam in a happy, wondering mist. At that moment he feared it -was all a dream from which he would quickly awaken. This vision of -June—June, radiant and flushed, and more beautiful than ever—could not -be other than a dream. - -“Dick—Dick, don’t you know me? Dick, aren’t you glad to see me?” - -It was her voice. He would have known it had it reached his ears in the -heart of darkest Africa. This was no dream; it was a grand, joyous -reality. The next instant he was on the steps, both her warm hands -clasped in his. - -“June, June!” he murmured ecstatically. “June, is it possible? Can it be -I’m really awake and this is you?” - -“Kiss her! kiss her! kiss her!” shouted a chorus of voices. - -June, red as a fresh-blown peony, her voice trembling with excitement, -her eyes gleaming like twin stars, answered his questions. - -“Of course it is I, and, of course, you’re wide awake.” - -“No, he isn’t,” piped another voice, that sounded strangely familiar. -“If he was wide awake, he would never pass up an opportunity like that.” - -“How is it possible that I find you here?” asked Dick. - -“Chester will explain.” - -“Chester——” - -“Present,” laughed a bronzed youth, stepping quickly down and placing an -affectionate hand on Dick’s shoulder. “How are you, Merriwell, old man? -On my soul, I’m quivering with delight over seeing you again. Give us a -grip at that man’s hand of yours.” - -This was June’s brother, who wrung Dick’s hand with all the hearty -regard and affection of his soul. - -“My head is humming,” laughed the bewildered boy. “I thought you were in -Wellsburg, June; and you, Chester—I thought you somewhere away out in -the wild and woolly.” - -“I’ve shed my chaps, had my hair cut, hung up the riata, and come back -to civilization,” said Arlington. “But I don’t suppose we ought to -monopolize him, June. He has other friends who are anxious to get at -him.” - -While June and Chet turned to Brad Buckhart, Dick shook hands with Jack -Randall, of Harvard. - -“Quite a lively little party this of yours,” smiled the handsome Harvard -man. - -“Mine?” said Dick. “Why, Steele got up this party.” - -“But we all understand it’s for your benefit and entertainment. Here are -Barbara and Mabel.” - -And now Dick understood why he had not seen Bab Midhurst and Mabel -Ditson at the baseball game that afternoon. - -“It’s a conspiracy!” he cried. “I have been deceived, and I’m glad of -it.” - -“I brought another friend of yours along with me,” said Randall. “Where -is he? He should have been among the first to attack you.” - -“Like the modest, shrinking little violet that I am,” said the voice -that had declared Dick was not wide awake when he shook hands with June, -“I am content to bloom low amid the other gorgeous flowers of this fair -garden. Therefore, I am easily overlooked. Hello, Dick! Give us the high -wigwag.” - -“Dale Sparkfair, you handsome rascal!” cried Merriwell, getting a good -hold on the speaker’s hand. - -Sparkfair it was, jolly, jovial, scintillating as ever. - -“You see, I’m always loth to thrust myself forward, Dick,” said Spark. -“I’ve been suppressed and sat on so much since butting into Harvard that -my natural timidness and reticence has increased a thousandfold.” - -“Suppressed? Sat on?” laughed Randall. “If ever there was a freshman who -could not be suppressed and sat on, this fresh freshman is the one. Why, -he’s had all Cambridge standing on its head the biggest part of the time -since he landed there. A dozen times he’s turned the old place over to -look at the bottom side of it. He has more friends and enemies to the -square yard than any man at Harvard who is not a senior or a big gun in -athletics.” - -“Fie! fie!” remonstrated Dale. “I fear much that you will give people a -false impression by the careless trippling of your tongue. Trippling is -good. I think I’ll copyright it. I’m great at coining words. That’s -about the only kind of coin I can get hold of lately.” - -Introductions followed, Dick presenting his Yale friends to those -friends of his he had unexpectedly found at Meadwold. All were then made -acquainted with the young people, youths, and maids who belonged to -Casper Steele’s particular set. At the very beginning of these -introductions, in a cautious whisper, Sparkfair warned Dick not to -exhaust his supply of “hot-air compliments” too quickly, as there were -lots of pretty girls in the party, and he would need a liberal supply to -go round. - -Steele had turned the touring car over to his mechanician, who was -awaiting the arrival at Meadwold. He now led the way into the renovated -house, and the chattering guests flocked after him. - -Casper’s mother was there, standing just inside the door and smiling on -them all. She gave her hand to Dick and his friends as her son presented -her. There were also two other middle-aged ladies who were present as -chaperons. - -“I’m very glad to meet Dick Merriwell,” said Mrs. Steele. “You won’t -mind if I call you Dick, will you? You see, I’ve heard Casper call you -that so often that it’s most natural for me.” - -“I am genuinely complimented to know that you wish to call me by my -Christian name, Mrs. Steele,” he bowed. - -“You must make yourself at home—you and your friends. I hope you all -have a pleasant time at Meadwold.” - -“That is assured already, madam. I’ve had one of the most delightful -surprises of my life.” - -Steele took Dick, Brad, Rob, and Tommy upstairs to the room they were to -occupy. - -“You see, we’re a bit crowded,” he explained. “There are two beds here -and a bath adjoining. I think you’ll be comfortable.” - -“Comfortable!” said the Texan, looking around. “Great horn spoon, I -should say so! Why, this is great for a man who has found comfort -sleeping in a blanket, with his boots for his pillow and the ground for -his bed.” - -“Well, I’m certainly glad I came,” said Tucker. “Isn’t it great, boys?” - -“It reminds me of hospitality in old Virginia, gentlemen,” came from -Claxton. “I didn’t suppose they had anything like it in your cold and -reserved North.” - -“Oh, we’re not as cold and reserved as we seem, once you get under our -skins,” chuckled Steele. “Take your time to wash up, fellows. Come down -when you get ready. I fancy we’ll have dinner very soon now.” - -“A great chap, that Steele,” murmured Tommy, as the door closed behind -Casper. “And to think he didn’t get through college—it’s a shame. But -then, he has so much money that he doesn’t need a college education to -help him spend it.” - -“And that’s one of the brightest remarks I ever heard you make, Tucker,” -laughed Dick. - -“Listen!” exclaimed Buckhart. “I sure hear music! On my word, they’ve -got an orchestra.” - -It was true, for the soft strains of an orchestra floated up to their -ears from some part of the house. - -“Steele is certainly doing the thing up brown,” chuckled Tucker. “Go -ahead, Dick, and make your ablutions. You’re the one in this bunch who’s -most wanted down below. The rest of us won’t be missed if we’re slower -in reappearing.” - -Dick pulled off his coat, rolled back his cuffs, and disappeared into -the bathroom. - -“No flies on this party, eh?” grinned Tucker. “Everybody agreeable and -congenial.” - -Buckhart shrugged his shoulders. - -“With one exception, possibly,” he muttered, not wishing Dick to hear. -“Chester Arlington might have improved the party had he remained away. -He was Dick’s bitterest enemy at Fardale, and I can’t easily forget the -dirty tricks in which he was concerned. My pard seems to think the -fellow has reformed, but I’m far from satisfied on that point. I doubt -if any one as rotten as Arlington has been ever wholly reformed. -However, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until he shows -the cloven hoof again. If he does that, I’ll certain feel like lighting -on him all spraddled out. You hear me softly warble!” - - - - - CHAPTER V. - THE DINNER. - - -The dinner was a grand success. Two long tables had been placed end to -end, and around these tables gathered the light-hearted guests, -skillfully seated in such a way that each youth found a congenial and -charming girl at his elbow. - -Of course, June was at Dick’s side. For the time being, Mrs. Steele and -the two elderly ladies had withdrawn, and there was no one present to -cast the lightest restraint on the innocent mirth of the gathering. -Waiters were numerous, silent, and attentive, and the courses came on in -a manner that would have done credit to a first-class hotel. Somewhere -in a near-by room the orchestra discoursed appropriate music. Beneath -the softened lights the china, cutglass, and silverware gleamed, and the -girls, flushed with pleasurable excitement, seemed the fairest to be -found in all the land. - -“Of course, I’m ready to explode with curiosity, June,” said Dick, under -cover of the chatter that rose about them. - -“I suppose you are,” she laughed tantalizingly, giving him a look with -those splendid eyes of hers that shot him through with the old-time -thrill. - -“But you don’t seem in any hurry to satisfy that curiosity. Don’t -tantalize me, June. How did it happen?” - -“Your brother brought my brother back with him to Wellsburg when he -returned from the West.” - -“Yes, I know; but Wellsburg is a long distance from Meadwold. It’s -mysterious. I didn’t suppose Casper Steele knew you, yet I find you here -at his father’s country home.” - -“My father knows Mr. Payton Steele very well.” - -“I see a faint ray.” - -“They have often had business relations. At present father is carrying -through a business deal in company with Mr. Steele. To do this he had to -come on here, and, when he found he was coming, both Chester and myself -begged him to bring us along. That’s the explanation, Dick. We met -Casper Steele, and as soon as he found out we were your friends he began -to plan this surprise party for you.” - -“And I never suspected a thing.” - -From the head of the table Steele laughed at Dick. - -“I was afraid you might get a suspicion of it,” he said, having caught -Merriwell’s words. - -“I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to get even with you, old chap,” -said Dick. “But perhaps I’ll find a way some time.” - -Near the foot of the long table sat Mabel Ditson, with Brad Buckhart on -her right and Rob Claxton on her left. She was dividing her favors -between them, and both seemed satisfied. Her position was a delicate -one, and it required art and cleverness to balance her smiles and words -so that neither should fancy the other to be the one most favored. -Sparkfair was chatting in his airy manner with a beautiful girl by the -name of Agnes Locke. Nevertheless, it seemed that he occasionally cast -faintly regretful glances in the direction of June and Dick. - -Jack Randall talked confidentially with Barbara, and, save Dick himself, -it was possible no one present knew their exact relations. Suddenly -Steele rose to his feet. - -“A toast!” he proposed. - -“A toast! a toast!” cried all. - -Casper lifted a glass. - -“We’ll drink it in water, the favorite beverage of the one to whom it -will be given.” - -They all rose, each with an uplifted glass of water. There was a hush, -and, with a grave smile, Casper turned his eyes on the lad at June -Arlington’s side. - -“Here’s to Dick Merriwell,” he said. “Here’s to his friends and his -foes; may his friends never falter in their loyalty, and may his foes -soon realize their folly and become his friends.” - -“Splendid! splendid!” was the cry as they drank the toast. - -Dick thanked Casper in a clever little speech, his face flushed and his -heart warmed by it all. It was Randall who proposed the next toast. - -“Here’s to Yale,” he bowed; “Yale, Harvard’s beloved rival. May the blue -ever flutter high above all other colors save the crimson.” - -“I’ll have to attach an amendment to that,” laughed Dick. “May the best -team win, and, if it does, the blue has no fear of finding itself -looking up to the crimson.” - -“You wait until your freshman baseball team goes against our freshies!” -cried Randall. “You know we have a slab wizard by the name of -Sparkfair.” - -“Keep it dark, keep it dark!” came in a hoarse whisper from Dale. “Don’t -put the enemy wise. Let him march unsuspecting to the slaughter.” - -Randall laughed. - -“I think I’ll have to tell how I happened to bring Spark with me to -Meadwold,” he said, as the entire party was again seated. - -“I can’t bear to have you tell,” objected Dale. - -“This reckless young blade,” said Jack, “has injected himself into all -sorts of trouble since descending on Cambridge. He seems to enjoy -trouble with a keen and fiendish enjoyment. The rackets he has been in -would fill a three-volume novel. Repeatedly he has escaped disasters by -a hair’s breadth. His last escapade proved rather more serious than the -others. He stole a cinnamon bear.” - -“Tut, tut!” remonstrated Sparkfair. “State the facts, Randall—the bear -conceived an overweening affection for me, and insisted on following me -like a dog.” - -“Insisted on following you after you had fed him a two-pound box of -chocolates and bon-bons,” said Jack. “It was this way: An Italian organ -grinder brought a tame dancing bear into town. The dago did a lively -business around Harvard Square, for the bear was really amusing, and the -students coughed up their spare coins to see him do his stunts. Some -time in mid-afternoon the bear’s master tied him to a tree on -Massachusetts Avenue, and went into a restaurant for something to eat. -About this time Sparkfair hove upon the horizon and espied bruin. Dale -had purchased an extravagant amount of candy for some one of his -numerous lady loves. He took a notion to offer the bear a chocolate -drop, and bruin keenly appreciated the favor. For some time Spark -continued to deal out confectionery to the beast, and with each fresh -chocolate or bon-bon the bear’s liking for Dale increased by leaps and -bounds. Just how bruin’s chain came unhitched from the tree I’m unable -to say. At any rate, when Spark started to depart the cinnamon waddled -after him.” - -“It was a frightful moment,” put in Dale. “Imagine my sensation of -horror when I realized that I was being pursued by a real bear. Of -course, I wouldn’t have minded so much if it had been one of those Teddy -things that they sell at a toy store, but this was the real stuff, with -genuine hair on it. It had claws and teeth, too. At first I was tempted -to fly for my life, but I didn’t know just how fast that bear could -sprint, and, therefore, I was afraid to make a start. In order to -appease the monster I opened up my second box of sweets and handed him -out a few more chocolates.” - -“That’s right,” chuckled Randall. “Behold Sparkfair, in your mind, -backing down Mt. Auburn Street with the bear sniffing along after him -and licking its chops for more chocolates. It seems that Spark has a -sophomore friend whom he greatly admires that rooms in Claverly. This -sophomore’s name is Coakley. Up to date I believe he and Spark have -practiced the manly art of self-defense on each other at least four -times. Coakley has lost one of his front teeth, and for a week or so -Sparkfair was proudly displaying a beautiful black eye. Well, what do -you think Spark did? When he reached Claverly he proceeded to decoy that -bear into the building and upstairs to Coakley’s room. It happened that -Coakley was out, but his door was unlocked. Spark got the bear inside, -and then heartlessly abandoned the poor beast.” - -“Not until I had fed him the last bon-bon in that two-pound lot,” sighed -Spark, with amusing dolefulness. “I know a girl who went hungry for -candy that night.” - -“Coakley returned to his room in the dusk of early evening,” Randall -continued. “He walked right in, without anticipating the welcome he was -to receive. The bear was asleep on Coakley’s best Turkish rug. I don’t -think Coakley saw him. At any rate, he fell over bruin, who rose with a -grunt of disapproval. A moment later other fellows in Claverly were -horrified by the most fearsome, heart-rending scream of terror that ever -smote mortal ears. Coakley yelled murder and made a scramble to get away -from the bear. Evidently bruin fancied his friend with the candied -delicacies had returned, for he tried to embrace Coakley. As I room in -Claverly myself, I happened to see the finish. Coakley ripped open his -door and came gasping and tumbling into the hall. A furry figure -lumbered after him. Coakley slid downstairs, and the bear imitated his -example. Confused and terrified, Coakley made the mistake of dashing -into the swimming room. Bruin kept close at his heels until, with a last -despairing howl of anguish, Coakley plunged headlong into the tank. The -bear sat down on the edge and grinned with pleasure as he watched -Coakley splashing and blowing about in the water. I think Coakley was in -that tank something like three quarters of an hour before some one -brought the bear’s master, who took bruin away. - -“Unfortunately, some one saw Sparkfair decoying the bear into Claverly. -Coakley has sworn vengeance. An investigation is threatened. There is a -tinge of blood on the moon in Cambridge. I thought it would be best for -Spark to get away for a couple of days, and therefore I’ve inflicted him -on this otherwise respectable party.” - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - THE BLACKMAILER. - - -After dinner music and merriment resounded through the many rooms of -Meadwold. The guests were free to go wherever they chose, and all seemed -to feel perfectly at home. A little group had gathered around a girl who -was seated at the piano, and Jack Randall led in the familiar songs of -old Harvard, being joined by both boys and girls in the choruses. - -One of the servants found Casper Steele and spoke a low word to him. -Steele left the room, and was absent a few minutes. Returning, he sought -for Sparkfair, whom he found chatting in his airiest manner with Agnes -Locke, who was holding her own with him in the way of persiflage. - -Begging the girl’s pardon, Casper drew Spark aside. - -“There’s a friend of yours in the next room, Sparkfair,” he said. “He’s -just arrived, and seems very anxious to see you.” - -“That’s natural,” said Dale. “My friends can’t bear to be separated from -me. It breaks their hearts. Did he send in his autograph?” - -“He told me to tell you that he was a classmate from Cambridge.” - -“I will flee to him on the wings of the morning—no, I mean the wings of -the evening. It’s too late for this morning, and too early for to-morrow -morning. But say, old man, don’t let any giddy youth get away with my -find, Miss Locke. We’ve been flinging bon mots and chunks of -scintillating conversation at each other, and at the present time she -has me pretty nearly backed off the map. After holding converse with my -friend from Cambridge I’m going out into the cool night air and think up -a few neat ones to spring on Miss Locke.” - -Spark danced into the adjoining room, but stopped as if shot when his -eyes fell on the new arrival. This was a fellow about Dale’s age, with -restless black eyes, an unnaturally pale face, and startlingly red lips. -He was dressed in a spring suit of the latest cut and most popular -style. He wore a bright red necktie. - -“Hanks!” breathed Spark, in astonishment. - -“That’s me,” nodded the other. - -For a single moment Sparkfair had seemed staggered. He recovered -quickly, and assumed his usual air of nonchalance. - -“Aren’t you lost, strayed, or stolen, Hanksy?” he inquired. - -“Oh, I guess not,” was the answer, with a touch of insolence in both -manner and tone; “but I was afraid you might become lost if I didn’t -take pains to look you up.” - -“It was distressingly kind of you, Hanksy.” - -“Cut out the Hanksy. You can’t afford to be too flip with me just now.” - -“I can’t afford much of anything since the squeezing you gave me,” -confessed Spark. “My dear fellow, you’re certainly destined to become a -millionaire, or a stone breaker in an institution for people who are too -eager to acquire sudden wealth.” - -“None of that,” advised Hanks. “It doesn’t sound well from a chap who -was caught in a piece of gumshoe work that would have done credit to a -second-story man. You can’t throw any stones, Mr. Dale Sparkfair. If you -do, you’re liable to get a few of your own windows broken. I don’t -wonder that you ducked out of Cambridge in a hurry, but you made a -mistake in thinking you could get away without settling with yours -truly, Jimmy Hanks.” - -“Didn’t you see Hunnewell after I left?” - -Hanks permitted his red lips to curve contemptuously. - -“I’m not making any settlement through a third party. I propose to do -business with you direct, my boy. Hunnewell chased me round, but I -declined to enter into dealings with him. I found out where you had -gone, and decided to take a little vacation myself, and look you up. I -am here. Now, take my advice and be good. Unless you do, your goose is -cooked at Harvard.” - -“Why don’t you find an elevated platform somewhere and tell people about -it?” chirped Dale. “Hadn’t you better hire a hall?” - -“If you don’t want your friends here to hear any of our conversation, -you might step outside with me.” - -“I’d like to step outside. I’d like to see you in some quiet, secluded -spot where I could put a few dents in your face, Hanks!” - -“If you want to try that on, you have my permission, but you know what -will follow. I have the proofs, Sparkfair—I have witnesses. You were -caught with the goods. I’m not choosing this as the proper place to -discuss the matter. If you wish to maintain secrecy, there’s a fine -veranda and a broad lawn outdoors.” - -“This is no time to talk of such things,” protested Dale, doing his best -to hide the annoyance and exasperation which threatened to get the upper -hand. “If you wish to see me to-morrow——” - -“But I don’t. To-morrow I return to Cambridge. We’ll come to an -understanding to-night. If not, you’ll be a fool if you ever again show -your head at Harvard.” - -“As long as you’re so urgent,” smiled Spark, “I suppose I’ll have to -give you a modicum of my valuable time. Toddle along, Hanksy, and I will -follow your lead.” - -A couple who happened to be standing on the veranda saw them come out of -the house and stroll away on the lawn, chatting freely in a way that was -deceptive in its seeming friendliness. It happened, also, that Jack -Randall had seen them leave the house, and had recognized the fellow -with Sparkfair. - -“What the dickens does that mean?” muttered Randall. “That was Hanks. -Where did he come from, and what is he doing here?” - -Jack was tempted to follow them, but finally decided not to do so. Some -twenty minutes later Sparkfair reappeared in the house and sought Jack, -whom he drew apart from the others. - -“Randall, old man,” said Dale, “I’d like to borrow a little filthy -lucre. Have you some molding simoleons in your clothes?” - -“What do you want of money?” - -“Now, that’s not nice, you know. If a friend asks you for a loan you -should submit gracefully and without question to the holdup. I’m sure to -pay you if I ever raise the dough. If I don’t, you may rest assured that -you have performed a worthy action in contributing to the peace of mind -of a distressed comrade.” - -“You can’t spend any money here, Spark. How do you expect to get rid of -it?” - -“I’m going to plug up a rat hole with it. I’ve got to plug that hole, or -the rat will eat my cheese. Now, don’t—don’t distress me by further -inquiry. Don’t you observe the beads of cold and clammy perspiration -upon my noble brow? Can’t you detect the haunting terror in my eye with -fine frenzy rolling?” - -“I know what you want with the money.” - -“Tell me not in mournful numbers that this can be true.” - -“I saw Jim Hanks.” - -“You’re on.” - -“Yes, I’m on. Where is he?” - -“Lingering near, like the vulture awaiting the feast.” - -“He’s under this roof?” - -“I expect the shingles of Meadwold shelter him at this moment.” - -“The dishonest crook, he ought to be kicked out! I’ll see that he is -kicked out at once.” - -But Dale grasped Randall’s arm. - -“Be not too hasty in your violent resentment against this pernicious -person,” implored Spark. “You can’t kick him to-night, Randy, without -hitting me. He has me nailed to the wall, and it’s useless to squirm.” - -“Are you going to let that blackmailer squeeze money out of you?” -indignantly demanded Randall. “I wouldn’t do it.” - -“If I refuse, he’ll proclaim to the world my iniquities. I can’t stand -for that to-night, Jack. I’ve got to choke him off, and there’s only one -way to do it. For goodness’ sake, let me have a paltry one hundred -dollars.” - -“So he demands a hundred, does he? He’s modest!” - -“Modesty is no name for it,” grinned Dale, still endeavoring to be -cheerful. - -“And this is only the beginning, Sparkfair. If you give in to him now, -he’ll suck you dry. You’ll have to pay hush money to that fellow -whenever he demands it. You’ll become his slave.” - -“Unless I find some way to trip him. All I want is a little time, -Randall, and I’ll find a way. In order to get time, I’ve got to hoist -the white flag at present. You know where I’d stand if this fellow -should tell a few things in the presence of the assembled merrymakers. I -can get rid of him at once by forking over the sum he demands. If you -don’t help me out, I shall have to give Merriwell the touch, and perhaps -he hasn’t that amount in his jeans.” - -“It certainly galls me to see you stand for blackmail, Sparkfair.” - -“It can’t gall you any worse than it does me, but when a fellow’s guilty -he has to cough if the blackmailer puts on the screws. Let’s not -procrastinate. I want to hasten Hanks forth into the coolness of the -outer air. The knowledge that he is beneath this roof hangs over me like -a fog.” - -“Do you think he’ll go if he gets the money?” - -“He says he will.” - -“I wouldn’t do this for any one else, Sparkfair. I haven’t the money in -my pocket, but I’ll get it for you.” - -“Thanks, a thousand thanks,” said Dale. “I’m so deeply moved that I fear -I may fall on your bosom and weep. I won’t forget it, Randall. On my -word, I won’t. I’m going to get a twist on Hanks if I live, and I’ll -find a way to squirm out of his grip. While I’m planning such a coup -I’ll have to soothe him with the long green. I’ll tell him he shall have -it directly, but don’t be too long in providing the needful, old man.” - -“Don’t worry. If he thinks he’s going to get a hundred, he’ll keep his -face closed.” - -Randall turned away, while Dale once more sought Hanks. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - BEHIND THE PALMS. - - -Ensconced behind some palms, Dick and June were enjoying a delightful -chat. They had a hundred things to tell each other, and June was vainly -trying to tell it all at once. From their nook they could see Buckhart -happily occupied with Mabel Ditson, and apparently satisfied for the -time being that he had stolen a lap on Claxton. Chester Arlington seemed -to be a favorite with the girls, and he appeared happiest with several -of them near. - -“Don’t you think my brother is looking well, Dick?” asked June. - -“Never saw him looking finer in my life,” was the answer. “The West must -have done him good.” - -“Oh, I know it did, but Chester says he owes all the benefit he has -received to your brother Frank. He has told me of the most wonderful -adventures in company with Frank. You know he was seriously wounded down -in Mexico. A bullet grazed his skull, and he was out of his mind for -some time. Frank took care of him and brought him back to Wellsburg. -Chester has been training in Frank’s athletic school, and I feel -confident now that he’s finally succeeded in breaking away from his old -bad habits.” - -“I sincerely hope he has.” - -“He says you, Dick, were the one who started him on the right road that -summer, up in the Blue Hills. Oh, that summer in the Blue Hills! I’ll -never forget it!” - -“Nor I,” said Dick. “It was jolly and strenuous and exciting enough to -satisfy the most adventurous tastes. How is Madge Morgan?” - -“I knew you’d ask. That was almost the first question Dale Sparkfair had -for me. Madge is fine. She’s attending school in Bloomfield, you know. -We have rooms together. Oh, she’s a splendid girl, Dick. She’s so kind -and thoughtful toward her poor old blind father. He’s there living -quietly in a home provided for him by some good people. Madge sees him -almost every day. She’s the only person he has to live for now, and I -know his one fear is that he will lose her somehow. That fear is -groundless, though. She’ll never be parted from him in the world.” - -“Not if I understand her as I think I do,” nodded Dick. - -“Wasn’t it the greatest fortune that Chester and I succeeded in inducing -father to let us come on with him? We planned to surprise you in New -Haven, but when we met Casper Steele, and he found we knew you so well, -he made arrangements for this surprise party.” - -“A surprise it was,” laughed Dick. “The greatest surprise and the most -delightful one of my life. Why, I really thought I must be dreaming when -we stopped at the door and I saw you there on the steps. I wish you -could have seen yourself beneath the light of those Japanese lanterns, -June. I used to think you pretty, but I declare when I saw you to-night -you looked a thousand times——” - -“Now stop—please stop!” she protested, quickly placing a soft palm over -his lips. “Don’t try to flatter me like that, Dick.” - -“The truth may never be called flattery. I had the queerest feeling as I -stared at you. I don’t wonder Sparkfair said I was asleep.” - -“But you weren’t, were you?” - -“I don’t know,” admitted Dick. “I’m afraid I was. I’m almost afraid I’m -still slumbering.” - -“Then you’d better wake up,” laughed the girl. - -“I will!” he suddenly exclaimed, and, screened by the palms, he kissed -her. - -She caught her breath with a little gasp. - -“If that’s the way you wake up, hadn’t you better go to sleep again?” -she said. - -“I don’t think so, for that is the realization of my dreams, June.” - -They both tingled with an unspeakable, undefinable pleasure that was -wholly innocent and harmless. Tommy Tucker, with a tall, dark-haired -girl, peered in upon them. - -“Peekaboo!” cried Tommy. “Caught you. Say, Dick, what makes you -monopolize the only secluded retreat there is in this room? Can’t you -give a fellow a show?” - -“Mr. Tucker!” exclaimed the tall brunette reprovingly. - -“Call me Tommy, Janette—please call me Tommy,” pleaded the little chap. -“And don’t for the love of decorum hitch Mister onto my name. I have to -stop and think who you mean when you do. Nobody ever calls me Mister. -All my friends insult me by calling me ‘Runt’ and ‘Shaver’ and -‘Sawed-off,’ and offensive names like that. I’ve threatened vengeance on -them a thousand times, but it doesn’t seem to frighten them a bit. I -wish I was seven feet tall.” - -“There’s a chap in Chicago, Tommy, who advertises to increase a person’s -height from an inch to two inches,” said Dick. - -“Well, if I can’t put on more than an inch or two,” declared Tucker, -“I’ll let myself remain a sawed-off. What’s the good of stretching one’s -self for a paltry inch of stature? Say, Dick, won’t you give me the -signal when you decide to move? I have a secret which I wish to whisper -in the shell-like ear of Janette. It can’t be told where the morbidly -curious would be liable to overhear a word.” - -“We’ll move at once,” laughed Dick. - -“Don’t permit Mr. Tucker to disturb you,” said Janette. “I think his -secret will keep a while.” - -“Ah, cruel maiden!” cried Tommy dramatically. “Would you keep the -pent-up emotion of my heart burning itself out with a lambent flame? -Gee, but that was a good one! Wonder how I happened to think of it? I -can’t always trace these brilliant ideas which occasionally flash from -the bubbling fountain of my intelligence. They’re really going, Janette. -Let’s rest. Let’s ensconce ourselves. Let’s modestly retire from the -public gaze.” - -But the tall brunette was obdurate, and Tommy could not inveigle her -behind the palms. - -“I must look like a dangerous devil,” said Tucker fiercely. “Never saw a -girl that wasn’t scared to death to get out of sight with me for ten -seconds.” - -“I’ll give you a pointer,” smiled Janette. “Don’t let them know you’re -so dreadfully anxious to get out of sight with them.” - -“Never thought of that,” confessed the little chap. “Say, Janette, let’s -stand under the chandelier a while. I’m awfully timid, you know. I -wouldn’t go behind those palms for the world.” - -Then, in a mock whisper, he murmured to himself: - -“I wonder if it will work?” - -“Oh, you’re the silliest little chap!” exclaimed the amused girl. “I -suppose, now, you expect me to seize you bodily and drag you behind the -palms. You’ve got a lot to learn, Tommy.” - -“Bless you! bless you!” panted Tucker, beaming with gratitude. “You -didn’t say mister.” - -Again he resorted to an aside in a hoarse stage whisper: - -“I’ve got her coming. She’s mine if I don’t make a misstep.” - -Janette began to laugh, and her merriment increased until she almost -gasped for breath. Indeed, she seemed to lose her strength to such an -extent that Tucker hurried to offer his support, and a moment later they -found themselves on the secluded seat behind the palms. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - HUSH MONEY. - - -Two of the rooms of the old house had been converted into one, which was -now the dance room of Meadwold. This was thrown open, and the alluring -strains of the orchestra brought the young people flocking to the -polished floor. Having left Mabel Ditson for a moment, Buckhart hastened -to look for her at the first strains of the dreamy waltz, and was filled -with consternation on discovering her just whirling onto the floor with -Claxton. Some one touched Brad on the arm as he stood glowering after -the lucky Virginian. - -“Don’t give yourself away like that,” said the voice of Barbara -Midhurst. “Why, you look ready to eat some one up.” - -“I see a gent from Virginia that I feel it my solemn duty to -assassinate,” growled the Westerner. - -“Is Mabel Ditson the only girl here?” - -“She is sure the only one for me,” admitted Brad. - -“Haven’t you any finesse?” - -“I don’t know. Down in Texas we don’t run to that a great deal.” - -“I gave you credit for more artfulness, Brad. The first time you met -Mabel you were on your guard, and you upset all her preconceived notions -of you. Don’t spoil it all to-night. You can’t keep her to yourself -every minute of the time.” - -“I notice my pard is hanging onto June Arlington right solid. There they -are waltzing together.” - -“But he hasn’t seen her for a long time. It’s different with you and -Mabel. Now, look at Jack and me. Where is he? I haven’t the remotest -idea. Brad Buckhart, if you don’t dance with me I shall be a wall -flower. You’re going to dance.” - -“I reckon I am,” said Brad submissively. “I hope you can stand for it.” - -“Why, you’re really a splendid waltzer,” said Bab, after they had swept -once round the floor. “Somehow, I didn’t fancy you were.” - -“That’s it,” he muttered, “and I’ll bet Mabel thought the same. If -that’s the case, I won’t trouble her. I’ll dance with somebody else.” - -Bab laughed. - -“You are the most jealous, touchy person I ever saw, Brad Buckhart. Why, -you’re worse than the Virginian you dislike so much.” - -“I don’t dislike him, begging your pardon. I thought I did once, but I -guess he’s all right in his way. We don’t tie to each other a whole lot, -but there’s no longer any hard feelings. We have planted the tomahawk. -If Mabel likes him better than she does me, she sure can have him as -much as she wants.” - -Dale Sparkfair and Agnes Locke swung past them. Spark was laughing and -chattering as if he had not a care in the world. Certainly, trouble sat -lightly on the shoulders of this irresponsible fellow. Nevertheless, -Spark caught his breath on passing the wide door of the dance room and -discovering Jim Hanks standing there, hands in pockets, serenely -following Dale with his dark eyes. - -Jack Randall appeared in the door a few moments later. At the conclusion -of the waltz Sparkfair excused himself and joined Randall. They moved -way. Hanks leisurely turning to watch them. - -“Here’s the money,” said Randall, slipping the roll into Dale’s hand. -“Get that fellow out of here.” - -“I’ll chase him out with great alacrity and unspeakable glee,” said -Dale. “Leave it to me.” - -But when he signalled for Hanks to follow him the intruder seemed -utterly oblivious to his meaning. Dale was compelled to walk up to Hanks -and speak to him in a low tone. This was precisely what Hanks wanted. - -“Oh,” he said, “here you are, Spark, old chap, Didn’t know what had -become of you.” - -“I noticed that,” scoffed Dale. “You were looking right at me, but you -didn’t see me. If you want to close that business, just stroll outside -for a moment.” - -Chester Arlington, having abandoned cigarettes, had wandered out onto -the veranda to whiff a cigar. Lighting the weed, he was tempted to -stroll down across the lawn, and finally seated himself in a -shrub-sheltered arbor. Two minutes later two persons stopped near this -arbor. They were Sparkfair and Hanks. - -“So you succeeded in raising the wind, did you?” chuckled the latter. - -“Yes, I succeeded in raising the wind,” answered Dale, “and, having done -so, I expect you to fan the wind with your heels. Your room is much -preferable to your company.” - -“But I’m enjoying myself,” chuckled Hanks. “It’s really a jolly little -party. I wouldn’t mind staying and joining the gay throng.” - -“But you won’t,” said Dale, with a grimness in his voice. “Having -blackmailed me to the tune of a hundred, you’ll promptly hit the high -places.” - -“But I haven’t seen the hundred yet.” - -“Here it is.” - -The word blackmail had caused Chester to check himself in the act of -coughing, to give them notice that he was sitting near. He now listened -with great interest, peering forth at the dark figures to be seen behind -the shrubbery. - -“It feels like the real stuff,” laughed Hanks, with satisfaction. “Are -you certain it’s an even hundred?” - -“I didn’t count it.” - -“Then I think I will.” - -Hanks struck a match and held it with one hand while he thumbed over the -money with his other hand. - -“Four twenties, a ten, and two fives,” he said triumphantly. “That’s -quite right, Spark, old chap. It looks like good money, too. I need it -in my business, you know.” - -“I don’t know why you should, for you’ve certainly fleeced enough -greenhorns to be good and flush. I caught you at your crooked game and -exposed you.” - -“You did make something of a fuss,” acknowledged Hanks, as he dropped -the expiring match. “You seemed to have me on the hip just then, but a -little later you made a bad mess for yourself. Of course, I shall stand -by my agreement and say nothing about that. I’ll likewise keep silent -the two friends who were with me when we caught you sacking my room.” - -“When you caught me trying to recover some of my goods which you had -beaten me out of,” said Dale hotly. - -“Were the watch and the ring we found on you goods of yours?” sneered -Hanks. “If I remember right, the watch bore my monogram, and I think I -can prove that I bought the ring with my own money.” - -“With the money you had cheated your victims out of.” - -“You were doing a little fine burglar work, Spark. You can’t deny that.” - -“I took that watch and ring with the idea of holding them until I could -force you to give up my property.” - -“That’s a nice little excuse, Sparkfair, but it happened that several -other fellows who had never obtained any of your property recently lost -valuable articles from their rooms. It was believed that the thief was a -college man, and it was freely stated that he would be expelled and -punished if detected. You know well enough what is coming to you if I -ever tell or permit my friends to tell how you were caught.” - -“I’ll not take the pains to deny that I am the suspected thief,” said -Dale. “I have hopes that the real thief will be found.” - -“That’s a pretty little bluff,” sneered Hanks, “but it doesn’t go with -me. Now, don’t get excited. Don’t make any fighting talk. You won’t -fight, because you don’t dare.” - -“Not at present,” acknowledged Dale. “But my time will come. I’m going -back to the house.” - -“And I’ll go with you.” - -“Go with me? You agreed to leave the moment I gave you that money! -Aren’t you going to keep that agreement?” - -“I meant to keep it when I made it,” said Hanks. “But since then I’ve -changed my mind. I’m going back to the house with you, and you’ll -introduce me to your friends. I think I shall enjoy myself very much.” - -“On my word, I’ll wear stripes before I’ll ever introduce you to any of -my friends!” flared Dale, as he whirled and strode away. - -“We’ll see about that,” muttered Hanks, following promptly. “I think -another twist of the screws will bring you to terms.” - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - ARLINGTON TAKES A HAND. - - -Arlington rose and stepped out from behind the shrubbery, standing where -he could watch the two figures passing beneath the glow of the many -Japanese lanterns. He saw Sparkfair mount the steps and enter the house -without once turning his head toward the chap who kept so close at his -heels. Hanks brazenly followed, and likewise disappeared beyond the -hospitable door of Meadwold. - -“Well,” said Chet, taking his cigar from his lips and tapping it to -knock off the ashes, “my friend Spark seems to have gotten himself into -a deuce of a mess. Reminds me of myself in the old days. I was always -getting into some sort of a scrape like that. I sympathize with him, -hanged if I don’t! Spark is a jolly good fellow. He is reckless and -regardless of consequences, and that’s the way I used to be. Used to be? -Perhaps I haven’t fully gotten over it yet. I’m hoping I have, but one -never can tell. If deviltry is in the blood, it’s liable to break out -any old time. Evidently this blackmailer has Sparkfair dead to rights. -He caught Dale in a position that makes Spark look like a sneak thief. -He’s got Spark going, and he’s bound to squeeze him good and hard. I -think I’ll have to take a little interest in Mr. Hanks. - -“I think I’ll have to see what I can do for my friend. From what I -overheard it’s evident that Hanks is something of a card sharp. I should -say he has been skinning Sparkfair and other fellows at Harvard. -Probably he thinks he’s too clever to make a slip and be exposed in his -crookedness, although Sparkfair claims to have caught him. It’s likely -Spark couldn’t prove his claim that Hanks was cheating. I’ve been up -against card sharps all over the country, and I think I know their -tricks. Although I should prefer to forget it, I’ve practiced a few -tricks myself. Really, I’d enjoy a nice, sociable little game with Mr. -Hanks. I’d enjoy having him try some of his slick tricks on me. Yes, I -have decided that I’ll cultivate the acquaintance of Hanks.” - -Flinging away his partly smoked cigar, Chester returned to the house. -The music of a two-step and the rhythmical sound of gliding feet came -from the ballroom. Arlington slowly sauntered in that direction, keeping -his eyes open for Hanks. He found the fellow just inside the door, -watching the dancers. Without hesitation, Chester spoke to him. - -“Hello,” said Chet, “you don’t seem to be dancing.” - -Hanks showed some surprise in being addressed in this manner. - -“No, I’m not dancing,” he answered. “You see, I’m a late arrival here, -and I haven’t met many of the young ladies.” - -“Then you weren’t at dinner? Somehow, I didn’t remember seeing you.” - -“No. I missed the spread. By Jove! that’s a peach of a pretty girl!” - -“Which one?” - -“The one my friend Sparkfair is dancing with. Do you know her?” - -Chester’s eyes found Dale and his partner in the moving throng upon the -floor. - -“Oh, yes, I know her,” he answered. - -“What’s her name?” - -“June Arlington.” - -“Well, that’s a pretty name. On my word, she’s the queen to-night. I’d -like to meet her.” - -“Would you?” - -“You bet I would!” - -“Perhaps your friend Sparkfair will give you an introduction?” - -Hanks chuckled. - -“Well, I don’t know about that,” he confessed. “You see, Spark and I -have lately been mixed up in an unfortunate tiff. Of course, it doesn’t -amount to anything, but he might be narrow and refuse to give me a -knockdown to that girl.” - -“Have you any other particular friends here this evening?” asked Chet. - -“Well, there’s Randall—I know him. He’s a Harvard man. I’m a Harvard -man, you understand. I suppose you’re an Eli?” - -“Not yet. I expect to enter Yale next fall.” - -“Well, say, couldn’t you put me next to that stunning girl with the dark -eyes?” - -“I might if we were better acquainted,” said Chester. “Let’s go up to -the smoking room and have a little chat. There’s plenty of time to dance -later. Come on, old man.” - -He passed his arm through that of Hanks, and led the fellow away. They -mounted the stairs and entered the smoking room, where they found one of -Casper Steele’s chums, Fred Harmford, enjoying a cigarette. Harmford was -the only fellow in the smoking room. - -“Hello, Arlington!” called Fred. “Going to smoke? Have a coffin nail out -of my collection.” - -He proffered his cigarettes. - -“No, thank you,” smiled Chester. “I’ve cut those things out. I prefer -cigars when I smoke now, and I’m careful not to hit them up too hard. -Getting back into form, you understand. Expect to enter Yale in the -fall, and I’m going in for athletics.” - -By this time he had found Steele’s well-filled cigar urn, and offered it -to his new companion. - -“Excuse me,” said Hanks, as he took a cigar, “did I get your name right -when that fellow spoke to you? Is your name Arlington?” - -“I believe it is.” - -“Any relation to the beautiful girl with the glorious dark eyes?” - -“Brother.” - -“Oh, by Jove! this is one on me!” laughed Hanks. “Here I was asking you -if you knew her! Say, a fellow with a sister like that ought to feel -proud enough to blow up. I think she’s the handsomest girl I ever set -eyes on.” - -“You’re quite extravagant in your admiration,” said Chester, waving -Hanks to a comfortable chair, although he felt like punching him in the -eye. “Sit down, old fellow. But first hadn’t you better shake hands with -Mr. Harmford? Harmford, this is Mr. Hanks, of Harvard.” - -They made themselves comfortable before the faintly glowing embers on -the hearth of the open fireplace. The music, softened and subdued by -distance, floated faintly to their ears. - -“How does it happen you’re not dancing, Harmford?” inquired Chet. - -“Don’t care much for dancing—never did. I prefer some less strenuous -form of amusement. Now, if some one would only start up a set at -bridge.” - -“Or poker,” laughed Arlington. “That’s the game for genuine amusement.” - -Hanks had pricked up his ears, and was showing the greatest interest. - -“Poker is a good game,” he said. “A man’s game.” - -“Do you play?” asked Chester. - -“Oh, occasionally—just for amusement, you know.” - -“I understand. Of course, we all play just for amusement. We don’t play -to stick our friends, or anything of that sort. If we had a crowd, and -were certain of no intrusion, I’d like to play a little game now. Would -you come in, Harmford?” - -“If the limit was made reasonable, I might sit in for a short time.” - -“Well, here’s three of us,” said Chet. “That’s better than no crowd at -all. Of course, it isn’t as good a game as more would make, but it will -do. None of the girls will come here, and I don’t think we need to mind -about the fellows.” - -“Steele might object,” said Harmford apprehensively. “I wouldn’t think -of starting a game without his permission.” - -“Well, you and Hanks make yourselves comfortable and sociable while I -look for Casper,” said Chester. “Perhaps he’ll join us.” - -“Doubt it,” said Harmford. “He’s too much interested in a certain young -lady. I don’t think he would venture to leave her long enough to play -poker.” - -Arlington left the room, but returned within ten minutes, bringing a -fancy poker set, with a full supply of chips and several packs of cards. - -“You were right about Steele, Harmford,” he said. “Casper said he -couldn’t think of taking a hand. Said he would have to keep around with -the guests, as it wouldn’t look well if he secluded himself for an hour -or more. He was perfectly willing we should enjoy a little game here in -the smoking room as long as we do not pull away enough of the fellows to -leave any of the girls pining for partners. You know there are several -fellows more than girls in the party. Now, let’s decline to take any one -else into the game. Let’s make it a little exclusive, three-cornered go. -We’ll play for exactly an hour, and then we’ll quit. That’s long -enough.” - -While speaking he had pushed a card table into position beneath the -softened glow of some electric lights. The trio gathered round that -table and settled down for the game. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - A HOT OPENING. - - -“What’s the limit?” asked Harmford. “What sort of a game are we going to -play?” - -“What would you suggest?” inquired Hank. - -“Five-cent ante and quarter limit is good enough for me.” - -“Tut! tut! tut!” cried Hank. “That’s a piker’s game. You can’t play -poker with that sort of a limit. If you attempt to make a bluff, -everybody’ll call you for a quarter. If you open a pot, everybody’ll -stay in on short pairs. Isn’t that right, Arlington?” - -“I’ve noticed,” answered Chester, “that a fellow generally loses as much -with a five-cent ante and a quarter limit as he does with the same ante -and a dollar limit—that is, if he knows how to play poker. The dollar -limit really makes it a good game.” - -“Whew!” whistled Harmford; “that’s pretty near the roof for me. Let me -see, I don’t believe I’ve got more than twenty-five or thirty dollars in -my clothes.” - -“That’s good while it lasts,” grinned Hanks. - -“Then it’s settled as a dollar limit, is it?” said Chet. “We’ll call the -blue chips a dollar, the reds a quarter, and the whites a nickel. I’ll -be the banker. We’ll take ten dollars’ worth of chips, each of us, to -begin with.” - -“Better take enough,” suggested Hanks. “Ten dollars’ worth wouldn’t last -a fellow long if he happened to get a good hand and found himself -bucking against some one else. Why don’t we take twenty-five dollars’ -worth to start with?” - -“As much as you choose,” said Chester, “only it’s understood that the -chips are paid for when I hand them out. There’ll be no credit business -done by the banker this evening.” - -“And if the banker loses I suppose we’re to have some assurance that he -also will make good,” said Hanks. - -“I’ll do precisely as you do,” assured Chester. “I’ll pay for my chips -and put the money in the card box when I take them.” - -“Well, that’s all right,” said Hanks, producing his roll. “Here’s a -yellow-backed twenty and a fiver.” - -“Gee whiz!” grunted Harmford, as he reluctantly counted out twenty-five -dollars. “This is plunging for a little game to pass away the time. I’m -liable to get skinned to the bone.” - -“If you get broke,” said Chester, “I’ll loan you money.” - -“That is, if you don’t get busted, too,” grinned Hanks. “Of course, -that’s not likely to happen, but still, in a three-handed game I’ve -noticed that, as a rule, one man is the winner and the other two are the -losers. I hope it’s my evening to win.” - -He was skillfully rippling the cards as he spoke. Having done this, he -placed them on the table for the cut. - -“Lowest deals,” he said, “and ace is low.” - -“Then I think I’ll deal,” laughed Harmford, turning up an ace. - -He was right, and the game began, Arlington putting up the first ante. - -“Now let them dance their heads off,” said Chester. “I’m better -satisfied right here.” - -Hanks stayed on the very first deal, shoving out two white chips, which -raised Chet a nickel. Harmford glanced at his cards and followed the -Harvard man’s example. - -Arlington promptly made it a quarter. - -“That’s interesting,” said Hanks. “Seems to me we all caught something -right off the reel. Wonder if you could stand another quarter, Mr. -Arlington?” - -“You might try me and see,” said Chester. - -“By Jove, I will!” - -Hanks pushed two red chips into the pot. - -“That lets me out,” said Harmford. “Can’t chase anything as hot as that -on a pair of jacks.” - -He threw down his cards and turned to Arlington, wondering what Chester -would do. Chester pushed a blue chip into the pile. - -“Do you make it a dollar?” inquired Hanks. - -“My money talks,” nodded Chet. - -“Well, you’re going some! But you’ve just begun. I’ll have to part with -one of my blue babies, and I think I’ll send another one along to keep -it company.” - -“That’s a bit over the limit,” reminded Chester. “If you’ll pull down a -couple of red ones, you’ll be right.” - -“Oh, yes,” said Hanks, as he secured two red chips, “you’re correct, -Arlington. I boost you an even dollar.” - -“You must have something good,” observed Chet, with a faltering air. - -“The show-down will tell whether I have or not. On my word, I hate to -win the first pot, but I have to play these cards for all there is in -them.” - -“Don’t worry about taking the first pot,” said Chester. “You haven’t -taken it yet, have you?” - -“No, but——” - -“Well, I’ll just boost you another blue one.” - -“Cæsar’s ghost!” exclaimed Harmford. “You fellows are plunging too -sudden, aren’t you?” - -“What’s the use to hold back when we have the right stuff to make a hot -start?” chuckled Hanks, his eyes beginning to gleam with greed, although -he tried to conceal the look beneath his bushy eyebrows. “I suppose I’m -a fool, Arlington, but you’ve got my dander up. I’ll raise you.” - -“And I’ll raise you.” - -“And I’ll raise you.” - -With each raise they pushed chips representing two dollars into the pot, -and before cards were drawn the first twenty-five dollars’ worth of -ivories had disappeared from the place in front of them. It was -Arlington who finally quit boosting. - -“Help! help!” gasped Harmford. “This is awful! This is the worst thing I -ever saw! Thank goodness, I didn’t get into that mess!” - -“Thank goodness I did,” laughed Hanks. “How many cards will you take, -Arlington? Harmford is ready to hand them out.” - -“You can give them to Hanks, old man,” said Chester. “I don’t think I -need any.” - -“Well, wouldn’t that bump you!” grinned the Harvard man. “Here I am in -precisely the same fix. I don’t need a card.” - -Then they stared at each other as if seeking to read an inkling of the -truth in the expression of their faces. - -One way in which a poker player seeks to judge the strength of an -opponent’s hand is by the opponent’s draw. In this case neither Hanks -nor Chet received any such hint. - -The Harvard man produced his money, saying: - -“I think I’ll have to have twenty-five dollars’ worth of chips, -Arlington.” - -Chester quietly counted them out, taking the proffered money and making -change. - -“I’ll have to have the same amount,” he nodded. “I’m bound to keep even -with you.” - -“Lock the door! lock the door!” palpitated Harmford. “Who’s armed? Who’s -got a pistol? Let him give it up before there’s any further betting.” - -“I always carry a pistol,” laughed Hanks, “but I’ve never had occasion -to use it. Certainly I can’t think it necessary now.” - -Once more the betting was taken up, and not until fully fifty dollars -had been put into the pot by each of them was a call made. At length, -Chester announced that he was satisfied, and that he would call. - -“A touch of cold feet?” murmured Hanks. - -“I don’t think so.” - -“I’m the one that’s got cold feet,” confessed Harmford. “On my word, my -teeth are chattering. Do hurry up and show your hand.” - -“Of course you may take it back,” said Hanks, still keeping his eyes on -Chester. “You may go on betting if you wish to.” - -“I’ve called,” nodded Chester grimly. - -“How large is your straight?” - -“I haven’t a straight.” - -“Oh! Then how large is your flush?” - -“I haven’t a flush.” - -“Then it must be a full hand!” cried Hanks. “But I think my full house -is good enough. Just take a look at it.” - -He spread out three aces and a pair of queens. - -“How does that look to you?” he inquired triumphantly. - -“Pretty good,” nodded Chester. “How do these look to you?” - -He lay down a king and four ten spots. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - CAUGHT WITH THE GOODS. - - -Hanks stared at the cards displayed by Arlington, and then he swore. - -“Where did you get them?” he finally demanded. - -“Harmford dealt them to me.” - -“And Harmford is a friend of yours!” - -“No insinuation, I hope?” murmured Chester, an ugly flash in his eyes. - -“Don’t you think it mighty strange you got a hand like that against this -ace full of mine?” rasped Hanks. - -“Well, it was rather odd,” admitted Chester. “But still, I must repeat -that I hope you’re not insinuating. To begin with, I wish you to -understand that Harmford is not a particular friend of mine. I met him -for the first time in my life to-day at Meadwold. We have never played -cards together before. If you’re not satisfied, Mr. Hanks——” - -“I am!” snapped Hanks, picking up the cards and pushing them across the -table. “The pot is yours, Arlington.” - -“Thank you,” said Chester suavely, as he raked in the chips. - -“Now give me fifty dollars’ worth of those chips,” said the defeated -chap, as he flashed his money once more. “I want you to understand that -I’m after you, Arlington. I’m going to even up for this devilish streak -of yours.” - -“Forewarned is forearmed,” laughed Chet, counting out the chips. “Here -you are.” - -“And here’s your money,” said Hanks, tossing it over. - -“Why, I won’t dare breathe in this game,” murmured Harmford. “I -certainly didn’t know what I was getting into.” - -“If you want to get out,” said Hanks, “Mr. Arlington and I can continue -alone.” - -“Don’t get out, Harmford,” entreated Chester. “That would spoil the -game. Mr. Hanks will feel better after he’s won a pot or two. He seems -to be easily disturbed over a little matter like that.” - -“I suppose you’ve seen plenty of games opened with hands just like -those,” sneered Hanks. “If you have, you began playing with a cold deck. -The cards were stacked.” - -“You can’t mean such was the case in this game,” said Harmford, “for you -shuffled the cards before we cut for deal.” - -“I’m not making any claims whatever. Let’s forget it.” - -Three or four hands were played without any further excitement. Harmford -won two small pots, which put him slightly ahead. Hanks sat grimly -glowering from beneath his shaggy eyebrows. He was biding his time, -feeling determined to get back at Arlington by hook or by crook. -Finally, on an interesting jack pot, all three players remained, Hanks -having opened. Hanks won this pot with three kings, Harmford having -three trays, and Arlington two pairs. - -“That’s just a flea bite,” observed the Harvard man. - -“Well, it leaves me about even,” said Harmford. “Guess I’ve got a couple -of dollars of somebody’s money here, but that’s all.” - -On Arlington’s next deal things happened. Harmford discovered three -sixes in his hand and made a bet. Chester stayed in without taking up -his cards. Hanks raised Harmford. Those three sixes looked good, and -Fred came back with another raise. - -By this time Arlington had examined his hand. He now added to the -excitement by raising a blue chip. Hanks studied his hand a few moments. - -“I think I’ll stay right with you people,” he observed. “I’ll have to -see you.” - -“But you don’t raise?” inquired Chester. - -“No.” - -“Nor I,” said Harmford, making good. - -Hanks took one card. Harmford took two, but failed to better his hand. - -“I think one will be enough for me,” said Chester. - -The card Chet drew would have improved Harmford’s hand, for it was the -fourth six spot. It did not improve Arlington’s hand, for Chester -already held four eight spots. - -Harmford bet a dollar. Arlington raised a dollar. Hanks pushed out three -blue ones. Harmford began to look disgusted. - -“One or both of you fellows filled your hands,” he observed, glaring at -the three sixes he held. “What’s the use for me to stick?” - -“We may be bluffing,” grinned Hanks. - -“If you’re both bluffing, I’ll let you fight it out between you!” -snapped Harmford, flinging down his cards. As he tossed them on the -board one of those cards was faced, but he quickly covered it with his -hand and turned it down. - -“It’s up to you, Mr. Arlington,” nodded Hanks. - -“In that case I shall have to give you another boost,” said Chester. - -They continued to raise each other until Hanks had exhausted his supply -of chips. Plunging down into his pockets, he raked up all the money he -possessed. - -“Here’s twenty-two dollars,” he said. “Give me that amount in ivories. -That’s my last dollar.” - -“In such a case,” said Arlington, “I should advise you not to press the -betting any further. You may need some money to-morrow.” - -“Don’t worry about me,” said Hanks. “I have you beaten this time.” - -Chester accepted the money and counted out the chips. While he was doing -this Jack Randall and Casper Steele wandered into the room and paused -near the table. - -“How’s the game going?” inquired Steele. - -“Too hot for me,” confessed Harmford. “I just dropped threes to let -these two crazy chaps buck each other.” - -“What threes did you hold?” inquired Casper, leaning over Harmford. - -Harmford whispered the answer in Steele’s ear. Having secured more -chips, Hanks resumed betting, quite unaware that Jack Randall stood -directly behind him. Chester followed Hanks up until the fellow had -pushed in his last chip and was compelled to call. - -“I’d never call in the world if I could borrow some money,” he said. -“I’ve got you beaten, Arlington, old fellow. You’re trimmed this time.” - -“Can you beat four eights?” inquired Chester, as he spread out his hand. - -“Easy,” laughed Hanks. “Here’s a beautiful straight flush. Just take a -look at that dusky array of spades.” - -The cards exposed by him were the three, four, five, six, and seven of -spades. - -“That looks pretty good,” said Chester; “but what card was it you picked -up out of the discard?” - -Instantly Hanks flew into a rage. - -“What do you mean?” he snarled. “Do you accuse me of cheating?” - -“I saw you steal a card from the discards,” declared Arlington grimly. - -“It’s a lie!” snarled Hanks fiercely. “It’s a trick to beat me, but I -won’t stand for it! I’ve won that money fairly, and I’m going to have -it!” - -“Wait a minute, wait a minute!” exclaimed Harmford, who had just made a -startling discovery. “Arlington holds four eight spots and a six, -doesn’t he?” - -“Yes,” nodded Hanks; “but I hold a straight flush, and that wins.” - -“Wait,” repeated Harmford. “Let’s examine this pack. There must be too -many cards in it.” - -“Too many cards? What do you mean?” - -“You have the six spot of spades in your hand.” - -“What of it?” - -“I started the betting on three sixes. When I quit I threw them into the -discards. That makes it seem that there are five sixes in the pack, or, -as Arlington claims, you secured one of mine from the discards.” - -“Harmford just informed me,” said Steele, “that he had dropped three -sixes. Let’s take a look at the discards, gentlemen. If there’s cheating -here, we want to know it.” - -In spite of himself, Hanks turned pale, for he realized that he was -trapped. He sought to hide his dismay and alarm by a great amount of -bluster, but Steele sternly commanded him to be silent. The discards -were inspected, and only two six spots were discovered among them. - -“That settles it,” said Steele, his eyes fastened on Hanks. “This fellow -came here without invitation, and he has remained without invitation. -He’s a card sharp and a cheat.” - -“It isn’t true,” protested Hanks. “There’s a mistake somewhere.” - -For the first time Jack Randall spoke. - -“That’s right, Hanks,” he said. “There’s a mistake, and you made it. You -tried your old trick of cheating, but you overstepped yourself. -Gentlemen, this fellow is known at Harvard as a crook. He’s likewise a -contemptible blackmailer. Shall we kick him out, Steele? I’d like the -pleasure of booting him myself.” - -“Let him get out as quietly as possible,” urged Casper. “We don’t wish -to raise a disturbance. We don’t wish to alarm the girls.” - -“You’re getting off mighty easy, Hanks,” said Randall. “Hereafter, I -think you’ll find Cambridge a most disagreeable place for you. Perhaps -you hadn’t better remain there longer than to pack up your belongings -and depart quietly.” - -Hanks had risen to his feet, and he faced Jack defiantly. - -“I’ll go back to Cambridge and stay as long as I please,” he declared. -“You can’t drive me out. If you try it, you know what will happen to -your freshman friend, Mr. Sparkfair.” - -“Do urge him to go hastily, Steele,” implored Randall, “for if he -doesn’t, I’ll certainly have to kick him.” - -Hanks was followed down the stairs by the entire party. His hat and coat -were handed him at the door, and he passed out into the night without a -dollar in his pocket and with rage and longing for revenge filling his -heart. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - RETURNING THE MONEY. - - -Chester found Sparkfair chatting with June. - -“If you don’t mind, sis,” he laughed, “I’ll relieve you of this noisy -insect. I’ll take him away and give your ears a rest.” - -“You’re wonderfully cocksure about that,” said Dale. “Perhaps I’ll -decline to be torn away. This is the first time I’ve been able to find -June when she didn’t have Dick Merriwell hanging around her. If I leave -her for ten seconds, he’ll swoop down on her again. I don’t know where -he is this minute, but I’ll wager he’s watching his opportunity.” - -“Perhaps he is with another girl now,” laughed Chester. - -“I don’t believe it possible,” said Spark. “There are no other girls for -him while June is near.” - -“I’d like to see you just a minute or two on a matter of some -importance,” said Chet. “June will wait for you.” - -“Will you, June?” asked Spark anxiously. - -“Oh, yes,” she laughed, “I’ll wait.” - -When Arlington had drawn Sparkfair aside, he drew from his pocket a wad -of money and began counting it. - -“A fellow you know,” he murmured, “sent this money back to you by me.” - -“Eh?” exclaimed Spark. “What is it, stage money?” - -“Oh, no, it’s the real stuff. Here, I believe that is an even hundred. -Take it.” - -“You’ll have to enlighten me still further,” muttered Dale, as Arlington -thrust the money into his grasp. “You have me a bit twisted, Chet.” - -“It’s yours.” - -“Impossible! I haven’t had so much money of my own for months.” - -“Tut! tut!” remonstrated Arlington. “I happen to know a thing or two. -That’s the money you paid a fellow by the name of Hanks in order to keep -his mouth closed.” - -Sparkfair could not help looking startled. - -“Hanks!” he exclaimed. “What do you know about him?” - -“I know a great deal about him,” laughed Chet, “and I reckon he knows a -few things about me. That’s the very money you coughed up to him. He -decided to leave it with me before taking his departure from Meadwold.” - -“Is he gone?” asked Spark anxiously. - -“Gone. Skidooed. Faded away. Vamosed, as they say in the West. You’ll -see no more of him this evening, at least.” - -“For which relief I must confess I’m truly thankful,” said Spark. “But -you’ve got me guessing, Chester. What do you know about any deal between -Hanks and myself?” - -Arlington was enjoying the mystification of his companion. - -“I know Hanks is a crook and a card sharp,” he answered. “I know he has -been cheating you at poker.” - -“Hush!” said Dale. “Don’t speak so loud. If Merriwell should find it -out——” - -“Oh, I won’t blow on you, old fellow,” laughed Chester. “I’ve been there -myself too many times. I can sympathize with you, my boy. I know how it -feels to be skinned by a cheating poker player, but I haven’t -experienced anything like that for some time. After passing through a -few experiences, I decided to do the skinning myself. With that object -in view I learned all the crooked tricks of the game, and since then -I’ve had the satisfaction of stabbing several gentlemen who were trying -to knife me. It’s disreputable business, Sparkfair. A man who gambles at -cards will learn to cheat sooner or later. He has to do it or remain a -sucker for the sharks to skin. You found out Jim Hanks was skinning you. -It made you hot when you realized how you had been robbed. You had even -put up your watch and some other valuables to raise money. Hanks had -loaned you the money you wanted, and then won it back from you. When you -found out he was dishonest, you boiled with indignation.” - -“Boiled, sizzled, steamed, blew up,” said Dale. - -“Precisely. You made up your mind that the valuables he had secured from -you were still rightfully your property. You slipped into his room to -see if you couldn’t find them. You didn’t find them, and this made you -still hotter. You decided to take a few trinkets of his and hold them -until he coughed up your own property. Unfortunately, Hank and a couple -of friends dropped on you before you could get out of his room. They -caught you with the goods. Now, Mr. Hanks has been blackmailing you. For -some reason he’s short of money of late, and, therefore, he chased you -down here, thinking it possible you might not return to college after -that cinnamon-bear escapade, and feeling determined to get a last crack -at you. He squeezed a hundred dollars out of you this evening under -threat of exposing you before the company here. I’ve recovered that -hundred, and you have it in your hand. That’s all.” - -“No, it isn’t all,” said Dale. “How the dickens do you happen to know so -much about this business?” - -“I won’t keep you guessing any longer,” said Chet, and he told Sparkfair -how it was he happened to know so much. - -“But how did you get the money from him? How did you force him to give -it up?” - -“That was easy,” chuckled Chester. “Hanksy thinks himself clever at -poker, but he has lots of tricks to learn. I’ve played the game from -Fardale to Mexico. I’ve been up against all kinds of crooks, and I’ve -learned some tricks never dreamed of by Hanksy. It didn’t hurt my -conscience a bit to work some of those tricks on him this evening. I -inveigled him into a little three-cornered game, Fred Harmford serving -as the dummy most of the time. Most of the fighting was between Hanks -and myself. Harmford broke about even. I had luck at the very start, for -the first deal gave me a top hand over a full house by Hanks. This -enabled me hastily to relieve him of about half the money you had handed -over to him a short time before. That made him ugly. - -“He was bound to get at me somehow, but he overstepped himself by -stealing the six spot of spades from the discards. The stolen card gave -him a straight flush against four eights held by me. But you see, Steele -and Randall had dropped in on us, and I was able to prove that Hanks -stole the card. That was his finish. He had bet his last red cent, and a -few moments ago he was quietly escorted outside by Steele. He didn’t -make any fuss about it, for he was afraid to do so. He’s gone, -Sparkfair. You have the hush money he squeezed out of you, and you -needn’t worry about being bothered by him again to-night. There’s June -still waiting for you, and the orchestra is starting another waltz. So -long, old chap. Enjoy yourself.” - -Refusing to hear any words of thanks, Arlington turned away, and Dale -hastened back to June. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - JEALOUSY. - - -In spite of herself, June could not help wondering what had become of -Dick. After dancing again with Dale, she listened to his suggestion that -they should stroll out onto the veranda. There were other couples -outside, and, having paused near a corner, June’s keen ears detected the -sound of a faint familiar voice. Dick was near at hand, speaking -earnestly with a girl. - -“You know you can trust me, Bab,” he was saying. “The secret is safe. -Have I ever failed you?” - -“No, Dick,” was the answer. “You’re a dear good fellow. Really. I feel -like hugging you.” - -June’s hand closed convulsively on Dale’s arm, and she turned away. -Sparkfair had caught a bit of this conversation, which was not intended -for their ears, and, strangely enough, instead of feeling elated, he was -seized by a sudden paroxysm of indignation toward Merriwell. - -“Why, confound him for a scoundrel!” thought Spark. “I didn’t think it -of him. He’s got another girl on the string, and there’s a secret -between them. If I get a good opportunity, I’ll have to give him my -opinion of his conduct.” - -“Let’s walk down across the lawn, Dale,” said June, suddenly anxious to -get away from the house. “I don’t think I’ll dance any more to-night.” - -For the first time in his life Sparkfair, usually glib of tongue, was at -a loss for words. He felt awkward and embarrassed, and every moment it -seemed that his indignation toward Merriwell increased. - -“You should be careful, June,” he finally said. “You are very warm, and -your dress is thin. You may catch cold. You may get pneumonia.” - -“I don’t care if I do!” she exclaimed bitterly. “Really, I think it -would be fine to have pneumonia.” - -“Oh, I say, June, that’s ridiculous. Now you’re talking like me. You’re -just saying that to hear yourself say something.” - -“I mean it, Dale. I’m never ill, anyhow. Nothing ever happens to me. -Occasionally I get thin and ethereal, but that’s all.” - -They sauntered past the shrubbery behind which Arlington had listened -some time before to the words of Spark and Hanks. Once more some one was -hidden behind that shrubbery. A pair of restless dark eyes peered out at -Spark and the girl. A pair of very red lips softly whispered: - -“It’s Sparkfair, and that’s Arlington’s sister with him. Curse -Arlington! I’ll get even with him!” - -Crouchingly, the fellow slipped to the shelter of another cluster of -shrubbery. In this manner he followed the couple some distance. At last -they paused and turned back toward the house. As they passed a thick -rosebush a pantherish figure leaped onto Sparkfair’s back and hurled him -fiercely to the ground. - -Dale was stunned and rendered helpless. The assailant, who had a -handkerchief tied over the lower part of his face, whirled and caught -June Arlington in his arms. She uttered a scream of terror. - -“All right, my beauty—squawk away!” laughed the fellow hoarsely. “You’re -the prettiest girl I’ve seen in a year, and I’m going to kiss you.” - -He attempted to lift the handkerchief in order to accomplish his -purpose, but she fought him with such fury that he was overcome by -surprise. With a snatch she tore the handkerchief from his face and -flung it to the grass. Still it was too dark for her to see his features -distinctly. By this time the girl’s fight had been answered. Voices were -calling to her, and running feet were thudding across the lawn. - -“Guess I’ll have to lose that kiss!” panted the ruffian. “Never mind, -I’ll get it some other time!” - -But when he attempted to free himself and take to his heels, the girl -held fast and battled him in spite of all he could do. - -“Help!” she cried. “Quick! This way!” - -A moment later she felt a pair of strong hands tear her free from the -scoundrel, who was instantly flung face downward upon the ground and -pinned there with the knee of Dick Merriwell driven between his shoulder -blades. Steele, Buckhart, Randall, and several others came hurrying to -the spot and surrounded them. - -Sparkfair had revived and was sitting up, although bewildered and dazed -to such an extent that he could not tell what had happened to him. June -could tell, however, and she explained in a very few words. - -The rage of those lads was boundless. Only for the coolness of -Merriwell, the captive might have been vigorously manhandled. - -“Strike a match, somebody,” said Dick. “Let’s get a look at his face.” - -A match flared in Buckhart’s hands. Protected by Brad’s curving palms, -its light was flung on the face of the captured rascal. - -“On my word, it’s Hanksy!” breathed Sparkfair. “Why, Hanksy, you -shouldn’t get so careless.” - -“Attacked you, did he, Sparkfair?” cried Casper Steele. “Assaulted you -and Miss Arlington, eh? Had a handkerchief tied over his face when he -did it, did he? A pretty serious piece of business. I think it ought to -give Mr. Jim Hanks a nice little vacation behind some good strong iron -bars. Tie his hands, fellows.” - -“Hold on! hold on!” protested Hanks. “What are you going to do with me? -I didn’t mean to hurt anybody but Sparkfair, and I’ve got a grudge -against him. Here, Sparkfair, speak up for me. If you don’t, I’ll tell -them what I know about you.” - -“Go ahead,” said Dale defiantly. “I doubt if any one would believe you -now.” - -The captured ruffian’s hands were pinioned, and he was marched back to -the house. On the veranda the girls were gathered, vaguely and -apprehensively speculating on the cause of those startling cries for -help. Beneath the light of the Japanese lanterns they made a beautiful -group, in dresses of white and pink and light blue. - -Randall was sent to reassure the girls, while the captive was marched -along toward the stable. Reaching the stable, Hanks was bound and thrust -into a box stall, the door being fastened upon him. Steele called one of -the stablemen and gave him instructions to guard the captive cautiously -and faithfully. - -“Now, fellows,” laughed Casper, “we’ll go back to the girls and forget -that there’s been anything to mar the pleasure of the evening.” - -Returning to the house, Dick inquired for June. He was told that she was -in her room, and they assured him that she had not been harmed. It was -fully half an hour before June reappeared in the ballroom. He had been -watching for her, and hastened without delay to join her. - -“I trust you’re all right, June,” he said. “I was afraid that scoundrel -had hurt you.” - -“I’m all right,” she answered, with surprising coolness. “I was not -harmed in the least.” - -“You must have been frightened.” - -“Naturally, I was frightened somewhat, but I’m all right now.” - -“Will you dance any more?” - -“Yes.” - -“Then this waltz—let’s——” - -“I beg your pardon,” she said. “There’s Dale. I am to dance with him.” - -She gave Sparkfair a signal and moved toward him, leaving Dick feeling -perplexed and hurt. - -“You must dance with me this time, Dale,” she said. - -“By the ears of Midas, I can’t!” he gasped, in dismay. “I’ve engaged -Janette Brice, and she has her eye on me this minute, June.” - -“Then get me a partner and be quick about it,” June urged. “Don’t leave -me alone more than twenty seconds.” - -Out shot Dale’s arm, and he collared Harmford, who was passing. - -“Here you are,” said Spark. “Fine girl, fine fellow. Go it. You know Mr. -Harmford, June.” - -“Goodness!” gasped Harmford, as Spark hustled away. “Is that his style -of doing things? Will you dance with me, Miss Arlington?” - -June was ready to dance with any one save Dick. She knew Dick was -watching her, and as she whirled onto the floor with Harmford she was -filled with a feeling of satisfaction, for it seemed that she had -retaliated, in a measure, for the deception of Merriwell. As for Dick, -he was simply filled with astonishment, being utterly unable to -understand what it meant. - -“Sparkfair has stolen a march on me,” he decided. “Well, if June is as -fickle as that, he may have her. I’ll show her that there are others.” - -With this resolution in mind, he found another partner, and, thereafter, -during the remainder of the evening he and June did not dance together. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF. - - -In the morning the hostler came to Steele and sheepishly informed him -that some time during the night the captive had slipped his bonds, -managed to get out of the box stall, and escape. - -“I don’t see how he did it, sor,” said the hostler. “I wisht you’d tell -me how he opened the door of the stall from the inside, sor.” - -“You must have slept like a log, Killen,” said Casper. “I’m sorry the -fellow got away, but perhaps it saved the trouble of prosecuting him. I -don’t believe he’ll show his nose in Cambridge again.” - -Breakfast, with the morning sun streaming in at the windows of the -dining room, was a jolly affair. Of course it was not what might be -called an early breakfast, but before nine o’clock every one of the -guests was up and ready to sit down at table. - -And now Dick found that, in some manner, June’s seat had been changed. -She was no longer at his side, but Sparkfair had the pleasure of -discovering her beside him. Outwardly, Dick did not seem a bit -disturbed. He chatted and laughed as easily as ever. The girl who filled -June’s former seat received Dick’s smiling attention. - -Plans for the day were freely discussed, and new projects were proposed, -until Steele laughingly reminded them that they had suggested enough -things to keep them all busy for a week, at least. - -“Who’s for a ride?” cried Agnes Locke. “Casper has a stable full of -saddle horses.” - -“I accept the challenge,” came quickly from Arlington. “You can’t shake -me, Miss Locke, I’m with you.” - -“And I think I’ll go, too,” said June. “Will you come along, Dale?” - -“Will I? Ask me,” laughed Sparkfair. - -“Perhaps you’d like to join them, Merriwell,” said Steele. “I have a -fine black thoroughbred that it would do your soul good to mount. I have -plenty of riding togs. What do you say?” - -“Of course I wouldn’t think of forcing myself on such a satisfactorily -arranged party,” laughed Dick. “Still, Steele, I’d like to bestride your -thoroughbred.” - -“Where’s there another girl to balance the party?” cried Sparkfair. - -June touched his arm. - -“Hush!” she murmured. “Are you going to insist on inviting Dick -Merriwell to join us?” - -“Not if you don’t want him,” he whispered. - -“I don’t,” she declared. - -Therefore, it happened that less than an hour after breakfast two lads -and two girls rode out from Meadwold, and Dick was not one of them. - -Nevertheless, Merriwell had donned riding clothes offered him by Steele, -and the quartet had no more than disappeared when he galloped out from -the stable, astride the black thoroughbred. - -Sparkfair found June in a nervous, excitable mood. Several times he -detected her looking back over her shoulder as if half expecting to -discover some one in pursuit of them. In truth, she was looking for -Dick, but he had taken another course, and there was no chance that he -would come upon them from the rear. - -“I can’t get over the nervous feeling caused by that affair last night,” -said June. “I was dreadfully frightened when that scoundrel leaped upon -us from behind the rosebush.” - -“But you proved yourself a heroine, June. You hung to him and yelled -bloody murder until the fellows came up and nabbed him. At first I was -sorry when I learned this morning that he’d escaped in the night. Now -I’m rather glad of it. It saves us the trouble of pressing the case -against him, and I don’t believe he’ll go back to Cambridge.” - -“If he does——” - -“If he does, I may have further trouble with him, but I’m not worrying -over that.” - -After a time Arlington and Agnes fell behind. Beneath some trees by the -roadside they halted, and soon Dale and June passed from view. Finally -discovering that their companions were not following closely, they drew -rein and waited for them to come up. June was seized by a strange desire -to be alone for a time, at least. - -“I wish you’d go back and look for them, Dale,” she said. “Please do. -You can overtake me. I’ll wait for you.” - -Thus urged, he finally turned back. She permitted her horse to move -along slowly, the rein lying loose upon its neck. She was buried in deep -thought when a sheep suddenly started up by the roadside and gave the -horse a fright. An inexperienced horsewoman would have been thrown from -the saddle by the sidelong leap of the animal. June maintained her seat -and caught up the reins. But the horse had the bit between his teeth. -With ears set flat back, he was running away. Through a gate he tore, -and away across an open field the girl was carried. - -Merriwell, cutting across that field to reach the highway, saw what had -happened. Immediately he headed the black thoroughbred in pursuit of the -runaway. It was a wild and thrilling race, for neither walls nor fences -nor ditches could check the frightened animal that was bearing June. -Over them all he sailed. The girl heard some one shouting to her, and, -half turning her head, she caught a glimpse of the pursuer. - -“Dick!” she breathed. - -But she could not understand his words, although she fancied they -contained a warning. Ahead of her loomed another stone wall. She -wondered if the runaway would not be turned by it. Not until the animal -was sailing over that wall did she realize what lay beyond it. A moment -later horse and girl struck with a mighty splash in the placid water of -a small river. - -Carried from the saddle, June rose to the surface just in time to see -the black horse bearing Dick Merriwell come flying over the wall above -her. - -What followed seemed like a dream to June. She knew Dick clutched her -with his strong hand, and she had good sense enough to give herself up -without struggle or effort, so that he was finally able to bring her -unharmed to the low bank on the far side of the little river. - -The horses had swam out and were grazing in companionable contentment -upon the grass as Dick and June, dripping wet, sat on the bank and -looked at each other. - -“Well,” said Merriwell, with a light laugh, “I hope this doesn’t give -you a cold.” - -“I hope it does!” she cried. “I told Dale last night that I wanted to -catch cold and have pneumonia and die. Now this is my chance.” - -“It surely is,” agreed Dick. “But why this sudden morbid desire for -death? What’s the matter?” - -“You ought to know.” - -“I don’t.” - -“You’ve deceived me, Dick. I heard you last night—I heard you talking to -that girl they call Barbara Midhurst. You were speaking about a secret -between you. If you like her better than you do me, I’m sure you’re -welcome to her. I don’t care. I’m glad of it! I hope you’ll live long -and both be happy. I’m going to die, anyhow!” - -“And I hope it isn’t quite as serious as that, June,” he laughed. “I’m -glad I know what was the matter. Yes, there is a secret between Barbara -Midhurst and myself, but I give you my word that the secret concerns a -third party. I discovered it by accident, and I’ve kept it for her sake -and the sake of the third party. I don’t care for Barbara, June—that is, -not as you mean. Don’t you believe me? Did I ever tell you a lie in my -life? You’re the girl I care for more than all others in the world. -Can’t you trust me? What’s the matter? You’re crying!” - -“Oh, I’m all we-wet, and fuf-feel just per-perfectly horrid!” sobbed -June. - -“And you think I’m a two-faced scoundrel?” - -“No-no I don’t. I tried to think that, but now I know I was fuf-foolish. -I’m ashamed of myself, Dick. I can’t help crying, and I haven’t even got -a dry handkerchief to wipe my eyes with.” - -“Nor I,” he said, glancing around to make sure no one was in sight. -“Never mind the handkerchief. Let this dry your tears.” - -And behind the palms they kissed and the misunderstanding was at an end. - -The next day the house party dispersed, Dick and his friends returning -to Yale to resume active work in their baseball work. - -Dick had not been in New Haven two hours before he heard news that -worried him. He learned that some one had sold the baseball team’s -signals to the enemy. He quickly discovered the guilty person, and, -knowing that no further useful steps could be taken in the matter, he -told his friends that the incident was closed. - -But the incident was not closed. For the guilty man’s friends took the -matter up. Not knowing that Dick Merriwell already knew the identity of -the traitor, they resolved to capture Tommy Tucker for the purpose of -forcing him to sign a supposed confession. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - THE ABANDONED CAPTIVE. - - -Try as he might, he could not make a sound louder than a smothered, -choking groan. After repeated attempts to shout he gave it up in -despair, although the cords which bound him to the chair had been drawn -so tight that they were cutting into his limbs and stopping the -circulation of his blood, and the thick cloth tied over his mouth was -nearly smothering him. - -From the wall at his right projected a feebly fluttering gas jet. The -faint light, flickering on the face of the captive, showed him to be a -slight, slender, undersized lad some seventeen or eighteen years of age. - -It was Tommy Tucker, and the freshman was in a decidedly unpleasant and -apparently serious situation. - -Returning along a dark block after having seen a charming and -interesting girl to the door of her home, Tucker was suddenly pounced -upon by three or four fellows, who seized him, flung a blanket over his -head, tripped him up, sat on him, and held him helpless until a cab drew -up at the curb. The victim was bundled into the cab and carried away. -After his first efforts at resistance he made very little struggle, -realizing it was folly to fight against such odds. - -By the time his assailants had pulled the blanket off him inside the cab -Tucker was feebly gasping for breath. The curtains were closely drawn, -and it was so dark in the cab that he could not discern anything -whatever. - -“Gug-golly!” he gasped, catching his breath. “I’d been cooked in ten -seconds more. I was almost smothered.” - -“I always did like smothered chicken, ta-ra-tum,” sang a hoarse voice in -Tommy’s ear. - -“Shut up!” snarled another voice. “Don’t talk—don’t anybody talk! I love -silence. I adore silence. I will have silence.” - -“Hush-h-h-h-h!” breathed Tommy. “Be still as any mouse. But, say, permit -me to inquire what the dickens you fellows are trying to do. Are you -kidnaping me with the idea of holding me for a ransom? If you are, -permit me to inform you that you’ve captured the wrong kid. There are no -millions in my family, and I believe my father would feel actual relief -if some one should be foolish enough to take me away where I wouldn’t -bother him any more. Or are you some poor, deluded sophomores who -contemplate having real fun with me? If such is the case——” - -“If he doesn’t shut up, blanket him again.” - -“Oh, if you’re going to do that, I’ll keep mum,” said Tucker hastily. -“Please don’t put that thing over my head again. Refrain, and I’ll close -up like a clam.” - -How far he was carried in the cab Tucker had no accurate means of -telling. Finally the cab stopped. An instant later the blanket was again -wrapped tightly about the captive’s head and shoulders. They dragged him -out and forced him along, stumbling and half-falling down a flight of -stairs. The sound of their feet echoed gloomily in what seemed to be a -big room. The air was damp and stale, as Tucker quickly discovered when -the blanket was lifted in order that he might get a breath. It was, -likewise, dark as Erebus. - -Although he was highly indignant over the treatment, Tucker knew the -uselessness of displaying anger and resentment. He permitted them to -force him down upon a chair and tie him there, although he made -occasional calls for the lifting of the blanket in order that he might -breathe. Finally they cast the blanket aside, but he was given no more -than a glimpse of them, for a bandage was quickly slipped over his eyes. -The gas jet had been lighted, and they were working by the aid of the -wretched light thus provided. - -“I think I’ll raise a howl,” said Tommy. “I think I’ll yell bloody -murder.” - -“Howl your head off,” said one of the captors huskily. “You’re in the -basement of Dinsmore & Hyde’s old warehouse. You might shout for a week -without any one happening to hear you.” - -“Then I will not rupture my voice,” said Tucker. “But my unquenchable -curiosity compels me to inquire your motives and intentions. What are -you going to do with me?” - -“You’ll find out in time,” was the answer. - -“But I’m very impatient.” - -This provoked a burst of suppressed, mocking laughter. - -“You’ll get a fine lesson in patience to-night,” Tucker was told. “It -will do you good.” - -“What the dickens is the use to tie those ropes so tight? Old Samson -couldn’t get away after being trussed up like this, and I’m no relation -to Sam.” - -Behind his back one of the captors whispered a hoarse question: - -“How long did you say a man could live without food or water, captain?” - -“That depends,” was the wheezy answer. “Some live longer and some live -shorter. This little runt is one of the kind that lives shorter. He -won’t last more than three or four days at most.” - -“My golly!” exclaimed Tommy. “Are you going to leave me without anything -to eat or drink for three or four days?” - -“It’ll be well enough to silence his tongue,” said the wheezy voice. -“Art ready, Eros?” - -“Sure, Charon,” was the answer. - -“Then gag him.” - -Tucker started to object, but his words were cut short as they bound the -thick cloth over his mouth. - -“’Tis well,” said one, when the task was finished. “Now he is secure and -silent. We can leave him, comrades. Our direful work is well did.” - -“Indeed I think we have dooded it well,” said another. “But methinks it -were best to leave his eyes uncovered, captain. What say ye?” - -“’Tis well. Remove the bandage from the wretch’s eyes.” - -When this was done Tommy looked around for them, but heard the sound of -retreating feet behind him. Turning his head, he caught a glimpse of -their dark figures melting from view amid the dim, dusty, and empty -boxes at the far side of the room. Seized by something like panic, he -would have called to them, but the muffling cloth prevented this. The -sound of their footfalls grew fainter and fainter. A door creaked on its -rusty hinges. A few moments later the door closed with a slam, and the -deserted lad fancied he heard the grating of the bolt as it shot into -the socket. - -To the unfortunate boy it soon seemed that hours had passed since his -abandonment. Vainly he had squirmed and twisted in an effort to free an -arm or a leg. Vainly he had worked his head and jaws, trying to get his -mouth clear of the bandage which covered it. The silence that surrounded -him seemed appalling at first, but in time his ears detected a -suspicious rustling, which sent a chill through his body. - -Although he would not have acknowledged it, Tucker was a chap who -believed in the supernatural. All his life he had been industriously -looking to see a spook in the dark. Up to date he had never seen the -genuine article, although on various occasions he had fancied many -material things to be of a ghostly nature. Still, all these failures had -not shaken his conviction that some time he would see a real ghost. - -And now he remembered the gruesome tale that, after being ruined by his -partner, old man Hyde had locked himself up in the basement of the big -warehouse and committed suicide. From that day a hoodoo had seemed to -hover over the building. Ignorant people asserted that the warehouse was -haunted. It was finally abandoned, and for years the heirs of the -Dinsmore estate had been vainly trying to get it off their hands at any -old price. - -“Gee whiz!” thought Tucker; “I’ll bet a cruller old Hyde’s spook is -prowling around here to-night. Goodness, I thought I felt the touch of -his fingers then! Wish I had eyes in the back of my head. It’s awful -being able to see only one way. There it is again! I know I heard -something move.” - -Nearly twisting his head off, he peered apprehensively into the shadows. -The gas jet continued to flicker and flare, and, once when it died down -and he fancied it was going out, his heart nearly stopped beating. - -Sque-e-e-eak! - -Tucker’s hair stood at the sound, but in a twinkling he felt something -like relief, realizing at last that the noise was made by a rat. This -explained the mysterious rustling he had heard. - -“If I ever find out for certain just who those fellows were, I’m going -to murder the bunch of them,” decided Tommy. “Talk about the tortures of -the Inquisition! This is worse! What’s that?” - -Something slipped past like a flitting shadow on the cement floor. It -was a scampering rat, but it had given the captive an awful start. - -“I don’t like rats,” thought Tucker. “They’re nasty creatures, and -sometimes they’re dangerous. Let’s see, I think it was in ‘Les -Miserables’ I read about the sewer rats of Paris, big, hungry, creatures -ready to attack a man. Goodness, I hope these rats are well fed! They’re -getting altogether too friendly.” - -For he had seen two or three others flit past him. He was electrified by -a shrill squeal close behind his chair, followed by a scampering rustle. - -“Deuce take ’em!” he mentally exclaimed. “They’ll be climbing over me in -a minute.” - -Indeed it seemed so, for one big fellow advanced boldly before him and -sat up to inspect his appearance. Tucker longed to hurl something at -this old fellow, who had a full set of grayish whiskers. - -The example of the old rat emboldened others, and within a few moments -they were frisking about Tucker’s feet. - -Only for the gag Tommy would have yelled lustily. He was covered with -cold perspiration, while his mouth seemed dry and parched. His eyes -bulged with terror. - -Of a sudden one of the rats made a leap and landed on Tucker’s knee. - -With a convulsive twist, Tommy flung himself, chair and all, over -backward. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - AN EVIL BAND. - - -With a terrific squeaking and scampering, the rats fled in all -directions. Tommy was both relieved and dismayed. His position was now -decidedly awkward and painful. - -“If this keeps up long, I can see my finish,” he thought. “Bet my hair’s -begun to turn gray now. A few hours more will make it white as the -driven snow.” - -After a time the rats began to return. He could see them creeping out -cautiously from the deeper darkness which the flickering light did not -penetrate. - -A faint rattling sound made him prick up his ears. His heart throbbed, -for something told him that some one was fitting a key to the lock of -the door. He was right in this supposition, and soon the old door -creaked once more on its hinges. - -There was a faint gleam of light, which moved slowly amid the old empty -boxes. Tucker heard the sound of many feet, and finally a grotesque -figure appeared, bearing an iron pan with a long handle. On the surface -of this pan, which seemed half filled with grease, a saturated rag was -burning. It was a huge candle. - -Tommy blinked rapidly as his eyes perceived the figure which bore the -flaring light. Apparently it was a huge bear, walking upright on its -hind legs. - -A second later Tucker gasped again. Following the bear, a gigantic bird -that resembled an owl strutted into view. Behind the owl came a turbaned -Turk with a curved sword in his hand. The Turk was followed by a painted -and grinning clown. On the heels of the clown trod a crimson-clad, -cloven-hoofed figure which resembled Satan himself. Then came a somber -form in a long black cloak and high-peaked cowl. This last person bore a -huge broad-bladed ax in his hands. - -Tucker wondered if he was dreaming. As they gathered around him he saw -that Satan was carrying a tinsmith’s hand furnace, in which a fire -glowed. - -“Hoo! hoo!” hooted the owl. “Look! See! He has upset!” - -With a fierce growl the bear waved the flaring light in front of -Tucker’s eyes. - -“Pick him up,” said the Turk, flourishing his sword. - -“Let him lie,” said Satan. “It comes natural for him.” - -“Let him lie,” said the one in black, as he flourished the ax. “In this -position I can easily lop off his head.” - -“Restrain yourself, executioner,” chuckled the clown. “We must have fun -with him first. He must answer my conundrum. Tell me, thou wretched -creature, why is a hen?” - -“Back up,” said the bear, elbowing the clown aside. “He can’t talk. -Don’t you see he’s gagged?” - -“Who gagged him?” cried the clown. - -“Hoo? hoo?” hooted the owl. - -“Take hold, you imps,” commanded Satan. “Set him upright.” - -The chair was lifted and planted on its legs. - -“Poor fellow!” said Satan, with mock sympathy. “See how frightened he -is! Why, Turk, you could hang your turban on his eyeballs.” - -The executioner leaned on the handle of his ax. - -“Some one remove the gag,” directed the wearer of the crimson. - -“Hoo? hoo?” cried the owl. - -“You! you!” commanded Satan, pointing. - -The huge bird complied, and Tommy, with great relief, filled his lungs -as the cloth was stripped away. - -“Much obliged,” he said, his voice just a bit unsteady. “If you go away -again, please don’t close my trap. The rats are a little too thick for -comfort around here, and I couldn’t even cuss at them.” - -“When we leave you next time your tongue will be silenced forever,” -declared the executioner solemnly. “With this good blade I shall sever -your head from your body.” - -He flourished the ax as he spoke, swinging it with a sidelong movement -until the edge touched the captive’s neck. - -“Boo! that’s pleasant!” shivered Tucker. “So you’re going to decapitate -me, are you?” - -“No,” chuckled the clown, “we’re only going to cut your head off.” - -“But first,” said the Turk, “we must examine your feet. We have a -peculiar notion that you are the unfortunate possessor of extremely cold -feet.” - -“Even so,” nodded Satan. “Remove his shoes and stockings.” - -“Why don’t you take a hand, Sate,” piped the clown. - -“Yes, get busy,” said the bear. “I’m holding the light. That’s my job.” - -Tommy’s ankles had been bound to the legs of a chair, but now they were -set free, and a few moments later his shoes and stockings were stripped -from his feet. - -“Indeed his tootsies are very, very cold,” said the owl. “Start up the -fire in your little furnace, Sate.” - -Satan turned a thumbscrew which seemed to open a valve of compressed -air, for there was a hissing sound, and the furnace began to glow almost -at once. - -“What the dickens does all this tomfoolery mean?” demanded Tucker. “What -are you trying to do with me, anyhow?” - -“As Sate hath remarked,” said the Turk, “you’re an easy-going liar. We -are prepared to force the bitter truth from your unwilling lips. A short -time ago some one sold the baseball signals of Umpty-ten to the manager -of a rival team. You, Thomas Jefferson Tucker, were the miserable wretch -who did that.” - -“You, Turkey, old boy, are a liar by the clock!” flung back Tommy. “I -had nothing to do with it. I thought that was proven long ago.” - -“Nothing of the sort,” said Satan. “Your fine friend, Richard Merriwell, -induced a wretched bummer to shoulder the blame of that piece of -treachery, but we happen to know that the bummer was paid to clear you -of stigma. While you have been cleared, suspicion has continued to rest -on another who is innocent.” - -“I suppose you mean Bern Wolfe?” - -“You have named him,” was the answer. “We know Wolfe had nothing to do -with that dirty business, and we, likewise, know that you did. This very -night we caught you in company with the public stenographer who made a -typewritten copy of those signals. After you escorted her home you were -brought here for treatment.” - -“Ha! ha!” laughed the clown. “Treatment is an elegant and appropriate -word.” - -“We have here,” continued Satan, producing a sheet of paper, “a nice -little typewritten confession of your sins, which we expect you to sign. -I’ve brought a fountain pen for the purpose. In this document you -acknowledge that you are the traitor who gave the signals to Ben -Newhouse of the Hudson team. Would you like to read it?” - -“I don’t care to waste my time,” said Tucker. “If you think you’re going -to get my autograph hitched onto the bottom of that document, you’re a -bigger fool than I ever took the devil to be.” - -“Cold feet,” snickered the clown. - -“But we have the facilities for warming them,” said Satan. “Turk, kindly -move the furnace a little nearer. We’ll give his tootsies a nice -comfortable baking. By the time his toes are well done and crisp he may -change his mind and decide to append his signature to this little -document.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - TUCKER GETS WARMED. - - -By this time the tiny furnace was glowing redly. Its heat had reached -Tucker, who made a wry face as the Turk seized the handle and started to -move the furnace nearer. - -“Really,” said Tommy, “I think you kind gentlemen are awfully obliging, -but you’re greatly mistaken in fancying me at all troubled with cold -feet. I beseech you not to disturb yourselves to warm me up.” - -“You’ll do a great deal more begging before we finish with you!” growled -Satan. “Push the furnace up close, Turk. Now get him by the ankle, -clown—that’s right. You take the other leg, Hooter. Hold his feet -extended so the bottoms will be thoroughly warm.” - -With a sudden kick, Tucker upset both the clown and the owl. - -“What’s the matter with you fellows?” snarled Satan. “Aren’t you strong -enough to hold his feet?” - -“Hoo? hoo?” cried the owl, scrambling up. “You bet we are! If he kicks -me again, I’ll warm his foot by soaking it right plumb against the -furnace.” - -“Oh, look!” grinned the clown, as Tommy began making both feet fly like -paddle wheels. - -“He’ll get tired of that in a minute,” said the crimson-clothed imp. “Be -ready to grab the instant he lets up.” - -In truth, Tommy was unable to keep up those kicking movements for more -than a few moments. He soon began to pant, and the instant he ceased -snapping his bare feet through the air the owl seized an ankle. On the -opposite side the clown did the same, and both clung fast with such -strength that Tucker could not jerk his feet away. - -“Oh, say, I don’t see any fun in this,” protested the little chap. -“Ouch! Thunderation, that’s warm! Look out, you’ll have my Trilbys -against the old thing! Wow! wow! I can’t stand that. It’s too much! Oh, -say, let up, will you? If this is a joke, you’re carrying it too far.” - -“It’s no joke,” grimly declared Satan. “We mean business. When you fully -understand that, you may come to your senses and decide to sign this -little confession of your treachery to the baseball team.” - -“Say, give me a chance to think it over, will you?” panted Tucker. -“You’re blistering my feet now—on my soul you are!” - -“That’s where we intend to blister them, on the sole,” said the leader. -“Lower his toddlers a moment, boys. Let’s see if he is coming to his -senses. But keep a firm hold on his ankles. If he doesn’t agree to our -terms, we’ll warm him up again in a moment.” - -“You’re very rude and cruel,” said Tucker. “Jinks, I believe you did -blister my feet! If you have, I’m going to murder somebody! I’ll murder -the whole bunch of you!” - -“Isn’t he dangerous!” mocked the clown. - -“Better let me put an end to him,” said the executioner, spitting on his -hands and grasping the ax handle. - -Beyond the flaring pan of burning grease the bear grinned and yawned. - -“Do hurry up,” he said. “This confounded rig is sweating me to death.” - -“Evidently you know how I feel,” said Tommy. “I’m perfectly willing to -change places with you, Teddy.” - -“Come, come!” said Satan, flourishing the paper in front of the -captive’s eyes. “Are you ready to sign this confession?” - -“What would it amount to if I did sign it?” sneered Tucker. “You -couldn’t make any use of it.” - -“Couldn’t we?” - -“No.” - -“Why not?” - -“Because I’d tell the truth and let everybody know how I was forced into -putting my name onto that lying document. The moment one of you fellows -showed it he’d find himself in a lot of trouble.” - -“But I don’t think you’ll do anything of that sort,” said the leader of -the disguised chaps. “This is a fair and square statement of the truth. -You are the traitor who betrayed the team.” - -“You are a liar!” said Tommy, slowly and distinctly. - -“Wait a minute, Tucker—you’ll get all that’s coming to you if you don’t -get humble. I say you betrayed the team. I’m not the only one who -believes it. Merriwell saved your pelt by hiring a disreputable -character to take the blame on his own shoulders. Every one knows that -man Smith lied when he said he was the one who stole the signals and -gave them to the manager of the Hudson team.” - -“I think he lied myself,” said Tommy. “I’m satisfied that some one on -the team gave Smith the signals and paid him to have them copied.” - -“And you’re that some one,” declared the Turk. - -“I’ll hand you out the same remark I just applied to old Sate,” flashed -the captive. - -“You’ll have to sign this paper,” asserted the wearer of the crimson. - -“If I sign it,” said Tommy, “I’ll lose no time in telling every one -under what circumstances I was forced into it.” - -“And if you tell any one that,” threatened Satan, “you’ll get it again, -and next time we’ll blister you from your heels to the nape of your -neck. We don’t propose to make this confession public, but we’re going -to use it to force Merriwell and his friends to give certain fellows of -the freshman class a square deal at baseball.” - -“And a sillier scheme I never heard of!” derided Tucker. “You can’t -force Dick Merriwell’s hand in such a manner, and you ought to know it. -Of course I know you’re Merriwell’s classmates and enemies. I think I -could name you all. I’m dead sure I can name four or five of you. It -seems astonishing to me that by this time you have not learned that Dick -Merriwell cannot be forced or browbeaten into anything.” - -“Will you sign this paper?” - -“Sure.” - -“Do you mean it?” - -“Yes, I mean it because I realize that you’re just fools enough to cook -my feet unless I do sign.” - -“Release his hands, boys,” directed Satan. “Stand close around him and -be ready to jump on him if he makes a scrap of it.” - -“I’m not as big a fool as you fellows are,” mocked Tommy. “You’re six to -my one, and I have no idea of scrapping.” - -In a few moments they set his hands free, and he stretched and rubbed -his arms with grunts of relief. - -“I hope some time I’ll have the pleasure of giving a few of you fellows -some of the same medicine I’ve had to take to-night,” he said. - -“Here,” said Satan, placing a short piece of board across Tucker’s knees -and spreading the confession upon it. “Get ready to make your autograph. -Here’s a fountain pen.” - -“Goodness! give me time,” urged Tucker. “How do you expect a fellow to -write when his blood is stagnated? Why, even my fingers are stiff.” - -“Watch him,” warned the Turk. “He’s tricky.” - -The executioner lifted and poised the ax. - -“If he tries any tricks,” he declared, “I’ll let him have a taste of -this where Nellie wore the beads.” - -Tucker glanced around at all of those grotesque figures and then twisted -his face into a comical look of disgust and resignation. - -“Give me the goose quill,” he said. “Here goes my Thomas J. right at the -bottom of this lying mess.” - -Being a very little chap, Tommy wrote, like most undersized persons, in -a large, bold, flourishing hand. In a moment he had dashed off his -signature. - -“There’s my John Hancock,” he said. “I hope you can see it.” - -The leader took the paper with a nod of satisfaction. - -“So far everything is satisfactory to us,” he chuckled, folding the -document and thrusting it into a pocket. - -“So far?” murmured Tommy questioningly. “Well, I wonder how much farther -you’re going? Isn’t this about the limit?” - -Satan made a gesture, and in another instant the captive was once more -seized and pinned fast to the chair. - -“Here! here!” he spluttered, in disgust. “What the dickens are you up to -now?” - -“We’re going to put you on your oath now,” announced the leader. “We’re -going to make you swear by all things sacred, by all you hold dear, that -you’ll never tell under what circumstances you affixed your signature to -that document.” - -“Oh, you make me sick, the whole of you!” said the little chap. “I’ll -never swear to anything of the sort.” - -“His feet are getting cold again,” snickered the clown. - -“Go ahead and warm them up,” directed Satan. - -Tommy squirmed and twisted and yelled at the top of his voice. In the -midst of his struggles the basement door was hurled open with a bang, -and, shouting loudly, a dozen boys, headed by Dick Merriwell, came -rushing to the rescue. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - THE FIRE. - - -“This way! this way!” shouted the clear voice of Merriwell. “Here they -are!” - -Instantly Tucker was released by the startled and dismayed fellows who -had been torturing him. The flaring light of a “slut” candle, aided by -the dimly flickering gas jet, showed the rescuers a most remarkable -group huddled there in the basement of that old warehouse. The clown -looked frightened; the bear seemed ready to run; the Turk was crouching -on one knee and feeling blindly for his curved sword; the executioner -had dropped his broad-bladed ax; the owl sought to edge away into the -shadows. - -Only Satan stood his ground boldly and defiantly. In front of them all -he stood with clenched fists, glaring at the unexpected and unwelcome -rescuers. The flaring lights made him look very fierce and demon-like. -Involuntarily the rescuers halted and stared at that remarkable group. - -“Come on!” yelled Tucker, giving the Turk a savage jab in the ribs and -upsetting the clown by kicking his feet from beneath him. “Get into ’em, -fellows! Give ’em fits! They’ve been giving me fits.” - -“We’ve got them foul,” declared Dick. “They’ll have to surrender.” - -“Surrender?” snarled Satan. “Not on your life! We’ll fight.” - -Fight they did. It was a fierce old battle that took place down there in -the warehouse basement. Dick signaled out the crimson-clothed leader of -the rascals and engaged him. While they were tussling and writhing and -squirming, other struggles were taking place amid the boxes and bales -and dim shadows of the place. - -Merriwell found his antagonist strong as a bull, but was finally getting -the best of the fellow when some one kicked over the pot of grease, the -“slut” candle. The burning stuff ran flaring into a dry mass of straw -and excelsior. Fire leaped up in a twinkling, illuminating the entire -basement. - -Startled, the boys stopped in the midst of their furious struggles. - -“Fire!” yelled one, in a tone of great alarm. - -“That’s bad business!” panted Dick, tearing away from his antagonist and -leaping toward the flames. “Quick, boys, let’s see if we can’t smother -it!” - -Satan, enraged by what had happened and utterly reckless of -consequences, sprang after Dick and grappled with him again. - -“You fool!” exclaimed Merriwell, twisting about. “Let me alone! Don’t -you see what’s happening? The building will go up in flames!” - -“Let it go!” rasped the disguised fellow. “You’re the cause, and I’m -going to soak you.” - -He struck Dick in the face, although the force of the blow was partly -broken by an upthrust arm. This aroused young Merriwell and made him -furious as a wild creature. With a shout, he broke the fellow’s hold -upon him, seized the chap, snapped his heels into the air, and whirled -him headlong against the stone wall. The crimson figure dropped limply -to the cemented floor and lay still. - -“Fellows, fellows!” shouted Dick, realizing that a great many of the -boys were taking to their heels and getting out as quickly as possible. -“Don’t run away. We must smother this fire. We must put it out somehow.” - -It was Buckhart who joined him, and they did their best to put out the -flames. - -“No use, partner,” said the Texan, “she’s got too much headway. She’s -bound to go. If we stay here, we’ll be caught, and that will be mighty -bad business for us.” - -“Come on, Dick—come on!” cried Bouncer Bigelow, making frantic gestures. -“Everybody else has skipped. I’m going. You can’t do anything. Let her -burn.” - -The fat boy ended with a choking, strangling cough, for the place was -rapidly filling with a thick volume of pungent smoke. Brad seized Dick -by the collar and literally dragged him toward the door. Not until they -were in the outer air did Dick remember the crimson-clad fellow he had -last seen lying stunned at the foot of the basement wall. - -“Follow me!” said Buckhart. “We must get away lively.” - -He took to his heels, covering the ground with rapid strides and -plunging into the darkness between two buildings. Instead of following -his friend, Dick turned and rushed down the rotten basement stairs. A -volume of smoke met him, rolling forth from the door and veiling the -interior of the place. Through this smoke the fire sent a dull lurid -glow. - -Stooping low, Dick plunged into the smoke. He ran full against a huge -box, but managed to grope his way along until he could see the spreading -flames and feel their scorching heat. Through the yellowish light he saw -something moving. In a twinkling he had the fellow by the shoulder. It -was his crimson-clothed antagonist, who had partly recovered and was -blindly trying to find the way out. - -“This way!” wheezed Dick, pulling the bewildered chap toward the door. -“Hang onto me!” - -They reached the door and started up the steps just as a burst of fire -behind them sent its flaring gleam out into the darkness of the night. -At the head of the steps stood a huge man, on whose breast gleamed a -badge. - -It was the night watchman of an adjoining lumber yard. As Dick appeared -he whipped out a revolver. - -“Hold on, you firebug!” he shouted. “Stop where you are, or I’ll bore -ye!” - -Then, plainly revealed by the flaring light of the fire, he obtained a -view of the demoniac, crimson-clothed figure at Dick’s heels. To the -superstitious watchman it seemed like the Evil One himself, and, with a -howl of dismay, the man turned and took flight. Merriwell was -unspeakably relieved. - -“That was lucky for us,” he gasped. “Now we’d better do some tall -thinking.” - -Thinking the chap he had rescued would follow him, Dick imitated -Buckhart’s example by choosing the darkness between two wretched -buildings, reached an old board fence, skulked hurriedly along beside -it, came to the railroad tracks, and for the first time found himself -alone. - -“Hello!” he muttered. “That chap didn’t stick by me. Well, I got him -out, and I guess he can take care of himself. That watchman will turn in -a fire alarm, of course. The healthy thing for me to do is to get as far -away from here as possible in a very short time.” - -He fled along the tracks until a crossing was reached and he could leave -the railroad. As he cut across an open lot and set his course toward -York Street he heard the fire engines coming whistling on their way to -the fire. - -“Bad business! bad business!” muttered the boy. “I don’t suppose any one -will feel very sorry to see the old warehouse burn, but still, I’d -rather it would have happened some other way. What if the lumber yard -takes fire also?” - -The question brought beads of perspiration out upon his face. On the -steps of the York Street house he found Brad Buckhart and Tommy Tucker. -The latter was barefooted. - -“Lost a good pair of shoes and some beautiful fifty-cent stockings this -evening,” said Tommy. “I can’t afford it.” - -“Great horn spoon, I’m glad to see you, partner!” breathed the Texan, -with unspeakable relief. “I thought you right behind me until I hit the -main highway. When I discovered you weren’t with me I didn’t know what -to do. I thought of going back to look for you, but that seemed foolish, -for I knew you wouldn’t turn round after getting out of that old -building.” - -“I did turn round, though,” said Dick. - -“Did?” - -“Yes.” - -“What for?” - -“I happened to think of the fellow I pitched against the wall and left -stunned when we made haste to get out. I didn’t really know whether he -had escaped or not. I went back to see.” - -“Great tarantulas!” exploded Brad. - -“You’re referring to old Sate, I presume?” said Tucker. “Well, I really -hope he got scorched a little. He didn’t quite blister the bottoms of my -feet, but I thought he had.” - -“The fellow would have perished in that fire if I hadn’t turned back to -look for him,” said Dick. “I got him out, all right, but we came mighty -near being nabbed by a night watchman.” - -Tucker snickered half hysterically on hearing Merriwell tell how the -watchman had yelled and taken to his heels at sight of the satanic -figure. - -“Tommy’s been telling me all about it,” said Buckhart. “Why, those -fellows were going to bake his feet. We got there in the nick of time.” - -“What I’d like to know,” said Tucker, “is how you happened to get there -at all.” - -“I’ll have to pledge you to keep it a secret,” said Dick, “but there is -a chap who used to be mighty thick with that crowd, and he got onto the -plot. He gave me a tip, but made me swear I wouldn’t mention his name.” - -“I can guess,” chuckled Tucker. “It was Kid Lee. Am I not right, Dick?” - -“Haven’t I just stated,” said Merriwell, “that I promised not to mention -his name?” - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - THE NEXT MORNING. - - -Early the following morning Tommy Tucker, in pajamas, came bouncing into -Dick’s room. Merriwell was already up. He had bathed and was partly -dressed. - -“Pa-pore! pa-pore!” cried Tommy, flourishing a newspaper. “All about de -great fire last night! Dinsmore & Hyde’s old warehouse burned to de -ground! Pa-pore! pa-pore!” - -“Shut up, you yapping idiot!” cried Dick laughingly. “Where’d you get -the paper?” - -“Oh, I fixed it with Maggie last night. Bribed her to rise early this -morn’ and hustle out for a newspaper. She just left it at our door. See, -here’s all about the fire, Dick!” - -Blessed Jones turned over in bed, jabbed his head halfway under a -pillow, and smotheredly droned: - -“‘Him that disturbeth the sleep of the righteous let him be condemned to -fire and brimstone and let him burn forever.’” - -“Oh, you were there, old snooker!” cried Tommy. “You ought to be -interested in this report. You were with the gang last night.” - -Buckhart stuck his head into the room. - -“Read it, Tucker,” he urged. - -Thus requested, Tommy read the account of the fire which had destroyed -the old warehouse and which was believed beyond question to be the work -of incendiaries. Indeed, it was said that the watchman at Gray S. -Walpole’s lumber yard had detected two of the firebugs in the act of -leaving the basement of the warehouse. According to the statement of -Hatch, one of these chaps had been dressed in bright red and looked like -the devil himself. The watchman acknowledged that the appearance of this -fellow so startled him that he permitted them both to get a flying -start, and, in spite of his efforts to run them down, they had managed -to avoid him and escaped in the darkness. - -Thinking of what had really happened when the watchman saw that -crimson-clad figure, Merriwell was compelled to laugh. - -“It says here,” said Tommy, “that the old building was fully covered by -insurance. I guess the owners are mighty glad it burned.” - -“But not the insurance company, Tucker. Of course that fire was an -accident and we could prove it, but it’s just as well for us if we can -escape getting mixed up in the business. If the fellows are wise, -they’ll keep still about it.” - -“I’ll have to read this to Big,” said Tommy, rising. “See you later, -fellows. Ta! ta!” - -Merriwell and Buckhart were ready to start out for their usual morning -walk, and Jones was sitting yawning on the edge of the bed when callers -arrived. They were Jack Spratt, Otis Fitch, and Rob Claxton. Hearing -them come in, Tucker promptly appeared, followed a moment later by -Bouncer Bigelow, who was rubbing his eyes and yawning, his uncombed hair -standing up like a topknot. - -“Have you fellows seen the morning newspaper?” was Claxton’s anxious -inquiry. - -“Sure,” answered Tucker. “I took pains to provide them with a few -morning shivers by reading the report of a fire that occurred last -night.” - -“I was in hopes the firemen would be able to save the building,” said -Claxton. “I dislike very much to think that I was in any way responsible -for that fire.” - -“You really were not responsible, Claxton,” said Dick. “None of us -fellows were. The really responsible ones are the chaps who carried -Tucker into the basement of that building and attempted to have fun with -him.” - -“Gwathuth!” lisped Fitch. “I’ll never forget the thtart I got when I -thaw thothe fellowth. Wonder where they got their cothtumes?” - -“Didn’t you read about that in the paper?” asked Tommy. “The shop of -Julius Steiger, the costumer, was broken into and looted last night. A -number of valuable costumes and wigs were stolen.” - -“Which explains the astonishing disguises worn by Tucker’s captors,” -said Dick. “While I don’t fancy being mixed up in this affair, I -wouldn’t hesitate to testify against those rascals if they were -arrested.” - -“I wonder what became of that document they persuaded me to sign?” -laughed Tommy. “If they ever try to use that paper, it will be their -prompt undoing. Of course, old Sate has it in his possession. Oh, I’ll -see that chap again, and I’ll know him, too. I’ve got a nice little -razzer hidden up my sleeve for Mr. Sate. If I ever get a good -opportunity, I’m going to slice him good and deep.” - -“You sus-seemed to cuc-cuc-come out of the bub-business all right,” -observed Spratt. “You don’t look any the w-w-worse for wear.” - -“Thank you, thank you,” bubbled Tucker. “And you, Spratt, are looking -perfectly divine this morning.” - -“But I haven’t a cent to my nun-name,” said Jack quickly. - -“My dear boy, you misunderstand me!” cried Tommy. “Can’t I pay a man a -compliment without wanting to borrow money?” - -“I sus-suppose you can,” answered Spratt, “but sus-somehow you -nun-nun-never do.” - -“Now that’s an insult!” snapped Tommy belligerently. “I challenge you to -a duel. Let’s not lose a moment’s time. Let’s fight a duel right away.” - -“You needn’t lose any time,” laughed Dick. “It only takes two seconds to -fight a duel.” - -Tucker collapsed on a chair. - -“I was going to spring that myself,” he said dolefully. “It must be -awfully stale.” - -“It is,” said Dick. “I thought I was stealing a lap on you.” - -“You have certain enemies, Tucker,” observed Jones, “who seem determined -that you shall not play on the team.” - -“Thus far they’ve simply injured themselves,” said Dick. “They must be -disgusted with the way everything has gone against them. We play Brown -at Providence, Saturday, and if we win that game it will be the utter -discomfiture of our enemies and the enemies of the team.” - -“Oh, we’ll win the game, partner,” said Buckhart confidently. - -“I hope we do,” nodded Dick; “but Brown has a hot team, they say—the -best freshman team she’s had in years.” - -Dick smiled. - -“Well, how about uth?” inquired Otis Fitch. - -“It has been generally reported that Yale has the weakest freshman team -she’s had in years, but I notice we’ve been winning thus far.” - -“Even with Sam Kates in the box,” grunted Bigelow. “Of course, you’re -going to pitch Saturday, Dick? You wouldn’t think of putting Kates -against Brown?” - -“I wouldn’t put him against Brown. I shall wait to hear what Captain -Jones has to say.” - -“You’ll pitch, all right,” announced Blessed. “And you’ll pitch the -whole game, too.” - -“Very well,” said Dick, “that seems to be settled.” - -“And that settles the game,” asserted Spratt. “I’ll bet my last dollar -we win. It’s a sure thing.” - -“Better not bet,” said Dick. “There’s nothing like a sure thing in -baseball. I may have my off day—I have one sometimes. Anyhow, I shall -have to depend on my backers. Without good backing I can’t hope to get -away with that game. Only for old Brad behind the pan to steady me and -assist me in working the batters I fear I’d make a pretty poor showing. -In most cases the success of a pitcher depends on the sort of catcher he -works with.” - -“Oh, dear, partner, let up on that!” exclaimed the Texan, really -confused. “You know you can pitch ball without any old catcher at all -behind the pan.” - -“Yes, I can pitch, but I can’t win games, Brad. To win games I need the -backing of the whole team, and the man I depend on most is the man -behind the bat.” - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - A PAIR OF RASCALS. - - -At the tinkle of his alarm clock Mike Lynch awoke, opened one eye, -squinted at the clock, and growled like a flea-bitten dog. - -“Rot it!” he muttered. “I haven’t had thirty minutes’ decent sleep all -night long. Whew! whew! I can taste smoke clean down to my toes. Got a -bump as big as half a watermelon here on the side of my head, and the -cords of my neck are stiff and sore. All I’ve done is dream fire, fire, -and twist and snort and make up and try to go to sleep again. Dash it -all, I must look like a wreck! I feel like one, anyhow.” - -Making an attempt to sit up, he dropped back with a doleful groan. - -“Jingoes, but that does pull on my neck!” he murmured, holding his head -canted to one side. “What makes my neck so lame? I suppose I know. That -whelp Merriwell chucked me headlong against the wall in the basement of -that old warehouse. Wonder I didn’t spill my brains all over that wall. -Next thing I knew I was getting scorched and everything around me seemed -on fire. That brought me to my senses in a hurry, but when I tried to -find the way out I was so bewildered that I didn’t know what to do. How -did I get out, anyhow? Oh, yes, somebody came back and grabbed me and -dragged me toward the door. Somebody—it was Merriwell! That’s right, by -Jove, it was Merriwell! The rest of the fellows were gone. They had -sneaked and left me, the cowards! They left me to roast in that fire -trap. That’s a fine bunch of friends to have!” - -He finally succeeded in sitting up, holding both hands to his head as he -groaned and cursed in mingled pain and anger. - -“That was just about the worst night I ever experienced. And to think I -might have roasted only for Merriwell! Hang it all! I hate to know I owe -him anything. Do I owe him anything? Why, of course not. Didn’t he chuck -me against the wall and knock me senseless? Gee! I wouldn’t like to tell -anybody that he did, but that’s what happened. I suppose some of those -sneaks who skipped and left me will tell. No, they won’t. They don’t -dare. They’ll keep their faces closed. But Merriwell’s friends—those who -were with him—they’ll tell. Let ’em! let ’em! They don’t know who it was -rigged up in those devil togs. Anyhow, if they do suspect, they can’t -prove it. I won’t acknowledge it, you bet your sweet life! - -“No, I don’t owe Merriwell anything. If he’d left me there, it would -have been the same as murder. After chucking me against the wall and -sending my wits wool-gathering, it was up to him to get me out. I’m not -going to blow up with gratitude toward him.” - -Lynch was greatly relieved over the thought that he did not owe the lad -he bitterly hated anything like a debt of gratitude. This caused him to -grin the least bit, and, with some mumbling and muttering, he painfully -dragged himself out of bed. - -“Suppose a hot bath would do me good,” he said, “but I’m too stiff to -get into a tub. I don’t know when I ever felt this way before. Toleman -was the only one who had decency enough to come around last night to -find out whether I was alive or had been cooked in that fire. I suppose -he told the rest of the bunch that I was here, all right. Confound it! -what brought Merriwell and his gang out there to the warehouse? That -fellow always turns up and spoils things. How did he know we had Tucker -there? He seems to get onto every move we make lately. Somebody is -giving us away. It can’t be Wolfe, for he wouldn’t dare, and I know it -isn’t Ditson or Toleman. I can trust Poland, too. But Daggett—that -fellow would do anything for money. If the Merriwell gang tried it, they -could buy him easy enough. Still, he seems the fiercest against Dick -Merriwell. I don’t trust him. We’ve got to cut him out somehow. It’s -pretty hard work doing it now he knows so much, but it’s necessary to -find a way. We had to cut Lee out. Only yesterday I gave Wolfe a -call-down for telling Lee about our plans. The kid hasn’t any backbone.” - -After washing up, Mike began to dress with more or less difficulty. At -intervals he paused to touch gently the lump on his head. Every time he -did this he growled. - -His head still throbbed, and when he stooped over to lace his shoes -something like a sledge hammer seemed pounding within it. - -“Oh, ache! ache!” he rasped. “You’ll get over it pretty soon—you’ll have -to. I’m glad I haven’t any marks on my face, and I won’t wear a bandage -round my head. My hat will cover that bump. They can’t spot me. I’ll -have to get rid of that devil rig, though. Found my overcoat where we -left our clothes when we dressed back of the old warehouse. Only for -that I’d never been able to get to this room without being pinched. -Lucky my overcoat was good and long and hid my costume. Two fellows did -stop to stare at my red ankles, but I took to my heels, and I know they -didn’t recognize me.” - -Opening his wardrobe door, he found the crimson masquerade suit, which -he made into a bundle carefully wrapped in brown paper and securely tied -with stout cord. This bundle was hidden away beneath some underclothing -in a drawer of the dresser. - -“I’ll dispose of that to-night,” he muttered. “Don’t like to have stolen -property on my premises. It was Ditson’s idea to rig up in those -costumes. He thought it would frighten Tucker. Hanged if it didn’t seem -to amuse the little fool! I’m going to quit taking the foolish advice of -Ditson or anybody else. I didn’t see anything like a joke in that -business. I was in earnest. But now I suppose we wasted our time. Of -course this isn’t any good at all, and I may as well destroy it.” - -From a pocket he produced the typewritten confession which Tucker had -been forced to sign. - -“No, it’s no good now,” he muttered, after reading it over. “The little -rat could prove he was compelled to sign against his will. If any one -tried to use this document, it would get him into a nasty scrape. This -will settle it.” - -In front of the fireplace he struck a match and applied the flame to one -corner of the paper. - -“What are you doing?” cried a voice that made him jump as if struck by a -bolt. - -The burning paper fluttered to the hearth, and Lynch turned a pale face -toward the lad who had softly opened the door and thrust his head into -the room. - -“Gee!” he breathed, with mingled relief and resentment. “You gave me a -jerk. What the dickens do you mean by poking your head into my room and -yelling like that? Come in and shut that door.” - -Bern Wolfe needed no invitation. Slamming the door behind him, he leaped -toward the hearth and placed his foot on the burning paper. - -“Get away! get away!” said Lynch, catching the visitor by the collar, -and jerking him back. “Let it burn.” - -“It’s Tucker’s confession!” - -“Yes.” - -“Are you crazy?” - -“I guess not.” - -“We had trouble enough getting that confession.” - -“Too much trouble,” confessed Mike. - -“And now it’s destroyed!” groaned Bern, as he watched the flames char -the sheet and turn it to a black film of ash, which crinkled at a breath -and dissolved into fluttering fragments. - -“It wasn’t any use after what happened,” declared Lynch. And he -proceeded to explain his reason for thinking so. “You see,” he -concluded, “that thing might have gotten me into trouble if I had kept -it and any one had chanced to find it in my pocket.” - -“I suppose that’s right,” muttered Bern, his thin lips pulled back from -the points of his sharp white teeth. “Yes, I see you’re right, Mike, but -I swear I’d like to get some sort of a twist on that fellow Tucker. He’s -playing the position on the nine that I ought to fill. I’m a better -shortstop than Tucker ever was or ever will be.” - -“Perhaps you are,” nodded Mike, “but you’re not one of Richard -Merriwell’s petsy-wetsies. Therefore you have no show to play on the -team.” - -“That’s not the reason why I’m not playing on the team.” - -“Eh? It isn’t?” - -“No.” - -“Then what is the reason?” - -“You know well enough!” snapped Bern bitterly. “You know I had my chance -to get on the team, and I landed there, too. Only for your great scheme -to knife Merriwell, I’d be playing on the team now.” - -“Now, hold on—hold on. Don’t always try to shoulder everything onto me.” - -“I’m telling you the truth, and you know it!” cried Wolfe, smashing his -clenched right hand into his open left. “If I’d refused to listen to -your scheme, I’d be playing shortstop and Tucker would be on the bench.” - -“Bah! bah! What are you giving us?” - -“Bah! bah! Bleat away. It’s a fact. Merriwell was ready to use me. He -did use me. I played in that Hudson game until I got spiked.” - -“And you haven’t played since,” grinned Lynch. - -“Because Merriwell and his friends are dead sure that I was concerned in -the giving away of Umpty-ten’s signals. That was your plan to hurt -Merriwell, but it never harmed him a bit. Instead of that, it swamped -me, all right, all right.” - -“What right has Merriwell to keep you off the team? There’s never been -anything proven against you, has there?” - -“Not proven perhaps, but——” - -“Then you’re not being used right, Bern.” - -“Not proven, but established as a conviction in Merriwell’s mind.” - -“Rot! rot! You just think it has been established as a conviction in his -mind. You don’t know whether it has or not.” - -“I do know he is satisfied that Tucker is innocent.” - -“And Tucker, being one of his goo-goo boys, gets the chance to play, -while you pine on the bench.” - -“Merriwell knows I’m friendly with you. He knows you would do anything -in this world to hurt him. He doesn’t trust me. If I’d cut loose from -you the way Kates did, I’d be on the team the same as Kates is. He’s -there, isn’t he? You can’t say Merriwell is keeping one of his -particular pets on first to the exclusion of Kates.” - -“Merriwell had to have a first baseman and an assistant pitcher. -Ambitious as he is, as much as he likes to show off, he can’t do all the -pitching. Toleman was sulking, and the team just had to accept Kates. -That’s plain enough. You didn’t have a chance of forcing yourself in the -way Sam did.” - -“Oh, don’t tell me that! I don’t believe it. I got there once. What have -I made by listening to your plans and plots? I’ve lost the chance I had, -and even though they can’t prove anything against me I’m under -suspicion. You’ve said you would clear me, but never yet have you made a -single promise good.” - -“Now, hold on!” snarled Lynch, his red hair seeming to bristle. “That’s -just about enough from you. Haven’t I been doing my best? Wasn’t I -putting myself out on your account last night, and didn’t it come near -being my finish?” - -“I told you that was a preposterous scheme before we started in upon it. -You were the only one in the crowd who thought it would amount to -anything.” - -“How do you know so much?” - -“Oh, I know—I heard ’em say so.” - -“Then why did they take any part in it?” - -“For a lark. It was to have some amusement with Tucker that those -masquerade costumes were stolen and worn. I was against that piece of -business, but Ditson had been drinking, and he was ready for any piece -of recklessness. Give him a couple of drinks, and you never know what -he’ll do.” - -“Well, you’re about as ungrateful a runt as I ever saw!” declared Lynch -bitterly. “I wash my hands of it. I’m through trying to help you. If you -want to, you can go tell every one that you gave away the team’s -signals.” - -“You know I’m not likely to do that.” - -“I don’t know what you’re likely to do. Why, I’ve even convinced our own -bunch that Tucker was the guilty one instead of you. They believe it.” - -“They pretend to,” muttered Bern, “but I’m not sure they do.” - -“To tell the truth, a fellow can’t be sure of much of anything with -them,” growled Mike. “Look at the way they skipped me last night! Wasn’t -that fine? You did the same thing. You dusted out with the rest and left -me to the mercies of the Merriwell bunch, or to roast.” - -“It was every man for himself then.” - -“Oh, was it?” - -“Sure.” - -“And in such a case you’d leave a friend lying unconscious to be burned -to death, would you?” - -“I didn’t know you were unconscious. I was having troubles enough of my -own. I didn’t know what happened to you.” - -“Well, I’ll tell you what happened. About four of those fellows, -including Merriwell himself, jumped on me in a bunch. One of them hit me -over the head with a piece of lead pipe or something like that. That was -the last I knew until I found myself lying on the floor, almost choked -by smoke and nearly roasted by fire.” - -“That was a tough situation,” admitted Wolfe. “How’d you get out?” - -“How did I? I wish you’d tell me. I crawled among those boxes and bales -on all fours without having an idea where the door was. Just by good -luck I found it. Only for that good luck, my bones would be lying this -minute in the ruins of Dinsmore & Hyde’s old warehouse.” - -“It was a mighty bad piece of business,” breathed Bern, shaking his -head. “Only for that accidental fire the Merriwell crowd would have had -us all pinched. I can see what would have happened to us. The fire gave -us a chance to break away, for they had to take care of themselves, and -they were all afraid of being nabbed by the police or some one. You see -you can’t blame me for leaving you, Mike. I didn’t know what had -happened to you, and I don’t think the others did. It was pretty rank of -the Merriwell bunch when they skipped out and left you there. Seems to -me it was up to some of them to look after you.” - -“Well, they didn’t,” lied Mike. “But why didn’t some of you fellows come -around last night to find out whether I reached my room or not? Toleman -was the only chap who had decency enough to poke his nose in here.” - -“We sent him.” - -“Oh, you did?” - -“Yes. He came back and reported you were here. We didn’t think it best -to come around in a bunch just then. I’m the first one to show up this -morning, ain’t I? Well, doesn’t that indicate that I take some -interest?” - -“Oh, yes,” mocked Mike, as he buttoned his collar and began knotting his -necktie. “I expect you were so terribly disturbed over me that you -didn’t sleep a wink.” - -“Well, I didn’t sleep much,” confessed Wolfe. “I haven’t been doing much -sleeping for the past two or three weeks. I’m getting thin, and I feel -like a leftover jag the most of the time.” - -“Don’t tell me how you feel. I’ve got a bump as big as a lemon here on -my coconut. My head aches. My neck is stiff. My back is lame, and every -breath I exhale smells of smoke. All on your account, too. And you come -around here and growl! You make me sick. Get out of my way! Sit down!” - -Lynch thrust his companion on a chair just as the door opened and other -visitors appeared. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - FURTHER PLOTTING. - - -Duncan Ditson was the first to speak. - -“Hello, you here, Wolfe?” he said. “We wondered where you were.” - -Bill Toleman stalked in behind Dunc. - -“I reported last night, Lynch,” he said. “Let them know you were still -on earth.” - -“And that soothed our disturbed spirits a great deal,” said Jim Poland, -finding a chair and gracefully seating himself. - -“’Sst!” hissed Mel Daggett, who was the last to enter. “Don’t you know -the door’s open? Don’t talk so loud, you fellows.” - -Softly and silently closing and latching the door, Mel waddled to the -morris chair and squatted on the broad arm of it. - -Lynch, hands resting on hips, squared himself in front of Daggett. - -“I wish you’d tell me something, Mel,” he said, with an air of -unmistakable accusation. - -“Will if I can,” whispered Mel. - -“How did the Merriwell bunch know where to find us last night?” - -Daggett’s froglike mug took on an expression of puzzled blankness. - -“That’s something I’d like to know,” he declared. - -“Don’t you know?” - -“Don’t I know?” - -“That’s the question I put to you.” - -Mel caught his breath with a hissing sound, glared at Mike with his -green eyes, and then slowly rose to his feet. - -“Now, see here,” he snapped, shaking one of his knobby fists at Lynch, -“if you mean to insinuate anything about me, you’d better go slow!” - -“Aw, sit down,” said Mike, placing his fingers against Mel’s breast and -pushing him back upon the chair. “Don’t do that with me, Daggett. Don’t -lift your fist to me; you’re liable to get hit if you do.” - -“If you hit me, you’ll be sorry.” - -“What’ll you do, peach on the crowd?” - -“I won’t stand for that—I won’t stand for it!” palpitated Daggett. - -“You’re not standing for it—you’re sitting. Somebody gave away our plans -to carry Tucker off to that old warehouse last night. Who did it? Who -peached?” - -“Why do you come at me like this? Am I the only one who knew about your -plan? Didn’t the others know? Why don’t you make your talk to them?” - -“Because I know Ditson, Poland, Toleman, or Wolfe would not breathe a -word of it. I don’t know about you.” - -Mel squirmed and tried to rise again, but was once more pushed back by -Mike. - -“Don’t get up,” said Lynch. “I’ve asked you a question.” - -“And I’ve given you all the answer you’ll get from me!” snarled Daggett. -“I didn’t peach on anybody. You’ve never seen me trying to get in with -the Merriwell crowd. You can’t say as much about some of the rest of -your friends. I’m not calling any names, but you know who I mean.” - -“Yes, you mean me,” said Wolfe. “Perhaps you think I’m the one who gave -it away?” - -“I didn’t say so. I’m not accusing anybody. Lynch is making all that -sort of talk that’s being made.” - -“Because I mean to find out how it happens that Merriwell gets wind of -everything we plan to do. Of course, if you say you didn’t let anything -slip, we’ll have to take your word for it, Daggett.” - -“You needn’t take my word for it if you don’t want to. But if you -continue to insinuate, I’ll fight you as sure as I live. Perhaps you can -do me up, but we’ll see.” - -“I hardly believe Dag would go back on us, Mike,” said Poland. - -“Of course not,” put in Toleman. - -“Anyhow,” said Ditson, “we can’t afford to suspect a fellow unless there -are proofs against him. Have you any evidence—any reason to believe Mel -squealed on us?” - -“No reason beyond the fact that some one must have squealed, and I feel -confident the rest of the crowd wouldn’t do that.” - -“This is not the first time you and I have had words, Lynch,” said -Daggett. “I want you to understand that I’m just as trustworthy as you -are.” - -“But you’re a greedy hog. A fellow who asks friends twenty per cent a -month on money loaned to them would do almost anything.” - -“That’s business, that’s business!” snapped Mel. “There’s nothing -underhand or sneaky about it. If they borrow, they know what they’re -expected to pay. If you mean to insinuate that I would sell my friends -out to the Merriwell crowd, let me tell you that you’re a confounded -liar. Is that good enough for you?” - -It seemed that Lynch would make a lunge for Daggett’s throat, but both -Ditson and Toleman interfered and checked him. - -“Steady, Mike,” said Dunc. “We can’t afford to have a fuss just now. The -very fact that Mel is so indignant over your suspicions ought to satisfy -you of his innocence. I’m satisfied.” - -“Of course it was queer that Merriwell got onto the business the way he -did,” admitted Toleman; “but I am not willing to think that any one of -the fellows here turned traitor. It leaked out through some accident and -not through deliberate treachery.” - -“You may be right,” admitted Mike, calming down. “I’m in a rotten bad -humor this morning. I ought to be after what happened last night. I’ve -just been telling Wolfe what I thought of you fellows for quitting me -the way you did. Somebody must have seen me knocked out by the Merriwell -crowd, yet you all skidooed like a lot of frightened rabbits.” - -One and all, they protested that they had not realized he was knocked -out. Apparently none of them had seen Merriwell fling him against the -wall, at the foot of which he fell stunned and helpless. Satisfied that -this was the case, Mike once more repeated his statement that he had -been attacked by at least four of the Merriwell crowd and had been -knocked senseless by a blow on the head. - -“I was having it with Merriwell himself when the others jumped on me,” -he said. “If they’d only let me alone about ten seconds more, I’d broken -that fellow’s back for him.” - -“Perhaps,” nodded Ditson doubtfully; “but he has a very tough back.” - -“Have you fellows read the papers this morning?” inquired Poland. “I -have. The police say the old warehouse was burned by firebugs. We want -to keep mum, fellows.” - -“That was not all I read in the paper,” came from Toleman. “Didn’t you -notice the account of the burglarizing of Steigler’s costuming shop? I -want you to know that I’ve disposed of the outfit I wore last night. You -can’t find it anywhere around my joint. The rest of you chaps better get -rid of your stuff.” - -“Oh, don’t be so timid!” mocked Ditson. “Who’ll ever suspect us?” - -“Wait! What if some of the Merriwell crowd were seen and recognized? -What if they’re cornered and tell all they know? What if they take a -notion to tell, anyhow? Although they can’t prove it against us, I’ll -venture to say they know every one of us. Now, if the police get next to -them and ask them questions, won’t they name us chaps as being -responsible for that fire? If we’re named, you can bank on it that the -cops will search our rooms for some of the rigs we wore. I’d a hundred -times rather be pinched for the fire than the other job. We could swear -that the fire was the result of an accident, a lark; and, although we -might regard the other business as a lark, the police would not look on -it in that light, and the court would be sure to inflict punishment.” - -“He’s right,” nodded Lynch. “I’m going to dispose of my outfit just as -soon as I can, and the rest of you better do the same.” - -“I suppose you’re all so frightened now,” sneered Ditson, “that there -isn’t one who’ll dare lift his hand against Merriwell during the rest of -the term.” - -“What’s the use?” grunted Toleman. “Never anything works right. Fellows, -Merriwell is too much for us. He has too much luck or too much -something. We’ll never do him any harm by striking at him direct.” - -“You may be right about that, Bill,” acknowledged Lynch. “I’ve begun to -think so myself. It’s queer how some chaps seem to have a guardian -angel, or a genius, or something that always takes care of them. All -winter we’ve been saying Merriwell wouldn’t make much of a reputation at -baseball with the kind of team he’d have behind him this spring. Now -he’s attracting any amount of attention. Why, Billings—the great -Billings—has written it that Merriwell might coach the pitchers of the -varsity. Think of that—a freshman coach for the varsity pitchers! But no -one seems to realize the fact that Merriwell himself would be rotten if -he didn’t have a catcher behind the bat who knows him and all his -peculiarities. Only for Buckhart, Merriwell wouldn’t be such a star on -the slab. Where’s there another freshman who could go behind the bat and -handle Merriwell’s pitching? Where’s there another chap who could handle -the combination ball or any of Merriwell’s queer kinks and shoots? Of -course, a professional catcher, a big-league man, would be all right for -it; but I’m talking about the freshman ball players to be found at Yale -to-day. Don’t think I’m in love with Buckhart—he’s the fellow I dislike -most next to Merriwell himself. I’m simply stating the truth. Without -Buckhart, Merriwell would be an ordinary dub of a pitcher that any one -could hit.” - -“I think there’s something in that, Mike,” nodded Ditson. - -“I think so, too,” said Toleman promptly. - -“Well, can’t you see what I’m driving at?” inquired Lynch. - -“Not yet,” was the answer. - -“Take Buckhart away from the team, and what will happen to Merriwell? -He’ll get his bumps, won’t he?” - -“Very likely,” nodded Duncan. - -“Sure he will,” persisted Mike. “If he tries to use those effective -balls of his, the catcher will fumble them. There’ll be passed balls -galore. Every man on the field faces the catcher. Let the catcher go to -pieces, and it’s up in a balloon for the rest of the bunch. Now, look -here, Umpty-ten Yale plays Umpty-ten Brown at Providence next Saturday. -Those Brown fellows can bat. If anything should happen to Brad Buckhart -to prevent him from catching in that game, Brown would have a cinch. I -know of lots of Yale money that is just begging for a chance to back -Umpty-ten. Fix it so Merriwell will lose his catcher, and we fellows can -line our pockets just as sure as fate.” - -“How are you going to fix it?” inquired Ditson. - -“Well,” grinned Mike, “if this crowd hasn’t got brains enough to devise -a scheme, it’s a mighty poor bunch. Let’s put our heads together and do -a little plotting.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - A CERTAIN VISITOR. - - -Dick gave up trying to grind. It was mid-afternoon and once more his -friends who roomed in the house had wandered in upon him and were -chattering away regardless of his desire to study. - -They had been speaking of disguises and practical jokes. Bigelow was -telling them what a fine Irishman Dick became when he wished to -represent one and had the necessary make-up. - -“Didn’t he fool the cops that night you took in the cock fight, Tucker?” -demanded Big. “Didn’t he fool you, too? You know he did. Both you and -Jones were scared out of your senses when you got back here. Said you’d -been recognized and your names called by a policeman. Felt sure that -meant the end of Yale for both of you. Oh, but you were scared! Tommy -was white round the gills, and all Blessed could do was groan and quote -fake scripture.” - -“Verily I was exceedingly distressed,” acknowledged Jones. - -“Oh, I confess I was scared blue,” said Tucker. “But out in that old -barn with only two or three lanterns to illuminate the place it was easy -enough for anybody to fool us. I’m not saying Dick isn’t good at making -up and playing a part, but he never could deceive a native of old Erin -if he tried to represent an Irishman.” - -“Bet he could, bet he could!” spluttered Bouncer. “Couldn’t you, Dick?” - -“I don’t know,” confessed Dick, “but I have an idea that I might -succeed.” - -“I’m willing to bet ten you can’t fool any real Irishman,” cried Tucker. - -“I won’t bet, you know,” laughed Dick, “but I don’t mind trying it. Tell -you what I’ll do—I’ll experiment on Maggie Swazey. She’s a good subject, -isn’t she?” - -They agreed that Maggie, the maid of all work in the rooming house, was -acceptable. - -“How are you going to experiment on her, partner?” questioned Buckhart. - -After a moment’s thought Dick unfolded his plan. - -“I know where to get a policeman’s uniform that will fit me unless those -fellows who robbed Steiger’s place got away with the outfit. I’ll rig up -as an Irish cop this evening, and I’ll stroll around here and call on -Maggie shortly after eight o’clock. Tell you what I’ll do, fellows—I’ll -make love to Maggie. That ought to be a satisfactory test. If I can fool -her to that extent, I ought to be able to fool any one.” - -“Truly thou art taking thy life in thy lily-white hands,” said Blessed. -“If Maggie ever tumbles to the trick, she’ll split your skull.” - -“Oh, say, that ought to be a circus!” shouted Tucker hilariously. “I’d -give anything if I could see the sport.” - -“Can’t you find a way to see it?” - -“I’d like to be in it, too,” grinned Bigelow. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to -miss that.” - -“Miss it?” said Buckhart. “You bet your boots I don’t propose to miss -it!” - -“What’ll you do?” asked Tommy and Bouncer in a breath. - -“It’s the pantry for mine!” announced the Texan. “I’ll ensconce myself -in the pantry where I can take in the doings.” - -“Maggie has an old couch down there that she rests on when she’s very -tired,” grinned Tucker. “I speak for a snug berth beneath that couch.” - -“But where can I conceal my slight and sylphlike form?” asked Bigelow. -“Say, Buckhart, you ought to let me have the pantry.” - -“Then where would I fit in?” - -“The sink,” cried Bigelow; “you can get under the sink.” - -“Aw, no, that won’t do,” protested Brad. “Think of me hiding under a -sink! Great horn spoon!” - -“But you’re selfish,” declared Bouncer. “Yes, you are selfish, Buckhart. -I can’t get under the sink to save my neck—you can. I could hide in the -pantry or the cold room. If you’re going to have the pantry, I’ll take -the cold room.” - -“I’ll see more of the fun than either one of you,” laughed Tucker. “Next -to my chosen retreat beneath the couch, I’d choose the sink, for then I -could keep the door open on a crack and watch everything that was going -on.” - -“This don’t seem to be a time for dignity,” said Brad, “so I’ll take the -sink for mine. But, however are we going to get to our retreats, gents?” - -“You’ve got sort of left me out,” observed Jones. “I suppose you think I -don’t enjoy life, anyhow, and there’s no use in trying to amuse me.” - -“Tell you what you can do,” cried Tommy. - -“That’s kind, indeed.” - -“You can help us out.” - -“If Maggie ever catches you stowed around the kitchen, she’ll help you -out.” - -“You can call her upstairs for something, Jonesy, and give us a chance -to sneak into the kitchen. Will you do it? Sure you will.” - -“Oh, certainly!” grunted Blessed. “That’s all I’m good for. Work me, -work me.” - -“If you fellows want to be sure of seeing the sport,” smiled Dick, -“don’t fail to have yourselves properly concealed in the kitchen by -eight o’clock. I shall arrive within five or ten minutes after the hour. -That’s settled now. You chaps skidoo. Yes, I mean it. Your room is -preferable to your company for the next hour. I’ve got to study.” - -According to the arrangement, Jones appeared at the kitchen door some -five minutes before eight that evening, and requested Maggie Swazey to -do him a little favor. He was studying hard, he said, and couldn’t spare -the time to run out to the nearest stationery store for a couple of -notebooks. Would she mind getting them for him? - -The sight of a silver quarter in the way of emolument for her services -quickly banished any sign of hesitation on Maggie’s part. - -“Certainly, sir—certainly I’ll git ye the books,” she smiled. - -“You know what I want,” said Blessed. “If you don’t, here’s a -sample—here’s one of my old books. You can take that along. When you -come back bring them up to my room, but get them right away—don’t lose a -minute. Time is precious with me this evening.” - -The moment the door closed behind Maggie three chuckling lads scudded -into the kitchen and prepared to conceal themselves. At the last moment -Buckhart seemed inclined to rebel against hiding beneath the sink. - -“You can sure get in there, Big,” he said. “Try it.” - -Bouncer dropped on all fours and quickly demonstrated the impossibility -of seeking to stow himself away beneath the sink. - -“It’s a slick place, Brad,” he gurgled. “If I could only get in there, -I’d take it in a jiffy. You can back in all right, and here’s a nice -little knot hole through which you can see everything that’s going on. -Cricky, that knot hole must have been made on purpose.” - -“That certain is a right fine knot hole,” agreed the Texan, with a grin. -“Don’t know but I’ll make use of it.” - -With more or less clattering and banging, he finally succeeded in -backing in amid the pots and pans and settling himself in a comfortable -position with the knot hole convenient to his eye if he lifted his head -a bit. But even after getting in there he was again struck by the -thought that his position was most undignified, and he started to crawl -out. - -“No, you don’t!” spluttered Bouncer, slamming the sink door and turning -the little wooden button that held it. “You just keep still. It’s me to -the pantry, and I won’t have you spoiling my fun.” - -“You wait till I do get out!” growled Buckhart’s smothered voice. “I -sure will spank you good and plenty.” - -“Hurry up, Big!” hissed Tucker, thrusting his head out from beneath the -couch. “If you keep on puttering around, Maggie will come back and catch -you.” - -The fat boy made a dash for the pantry. Five minutes after the return of -Maggie Swazey there came a familiar tapping at one of the kitchen -windows. - -“Good gracious!” exclaimed the girl; “it must be Dennis. I didn’t expect -him to-night.” - -She hastened to the door and opened it wide in a welcoming manner. - -“Good avenin’, Dennis,” she laughed. “How does it happen you’re here so -early?” - -“It’s not Dinnis Oi am,” announced a voice, as a man wearing the uniform -of an officer stepped into the room. “Me name is Patrick McGee, and -Oi’ve been app’inted to the beat lately hild by me lamentid fri’nd -Dinnis Maloney.” - -“Your lamented friend?” gasped Maggie. “Why, what do you mean, sir? Oh, -tell me, has anything terrible happened to Dennis?” - -“Sure and there has,” was the sad and solemn answer. - -Maggie seemed ready to faint. - -“He isn’t dead, is he?” she almost shrieked. - -“Worse thon thot,” answered the visitor. - -Maggie stiffened up in astonishment. - -“Worse than dead?” she gasped. “Why, how can that be possible? What do -you mean?” - -“He’s married,” said the stranger, in a heart-broken manner. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - THE CONSOLER. - - -And now Maggie did utter a shriek. After swaying a moment, she fell -limply into the arms of Patrick McGee, who unhesitatingly supported her. - -He was a queer-looking, medium-sized man with a face which, using the -hackneyed phrase, “looked like a map of Ireland.” He had bushy eyebrows, -a fringe of chin whiskers, sand hair, and a plentiful spattering of -freckles. On finding himself clasping the limp form of Maggie, Patrick -twisted his mug into a comical expression of dismay so that Tommy -Tucker, eagerly peering forth from beneath the couch, was forced to -stuff his handkerchief into his mouth to hold back a shout of laughter. - -“Howld on, howld on, mavourneen!” spluttered Pat. “Don’t yez be afther -floppin’ over loike this, me darlint.” - -“Married?” choked Maggie, in the greatest anguish. “Oh, it can’t be -true!” - -“Av it ain’t true, Oi’m a liar!” said McGee. - -“When did this happen?” asked the girl, attempting to brace up. - -“This marnin’,” was the answer. “Yer see she caught him, and he had to -marry her.” - -“She caught him? Who caught him?” - -“Wan of his girruls.” - -“One—one of his girls?” - -“Yis, my dear.” - -“One of them? How many did he have?” - -“Well, my dear, Oi don’t think he really knew himsilf. Wan toime he -towld me he was shpooning around some sexteen or seventeen girruls.” - -Maggie popped up straight and stiff as a ramrod, flinging the visitor’s -supporting arms aside. - -“Sixteen or seventeen girls?” she cried furiously. “Impossible! I can’t -believe that! You are deceiving me!” - -With his hand to his chin and his head canted sidewise, Patrick McGee -gave her a look of injured reproof. - -“Desaving ye, me darlint?” he said. “I wouldn’t do that for the -worruld!” - -“Now hold on right where you are,” commanded Miss Swazey. “Don’t you -dare to ‘darlint’ me. Why, you scoundrel—to think of you coming around -here with such terrible inflammation and then calling me darlint! And -you tried to hug me—you know you did! There’s the door, sir!” - -“A foine door it is,” said Patrick, as he closed it. “Exchuse me av Oi -forgot to shut it behoind me. Now phwats the use av gittin’ dishturbed -loike this over a little thing, Maggie, dear?” - -“Maggie, dear; Maggie, dear? How do you know my name is Maggie?” - -“Phwoy, me fri’nd Dinnis towld me, av course.” - -“Your friend! your friend! So you shamelessly confess you’re the friend -of that deceiving monster! Oh, I wish I had him here. I wouldn’t do a -thing to him! I’d scratch his eyes out! I’d pull his carroty hair out by -the roots! The monster! Deceiving a poor trusting girl like me!” - -“Hush now,” protested McGee. “Don’t be too harrud on Dinnis, the poor -bhoy. He couldn’t hilp it, you know.” - -“Couldn’t help it? Couldn’t help having sixteen or seventeen girls at -the same time?” - -“But ye see he was such a fascinating divvil,” whispered Pat, with a -grin and a wink. “The girruls, the darlints, wouldn’t let him alone at -all, at all. But it nearly broke poor Dinnis’ heart whin Katie nabbed -him and led him to the praste. She meant business, and there was nivver -a bit av a chance for him to escape. Whin it was all over he says to me, -says he: ‘Pathrick, I lave it to yez to break the news to me Maggie. -It’s me Maggie Oi loved most of all other girruls in all the worruld. -It’s me Maggie Oi meant to marry. Tell her, the swate crather, that me -heart do be breaking. Oi’ll nivver see her again. Oi’m done wid me job, -and ye’ve got it, Pathrick. Oi’m going to lave this city and go far away -to some foreign country. Oi think Oi shall go to New Jersey.’ Then the -poor bhoy broke down and placed his head on me breast and sprinkled me -bosom wid his tears. Exchuse me, Miss Swazey, but Oi have to wipe me -eyes.” - -Not only did he wipe his eyes but he blew such a bugle blast with his -nose that Maggie was actually frightened. - -Something like a smothered snicker seemed to come from some part of the -room, but Patrick coughed loudly and Maggie failed to detect the -suspicious sound. Miss Swazey was affected in spite of herself. She -began to choke and sob into her apron, which she now held before her -eyes. - -“Dennis was a fine gent,” she said. “He used to bring me candy and -peanuts, and sometimes he brought me banannies and other fruit. I don’t -know what I will do without Dennis.” - -At this Patrick placed his hand over his heart and lay his head sidewise -upon his own shoulder, while a sickly languishing light filled his eyes. - -“Av ye’ll not take it amiss, Miss Swazey,” he murmured, “you nade nivver -go wanting for candy and peanuts and banannies as long as Pathrick McGee -remains on this bate. Av course Oi know Oi’m not such a handsome mon as -Dinnis, but Oi’ve got a heart in me bosom, Oi have. Besoides thot, not -being handsome, there’s no danger thot Oi’ll have sixteen or seventeen -other girruls. Oi’m ready to do me bist to take the place of Dinnis.” - -“Oh, but I’ll never trust another man—never! never!” moaned Maggie. -“They’re all deceivers, every one of them!” - -“Oi wouldn’t desave yez for the worruld,” assured the visitor earnestly. -“Just give me one trial, Maggie, me darlint. It’s awful lonesome ye’ll -be now without Dinnis to come round and tap at yer windy. Ye’ll be -afther broodin’ over yer throubles, and maybe ye’ll pine away and doie.” - -“I hope I do!” sighed Maggie. “I’d like a quiet resting spot in the -cold, cold ground. If I die, perhaps Dennis would come to my grave some -time and place a flower upon it.” - -“Or a bananny,” said Patrick. “But yez couldn’t ate a bananny then.” - -“If Dennis could only see me in my coffin, I know he’d have remorse. I -know—boo, hoo!” - -Maggie broke down completely, and the visitor made bold to slip an arm -around her waist again. - -“Ye poor choild!” he murmured, leading her toward the couch. “Do be -afther sitting down, me dear. Oi’ll sit besoide yez. Rist yer head on me -shoulder. There, there, don’t cry loike thot! It’ll make yer nose red.” - -At this moment Tommy Tucker who had discovered one of Maggie’s hatpins -beneath the couch proceeded to jab the instrument up between the -springs. - -“Ow! wow!” howled Patrick McGee, making an electrified spring into the -air. “Bumblebees and hornets! phwat were thot?” - -With one hand he industriously rubbed the spot that had been reached by -the hatpin. At the same time, he danced round the room in the most -grotesque manner imaginable. Maggie lowered her apron and stared at him -in surprise. - -“What’s the matter with you?” she asked. “Have you gone crazy?” - -“It’s just a bit of neuraligy,” spluttered Patrick. “Did yez iver have -it, Maggie? It’s worse thon the jumpin’ toothache. Whin it gives me a -twinge loike thot Oi am liable to yell the top av me head off, so I am.” - -While making this explanation he walked back to the couch and kicked -beneath it in the vain hope of hitting the mischievous rascal concealed -there. - -“Do sit down again,” urged Maggie. - -“Oi don’t dare.” - -“Why not?” - -“Oi fear Oi’d have another attack of the neuraligy. Shtand up, me -darlint—sthand up and look into me eyes. You remind me av Kate Kearney. -Did ye iver hear of Kate Kearney?” - -Then he sang: - - “Oh, did yez not hear of Kate Kearney? - She lives on the banks of Killarney; - From the glance av her eye shun danger and fly, - For fatal’s the glance of Kate Kearney.” - -“Oh, you’re a perfectly lovely singer!” exclaimed Maggie, rising with -clasped hands. “You have the most beautiful voice!” - -“Indade Oi have,” agreed Pat. “Unfortunately thot’s the ownly thing -beautiful about me. Oi can sing loike a birrud.” - -At this moment there was a slight rattling amid the pans beneath the -sink. - -“Goodness me, there’s that rat again!” cried Maggie. “I’ll set the trap -for that rat this very night.” - -“Oi hope ye catch him,” said Pat. “Oi wish ye’d be after telling me -whether me voice is tenor eleven.” - -Once more he sang: - - “O the days of the Kerry dancing, - O the ring of the poiper’s tune! - O for one of those hours av gladness, - Gone, alas! like our youth, too soon.” - -“Lovely! lovely! lovely!” gushed Maggie. “A man who can sing like that -must have a beautiful disposition.” - -“Oi have,” assured McGee. “Av Oi iver git married, Oi’ll trate me wife -roight. Av she cooks me meals, washes the dishes, split the wood, brings -in the coal, takes in washing, and kapes the household running dacently, -Oi’ll nivver hit her.” - -At this moment there came a sudden crash from the cold closet. - -“Good heavens!” cried Maggie. “What’s happened now? Has the old cat got -in there again?” - -She sprang to the door and flung it open. Out rolled Bouncer Bigelow -covered from head to heels with buttermilk, a panful of which he had -upset and brought down upon his head. - -“Land of wonders!” gurgled Maggie, aghast. “What was you doin’ in -there?” - -“I was just looking for something to eat,” spluttered Bouncer feebly. “I -was starving to death, Maggie.” - -Officer McGee promptly pounced on Bigelow. - -“Ye spallpane!” he cried. “Ye thafe of the worruld, it’s a burglar ye -are! Oi place ye under arrist. Not a worrud, ye villain! Oi’ll take yez -to the station house. Ye can talk to the sargint.” - -Bigelow appealed to Maggie. - -“If you let him pinch me,” said he, “I’ll tell Mrs. Watson what’s going -on here in her kitchen night after night.” - -Maggie grasped Patrick by the arm. - -“It’s nothing, only one of the stujents that rooms in the house,” she -explained. “Do let him go.” - -McGee looked doubtful. - -“The scoundrel has been listenin’ to phwat we’ve been sayin’, me -darlint. He’ll be afther tillin’ on us.” - -Bigelow pretended that he was very much alarmed. In Bouncer’s ear the -pseudo officer whispered: - -“Come on, Big. It’s time I got out of this. I think I’ve made good, all -right.” - -But as he was dragging the fat boy toward the door that door suddenly -opened and in it appeared Officer Dennis Maloney himself. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - SOMETHING DOING. - - -Dick stopped in his tracks. - -“Stung!” he muttered. - -Officer Maloney wore an expression of puzzled astonishment. - -“Phwat’s going on here, Oi dunno?” he inquired, fixing a jealous eye on -Patrick McGee. - -Maggie Swazey seemed flabbergasted for a moment, but she quickly -recovered, and, pointing an accusing finger at the new arrival, she -shrieked: - -“How dare you show your face here, you wretch?” - -“Hey?” grunted Maloney, in astonishment. - -“You scoundrel! You reprobate! You base deceiver! You breaker of -innocent hearts! You—you—you——” - -She could find no epithet that expressed her intense emotion. Behind the -excited girl’s back Tommy Tucker thrust his head out from beneath the -couch and cried: - -“Hit the high places, Dick! Hump yourself!” - -Beneath the sink there was a crash as Buckhart inadvertently brought -down one of the tin pans. Bouncer Bigelow was fruitlessly trying to mop -some of the buttermilk off his clothes with his handkerchief. It was an -interesting tableau, and, in spite of himself, the disguised boy -laughed. - -“Phwat do ye mane by laughing?” roared Officer Maloney. “Phwat’s your -name? How did yez happen to come on my bate? Ye shnake, ye’re trying to -steal me girrul!” - -The hot blood mounted to the face of the speaker, and he stepped -belligerently into the room. - -“Skip, Dick!” said Tucker, once more. “It’s your last chance!” - -“Get out!” cried Maggie, waving Maloney back. “I don’t want to see your -treacherous features. Don’t show your face to me! You’ve broke my poor -heart! you’re a monster! Go back to your wife!” - -“Me woife?” shouted Dennis, astounded. “Go back to phwat?” - -“Back to your wife, you monster! Had seventeen girls on the string at -once, did you? Bragged about it, did you? If I’d ever found that out in -time, I’d served you the way the other one did: I’d married you!” - -“Sure, darlint, Oi don’t undershtand yes,” faltered Maloney. “It’s not -married Oi am at all, at all.” - -“Not—not married?” - -“Not yit, and Oi nivver will be onless ye have me yersilf.” - -“But—but—but your friend—your friend, Officer McGee—he told me you were -married this morning.” - -Maloney glared at the disguised boy, at the same time reaching for his -club. - -“Me fri’nd, Officer McGee?” he rasped. “So thot’s phwat he’s been -telling ye, is it? Well, now Oi think Oi’ll hav a bit to say to Officer -McGee, a mon phwat Oi nivver saw before in all me loife. Ye lyin’ -shnake! Oi’m goin’ to break yer head, so Oi am!” - -He meant it, too, for he charged at Dick, who barely escaped with a -nimble duck and a quick dodge to one side. - -“Hold on, hold on!” spluttered Bigelow, managing to get in the enraged -policeman’s way. “Let’s have an understanding.” - -“An ondershtandin’?” howled Maloney. “Oi’ll give him an ondershtandin’!” - -Tucker started to crawl from beneath the couch, but the enraged Irishman -hurled Bigelow staggering to one side, and, getting his feet tangled, -the fat boy spun like a top and finished by sitting down heavily on -Tucker’s head. - -Thump! thump! thump! It was Buckhart pounding furiously on the sink door -in an effort to get out. - -“Yow! yow!” squawked Tucker smotheredly; “my nose—you’ve smashed my -nose!” - -Having clung fast to the hatpin, he now jabbed it fiercely into Bigelow, -who gave a wild yell of pain and rolled out into the middle of the room -just in time to catch Officer Maloney’s foot and send him sprawling. - -“Heaven sakes!” palpitated Maggie Swazey, with uplifted hands. “This is -terrible!” - -Dick saw his opportunity now and embraced it. He did not wait for -Maloney to rise, but promptly ducked for the back door and disappeared -into outer darkness. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - REFUGE IN THE RIVER. - - -Although he did not fully understand the rather surprising affair, -Policeman Dennis Maloney was now satisfied that his sweetheart, Maggie -Swazey, had been outrageously imposed upon by the scrubby-bearded, -red-faced, blue-coated, brass-buttoned individual he had accidentally -discovered there in the kitchen. What part the three boys had taken in -the affair he could not understand. In fact, he was decidedly bewildered -and vexed, but, at the same time, his fighting blood was aroused and he -vowed terrible vengeance on Patrick McGee if he could but once get his -hands on that deceiving scoundrel. - -With a furious imprecation, Maloney gave Bigelow a fierce kick in the -ribs, which brought another howl of pain from the lips of the fat chap. -Scrambling to his feet, the policeman dashed toward the door unmindful -of the imploring shriek which came from Maggie’s lips. Forth into the -darkness he hustled in pursuit of the disguised and fleeing lad, -swearing the most terrible vengeance as he vanished. - -Scuttling along the alley, Dick paused to peer out upon the street. He -did not fancy Maloney would pursue him closely, and therefore he was -startled by the sound of thudding feet and turned to see the dark figure -of the policeman charging upon him. - -“Cæsar’s ghost!” gasped the boy. “Here’s where I take Tucker’s advice -and hit the high places.” - -He knew it would be a serious thing for him if he fell into the hands of -the enraged officer. Confident of his ability to outrun Maloney, he -laughingly skipped away. Behind him the policeman raised a great -shouting. - -“Stop thafe! stop thafe!” - -Looking back, Merriwell saw the bluecoat, club in hand, covering ground -with wonderful speed. - -The boy dodged to the right at the first corner. He collided with -another policeman who had heard Maloney’s shouts, and was rushing to -discover the meaning of the uproar. Down they went. - -“What in blazes——” - -Dick stopped the policeman by savagely interrupting: - -“What do you mean by interfering with me? Why didn’t you nab that -thief?” - -“What thief?” - -“The one who just dodged round this corner.” - -“I didn’t see any one,” said the surprised officer. - -“Then you were asleep!” snorted Merriwell, scrambling up just as Maloney -came panting and shouting round the corner. - -“Stop thafe! stop thafe!” howled Dennis. - -“Stop thief! stop thief!” shouted Dick, taking up the cry and leading -Maloney by barely a few yards in the breathless rush down the street. - -Into the very heart of town they raced, and the crowds upon the lighted -street scattered to give them room. People stared in wonderment, seeking -to catch a glimpse of the fleeing thief whom those two policemen seemed -pursuing. A crowd of men and boys fell in behind Maloney, joining in the -cry of, “Stop thief!” - -“There he is, the spallpane!” panted Dennis, pointing at Dick, who was -gradually increasing the distance between them. “Shtop him! shtop him!” - -But no one fancied that he meant the blue-coated person who seemed to be -leading this wild and desperate pursuit of the unseen thief. Pointing -ahead, Dick took up the cry of the Irish cop. - -“There he is! there he is! Stop him! stop him!” - -At the very first opportunity Merriwell made haste to escape from the -more-crowded and better-lighted streets. Round first one corner and then -another he whisked. Behind him came the hounds in full cry, led by the -persistent Irishman, who seemed entirely oblivious to the fact that -already he was far off his beat. - -“Evidently Maloney will follow me as long as there’s the slightest -chance of overtaking me,” decided Dick. “I’ve got to shake him and that -mob.” - -Nevertheless, not until the vicinity of the Quinnepiac was reached did -the boy feel that he had succeeded in his purpose. Resting beside the -river a short distance above the drawbridge, Merriwell chuckled over his -adventure. - -He did not remain long undisturbed. Through the darkness two skulking -figures moved toward him, and, fancying they were pursuers searching for -him there, he hastily crouched beside a pile of timbers. - -The two figures paused a short distance away and began speaking in low -tones. Peering through the gloom, the boy made out that each carried a -bundle in his hand. - -“I’m going to chuck my outfit in right here,” said one. - -“I wanted to burn mine,” whispered the other hoarsely, “but I couldn’t -find an opportunity.” - -“Hello, hello!” thought the hidden boy. “I fancy I know those chaps. I -wonder what it is they’re going to chuck into the river. My curiosity is -too much for me.” - -Suddenly he leaped out and was right upon them before they became aware -of his presence. - -“Surrender, ye raskills!” he cried. “Don’t thry to resist an officer av -the law.” - -With gasps of dismay, both dropped their bundles and took to their -heels, running as if their very lives depended upon it. - -“Thanks,” laughed Dick, picking up the bundles. “Now I’ll find out what -you were so anxious to dispose of.” - -Returning to the lumber pile, he settled himself on a stick of timber -and began to open the bundles, both of which had been tightly rolled and -securely tied with cords. The knots bothered Dick, and he felt in vain -through the pockets of his unusual clothing in search of a knife. - -“Of course I haven’t a knife,” he muttered. “Didn’t think to put my own -in a pocket of this suit. I’ll have to untie those knots.” - -It was a long and tiresome task, but he finally succeeded with one of -the bundles which was untied and spread out on the ground at his feet. - -“Clothing of some sort,” he decided, “but it’s too dark to see just what -it is. I need a match.” - -Once more he searched through his pockets, finally discovering the -brimstone end of a broken match. - -“This will have to do,” he said, as he carefully struck the match on his -trousers leg. - -Shading it with his hands, he threw the light upon the clothing -outspread before him. It was a masquerade suit of crimson. - -“Ah-ha!” muttered Dick. “I think I have seen this rig before. I think it -was worn by Satan the night the old warehouse burned, and if I’m not -greatly mistaken I recognized the voice of Satan just now.” - -He was startled by the sound of footsteps, and, turning to glance over -his shoulder, discovered three dark figures rapidly coming down upon -him. The match was dropped. - -One of the three figures had appeared between the boy and a distant -electric light. He saw it was a policeman. - -“Cornered!” thought Dick. “Jingoes, if they catch me with this rig, I’ll -be in a bad scrape! I can’t deny that I was at the warehouse, and it’ll -look as if I was concerned in robbing the costumer’s shop.” - -Catching up the crimson suit and the bundle, he sought an opening by -which he could escape, but the trio had spread out and were hemming him -in so that there seemed absolutely no chance to dodge them. - -“Begobs, we have him now!” shouted an exultant voice—the voice of Dennis -Maloney. - -“Not yet!” cried the boy. - -Splash!—he flung himself into the cold Quinnepiac. Freeing himself of -the bundle and the crimson masquerade suit, the boy struck out into the -river. - -“Come on!” he challenged. “Follow me! Catch me! I dare you!” - -“Come back here, ye spallpane!” roared Maloney, pausing at the water’s -edge and vainly shaking his club at the dark head which bobbed like a -cork on the surface of the river. - -“In a minute—I don’t think,” was the answer. “Why don’t you come in for -me?” - -“He’ll have to come ashore somewhere,” said another one of the trio. -“The current is carrying him down toward the bridge. Keep watch of him. -We’ll nab him when he tries to get out.” - -“I’m afraid they will,” thought the boy. “I’m still in a nasty scrape. -What’ll I do?” - -Suddenly he flung up his arms and uttered a painful cry for help. - -“Cramps! cramps!” he shouted, floundering and splashing in the current -which was sweeping him toward the bridge. “Help! quick! Ah——” - -Down he went, the water seeming to cut short that last gasping cry for -assistance. - -“The poor devil is drowning,” chattered one of the officers. - -“He’s gone!” cried another. - -“And Oi nivver aven put the weight of me hand on him,” muttered Maloney -regretfully. - -The dark current swept on into the black shadows, beneath the bridge, -but they watched in vain for the fugitive to rise to the surface. - -“He’s gone,” muttered Dennis. “Oi’ll howld no grudge. May the saints -rest his sowl.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - WHAT HAPPENED TO BRAD. - - -The boys waited in Dick’s room for him to reappear. They were confident -he had escaped Maloney. With tears of merriment streaming down his -cheeks, Tucker rehearsed every particular of the preposterously amusing -affair that had taken place in the kitchen. Tommy’s version of it was -sufficient to bring a ghastly smile to the solemn face of Jones. - -“Oh, yes, it was funny, wasn’t it?” sneered Bigelow. “I ruined a good -suit of clothes, and then Tucker stuck a butcher knife into me about a -foot and a half, and that Irish policeman wiped his feet on me and broke -a couple of ribs.” - -“What I want to know,” said Buckhart, “is who fastened me under the -sink. Had to brace and push with all my strength in order to break that -door open.” - -“When Dick skipped and Maloney went after him, howling like a madman,” -laughed Tommy, “Maggie promptly collapsed. About that time Mrs. Watson -came down on us, and I expect we’ll all get fired out in the morning.” - -“Do wish my pard would show up,” muttered Buckhart, glancing at the -clock. “It’s strange he doesn’t come back. Been more than an hour and a -half now. If he doesn’t get in before eleven, I’m going out looking for -him.” - -The restlessness of the Texan finally led him to slip downstairs, and, -hearing the murmur of voices coming from the kitchen, he tiptoed to the -door and listened. A few minutes later he came charging into the room -where the boys were gathered. - -“Great horn spoon!” he gasped, his face pale and his eyes betraying the -greatest excitement. “That Irish cop is in the kitchen this minute. Just -heard him telling Maggie how they chased Dick clean to the river, and he -tried to get away by swimming. Maloney says he got cramps and went down. -Maloney said he sure was drowned. I don’t believe it, but I’m going to -find out what I can about it. Who’s with me?” - -Seizing their hats, they followed the Texan; but on the front steps they -encountered Merriwell, who was getting out his latchkey. - -“Hello, fellows,” said Dick coolly. “Where are you bound in such a -rush?” - -“Well,” breathed Brad, in relief, “this sure is some satisfying, -partner. Just heard you were last seen hollering for help in the river. -You’re supposed to be drowned.” - -“That’s right,” laughed Dick, “and I’m willing they should continue to -cherish that delusion. It was the only way I could escape. I pretended -to sink, but when the current carried me under the bridge I clung to a -pier until I could swim ashore without being seen. It was hard work -reaching the costumer’s without attracting undesirable attention in my -dripping clothes, but I finally got there and made a change for my own -garments. I’m here, and I guess I’m all right unless I get cold from -that ducking.” - -In his room he told them about the two chaps who had brought bundles of -clothing with the evident intention of casting those bundles into the -river. - -“One of the fellows was Ditson,” said Dick. “I think the other was -Lynch. Either Ditson or Lynch wore that satanic masquerade outfit. Of -course, I have no proof against them, and they could give me the laugh -if I accused them; but those chaps were concerned in the game to amuse -themselves at your expense, Tucker.” - -“I’ve thought so right along,” said Tommy. “They’ll overstep themselves -yet and get into a scrape they can’t squirm out of.” - -In spite of the exciting events of the evening, Merriwell slept well -that night and did not catch cold from his ducking. Shortly before one -o’clock the following day Brad Buckhart came hurrying into Dick’s room -and found Merriwell on the point of going out. - -“Pard,” said the Texan, “I’m in a scrape. Just met Mabel Ditson and Bab -Midhurst. Mabel was feeling rather blue and downcast. It seems that Rob -Claxton invited her to attend Professor Oblong’s lecture on Japan and -then found out he couldn’t get seats. I thought I knew where I could get -a couple of seats, and it seemed to me a good chance to get ahead of our -friend, the Virginian, and so I asked her if she would go with me. She -said she sure would, and I’ve been round to the scalpers’ after those -seats. There isn’t one to be had for love or money. Now what do you -think of that? She’s going to be a whole lot disgusted when I tell her I -fizzled the same as Claxton did.” - -“Let’s see, when is this lecture?” - -“Thursday evening.” - -“And Friday afternoon we leave for Providence. It’s just as well you -didn’t get seats, Brad. You’re supposed to turn in at ten o’clock -Thursday night.” - -“Oh, I could make it pretty near that,” said the Texan. - -“How?” - -“Those lectures never last later than ten. I’d have a cab take Mabel -home, drop her, and have cabby land me at this ranch in double-quick -order.” - -“Well, you ought to thank your luck that you’re not compelled to listen -to that lecture. Don’t you hear lectures enough?” - -“Listen!” snorted Buckhart. “What’s the matter with you, pard? You don’t -suppose I was going to that lecture with the idea of listening to it, do -you? I was going to take a girl—the girl—the only girl. I was going to -steal a lap on Claxton. I wouldn’t care if the old lecture was about the -Hottentots or the Zulus. Partner, I’m going to get into that lecture if -I have to pay a ten-dollar premium on tickets. You hear me warble!” - -“You’d better forget it,” said Dick. - -But the Texan did not forget it, and on Thursday he triumphantly -announced that he had secured tickets by paying double price for them. - -“Well, you’d better consult Jones about staying out after ten to-night,” -advised Dick. - -Brad consulted Blessed and was given permission to attend the lecture on -his pledge to lose no time about getting to bed after it was over. - -“Going to do this thing up brown, partner,” chuckled Buckhart, as he -dressed that evening. “My carriage will call for me at seven-thirty. If -you happen to see Claxy this evening, be good enough to find a way to -tell him that I’ve taken Miss Ditson to the lecture. That sure ought to -bump him some.” - -In spite of his promise to seek the mattress as quickly as possible -after the lecture was over, Brad permitted himself to be lured into the -house by Mabel, who told him that Barbara wished to see him. He did not -stop many minutes, but came out in high good spirits, bounded down the -steps, reached the waiting cab, flung open the door, and jumped in. - -He sprang into the enfolding arms of some one who was sitting inside the -cab. Those arms, clasped about his own, held him like bands of steel. - -“Whoop!” roared the Texan, in astonishment. “Whatever does this mean?” - -Over his shoulder a voice said: - -“Lively with that stuff! Come on, quick!” - -Then Brad perceived a dark figure in front of him and suddenly a sickly, -pungent odor assailed his nostrils. A handkerchief saturated with -chloroform was held over his mouth and nose. - -The Texan put up a savage fight, but his efforts were futile, and in the -end he was overcome, sinking helpless in the arms of the fellow who had -clung to him with such fierce tenacity through it all. - -When Brad revived he found himself in a basement room, stretched upon a -wretched cot, with a rough table near at hand and a smoking lamp burning -on the table. It was some time before he could realize his situation. -Gradually he recalled what had happened, and, with a groan, he started -up from the couch. He was still dressed in evening clothes, although his -collar and necktie had been torn away. There was a sensation of nausea -at the pit of his stomach and his head swam. After a moment he was -forced to sink back upon the couch. - -“What does it mean?” he muttered. “Where am I, anyhow? How did I get -here?” - -There were no windows save a small, narrow transom above the one heavy -door of the room. He was impressed with the belief that the room was -sunken deep beneath the ground and no sounds he made could be heard -outside. Nevertheless, finally summoning his strength, he raised an -outcry. - -When there was no answer he succeeded in dragging himself to his feet, -reeled across the cemented floor, and tried to open the door. - -It refused to move before his efforts. - -“No use,” he muttered, stumbling back to the couch and dropping upon it. -“I’m bagged. I can’t understand it, and I suppose I’ll have to wait -until somebody comes around to explain. If it’s a joke, it’s a blamed -poor one. You hear me gurgle!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - FROM THE BAR Z RANCH. - - -Although he had promised to return early that night, the Texan did not -return at all. Dick was highly vexed over Buckhart’s failure to come in -as soon as he had promised, finally falling asleep with the intention to -give Brad a piece of his mind in the morning. - -In the morning the Texan was still absent. Dick became alarmed. As soon -as possible he telephoned to Mabel and learned that Brad had bidden her -good night before ten-thirty the previous evening. - -What had become of Buckhart? This was the question which soon stirred up -no end of excitement, but midday delivery brought Dick a letter which he -anxiously opened, reading the following message: - - “DEAR PARD: Suppose you’re a heap worried about me. You needn’t be. - I’m all right. Will explain on meeting you in Providence. I’ll be - there in time to do the backstopping in that game. Depend on me. - - “Faithfully, BRAD.” - -Not thirty minutes behind the letter arrived a startlingly picturesque -individual who nearly pulled the door bell out by the roots and scared -Maggie when she appeared at the door by yanking off his broad-brimmed -hat, making a sweeping bow and huskily saying: - -“How are yer, miss? Is this yere the ranch where Brad Buckhart can be -found?” - -Maggie was tempted to close the door in the face of that bewhiskered, -sunburned, booted, and spurred man. From his Stetson hat to his -high-heeled boots he looked like the burlesque Western desperado seen on -the stage. Around his waist he wore a loose belt which supported a -pistol holster, the latter, however, being empty. - -“Mr. Buckhart—he—rooms here,” faltered Maggie, “but you see, -sir—he—ain’t to home now.” - -“Waal, that’s all right, my gal,” said the fierce-looking man, “I’ll -just walk in and wait for him. You see I’m from his father’s ranch, the -Bar Z, and the old man axed me to look up Brad while I was on yere. You -can show me his room, little gal. I’ll squat thar.” - -Shiveringly Maggie led the way to Buckhart’s room, into which the -visitor strode with an air of perfect self-assurance. - -“I—I’m afraid you’ll have to wait an awful long time, sir,” said the -girl. “I understand Mr. Buckhart he has gone away somewhere, sir.” - -“Waal, whar’s he gone?” - -“I dunno, sir. I dunno’s anybody knows, sir.” - -Dick Merriwell looked in from the adjoining room. He had the singular -letter in his hand, for he was still puzzling over it. - -“Do you want to see Buckhart, sir?” he inquired. - -“I sure do,” answered the visitor. “Mebbe you can tell me when he’ll git -back. My name is Bill Bugle, and I’m a cow-puncher from the Bar Z. You -see the boy’s old man axed me would I drop round and see him and bring -back a report as to how he was gittin’ along here. Who are you?” - -“My name is Merriwell, and I’m——” - -“Put her thar!” shouted Bugle, extending his hand. “Why, you’re Brad’s -kid pard. You’re the youngster he’s writ so much about to his old man. -I’m certain powerful glad to meet up with you.” - -Maggie retreated, leaving them together, and in a very short time Dick -and the visitor became surprisingly friendly. The door into the hall was -closed, and, listening from the stairs some minutes later, Miss Swazey -heard Dick and Bugle laughing in the most friendly manner. They seemed -to be enjoying something like a joke. - -A little later Dick gave out the contents of the letter he had received. -When its genuineness was doubted he asserted that the writing looked -like that of Buckhart, and he was confident the Texan would show up in -Providence according to his promise. - -Among the freshmen who accompanied the team to Providence were to be -seen the entire Ditson crowd. On reaching the city they took a suite of -rooms at a medium-priced hotel, and immediately pooled every dollar they -could raise for the purpose of betting against Yale. - -“It’s a dead cinch!” Mike Lynch asserted. “Without Buckhart behind the -bat Merriwell will be hammered out of the box.” - -“But how do you know for a fact that he won’t have Buckhart?” inquired -Mel Daggett. “Of course we all know that the Texan isn’t with the team, -but they say Merriwell has heard from him and he’s promised to be in the -game.” - -“That’s all right, Mel,” smiled Duncan Ditson knowingly. “We have -reasons to know that Buckhart won’t show his nose on the field -to-morrow. He won’t be in the game, so don’t you worry about your money. -Here’s where we fellows make a clean-up that will put us on our feet -again.” - -“If we don’t,” said Jim Poland; “if we lose, I’m ruined this time. I -don’t know how I’m going to raise another dollar.” - -That night Ditson and Lynch slept well after drinking to their good -luck, which they believed was assured. The following forenoon the Yale -men put in some light practice on the field. They waited in vain for the -appearance of Buckhart, although Dick remained confident that Brad would -show up. - -But when the time arrived for the team to dress and proceed to the field -Buckhart was still missing. No one seemed more disappointed over this -than Bill Bugle, who hung around the boys, and, through Dick’s -intercession, was finally given permission to ride to the field on the -barge with the players. - -“I used to play this yere game some myself,” he announced. “I wonder if -you youngsters wouldn’t let me git holt of the ball. I’d like to do some -batting for ye when ye practice.” - -“We’ll have to take you for a mascot,” said Robinson. “If you can bat -for us, we’ll let you do so.” - -There was more or less laughter and joshing from the Providence boys as -the Yale team marched onto the field with Bugle at the side of Blessed -Jones. Every one watched with intense curiosity to see what the man -would do when he seized a bat and prepared to take part in the practice. -To the surprise of all, he hammered the ball in a scientific manner, -driving it wherever he chose and in whatever manner he chose. - -But Buckhart was still absent and the Yale players were downcast. They -were talking about a substitute catcher when Bugle announced that he was -going to do the catching himself. They gave very little heed to this -until Tucker called attention to the fact that the Westerner was -shedding his garments. The man had stepped out into an open space near -the Yale bench where he proceeded to kick off his high-heeled boots, -skin his shirt over his head, and snap himself out of his trousers -before a hand could be lifted to prevent. These movements produced a -most astonishing metamorphosis, for beneath those outer garments Bugle -wore the baseball uniform of Yale Uumpty-ten. Not only that, but his -whiskers and long hair vanished with the rest of his outfit, and, as he -turned toward the bench, Dick Merriwell observed: - -“I told you Brad would arrive on time, boys. Here he is.” - -The astonishment of the Yale lads was unspeakable, for before them stood -Buckhart, smiling and wiping some of the grease paint from his face with -a soiled handkerchief. - -“Just a little joke,” explained Brad, with a wink. “We’ll talk it over -later, fellows. Now let’s get into this game and eat Brown up.” - -In the midst of the universal excitement the consternation of the Ditson -crowd failed to attract particular attention. As for Lynch and Duncan, -both seemed to fancy themselves dreaming. They were aroused by Daggett, -who snarled at them: - -“You know a lot, don’t you? You knew Buckhart wouldn’t be here, but -there he is!” - -“Yes, there he is,” muttered Poland, who had lost heart at once, “and -Yale will win this game. Fellows, we’re busted, every blamed one of us.” - -Jim was right, for Yale put up a great game against the clever Brown -freshmen. Nevertheless, it was nobody’s game until the eighth inning, -when, with the bases filled, Buckhart smashed out a home run that proved -to be the undoing of Brown. Among Dick’s backers the man behind the bat -was the one who really won the game. - -It was true the entire Ditson crowd was unspeakably disgusted and sore. -That night they quarreled among themselves, and Mel Daggett wore a black -eye for some days thereafter. - -Of course Dick had known for a certainty that Buckhart would be in the -game, having penetrated the disguise of the young Texan shortly after he -appeared as Bill Bugle. The letter was a clever forgery. Brad had -succeeded in escaping through his own efforts, having broken the lock on -the door of the wretched room in which he found himself confined. - -Although the Texan believed there had been no intention to perpetrate -serious injury upon him, he thirsted for revenge upon the fellows who -had sought to carry through such a rascally piece of business. This led -him to visit the costumer so often patronized by Dick, where he secured -the cowboy outfit and made himself up to pass as a cattleman from the -Bar Z. - -“But the fact that they lost their bets doesn’t satisfy me by a whole -lot,” he declared. “I’d like to have proof of the identity of those two -gents who nabbed me in the cab. If I ever do get such proof, I’ll light -on them all spraddled out. You hear me softly warble!” - -A few days later, Dick was pitching for practice, when a number of the -members of the varsity nine happened along and were at once struck with -the wondrous way in which Dick manipulated the ball. - -“The varsity nine is mighty weak as to pitchers,” said one of the -spectators of Dick’s skill. “I wish it were possible to get Merriwell to -help us.” - -The others laughed at the idea of the possibility of a mere freshman -giving instructions to the men of the varsity nine. Yet this chance -remark made by a junior classman led on to very practical results. For -not long after that Dick was called upon to give a practical -demonstration of his cleverness with the ball for the edification of the -varsity nine. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - A PITCHER NEEDED. - - -For some time, indeed, there had been a feeling of uneasiness and -apprehension on the varsity nine. This feeling culminated following the -game with Williams in which the youngsters from the hilly country came -near administering a most disgraceful trouncing to Yale. Pitcher after -pitcher was tried in the box by the Elis, but the Williams lads seemed -to find every blue twirler an easy mark. Only for the terrific batting -of Henderson, and Cunningham’s freak home run that sent in three men -ahead of him, Williams would have scooped the game. - -That there was something the matter with Yale’s pitching staff the -critics acknowledged. Efforts had been made to keep this fact out of the -newspapers, and in some way influence had succeeded in gagging Walter -Billings, the college reporter, whose opinions in regard to Yale -athletics were highly respected and universally conceded to be -remarkably astute. But Billings could be choked off no longer. He grimly -declared that it was for the good of the nine and forthwith proceeded to -express his opinion in print. From him it became universally known that -Yale was far from satisfied with her pitching staff. - -“Pumper” Welch, the chief pitcher of the team, was so sore over this -that he refused to recognize Billings for several days. Welch claimed -that a slight lameness in his arm had prevented him from doing his best -in the Williams game. No one could remember of hearing him mention this -lameness before he was batted out of the box. More than that, he seemed -to have unusual speed that day, but the Williams lads had a taste for -speed and simply ate up his fast ones. - -In order to do its best a team must have confidence in its pitcher. -Without such confidence the players are liable to make the most -outrageous errors and in many cases the entire team will get rattled and -go to pieces at a critical moment. - -Yale dreaded the games that lay before her. The harder ones were to -come. If Williams could be defeated only by a fluke home run, what would -happen when the blue went up against the crimson? Harvard had the -pitchers, and everything seemed to indicate that her team was stronger -than it had been the season before when she snatched the championship -from Yale in two straight. - -Manager, captain, and coaches were worried. Consultations were frequent -There was any amount of guarded talk and argument and a great deal of -dubious head-shaking. Something must be done, but what?—that was the -question. - -One balmy morning Dick Merriwell met Billings on the campus. Walter -squinted at Dick through his spectacles and then stopped short and -called to him. - -“Hello, Merriwell,” he said, shaking the freshman’s hand. “How’s trix? -Everything going all right?” - -“First-rate,” was the cheerful answer. - -“But you’re pitching your arm off, boy. Now don’t tell me you’re not. -You’re doing too much. You’ll hurt yourself.” - -“I’m pretty careful of that arm,” laughed Dick. “I watch it and care for -it as if it were a baby. I don’t think I’ll injure it, Billings.” - -“But you’re doing more than half the pitching for your team. You’re -winning the games, too, and I know you’ve got a third-rate bunch behind -you.” - -Some fellows would have swelled up and looked flattered over a -compliment like this, but not so with Dick. Instead of that he gravely -protested that he thought the Umpty-ten team very good indeed. Billings -grinned but failed to provoke the freshman into the slightest display of -amused sarcasm. - -“You talk as if you meant it,” said the reporter. - -“I do.” - -“Impossible!” - -“I do,” repeated Dick. “No pitcher can win right along unless he has -good backing.” - -“Oh, but there are a lot of soreheads who are not playing on your team.” - -“I know that, and we’re better off without such fellows. Their -jealousies and ambitions make them detrimental to the good of any team -they get on.” - -“Well, I guess that’s right,” nodded Billings. - -“I’d rather have nine men who are not quite so brilliant, but who have -the right spirit and the determination to play the game for the glory of -their team or college than to have a team made up of stars, every one of -whom is looking for his own glory.” - -“You’ve got a level head, young fellow,” said Billings. “You’re all -right. I’ve been watching you some time. You’re a comer, and I bet my -life you’ll get there.” - -“Thank you,” murmured Dick, blushing. - -“I’m sorry you’re a freshman this year. Wish you weren’t barred from -varsity baseball. The varsity needs you.” - -“Oh, I don’t think——” - -“I know,” interrupted Billings quickly. “You’d be a great help to the -varsity nine. It’s no secret now that we are weak on the slab.” - -“There are candidates enough.” - -“Candidates enough, such as they are. Never in my life saw such a swarm -of fellows trying to pitch. They’ve been culled out and sifted down to -five or six at the present time, but out of what remains there’s not a -single steady, cool-headed, reliable man with real talent for pitching. -Of course, I don’t want to be quoted, Merriwell. I wouldn’t say this to -every one, but it’s a fact.” - -“There’s no danger that I’ll repeat it, Billings. It’s a shame.” - -“It is a shame!” growled Walter. “Already we’ve been beaten by some of -the smaller teams. What will happen to us when we go up against some of -the better ones? It makes me sick to think what Harvard is sure to do to -us.” - -“What’s the matter with Welch for a pitcher?” - -“The trouble is right here,” answered Billings, tapping his forehead. -“Welch has speed and kinks and all that, but he doesn’t use his head.” - -“Well, there’s Swett. Every one seemed to think him a wizard.” - -“He’s a spit-ball pitcher, and that’s all you can say about him. He -hasn’t another thing but the spit ball, and some days he’s liable to -throw that straight up into the air.” - -“How about Dud Towne?” - -“All he knows anything about is a drop. Give him a hard game, put him up -against good batters, and he insists on pitching that drop all the time. -Result, a lame arm constantly. He’s been told that he’ll ruin his wing.” - -“Well, there’s Wilbur Keene.” - -“In my opinion he’s the most promising man we have. He’s the youngest -and the least experienced, but he’s in earnest and he has a splendid -inshoot which is frightfully hard to hit; but he lacks confidence, and -there’s always a chance that he’ll blow up in a tight place.” - -“With proper coaching some of these fellows ought to make good men.” - -“With proper coaching—there’s the rub. Welch resents coaching. Towne is -too opinionated, and set to improve by it. Swett is so sensitive that he -can’t accept criticism. Besides that, it takes a peculiar talent to -coach a pitcher properly. I say, Merriwell, why don’t you come out to -the field this afternoon? I suppose you’re busy with your own team, but -you might get off for an hour. Come along with me, will you? I’d like to -have your ideas concerning the practice and the men. You might give me -some hints that I can use.” - -“I wouldn’t like to do that,” said Dick. “Not for the world would I let -any one get the impression that I had criticized the varsity.” - -“All right, then, don’t give me any hints, but come out to the field. It -won’t do you any hurt to stay away from your own team’s practice -to-day—it’ll do you good. Will you come if I’ll fix it? I’ll speak to -Jones about it.” - -“Well, if you’re so eager for my society and you can arrange it,” -laughed Dick, “I’ll come.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - DICK ACCEPTS A CHALLENGE. - - -The field presented a lively appearance when Billings and Merriwell -arrived that afternoon. Three or four coachers were hard at work with -the regular players and the substitutes. Of the pitchers three were -limbering their arms while two more batted for the practicing fielders. -The manager and the head coach were standing apart from the other men on -the field, engaged in an earnest argument. Captain Emery was working -like a Trojan, and it was plain by the expression on his face that he -was not wholly without worry. Some forty or fifty students were -scattered about in little groups on the bleachers, watching the -practice. - -Billings was recognized the moment he appeared, but the sudden show of -interest, the sudden craning of necks—Billings’ companion caused all -this. - -“It’s Merriwell.” - -“What’s he doing here?” - -“There’s a pitcher.” - -“It’s a shame we can’t use him.” - -“Oh, I don’t know. He might not prove so much in real fast company.” - -At this the fellow who had expressed regret because the varsity was not -permitted to use Dick proceeded to straighten up and assert his belief -that the freshman was just about the hottest thing in the way of a -twirler that had been seen at Yale since the days of his famous brother. - -“Mark what I say,” said this chap, shaking a finger in the air, “that -boy is a wizard. I’ve watched him pitch, and I know what I’m talking -about. He has some kinks up his sleeve that no one ever saw before.” - -“Can he throw the double shoot?” laughed a sarcastic chap with a -cigarette. “You know Frank Merriwell had the reputation of pitching such -a ball. Why, there are fellows right here in college who really believe -he could throw a ball that would curve two ways.” - -“Of course you don’t believe anything of that kind?” - -“Do I look like an idiot? I admit that Merriwell had some kind of a -deceptive twist, but common sense will tell any one that the double -shoot is a rank impossibility.” - -“There was a time,” said the other, “that common sense seemed to tell -every one that any kind of a curve was an impossibility. Even at the -present time there are lots of curves and shoots that cannot be -explained by the wisest seers. Who can give an acceptable theory of the -erratic actions of the spit ball? Sometimes it curves slowly, sometimes -it doesn’t curve at all, and sometimes it breaks at a sharp angle.” - -“What’s Billings doing with Merriwell?” inquired a curious chap. “He’s -taken him over to the bench. They’re talking with Leyden.” - -Leyden was the head coach. It happened that Billings was simply -introducing Dick to the man. - -“How are things going to-day, Mr. Leyden?” inquired the reporter. - -The coach regarded him suspiciously. - -“Now don’t come to me for material,” he said. “You’ve made trouble -enough already, Billings. Go ahead and write your stuff, but don’t -expect assistance from me.” - -Billings smiled. - -“I think I’ve taken pains never to give away any confidences or -secrets,” he said. “No one has the good of the team more at heart than I -have. Sometimes it becomes necessary to tell the truth. I kept still -until outsiders began to get onto the actual condition here. It’s no -secret that Yale needs pitchers. I wish we were in position to give this -boy a trial, Leyden.” - -He placed his hand on Dick’s shoulder as he spoke, causing the lad to -flush and look embarrassed. - -“Of course you know we can’t do that, and he might not prove the man we -need if we could.” - -“This boy,” said Walter, “is a natural pitcher. He’s made a study of it, -and he has a few original curves of his own.” - -“There are no original curves nowadays, Billings. There’s nothing new in -that line.” - -“Think so?” - -“Say, why don’t you give Merriwell an opportunity to pitch for batting -practice? Your batting practice is rather tame in my estimation. Can’t -get a pitcher to go out there and pitch the way he would in a game, you -know. They simply go out and throw the ball straight over. This doesn’t -do much good for the batter.” - -“I didn’t come out to take any part in the practice, Billings,” said -Dick hastily. - -Discovering Merriwell, Pumper Welch came slouching up, a sarcastic smile -on his face. Welch had never liked Dick, and he now seized the -opportunity to be nasty. - -“Hello, Merriwell,” he said. “I suppose you’ve come out to show us how -to pitch?” - -There was something absolutely insulting in the way these words were -spoken. - -“How do you do, Welch,” bowed the freshman, his eyes snapping a bit. “I -didn’t come out to show you how to pitch. I presume you know it all.” - -“I won’t come to you to learn what I don’t know,” was the instant -retort. - -Dudley Towne came forward. Like Welch, Towne had no love for Dick. He -had not forgotten how, in the fall games, the freshman had outpitched -him. - -“Why aren’t you practicing with your team this afternoon, Merriwell?” he -inquired. “I presume you’re such an expert that you really don’t need to -practice much of any?” - -Frank Emery came trotting forward. - -“We’re going to get some batting practice now,” he said. “You pitch -first, will you, Towne? Wake up a little and give ’em something to hit. -Don’t simply lob over some lazy straight ones. You haven’t got to pitch -your arm off, but you can use a few curves, you know.” - -Towne scowled and looked sulky. - -“My wing is lame, cap,” he said. “Don’t you think I’ve used it about -enough this afternoon? Of course, I’ll pitch if you say so, but——” - -“If your arm is lame, I should think you’d keep it covered up when you -get through working,” said Emery warmly. “Why, you don’t even put on a -sweater, Towne. A man without sense enough to take care of his arm is -bound to have a lame wing the most of the time. We can get along without -you. Where’s that freshman, Toleman? He’s the only fellow who really -does give the batters any practice that’s worth while.” - -“Toleman hasn’t been out this afternoon,” said Leyden. “Billings was -just proposing that we should use this youngster in batting practice.” - -“Oh, hello, Merriwell!” cried Emery cordially. “What are you doing here? -All right, come ahead and pitch a while, will you?” - -“This was not my proposition,” said Dick. “I simply came round to look -on. Thought I might pick up some points for my own benefit, you know.” - -At this Welch laughed unpleasantly. - -“Just peel off and pitch a while, Merriwell,” he said. “I wish you -would. I’d like to bat against you. I’ve never had a chance. You’re -pretty clever at striking out freshmen, but you’ll find it different -against real batters. I’m a fairly good hitter myself, and I don’t think -you could strike me out in a week.” - -“Perhaps not,” admitted Dick. - -Thinking Merriwell frightened, Welch proceeded to rub it in by offering -to give the boy ten dollars every time he struck out if Dick would give -him a dollar for every clean hit he made. - -“Which is the same as betting,” said Dick. “I never bet.” - -“Of course he doesn’t,” chuckled Towne. “He hasn’t sand enough. I don’t -believe he has the nerve to get out here and pitch for batting -practice.” - -“What sort of batting practice is this to be?” demanded Dick sharply. -“Under ordinary circumstances the pitching is not made too difficult for -the batter. It’s not customary in such practice for the pitcher to -deceive the batter in any possible way. Instead of that, he is to put -the ball over if he can.” - -“If you’ll pitch, I shall be highly pleased to have you deceive me in -any possible manner,” said Welch. “Just show what you can do, will you? -They say Manhattan College has a pitcher after your style, and I just -want to show the boys what I’m going to do to him.” - -“Go ahead, Merriwell,” urged Emery. - -Thus challenged, Dick proceeded to pull off his coat and get ready for -business. - - - - - CHAPTER XXX. - THE FRESHMAN PITCHER. - - -Dick had not come out for that purpose, and he gave Billings a -good-natured frown, receiving in return an equally good-natured smile of -satisfaction. Things had happened exactly the way Billings had hoped -they would. It was his belief that Merriwell could show the varsity -pitchers a few tricks, but the boy was not the kind voluntarily to show -off, and the pride and prejudice of the varsity pitchers would prevent -them from seeking any tips of a freshman. - -It must be confessed that Merriwell’s blood had been warmed a little by -the unconcealed sneering of Welch and Towne. He knew both of these -fellows disliked him heartily, and, to tell the truth, he was not -inclined to waste any love on them. - -Having practically stated that he would do all sorts of things to Dick’s -delivery, Welch sought permission to lead off in the batting and was -given a nod by Emery. - -For the first time Billings was a trifle worried, for he feared the -freshman might not be up to his usual form. If this should be the case -and the boy was batted freely and heavily, Billings knew he would “get -the laugh” from those chaps who were eagerly watching for him to make a -mistake in judgment. - -“As this is not to be ordinary batting practice, Emery,” he said, “why -don’t you appoint an umpire to call balls and strikes? That’s the only -way to make a fair test of it.” - -“You might do that, Leyden,” suggested Emery. “It will give you a chance -to watch the kid’s curves. You can tell in a few moments if he has -anything up his sleeve.” - -The coach jogged out and took his position back of the pitcher’s stand. -A few of the regulars and a number of subs were placed on bases and in -the field. Del Cranch, the catcher, leisurely sauntered into position -some twenty-five feet behind the batter. There was no reason why he -should get under the stick where he might be hurt, just to limber his -arm a bit, Dick threw a few balls to the chap on first. - -“Now watch me pound this wonderful freshman’s curves,” invited Welch, in -a low tone, as he walked out to the plate. - -“Pumper is too confident,” muttered Dudley Towne. “I’ve batted against -Merriwell, and he isn’t easy, although I wouldn’t tell him so for the -world.” - -The first ball delivered by Dick looked good to Welch, but it took a -queer inward twist, passing close to his knees, and he did not even foul -it. - -“One strike,” called Leyden. “You’ll have to use better judgment than -that, Welch. It didn’t even cross the inside corner.” - -Pumper shrugged his shoulders and grinned. - -“Just wanted to encourage him, that’s all,” he said. “Now he’ll have to -put ’em over.” - -But the next two balls were wide, which made it seem that Dick’s control -was rather poor. - -“Oh, come! come!” cried the batter. “You can’t fool me, kid. Don’t wear -yourself out. Don’t waste your strength. Get ’em over, get ’em over.” - -Even as Pumper was speaking Dick delivered a speedy one that seemed to -make the air sizzle. - -Welch struck under it at least a foot. - -“Hello, hello,” muttered Leyden, “that was a pretty jump ball. Can you -throw it when you wish, youngster?” - -“If I’m in proper form, I can. Occasionally I can’t make it jump as much -as I would like. It’s one of the hardest balls to pitch, because there -seems to be no regular way to throw it that will give positive and -consistent results. Sometimes when I try hardest to make it jump it pans -out to be merely a high straight ball.” - -“Do you pitch a raise ball the same as you do the jump?” - -“Oh, no,” answered Dick quickly. “The two are pitched in entirely -different ways. The jump is the result of extreme speed with an overhand -delivery. I’ll pitch the raise ball now.” - -These final words were spoken in such a low tone that they did not reach -the ears of Welch. Grasping the ball exactly as if he meant to pitch an -outcurve, Dick swung his arm, dropping his hand nearly to the level of -his knee. The ball left his hand and came floating up toward the -batter’s shoulder in a most deceptive manner. There was no great speed, -and it seemed easy enough to hit the ball. Nevertheless, Welch struck -under it, for, even though he knew it was a rise, he found it something -he could not accurately gauge. - -“One strike-out,” called Leyden. “Try again, Pumper. Perhaps you’ll do -better next time.” - -A tinge of red leaped into the cheeks of Welch, and he bit his lips -angrily. - -“Yes, that’s once,” he admitted. “I’m all through encouraging the kid.” - -“You’ve been very kind,” said Dick, with mock gratitude. - -“He’s laughing at you, Welch,” whispered Towne behind his outspread -hand. - -Pumper set his teeth and squared his jaw, gripping the bat fiercely. An -outcurve nearly led him into reaching, but he checked himself just in -time for Leyden to call a ball instead of a strike. Another outcurve -followed and Welch edged up close to the rubber, his toes almost -touching it. - -Dick now grasped the ball firmly with two fingers, while his curved -thumb touched it very lightly. Keeping his hand in an upright position -as he swung, he let the ball go over the tips of his fingers with a -lateral motion. All the speed he could command was put into this -delivery. When the ball left his fingers it was turning from right to -left and apparently aimed to cross the outside corner of the plate. - -Just as Welch swung the sphere took a sudden inshoot, and he actually -felt its breath as it twisted past his ear. - -Realizing he had been deceived by a high inshoot that had nearly hit -him, Welch snarled at the freshman: - -“Look out there! You came near hitting me in the head then! You want to -be careful!” - -“If you’d been hit in the head, Pumper, you might have blamed yourself,” -said Leyden. “You’re standing on top of the rubber. Get back the proper -distance.” - -By this time Welch was both angry and ashamed. He sullenly moved back -from the plate, feeling his blood leaping hotly in his veins. - -“I’ve got to hit the next one I swing at,” he thought. “I’ve got to—and -I will.” - -In spite of this determination, he merely fouled the next ball he went -after. - -“Saved yourself by touching it,” said Leyden. “You still have a chance.” - -Thus far, with the single exception of the raise ball, Dick had been -using speed. He now swung overhand as if intending to throw a swift one, -but when the ball left his fingers it seemed to hang in the air as if -some invisible force was retarding it. Welch saw it coming and knew it -would cross the pan fairly. He was impatient to hit at it, and, in spite -of himself, he could not wait until the ball was near enough. Swinging -far too soon, he missed it entirely. Some of the spectators laughed. - -Welch longed to send his bat spinning at Dick Merriwell’s head, for -there is nothing so provoking to a batter as to be fooled by a slow -ball. It makes him feel foolish, and the laughter that invariably greets -his ears arouses his ire. - -“That’s two strike-outs, and you haven’t even hit a little one into the -diamond, Welch,” reminded Leyden. “The youngster is fooling you.” - -Welch was at a loss for words. - -“Where’s Henderson?” cried some one. “Carl’s the man to bump that sort -of pitching.” - -Carl Henderson was the most reliable batter on the Yale team. The -pitcher who could strike him out had good reason to plume himself on his -feat. - -“I’m not through yet,” declared Welch hastily. “I’m just getting his -measure. In batting practice we always have three hits at the ball.” - -“But there are others who wish to try their skill some time this -afternoon, you know,” drawled Billings. “If they wait for you to get -three hits, Welch, I’m afraid they won’t have a chance to try their luck -at all.” - -“Yar!” muttered Pumper to himself. “That bighead Billings always did -make me sick! He says the varsity is weak in the box. I suppose the next -thing that will happen he’ll write an article claiming the freshmen have -a better pitcher than the varsity.” - -“Don’t go off in a trance, Welch!” cried Leyden, as the ball whistled -past the batter. “That ball was straight over the heart of the pan, but -you didn’t see it, and I won’t call a strike on you.” - -Again Pumper heard a titter, and by this time his blood was being pumped -through his veins in such a manner that it caused a hammering sound in -his ears. He glared at Dick with the most malicious hatred. - -“Come on! come on!” he snapped. “I’m waiting! When you get through -showing off and playing your monkey tricks perhaps you’ll settle down -and pitch in a decent manner!” - -Merriwell made no retort, but deliberately tossed up a straight ball -that cut the plate in two equal halves. - -Welch, however, could not believe Merriwell had thrown a straight one, -and swinging in anticipation of a curve, he made another clean miss. -After all his boasting he was making a sorry spectacle of himself. - -Following this Pumper managed to foul the ball twice, but he ended by -biting at another jump and being again declared out by Leyden. - -“Here, give somebody else a chance, Welch,” called Captain Emery. “Let’s -see if the freshman is invincible. Come on, Henderson, show us what you -can do.” - -Pumper turned and savagely flung his bat toward the pile lying near the -bench. Even Towne joined in the chaffing that was tossed after him as he -retired from the plate. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI. - THE GREAT REBELLION. - - -Two of the pitchers, Sweet and Keene, were now behind Cranch, watching -the freshman’s curves. - -“I don’t see that he has anything in particular, do you?” muttered -Swett. - -“Nothing remarkable,” said Keene. - -“He has good control for one thing,” observed Cranch. “He can put the -ball just where he wants to.” - -“I don’t know,” came from Swett. “He doesn’t put them all over.” - -“He doesn’t want to.” - -“Most pitchers try to in batting practice.” - -“But you seem to forget that the freshman was up against a challenge. -Pumper made some talk about pounding him all over the field.” - -“Oh, Pumper’s great on making talk,” said Swett. “He doesn’t mean half -he says.” - -“But he’s sore now,” declared Keene, as Welch hurled his bat aside and -walked toward the bench. - -“Now take a lesson by that fellow,” muttered Cranch. “I’ve told him time -after time that his temper spoiled his pitching. When things go wrong in -a game he acts just as he’s acting now. A pitcher who permits himself to -get wrathy never can do his best.” - -“Well, we’ll see what Henderson can do to the freshie,” said Swett. “Old -Hen ought to biff him some.” - -Dick knew he was up against the crack batter of the varsity, and his -first inclination was not to attempt to strike Henderson out. The first -ball he delivered was straight over, and Carl smashed it out on a line. - -“Clean hit!” cried Leyden. - -“Oh, it’s different now! it’s different now!” shouted a voice. “The -freshie will find he’s pitching against a real batter!” - -“What fool said that?” snarled Welch, glaring around in search of the -speaker. - -Whoever it was, the fellow kept himself out of sight for the time being. - -Dick saw Swett and Keene laughing behind Cranch. There were other -players behind those fellows, all eager to watch the work of young -Merriwell. The boy was now spurred to do his best. - -When the ball was returned to him Dick settled himself for business. -Three times he pitched the jump to Henderson and three times Henderson -fouled. Then a sharp twisting drop caused the batter to make a clean -miss, and Merriwell secured the credit of a strike-out. - -“Well! well! well!” shouted a fellow on the bleachers. “What’s the -matter with Hen?” - -Welch sat up and took notice. - -“If he can strike Henderson out again,” thought Pumper, “I won’t feel so -bad over my own batting.” - -The great Yale hitter leaned over the rubber plate and thumped it with -the end of his “slugger.” - -“That was first-rate, Merriwell,” he nodded. “You certainly caught me -napping.” - -A moment later Henderson batted a slow grounder into the diamond. It was -gathered cleanly and snapped to first. - -“No hit,” came from Leyden. “That would have been an easy out at first.” - -“Well, what do you think of that, Swett?” muttered Wilbur Keene. “Hen -doesn’t seem to be hitting the freshman very hard.” - -“Wait,” said Swett, “Carl is taking Merriwell’s measure. I reckon he’ll -baste it next time he swings.” - -But Dick was taking Henderson’s measure, and by this time he had learned -something of the great batter’s weak points. Two fouls followed, and -then, for the first time that day, Dick used the combination ball. It -started like a rise, but shifted into a drop, and once more Henderson -experienced the mortification of striking out. - -“Here, give me a chance,” laughed Captain Emery, seizing a bat and -trotting out to the plate. “Of course I don’t expect to do any better -than you fellows, but I want to see why it is you can’t hit him. He -looks easy enough.” - -Emery was a left-hand hitter. The moment he saw this, Dick shifted his -position, took the ball in his left hand, and pitched in that manner. - -“Hold on! hold on!” cried Emery. “You’re right-handed. What are you -doing, anyhow, Merriwell?” - -“I pitch with either hand,” smiled Dick. “As a rule, I use my left hand -when I find myself up against a left-hand hitter.” - -“Well, by Jove, I knew that, but I’d forgotten it!” said Emery. “You’re -the only pitcher I ever saw who could really do that trick. Have you any -speed with your left?” - -“Not much,” answered Dick; but a moment later he sent over a left-hander -that seemed to make the air smoke. - -“Oh, not a bit of speed—not a bit!” cried Emery, who struck and missed. - -Having struck the Yale captain out, Dick seemed satisfied, for he made -no further effort to secure strike-outs, although he continued pitching -for ten minutes or more. Once in a while he would send in a queer shoot -or curve that would bewilder the man at bat, but he did not keep himself -constantly at his best. - -Bill Toleman had arrived on the field as Dick walked out to pitch. After -watching Merriwell a while, Toleman retired to the bleachers and -listened to the comments of the spectators. What he overheard did not -seem to please him, and finally, in a surly manner, he left the field. -Keene was called out to pitch when Dick stopped. Leyden walked in to the -bench with the freshman. - -“Well, what do you think about the boy, Bill?” asked Billings, who was -smiling with a great deal of satisfaction. - -The coach scratched his head. - -“He certainly has the kinks and the control,” he admitted. “I’ve never -seen him pitch in a game, but if he has a level head I should say he’s -all the mustard.” - -This pleased Billings, who proceeded to call Emery and Leyden aside -where he could speak to them privately. - -“I don’t want you gentlemen to think I’m butting in,” he said, “but, of -course, you know that I have the interest of the team at heart just as -much as any one. I’m not here to give you any advice, but if you won’t -be offended, I’ll make a suggestion.” - -They exchanged glances, and then Emery said: - -“We’ll listen to your suggestion, Billings.” - -“Sure,” nodded Leyden. “We don’t have to accept it.” - -“Certainly not,” said Walter quickly. “It’s rather unusual, I will -admit; but why not get Merriwell to coach the varsity pitchers?” - -Emery looked astounded. - -“Unusual?” he cried. “I should say so. Whoever heard of such a thing? -Whoever heard of a freshman coaching men on the varsity nine?” - -“But there’s no reason why a freshman should not do such a thing if he’s -capable, is there? I don’t know of any reason.” - -“Nor I,” admitted Emery, turning to Leyden. “What do you think of this -peculiar proposition, Bill?” - -Leyden was a Yale grad. Had he been a professional coach, it is likely -he would have received Billings’ proposal with scornful derision; but, -really having the good of the team at heart, he now admitted that there -was, to his knowledge, no reason why a freshman should not coach any -member of any varsity team. - -“Will he do it?” asked Emery. - -“I think he’ll do anything in his power to help his college. He has the -right spirit. He’s a true Yale man.” - -“He must be pretty busy on his own team,” said Leyden. - -“He is,” nodded Billings. “Still, I think he would find a little time to -do this work I’ve suggested.” - -“If he undertook to coach all our pitchers, it would take his entire -time,” said Leyden. “We must pick out a man and turn him over to -Merriwell.” - -“A good suggestion,” nodded Emery. “Let’s see what the youngster can do -with one man.” - -“Whom will you choose?” questioned Billings. - -“Welch is our best pitcher. If he could get some of Merriwell’s kinks, -it would make us strong in the box. I suggest Welch.” - -A moment later Pumper was called by Emery. Wondering what they wanted, -he sauntered up and joined them. - -The captain of the nine quickly explained Billings’ proposal. Before -Emery had finished speaking the lips of Welch had begun to curl -disdainfully. - -“Preposterous!” he exclaimed, giving Walter a scornful look. “Why, there -isn’t a man on the team who’ll be coached by that freshman. The fellow -has a terrible swelled head, anyhow. If he got a chance to coach a -member of the varsity nine, he’d be simply intolerable.” - -Billings surveyed Pumper from head to heels. - -“Welch,” he said, “I’ve never yet seen a fellow as capable as Merriwell -who was so absolutely modest and unassuming. When you say he has a -swelled head you do so without reason.” - -“Perhaps I do,” growled Welch. “But what made him come out here and show -off to-day?” - -“I induced him to come, and as for showing off he was literally baited -into doing what he did. I believe that you announced that you were going -to show what you would do to some pitcher who resembles Merriwell. Well, -you demonstrated precisely what you will do. If you ever get up against -a pitcher like Merriwell, you’ll strike out. If that boy wasn’t a -freshman and barred from the varsity on that account, Yale would have a -cinch at the college baseball championship this year.” - -The flush had left Pumper’s face, and he was now quite pale. - -“I don’t know what business you have to meddle with baseball affairs, -Billings!” he cried hotly. “You’re always spying around to get hold of -something you can write up for the papers. You betray Yale’s athletic -secrets in order to get a few paltry dollars for your greedy pockets. -It’s mighty contemptible business, I think. This coaching idea was -suggested by you, and, therefore, I wouldn’t accept it, anyhow.” - -“Hold on, Welch,” came quickly from Emery; “you forget yourself. I’m -captain of the team. What I say——” - -“What you say goes, captain,” interrupted Pumper. “It goes with me as -long as I remain on the team; but if you attempt to put that freshman -over me as a coach, I’ll get off the team. I beg your pardon for -speaking like this, but I was forced into it.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII. - CUT DOWN. - - -Dick was crossing the campus. - -“Hello, Merry!” cried one of the group near the fence. “They tell me -you’re pitching for the varsity now.” - -“Not yet, Peterson,” smiled Dick, unruffled. - -“Not yet, but soon, I suppose. Toleman says you were out for practice -with the varsity team.” - -“Note the haughtiness of his manner,” cried another chap. “I suppose the -rules will be suspended in order to permit him to pitch.” - -There was much more of this sort of chaffing, but Dick took it all -good-naturedly and passed on his way. Buckhart was sitting on the steps -of the house on York Street. - -“Hey, pard!” he cried. “Waiting for you. She’s a baby!” - -“Who’s a baby?” asked Dick, in surprise. - -“My Sallie.” - -“Your who?” - -“Sallie. She’s a trim little girl. Light and airy and just my size.” - -“Say, what ails you?” - -“Come on and let’s hit the grub pile,” said Brad. “After we fill our -baskets I’m going to introduce you to Sallie. You’ll love her, I know -you will.” - -“I think you had better excuse me,” said Dick. “I’m too busy just now to -make the acquaintance of your Sallie, whoever the delightful damsel is.” - -The Texan chuckled but continued to insist that Dick must meet Sallie. -Nor would Brad accept no for an answer. In the soft twilight they made -their way down to the harbor front, and there, lying among other boats -at a float, was one toward which the Texan led his chum. - -“There’s _Sallie_,” said Brad, with a proud wave of his hand. “I told -you I was going to buy a boat, and I’ve done it. Paid thirty-five -dollars for her. How do you like her, Dick?” - -“So this is _Sallie_?” laughed Merriwell. “Well, by Jove! I expected to -meet a fair damsel with golden hair and heavenly blue eyes. She looks -good to me, Brad.” - -“Get the oars, boy,” said the Texan, turning to a rather tough-looking -youngster who had charge of the boats. “Bring both pair.” - -In a few moments the oars were brought and placed in the boat. - -“Now,” said Brad, “we’re going to be able to enjoy a row every night. -Three times we’ve been down here after a boat and couldn’t get anything -better than an old scow. There’ll be no more of that.” - -There was a soft haze on the harbor as the boys swung out from amid the -piers. Both handled the oars skillfully, and the light rowboat seemed to -glide over the surface of the water with scarcely a ripple. Here and -there a light was commencing to gleam along the shore. On the vessels -red and green lights were also being hoisted. Still, there was a golden -afterglow in the western sky, which flung its orange reflection over the -water. From one of the vessels at anchor came the sound of singing. -Other rowboats were gliding hither and thither amid the shipping. The -air was cool and refreshing. - -“This is great!” exclaimed Dick, with satisfaction. “By Jove! this will -be a good thing for us every night, Brad. I’m glad you bought _Sallie_, -and I agree with you that _Sallie_ is a peach.” - -“If it wasn’t for baseball,” said the Texan, “I’d sure go in for rowing. -A fellow can’t do both and cut much ice at either.” - -“Look out!” called Dick, looking over his shoulder. “There’s a small -steam launch cutting our course ahead of us. Let’s not try to run her -down.” - -They shifted their course, but a moment later, to their surprise, they -found that the launch had also changed its course and was heading almost -directly for them. - -“Wonder what they’re trying to celebrate?” growled Buckhart. “Can’t they -see us?” - -“Starboard, pull—pull hard!” cried Dick. - -But Brad misunderstood and pulled hard with his port oar, which offset -the efforts of Merriwell. - -With a rushing swish, the tiny steam launch puffed down upon them. - -“Look out!” roared the Texan. “Keep off! You’ll run us down!” - -Apparently the pilot of the launch did not hear this cry, for an instant -later, with a cutting crash, the sharp prow of the craft struck the -rowboat. - -The Texan had dropped his oars and risen to his feet. With an -electrified spring, he seized the gunwale of the launch and held fast as -the rowboat melted beneath his feet. - -Twice the Texan shouted for help. His feet and ankles were caught by a -rushing current of water and this brought a strain upon his hands which -threatened to break his grip. - -It seemed that at last his cries were heard, for some one looked over -the gunwale and discovered him clinging there. Looking upward, the Texan -found himself gazing straight into the evil, malicious eyes of Mike -Lynch. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII. - THE RED STAIN. - - -For a moment Lynch seemed to leer triumphantly at Brad, who realized -only too well his own desperate plight. The Texan knew the probable -result of losing his hold and being carried beneath the swiftly moving -launch. In a moment almost the boat would pass over him and the whirling -screw would cut and mangle him with its churning blades. It was sure -death to let go. - -And still he knew his hold would be broken unless he received aid within -a very few seconds. He could feel his fingers slipping on the smooth, -moist rail of the launch—slipping, slipping, slipping. Above him bent -the face of a fellow who hated him with an intensity that was really -deadly. Lynch was a vindictive, revengeful fellow, who would stop at -nothing in order to injure a person who had aroused his enmity. In those -moments of distress and anxiety, Buckhart was struck by the thought that -this malicious young ruffian had deliberately brought about the running -down of the _Sallie_. Having seen Dick and Brad in the rowboat, Mike had -deliberately cut them down. - -But where was Dick? As this question flashed through the Texan’s brain -he was seized with a shuddering, sickening sensation of horror. -Merriwell had vanished as the launch smashed into the rowboat, which was -cut in two like a frail eggshell. If overwhelmed and carried beneath the -launch, of course Dick had been struck by the propeller. - -That meant death. It meant that the boy’s mangled body might be found -drifting at the will of the harbor tides. It meant that he might be left -lifeless, gruesome, and ghastly, upon the muddy flats when the tide -receded. Perchance he might be carried out into the great Sound, the -blue waters of which were traversed by hundreds of sailing vessels, huge -white passenger steamers, and the magnificent pleasure yachts of -money-squandering millionaires. It was murder, and this creature Lynch -had committed the crime! - -With a snarl, a showing of his strong teeth, a fire gleam of his eyes, -the Texan strained and lifted himself in the effort to swing over the -rail and reach the wretch who hovered above him. - -Little chance he had of doing that through his own efforts. Apparently -Mike understood what Buckhart was trying to do, for in a moment he -seized the Texan’s hands and tore them from the slippery rail. - -“You cur!” groaned the helpless boy. - -But even as he expected to be dropped into the hissing water Mike -shouted for assistance, and a second person joined him, bending over the -rail and getting a grip on Brad’s coat between the shoulder blades of -the Texan. - -“Hoist away!” cried Lynch. - -An instant later the bewildered boy was dragged over the rail and found -himself floundering in the bottom of the launch. - -There were four persons in the boat. The one at the wheel was a rather -rough-looking, bearded man. The others were Mike Lynch, Duncan Ditson, -and Harold Du Boise. - -Ditson had assisted Lynch in lifting Buckhart to safety. Du Boise, -sitting in the stern, stared at the rescued youth with an air of dopey -comprehension. Lynch swore, and Ditson expressed his feelings by crying: - -“Well, what do you think of that? What the dickens were you trying to -celebrate, Buckhart?” - -“Just pulled right in front of me,” said the man at the wheel. “Couldn’t -help hitting his boat. She’s gone, and he can consider himself mighty -lucky that he didn’t go under with her.” - -The Texan sat up. - -“You lunatic at the wheel!” he roared. “You deliberately ran us down! My -pard—where is he? You’ve killed him! You’ve murdered him!” - -“What’s that?” exclaimed Lynch. “Was there any one with you in the boat -we struck?” - -“You know there was.” - -“We didn’t see you at all,” asserted Ditson. “We were sitting aft when -we heard the crash and felt a slight shock. Even then I didn’t know what -had happened. Berger said we’d hit a rowboat.” - -“I sprang forward and looked over,” said Lynch. “Saw you clinging to the -rail. This is mighty bad business.” - -“Turn back—turn back!” cried Buckhart. “Dick Merriwell was carried down -when you smashed my boat.” - -“Turn back at once, Berger,” commanded Ditson. “By Jove! this is bad. -There are the pieces of the boat, but I can’t see a sign of Merriwell.” - -The débris of the wrecked boat lay floating on the orange-tinted waves, -but Duncan spoke truly when he said there was no sign of Dick. Buckhart -rose to his knees and stared heart sick along the wake of the launch. - -“Gone!” he said. “He could swim like a fish, and we’d see something of -him if he had not been injured.” - -The man at the wheel brought the launch round with a sharp, sweeping -curve. - -“Slower, Berger,” commanded Duncan. “Here, let me have that wheel. You -look after your steam. Keep your eyes open, Mike. Can you see anything -of Merriwell?” - -In the stern Du Boise stirred slightly and drawled: - -“Didn’t you say you were going to hit the boat before we struck it, -Mike? I thought you said something about a rowboat.” - -“You’re dreaming!” snapped Lynch. “You didn’t hear us say anything of -the sort. Did he, Berger? We didn’t see the boat, did we?” - -“Not until it was too late to avoid it,” answered the bearded man, who -was now monkeying with the steam valves. “I’m not running down rowboats -for pleasure, although it’s a wonder the fools who row around the harbor -don’t get run down oftener than they do.” - -Buckhart was saying not a word now. With his strong hands gripping the -rail, he leaned forward, gazing at the placid water where the golden -tint was gradually changing to a dull reddish color like stagnant blood. -They slipped past a huge black hulk that lay anchored near the spot -where the catastrophe had occurred. Under the eastern rail of this -vessel the shadows were almost inky black. - -“We’ve passed the spot, Lynch,” muttered Ditson. “I’m afraid Merriwell’s -gone down for good.” - -“I’m afraid he has,” whispered Mike huskily. - -“Turn back,” came hoarsely from Buckhart’s lips. “We’ll cruise around -this locality as long as there’s a ghost of a hope left.” - -Duncan brought the boat round, and they retraced their course. This was -repeated over and over until the afterglow of sunset had faded in the -west and darkness shrouded the entire bosom of the harbor. Not until -Buckhart huskily confessed that he no longer hoped did Lynch or Ditson -propose abandoning the search. They had been questioned by other -persons, and a number of boats were moving about in that vicinity, while -the report of a collision and a drowning had been carried to the shore. - -The Texan seemed completely overcome by the horrible thing that had -happened. Not a word did he speak after the search was abandoned until -the launch swung alongside a float where they were to disembark. - -“You’ve tried all sorts of tricks to down my pard and myself,” he -observed, fixing his gaze on Lynch and Ditson. “At last you’ve succeeded -in murdering one of the whitest lads who ever lived. I said murder, and -that is the word I meant to use. Don’t tell me you didn’t see our boat. -Don’t tell me you didn’t run us down intentionally. And don’t you think -for an instant that you’re going to escape paying the penalty for the -crime. You can’t lie out of it. There are four of you in the secret, and -some one of you will make a false step and trip you all up. This thing -shall be investigated, I give you my word. If the body is found, you’ll -have a chance to face the coroner’s jury. If it isn’t found, you’ll have -a chance to face a jury just the same.” - -“Why, you’re daffy, Buckhart!” exclaimed Ditson. “You must be bughouse -to think we’d deliberately do anything like that.” - -“I know you wouldn’t stop at anything. Perhaps you didn’t mean to drown -either one of us when you ran us down. Perhaps you thought it would be a -fine joke to smash our boat and give us a ducking. Well, you see what’s -come of your fine joke. Dick Merriwell is at the bottom of the harbor, -and you, you miserable spawn of the earth—you have his blood on your -hands! You can’t wash it off. The stain will cling there even as it -clung to the hands of Lady Macbeth. And retribution is as sure for you -as it was for her.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV. - THE UNSEEN SHADOW. - - -He left them there shivering in the launch with a sudden chill that came -not wholly from the cool breath that crept in over the dark surface of -the harbor. They watched his dark bulk as he mounted the steps from the -float, nor did they speak until the sound of his feet died out upon the -pier. - -Lynch was the first to break the silence. He forced a laugh as he turned -to Ditson. - -“We’ve got something interesting to look for,” he observed, with an air -of bravado. “Mr. Buckhart was very theatrical in his threats.” - -“If I’d ever thought it would end this way——” - -Mike checked his companion by suddenly gripping Dunc’s arm and hissing: - -“Shut up! Don’t talk like that now! Of course we didn’t mean to drown -either one of them.” - -Berger stepped forward. - -“There’s something coming to me, gents,” he said. “Don’t forget it. You -made me a proposition to run down that boat.” - -“And you want to forget all about that, my man!” remarked Mike. “You’ll -get the money, all right, but you don’t want to tell any one that there -was any understanding between us. The whole thing was an accident. -Nobody saw the rowboat until just as we struck it. Say so and stick to -it—unless you want to do a turn in the stone jug.” - -“The money——” - -Lynch stepped close to Du Boise, to whom he spoke in a low tone. - -“Got to have some more money, Hal,” he said. - -“We’ve got to put a plaster over that man’s mouth. Cough up.” - -“Now, hold on,” protested Hal, after reaching into his pocket. “Seems to -me you’re inclined to push this thing too far. I’ve coughed up enough -already. I’ve been paying your bills for the last three days.” - -“Ever since I caught you skinning a bunch of easy marks with marked -cards,” said Mike. “I saved you from exposure by getting away with those -cards and substituting another pack when I found two of the fellows were -planning to make an investigation. You ought to be grateful, Du Boise. -You’re not as clever as you were once. There was a time when you didn’t -have to use ordinary markers to win at poker. The pace you’ve been -hitting has proved too much for you. But you made a fine haul off those -suckers, and when they insisted on examining the cards not a thing could -be proved against you, thanks to me. It was lucky I had a pack in my -pocket with backs almost exactly like those markers. The resemblance was -sufficient to fool the most of those chaps. Why, you thought you were -cornered yourself until you picked up one of the cards and examined it -closely.” - -“That’s right,” nodded Du Boise. “Even then I wondered if I wasn’t -dreaming. I didn’t know how it happened until you got me alone and -explained. I think I’ve shown my appreciation. It’s cost me over a -hundred dollars already.” - -“I tell you I’ll square with you when I’m flush again. I went broke on -that Providence game, and I had to raise money by hook or crook. You -came like a delivering angel, Hal. I’ve got to pay Berger twenty-five -dollars before we leave him this evening. Hand it over, old chap.” - -With a sigh, Du Boise drew forth his money, and, holding it close to his -eyes, separated four bills from the roll, three fives and a ten. - -Lynch took this money and gave it to Berger. - -“There it is,” he said, in a low tone. “Now let that keep your tongue -still. If you don’t, you’re liable to find yourself in a nasty scrape. -You were doing the steering, and, therefore, you were the one most -responsible.” - -“That’s right,” agreed Ditson quickly. “If you think to get out of this -business by turning State’s evidence, we’ll swear we were not in earnest -when we suggested you should run that boat down. We’ll say we were only -joking. We’ll deny we ever gave you a cent of money for that piece of -work.” - -“Now you’d better hold up right where you are,” growled the man, with an -intonation of disgust. “I’m no fool.” - -“I don’t know about that,” muttered Lynch. “If I’d been in your place, -twenty-five dollars never would have tempted me to run down a rowboat -containing two persons.” - -“You heard the threat of the chap who escaped,” said Ditson. “He’s the -kind of a fellow to make good. He talks a whole lot, but he means what -he says. You want to stand on your guard all the while. Don’t let any -one pump you. Of course you’ll be questioned about the affair.” - -“I don’t have to have no advice from youngsters like you,” growled -Berger, as he thrust the money deep into a safe pocket. “You take care -of yourselves, and I’ll take care of myself. You want to look out that -you don’t get tripped up. I reckon you’d better report this business to -the authorities. I’m going to see the harbor master myself. Good night.” - -Silently they mounted the steps from the float and paused, a shivering -group, on the unlighted pier. The little launch, with lights set, swung -out from the float and puffed away. Ditson stood gazing out over the -inky harbor, a feeling of horror threatening to take possession of him -and turn his blood to ice water. - -“Bad! bad!” he muttered. “If I’d only thought what might happen! But I -knew Merriwell could swim like a fish.” - -“Oh, cut that out!” growled Mike. “It’s no use getting sloppy now. What -I want is a drink, and I want it right away.” - -Du Boise buttoned his light overcoat and shrugged his shoulders. - -“I need a bracer myself,” he said. “Let’s get one quick.” - -They patronized the first saloon they came to, which proved to be a -rather disreputable-appearing sailors’ resort. Lynch and Ditson ordered -whisky, but Hal called for absinthe. - -“We don’t have none of dat here,” said the barkeeper. “Dem fancy drinks -don’t go wit’ our customers.” - -“Then I suppose I’ll have to take the same as my friends,” murmured Du -Boise. - -The whisky was of the vilest sort, and he shuddered and gasped after it -had passed down his throat. - -“A man who can drink that can stand anything,” he said, as he paid the -bill. - -In spite of the fiery drink they had swallowed, their blood remained -chill and sluggish, and a terrible load seemed weighting down their -hearts. Ditson could not help thinking of Dick Merriwell lying beneath -the dark waters of the harbor. The gruesome vision haunted him, and -finally he fiercely exclaimed: - -“Let’s go where we can get some decent whisky. Confound it all, I’m -frozen clean to my marrow.” - -“Where’ll we go?” inquired Du Boise. - -“Let’s go to Fred’s.” - -“And let’s get off this dark street,” said Lynch, who had been casting -occasional glances over his shoulders. “I can’t shake off the feeling -that some one is following us.” - -“Perhaps some one is following us,” said Du Boise. - -“Eh?” exclaimed Duncan, also glancing round. “I don’t see anybody. -There’s no one behind us.” - -“Perhaps there is,” said Hal. “Maybe you can’t see him even though he is -there.” - -“What do you mean? Who do you think is following us?” - -“A ghost,” was the whispered answer. “I don’t dare to look round, -fellows, but I can feel it. It’s right at our heels.” - -“Oh, rats!” sneered Lynch, forcing a hoarse laugh. “If you believe in -ghosts, you’re a big fool, Du Boise. There are no such things. I’m not -the least bit superstitious myself.” - -“Aren’t you?” - -“No.” - -“Not a bit?” - -“Not a bit.” - -“Then what makes you look round? You know there’s no living thing behind -you, yet you keep turning your head to peer over your shoulder. You -don’t see anything, but you can feel it just the same as I can. Ditson -feels it, too. We all know it’s there, fellows. I’m afraid the thing -will follow us the rest of our lives. I’m afraid we’ll never be able to -get away from it.” - -“For Heaven’s sake, cut that out!” entreated Ditson. “Like Lynch, I’m -not superstitious, but I swear you’ve got my teeth chattering by your -silly talk. I agree with you, Mike. This street is too dark.” - -Hasten their footsteps as they might, they could not escape from the -uncanny conviction that something silent and ghostly and terrible was -hovering at their very heels. Even the better-lighted streets did not -banish that feeling, and by the time they reached Fred’s the three were -in a terrible state of funk. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV. - AN APPARITION. - - -Not a little to their satisfaction, they found that one of the card -rooms upstairs was unoccupied. Not wishing to be seen at the bar by -acquaintances, as they were beginning to feel that their faces bore the -stamp of guilt, they made haste to mount the stairs to that little room -where they could seclude themselves and order such drinks as they -fancied might steady their shaken nerves. - -Mike and Duncan stuck to whisky, but Du Boise called for an absinthe -frappé. - -“There’s nothing like it,” he asserted. “I’ve tried everything when my -nerves needed bracing.” - -“It’s a deadly poison,” said Ditson. “I see they’re trying to pass a law -in France that will make the manufacture of absinthe unlawful in one -year and the sale unlawful in two years. Absinthe is one of the most -potent influences in the degeneracy of the drinking people of France. -Why, man alive, if you were to give a horse an ounce or two of absinthe, -it would throw the animal into convulsions and might cause its death. If -you yourself were to drink it the way you would swallow a drink of -whisky, the chances are it would knock you stiff.” - -At this Harold simply shrugged his shoulders and smiled a pale, -bloodless smile. - -“But that’s not the way to drink absinthe,” he said. “The man who drinks -whisky that way simply throws it down his throat in order to get the -effect. To get the effect of absinthe, you sip it slowly. If your nerves -are in a bad state, if your luck is rotten, if the world has turned its -face against you, just try a little absinthe. I need it this minute. It -works like a magic charm. Gradually all the shadows disperse and flee -away, the sun smiles upon you and the weeds beneath your feet blossom -into the most lovely flowers. A sensation of peace and buoyancy and -confidence and contentment gradually pervades your entire being. From a -dark and dreary cave the world changes into a glorious, heaven-smiling -paradise. There’s nothing quite like absinthe to accomplish this -marvelous change. - -“I don’t mind telling you, fellows, that I’ve tried almost everything. -Opium works nicely in a way, but it seems to interest you rather too -much in other people. Their pleasures become your pleasures. The most -trivial things are sufficient to amuse you. You watch a laborer and his -wife marketing on a Saturday night, and somehow it is better than the -finest theatrical performance you have ever witnessed. Your heart goes -out to those humble people, and you accept them as kin to you, blood -relatives as it were. A child playing with a top fills you with -unspeakable satisfaction and sympathy. A dove building its nest may -chain your attention for hours. Through such trivial things you are made -supremely content and satisfied. - -“Other drugs with which I have experimented produce different effects, -but they all bring about a relapse in time, and you suffer the most -horrible tortures as retaliation for the pleasures that have been yours. -With absinthe I have not yet reached the point where it retaliates and -inflicts torments. It has helped me shake off the grip opium had upon -me. I prefer absinthe to opium.” - -“It’s simply a case of taking one poison as an antidote for another,” -said Ditson. “The time will come, Du Boise, when you’ll find your blood -entirely eaten up by the poisons you have absorbed.” - -“And by your looks,” said Lynch, “I should say that is not very far -away. Never knew a chap to change the way you have in the past four -months. It’s a wonder to me that you’ve managed to stick in college this -long. Don’t you realize what is coming to you? Can’t you see your -finish?” - -“I think I did realize it in time to escape,” said Hal. “I began -experimenting with opium for amusement. I wanted to experience the -effect. I had no idea of letting the stuff get a hold on me, but when I -found it had I fled to absinthe, and absinthe has proved my salvation.” - -“It will prove your destruction,” declared Duncan. “You’re its slave -to-day, and you’ll never break away from it. Here are our drinks.” - -In the wall a sliding panel shot back, and through the opening could be -seen the face of the waiter who had brought the drinks. He pushed in a -tray, which Lynch received. The drinks were removed from the tray and -placed on the table. Du Boise tossed some money on the tray, which was -then passed back through the opening. The sliding panel closed softly, -and they were again alone. - -“Here’s to forgetfulness,” said Du Boise, lifting the glass, which was -filled with fine cracked ice and a greenish-amber liquid. “Here’s to -forgetfulness, but I fear you’ll not find it in the stuff you are -drinking.” - -Ditson’s hand shook a bit as he lifted his glass of whisky and literally -tossed it down his throat. Du Boise sipped softly at the absinthe. In a -moment a dreamy light seemed creeping into his faded eyes. Before long a -bit of color mounted into his cheeks. - -“Why should we worry about anything in this world or the next, my -friends?” he murmured. “Let’s have another drink. I need just one more.” - -In a short time another drink was brought. It was strange to note the -effect of the stuff on those youths. Ditson and Lynch became flushed and -excited, talking with a sort of reckless and fictitious hilarity. Du -Boise, calm, placid, smiling, lay back in his chair and watched them as -if studying them sympathetically, graciously, almost pityingly. - -“Now, here,” said Duncan, shaking an uplifted finger, “we’ve got to -stick together on this business. Of course it was an accident, for we -didn’t think either of those fellows would be drowned when we ran them -down. There’s only one way to protect ourselves, and that is to swear -that neither one of us saw the boat until there was no chance to avoid -hitting it. I feel like the devil about this business. To tell you the -truth, I feel like what Buckhart called me—a murderer.” - -“Don’t talk that way!” growled Lynch, shrugging his thick shoulders. “I -don’t like it. Even if I didn’t have any love for Merriwell, I wouldn’t -want to kill him, would I? We’re going to have lots of trouble over -this.” - -Again Du Boise smiled. - -“Don’t worry, my friends,” he said. “Nothing really matters, anyhow. -This life is of no consequence. Perhaps Merriwell is better off this -minute than he would be if he were living. Perhaps he’s thankful for -what happened. I’m sure the dead are better off than the living. Why -should he haunt us? We were foolish to fancy we could feel him following -us through the streets to-night. And even if he were following us, he -could do us no harm. The spirits of the departed cannot harm the living. -Why, I wouldn’t be afraid this minute to stand face to face with -Merriwell’s ghost. If such a thing happened, I would greet the spirit -pleasantly and without the least emotion of terror or dread.” - -“The blazes you would!” growled Lynch. - -“You’d be scared to death,” asserted Ditson. - -“I wish I had power to summon the spirit of Merriwell,” said Du Boise. -“I would show you how mistaken you are. If by a mere incantation I could -bring his wraith before us, I’d joyfully do so.” - -Barely were these words spoken when suddenly the electric lights in the -room went out, plunging the place into deep darkness. This was rather -startling and caused the trio to utter exclamations of surprise. -Apparently the electric current had been suddenly turned off. - -Lynch made a move to rise from the table. Ere he could do this the -lights began to glow dimly, illuminating the room with a faint radiance -that gradually grew stronger. - -A sudden scream burst from the lips of Hal Du Boise. Flinging up his -hand, he pointed toward the panel in the wall. - -“Look!” he cried chokingly. “Great heavens, look! There it is!” - -The panel had been silently opened, and through that opening the trio -could see the deathly white face of Dick Merriwell, whose dark, staring -eyes were fixed upon them with an accusing gaze that made their very -souls seem to shrivel within them. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVI. - A TERRIFIED TRIO. - - -Duncan Ditson tried to speak, but his dry tongue clove to the roof of -his mouth and his heart seemed on the point of bursting in his throat. - -Lynch, having turned to look over his shoulder, sat like an image of -stone, the color slipping from his usually ruddy face and leaving it -almost as ghostly as that dead-white face seen beyond the open panel. -One of Mike’s hands lay half-closed upon the table. It began to shake, -causing his finger nails to rattle upon the uncovered top of the table -like the faint far-away tapping of castanets. - -From the lips of Du Boise, who had lately boasted that he would feel no -terror were he brought face to face with the wraith of Dick Merriwell, -there issued a sibilant hissing breath followed by a quavering whisper: - -“It’s the dead! It’s Merriwell’s ghost! We are haunted—haunted!” - -There was a thud as he slipped from the chair on which he had been -sitting and fell limp and fainting upon the floor. The lights came on -with full force. An unseen hand closed the sliding panel, hiding that -death-white face from the staring eyes of Lynch and Ditson. - -Still those two frightened fellows sat immovable, their bodies cold as -ice for some moments after the apparition vanished. - -Ditson was the one who broke the spell. Grasping the edge of the table, -he rose to his feet, upsetting his chair, which fell with a clatter upon -the floor. - -“Lynch,” he whispered hoarsely; “Lynch, for Heaven’s sake tell me what -you saw!” - -Mike gave himself a little shake and turned his horrified eyes toward -his companion. His face was ashen, and there was a purple ring around -his mouth. At the corners of his nose, extending downward, were two deep -lines. His voice was husky and unsteady as he answered: - -“I don’t know what I saw, but it looked like the dead face of——” - -He paused, apparently unable to speak Merriwell’s name. - -“And I saw it, too!” groaned Duncan. “So did Du Boise. He’s fainted, -Mike. We must call assistance.” - -At this juncture, however, Hal began to show symptoms of reviving. He -gasped and moaned, moving his limbs weakly. Ditson stooped and bent over -him, seizing his collar and breaking it loose with a twisting jerk. The -touch of Duncan’s hand seemed to revive Hal, but apparently it filled -the fellow with unspeakable terror, for he shrank away, choking forth a -cry and beginning to quiver violently in every limb. - -“Why, don’t you ring a bell, Lynch?” said Duncan. “Du Boise is having a -fit. He may be dying for all I know.” - -But Lynch, leaning forward with his elbows on the table, had covered his -face with his hands as if seeking in that manner to shut out a terrible -vision which he could not otherwise dismiss. There was a strange -stooping slouch to his broad, thick shoulders—a droop throughout his -entire figure like that which assails an old man or a younger one who -has felt the crushing hand of some fearful calamity. - -With his legs beneath the table, Du Boise began to mutter and mumble -incoherently. Although he seemed suffering from terror, he finally fell -to laughing in a hysterical manner, whereupon Duncan once more clutched -him by the shoulder and gave him a shake. - -“Stop it! stop it!” commanded Ditson. “Are you losing your senses? Get -up!” - -“Don’t! don’t! don’t!” gasped Hal, shrinking away. “I’m all right. I’ll -be all right in a minute. Did I faint? I’m a fool! That’s right, Ditson, -give me a hand. Help me up. Oh, how ridiculous! Oh, what a fool I am!” - -But the moment he was lifted he turned his eyes fearsomely toward the -panel in the wall. On seeing it closed he seemed inexpressibly relieved. -With Duncan’s aid he regained his seat at the table, although he still -seemed dizzy and weak. - -“Never did that before in all my life,” he whispered apologetically. -“Wasn’t it a silly trick? Don’t laugh at me—don’t laugh!” - -“I’m not laughing, Du Boise.” - -“I beg your pardon if I frightened you by yelling the way I did. I -thought I saw something. Of course I know I was deceived. It must have -been a hallucination. Perhaps it was the effect of what I’ve drank. -Perhaps the absinthe is beginning to go back on me. If it is, what can I -turn to next? What’s the matter with Mike?” - -At this moment all three were given another frightful start, for the -panel was shot back with a rattling sound, causing them to turn with a -jerk and face it. The face of the waiter who had served their drinks -appeared at the opening. - -“What’s the matter in there?” he inquired. “T’ought I heard somebody -give a yelp. T’ought I heard somet’ing bump on the floor. Didn’t know -but youse chaps was havin’ a mix-up.” - -“Say, Martie, come in here a minute,” invited Duncan, quickly rising and -unfastening the door. - -The waiter stepped into the room, still wearing a suspicious air as he -eyed the pale-faced trio. - -“Anyt’ing wrong?” he interrogated. - -“I guess not,” answered Duncan slowly. “You see we were talking over -private matters, and so we fastened the door. We didn’t want any one to -come in on us.” - -“Dat’s all right. We know youse fellers here, and if yer want ter use -dis room dat way when dere’s no game nor nuttin’ goin’ on, dere’s no -objection.” - -“We didn’t wish any one to overhear what we had to say. While we were -talking somebody sneaked up there and slid open the panel. They must -have turned off the lights, too.” - -“Turned off der lights?” - -“Yes. The lights went out and then came on again, although they were dim -at first. There’s a switch outside the door, I believe?” - -“Sure t’ing, dere’s a switch out dere, but I don’t see who it was dat -monkeyed wit’ it.” - -“Didn’t you encounter any one on the stairs?” - -“No.” - -“Any fellows in the other room?” - -“Dey just went out about five minutes ago.” - -“Of course you know Dick Merriwell by sight?” - -“I t’ink I do. Everybody knows him.” - -“Has he been in the place to-night?” - -“He don’t come around this place much of any unless he’s lookin’ for -some of his friends.” - -“Have you seen him to-night?” - -“No.” - -“Where were you when you thought you heard a scream and a fall in this -room?” - -“I was out back tappin’ a barrel of ale.” - -“And you came upstairs at once?” - -“Soon as I could. ’Twan’t more dan a minute.” - -“But that was time enough for an eavesdropper to slip downstairs without -being caught by you. Somebody was listening there at the panel. We all -saw the person. That’s why we raised a rumpus. There’s no trouble -between us, Martie. Everything’s all right. But if you catch anybody -listening around that slide, jump on ’em and kick them downstairs. Bring -us another round of drinks. I reckon we need them. I’ll have the same, -and Lynch will, too. You’d better switch off that stuff you’re drinking, -Du Boise. It isn’t good for you.” - -“Can’t switch now,” said Hal. “Just one more, Martie. It’ll be my last -to-night. Just one more.” - -When the waiter had disappeared and the door was fastened behind him -Ditson came back and stood by the table, looking inquiringly at his two -companions. - -“Well, what do you think of it?” he finally forced himself to inquire, -ineffectually trying to assume an air of nonchalance. “It certainly -looked like the real thing to me, and it scared Du Boise out of his -senses.” - -“Then you saw something, did you?” whispered Hal. “Tell me what it was.” - -“I thought I saw a face.” - -“I know I saw a face,” said Lynch. “Fellows, we’re haunted! This is the -first time I’ve ever acknowledged a belief in ghosts, but I’ve got to -acknowledge it now. The face I saw was that of Merriwell, and we know he -is lying at the bottom of the harbor.” - -“Don’t talk that way—don’t!” implored Du Boise. “It was a hallucination. -It could have been nothing else.” - -“How does it happen that we were all deceived by the same -hallucination?” questioned Ditson. “There’s something you can’t explain, -Hal. You saw it first and uttered a yell. We turned and looked. I -confess that I saw it as distinctly as I ever saw anything in my life. -It was ghastly pale with wide-open eyes which struck terror to my heart. -By Jove! I got such a start that I’m afraid I’ll never have any more -nerve. I wish Martie would hurry up with those drinks. I’m still cold -from my head to my heels.” - -To the relief of the agitated trio of rascals, Martie now appeared with -a tray that bore the ordered drinks. Ditson relieved the waiter, handing -out the money supplied by Du Boise. When Martie had vanished and they -were again sitting around the table, Duncan lifted his glass with a -quivering hand. - -“Here’s hoping we’ve seen it for the last time,” he muttered. - -“For the last time,” echoed Lynch hoarsely. “I hope so, but I fear it’s -only the beginning.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVII. - PANGS OF CONSCIENCE. - - -Having sipped a little of the absinthe, Du Boise began to smile in a -silly, satisfied manner. He surveyed his companions with a superior air -of knowledge, in which there was unmistakable pity. - -“The psychology of the mind is a mysterious and perplexing thing,” he -observed. “As yet the phenomena of mental telepathy is but faintly -understood. Like electricity, we know it exists and we experiment with -it, but the real vital force and power is beyond the comprehension of -the human mind in its present state of development. I think, gentlemen, -we have this evening experienced a most remarkable case of mental -suggestion. I think we all have been deluded by our own overwrought -imaginations. There is no other reasonable explanation which we, as sane -and sensible men, can afford to accept.” - -Lynch gazed at him blankly, while Ditson sharply demanded: - -“What are you driving at now?” - -“Perhaps I may not succeed in arousing your comprehension. Perhaps you -may not agree with me if you do catch my theory and fully comprehend its -significance.” - -“Come down to earth and talk plain English.” - -“I acknowledge that I was frightened by what I fancied I saw,” said Hal, -“but I’ve put that aside. I’m no longer alarmed in the least. I now -believe beyond question that I was deluded by a hallucination conjured -before my mental vision by my own unwitting efforts. I was in precisely -the proper psychological condition to deceive myself into believing that -I saw something which did not exist. We had been talking of supernatural -things. This, following the unfortunate tragedy which we lately -witnessed, was enough to place us all in a mental condition that made us -peculiarly susceptible to a certain delusion. - -“We were speaking of ghosts. We had fancied while walking on the street -that something was following us, although we could discover nothing when -we looked round. I assure you that I was sincere when I stated a -willingness to conjure up the spirit of Dick Merriwell. At that moment I -longed for the ability to bring his ghost before me. I even fancied it -as appearing. With this powerful fancy overcoming me, I lifted my eyes -and looked toward yonder panel. The lights were turned off at that -moment. As they came on dimly my overwrought fancy made me believe I -beheld the pale and ghostly face of Merriwell peering in upon us. It was -nothing in the world but a hallucination.” - -“That might be true were it not for the fact that Lynch and myself -beheld the same white, ghostly face,” said Ditson. “I’d like to think -you have hit on the real explanation of the affair, Du Boise, but I -can’t accept it. Had you been the only one to see that apparition, your -explanation would be received by us both; but how can you account for -the fact that we also saw what you believed you saw—and we saw it at -precisely the same time.” - -“Telepathy,” said Du Boise, nodding his head. “Mental transmission of -thought. Did I not cry out that I saw it as I pointed toward the panel?” - -“You did.” - -“I thought so. Being thus firmly convinced that I really beheld such an -apparition, I transferred the conviction to both of you, and you, too, -were deluded into believing you saw it.” - -Again Dunc shook his head. - -“That’s too much for me to accept,” he said. “It’s barely possible such -a thing might have happened between two persons, but when three -individuals are involved, it’s wholly beyond acceptance.” - -Harold shrugged his shoulders and sipped a little more of the cool -absinthe. - -“Of course I cannot compel you to accept my explanation,” he said, “but -I am certain you will come to it in time. At present you are both -overcome by unreasoning fears. As time passes and you are not again -visited by such an apparition you will gradually be forced to confess -that my explanation of this strange phenomenon is the only one that can -be given. You still remain frightened, both of you. Lynch looks ten -years older than he did three hours ago. Your nerves are quivering in -your bodies. Look—look at my hand, it’s steady as a rock.” - -He lifted his glass and held it unquivering above the table. - -“That’s not you,” said Duncan. “You couldn’t do that yourself.” - -“Not me?” - -“No.” - -“Then what is it?” - -“The absinthe. Only for the stuff you’ve drank, you’d be a pitiful, -cowering, cringing creature this very minute.” - -“Then here’s to absinthe!” laughed Hal, with a wave of his glass. -“Here’s to absinthe, the magic potion which makes every man the -commander of his own soul!” - -“Until the cursed stuff takes command and wrecks both soul and body,” -said Ditson. “I fear that time is not far away for you, Du Boise.” - -Lynch now filled his lungs with a deep breath, betraying a sudden -restlessness and an eager desire to leave the place. - -“Let’s get out of here,” he urged. “I’m going to my room. I’m going to -turn in. It’s a wonder we haven’t had newspaper reporters after us -already. Of course by this time they all know of Merriwell’s drowning. -We’ll have to tell the story until we’re sick of it in the morning. -We’ll have to face both reporters and police. I’ve got to rest in order -to do that.” - -“Rest?” said Duncan. “I hope you can. I’m afraid I shall get very little -rest to-night.” - -Nor was Lynch to experience any genuine refreshing rest. In his room, -with the door locked, he paced the floor for hours, pausing at intervals -to listen, with shuddering heart, to every faint sound of the night. His -face was drawn and lined like a graven mask. His eyes rolled restlessly -in their sockets. The passing footsteps of a night watchman caused him -to stand with quivering hand pressed to his bosom, his jaw drooping, his -breath suspended, waiting, waiting—for what? - -He had closed his window and drawn the shade so that not even a crack -remained at the bottom. Even though every light in the room was at full -blast, he whirled now and then to peer nervously into the corners and -behind the morris chair. The sudden scampering of a mouse somewhere in -the wall dropped him nerveless upon the couch, where he sat mopping the -beads of cold perspiration from his face. Once as he walked the length -of the room he caught a glimpse of a phantomlike figure which gave him a -sidelong leap and brought a gasping “Ah!” from his lips. Half crouching -and staring across his shoulder, he realized that the thing he had seen -was his own reflection in a mirror. - -“Fool! fool!” he huskily whispered. “Why don’t you go to bed? Are you -trying to wear your own nerves to a frazzle? What a coward you are, Mike -Lynch! If your friends knew, they’d be disgusted with you. You didn’t -mean to drown the poor devil when you suggested that Berger should run -down that cockle shell of a rowboat. It was an accident—I say it was an -accident. You can’t make anything else of it. No one can make anything -else of it. Even if they prove we smashed the boat intentionally, we can -swear we meant it for a joke. What if they do say it was a crazy, -foolhardy joke? We’ll stick to it that there was no malice in it. That -ought to save us. Perhaps we may have to leave college, but I don’t see -how anything worse is going to happen. - -“But Merriwell’s friends will know it was not meant for a joke. They’ll -swear it was malicious. They’ll swear it isn’t the first time I’ve tried -to injure him. The fact that there was bad blood between us is going to -make it rather unpleasant for me. But I’m not alone in this. Ditson is -as deep in the mud as I am in the mire. Du Boise—I’m sorry we had him -with us. He’s the fellow I fear. Unsupported by either drink or drug, Du -Boise is a shivering, weak-kneed, spineless creature. There’s no -reliance to be placed upon him. But I don’t believe even he is fool -enough to think we intended to drown Merriwell. I’m going to bed now. -I’ve got to go to bed. Why, I’ll be a wreck in the morning if I don’t -get a little sleep.” - -But there was no sleep for Mike. He dared not turn off his lights, and -when he attempted to woo slumber with them blazing at full blast he soon -found his efforts vain. Groaning and cursing, he tossed to and fro upon -the bed. Gradually the ticking of his little clock beat in his ears -louder and louder until it sounded like hammer-strokes upon an anvil. -Whenever he closed his eyes a ghastly white face seemed to rise before -him, and he fancied he beheld an outstretched accusing finger pointing -at him. - -Finally in despair he rose, drew his bathrobe about him, and sat down -near the study table. Seizing a novel, he tried to read. The sentences -ran into a meaningless jumble before his eyes, and his tortured mind -continued to wander to the thing he longed to forget. Repeatedly he -started up and turned to look behind him, shuddering and cold with the -conviction that some ghostly thing was hovering at the back of his -chair. - -And thus the long night passed. Between three and four o’clock in the -morning Lynch opened his window and waited for dawn. He joyously hailed -the first faint streaks of gray in the eastern sky. - -“It’s morning,” he said. “Now perhaps I can sleep.” - -But no, even daylight could not bring him rest. The sun was tinting the -east with a delicate blush when Mike slipped downstairs and hurried -away, filling his lungs with long, deep breaths. The streets were silent -and deserted. Not even a policeman seemed stirring at this hour, for -which he was sincerely thankful. Without knowing whither he was bound, -he turned his face toward the outskirts of the city and with long -strides made for the open country. - -An hour later Lynch was lying exhausted by the roadside in the midst of -a strip of woods. All around him the young day was fresh and beautiful -and joyous. In the thickets the birds were singing happily. The air was -clean and sweet with the fragrance of springtime. - -Mike had been there before. He remembered the very cluster of bushes -beside which he now lay. At one time, with two companions, he had hidden -himself there to await the appearance of Rob Claxton, against whom he -entertained a feeling of hatred and whom he was determined to thrash in -a fist fight. With some bitterness he recalled the fact that Claxton had -whipped him in that fight which took place not far from this spot. - -“And Merriwell was responsible for it!” he snarled. “For a long time he -had been secretly training that haughty Virginian in order that the -fellow might do me up in a scrap. No wonder I hated Merriwell! I had -good reasons to hate him! I had good reasons to wish him dead! I’m a -fool to be upset like this! I’m a fool to run away from investigation -and questioning! Wait, after I’ve rested a while I’m going back. Never -anything took hold of me the way this business has. On my word, I’m done -up!” - -He rolled over upon his back and lay there, with his hat covering his -eyes, until a faint far-away sound led him to lift his head and listen. - -“Runners!” he said. “They’re coming this way. Great Scott! are they -after me?” - -Jerking himself to his feet, he cautiously peered over the cluster of -bushes. - -Far along the road where it wound through the woods some lightly clad -figures came into view. His relief was intense, for he saw at a glance -that they were college lads out for an early morning run. Their white -clothes, swinging bare arms, and churning legs cut moving silhouettes -against the dark background of the woods. - -“I mustn’t be seen,” muttered Lynch, sinking down and creeping close -behind the bushes. “I’ll lie here and watch them as they pass. They -won’t notice me.” - -The runners were Mike’s classmates. First came Claxton, the Virginian, -and Sam Kates almost shoulder to shoulder. A short distance behind them -Brad Buckhart appeared. - -Then came another, at sight of whom Lynch uttered a hoarse, choking cry, -sought to rise and then fell back, his head swimming, his senses -deserting him, completely overcome by the fearful strain and the second -appearance of the “apparition.” - -For he had again seen Dick Merriwell. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII. - THE ESCAPE. - - -Dick heard a cry and caught a glimpse of the figure which dropped back -behind the bushes. Shouting to his companions, he whirled to the -roadside and knelt over Lynch, whom he found stretched unconscious upon -the ground. - -When Mike revived he found them working over him, and the boy he had so -bitterly hated, the boy he had fancied dead, was one of them. - -“Take him away! take him away!” cried Lynch, struggling weakly and -staring at Dick with unutterable horror. “He’s dead! Don’t let him touch -me!” - -“He means you, partner,” said Buckhart. “I sure reckon he’s some -disturbed to see you alive and kicking.” - -“He’s dead!” groaned Mike. “I killed him, but I didn’t mean to do it. I -wanted to run him down and let him swim for it. That’s all. I didn’t -think he would drown, but I killed him, and I’m a murderer! There, I’ve -confessed it now! You all hear me—I’ve confessed it! I killed him! Hang -me! I suppose they will. Don’t let him look at me like that. Take him -away—please take him away! Don’t look at me, Merriwell! I can’t bear -those eyes. I felt you following at my heels last night. I saw you when -you appeared to us at Fred’s. Even after I locked myself in my own room -I knew you were near. I couldn’t stand it long. It was too much for me. -You’ve forced me to confess at last. You’ve made me put my neck in a -noose. Now you should be satisfied.” - -In vain they had tried to check his panting flow of words, but now Dick -managed to make his voice heard, speaking quietly and soothingly. - -“I’m no ghost, Lynch. I’m here in the flesh. You didn’t drown me. I’m -glad to know that you didn’t really try to drown me. I couldn’t think -that of you, revengeful as I know you to be. Look here, touch my hand -and satisfy yourself that I’m living.” - -But when he held out his hand to Lynch the fellow writhed and squirmed -and rolled away, shrieking with fear until his lips were covered with -froth. - -“Great horn spoon!” muttered the Texan. “That gent is pretty near daffy, -partner. Never expected to see him go to pieces like that.” - -“Keep him away from me!” shrieked Mike. “Don’t let him touch me! Let me -go! Help me to my feet!” - -It was with the utmost difficulty that they prevented him from rising -and taking flight. Indeed he did get upon his feet and stagger out to -the road, fighting them all off as they sought to assist him. - -A farm wagon, bound for town, came along, drawn by two scraggy horses. -On the seat sat a bewhiskered old fellow who regarded the boys with no -small curiosity. - -“Hey!” he called, pulling up the horses. “What’s the matter with that -fellow, anyhaow? Goshfry mighty, he acts as if he was purty nigh crazy! -Guess he must have been hittin’ up somebody’s hard cider, hey? -Jerusalem! but they do git an awful jag when they fill up on cider. I -know haow it is, for I’ve been there myself. The gosh-derned stuff makes -ye act like all thutteration. What’s he sayin’ a-yappin’ about spooks -and dead folks and things like that? By gum! I guess you fellers better -take keer of him. Be you his friends? Waal, you better git him to a -doctor jest as soon as you ken. Put him in my waggin? ’Course you ken. -Jest ketch right holt and h’ist him aboard. Couple of ye better come -along with him to keep him quiet. I’ll only charge ye twenty-five cents -apiece to take you clean into the city, and that’s cheap enough, by -gum!” - -So Lynch was tossed aboard the old farm wagon, and two of the boys -clambered in after him. Not until the strip of woods was left far behind -did Mike quiet down and become amenable to reason. Even then when they -attempted to explain he grew violent and shriekingly forbade them to -mention Merriwell’s name. - -Brad Buckhart remained with Dick and the others who decided to complete -the morning run ere retracing their steps. - -“Partner,” said the Texan, as they were again jogging along the road, “I -sure reckon you have accomplished your object with that gent. He’s just -about as near bughouse as any galoot I ever saw.” - -“Yes,” agreed Dick, “I think he has been properly punished. I’m willing -to let up on him now, and I hope he comes out without going clean -daffy.” - - * * * * * - -A moment before the sharp prow of the steam launch struck Buckhart’s -_Sallie_, Dick realized the collision could not be averted, rose to his -feet, and made a headlong dive into the water. His action was not seen -by Buckhart, whose eyes were fastened on the launch. - -Understanding the danger of being hit by the whirling propeller of the -launch, Merriwell dove as deep as possible. With powerful strokes he -swam some distance beneath the water. When compelled to rise to the -surface, he turned his head and found that the launch had passed over -him and was some distance away. - -He wondered what had become of Brad and looked around in vain for some -sign of his companion. Near at hand swung a vessel at anchor. Toward -this Dick swam, reaching its side and seizing a hawser which dangled to -the water’s edge. - -As he clung there in the deep shadow of the vessel he discovered that -the launch had slackened its speed and was swinging round on its course. -Across the intervening water came the sound of excited voices. Brad -Buckhart was hotly denouncing the fellows who had cut down the rowboat. - -A great wave of relief swept over Dick, for he knew now that in some -manner the Texan had escaped and was on board the launch. - -Dick’s first inclination was to raise a shout and announce that he also -was safe and unharmed. This was suppressed almost instantly by a desire -to wait and see what would happen, and so, clinging to the hawser there -in the dark shadow of the vessel with only his head above the surface of -the water, the boy watched and listened. - -Like Brad, Merriwell believed the rowboat had been cut down by -deliberate intent. On discovering that Lynch and Ditson were aboard the -launch, this belief became a fixed certainty in Dick’s mind. - -The launch slid slowly past, with Buckhart vainly straining his eyes for -some glimpse of his chum. - -“It’s awfully tough on Brad,” thought Dick; “but I’m more than willing -those other fellows should think I’ve been drowned. If they have a -conscience, it ought to prick them a little.” - -Pulling at the hawser, he found that it was secure, and when the launch -had passed he lost little time in lifting himself up by the rope, hand -over hand, and, rolling over the rail of the vessel, dropped to the -deck. - -From the vessel Dick watched the launch as the afterglow of sunset died -in the west, and night spread its sable wings above the world. He saw -other boats join in the search, but still he declined to make known the -fact that he had escaped. - -A huge colored man, stretching his arms, and yawning, appeared on deck -from below. - -“Mah golly!” he muttered. “Ah must hab slept like a log. Why, it’s gone -got dark areddy, and Ah ain’t lit dem lights. If de cap’n evah foun’ dat -out, Ah’d ketch it. Ah guess Ah’ll hurry up about gittin’ dem lights -lit. Yes, sah!” - -“That’s right, Sambo,” said Dick, in a low tone, as he stepped out and -confronted the negro. “You better get onto your job.” - -“Fo’ laws sake!” gasped the colored man, starting back. “Where yo’ come -from, maan? How’d yo’ git on dis yere vessel? What yo’ doin’ on dis yere -vessel? By golly! Ah guess yo’ one ob dem pirate thieves dat goes round -stealin’ from vessels, ain’t yer? Now, yo’ keep yo’ distance. Don’ come -near dis nigger, fo’ Ah’ll crack your skull jes’ as sure’s yo’ do. Ah’s -a baad maan, Ah is. Mah name is Thomas Jefferson Jackson Jones, and Ah’s -dangerous when Ah gits mah mad up. If Ah eber hits yo’ wif one of dese -mauls ob mine, dat will be yo’ funeral, maan. Yo’ll ride along wif de -flowers in de front carriage, and yo’ won’t hear none of de music. Yes, -sir; yes, sir! Ah’s dangerous!” - -“You look it,” laughed Dick, for through the darkness he could see the -darky’s eyes rolling with terror, and it seemed that the fellow’s -shaking knees would melt beneath him. “Don’t let my accidental presence -on board the vessel disturb you.” - -“Oh, Ah’s not disturbed in the slightes’ declivity,” hastily retorted -Thomas Jefferson Jackson Jones. “Ah’s puffeckly caam and placated, Ah -is. Ah’s a maan dat nebber takes no chances. Always carries a razzor in -mah pocket for ’mergencies. Yes, sah!” - -“Well, let your razor stay in your pocket,” said Dick. “You won’t have -to use it. Be kind enough to do me a favor—don’t speak quite so loud. -I’ll explain how you came to find me here.” - -The darky listened with an air of doubt to Dick’s words, but the boy -called his attention to the fact that the launch and a number of small -boats were moving about near the spot where the collision had occurred. - -“They’re still searching for me,” said Merriwell. “For certain reasons I -don’t want them to know I escaped. I want them to think I was drowned. -Now, Sambo, I’m going to make you a proposition.” - -“Ah beliebe Ah ’stinctly tol’ you mah name is Thomas Jefferson Jackson -Jones. Yo’ll kindly deflane from callin’ me Sambo, sah.” - -“All right, Thomas,” laughed Dick. “I see you’re very sensitive. I have -no desire to hurt your tender feelings. Instead of that, I feel very -friendly toward you. After you have lighted those lamps you can make -five dollars by taking a boat and setting me ashore.” - -“Ah ain’t s’posed to leabe dis vessel, sah,” said the colored man, “but -if Ah saw a five-dollar bill a-comin’ mah way, Ah might be injewsed to -leave it fo’ a short time.” - -The boy brought out some money, and finally succeeded in peeling a -dripping five-dollar bill from the small roll. - -“It’s the real stuff, Thomas,” he said. “If you give me your word that -you’ll set me ashore, and say nothing about it, the money is yours.” - -“Mah word is jes’ as good as mah bond,” chuckled the negro, “and dey -ain’t either one wuth a tinker’s rap. Yah! yah! yah! But when Ah see a -five-dollar William comin’ mah way, Ah’s ready fo’ almos’ anything. Yo’ -hol’ up, maan, till Ah gets dem lamps lighted. Ah’ll be wif yer in jes’ -about two seconds.” - -Made secure by a painter, a boat lay floating under the stern of the -vessel. When the colored man had set the lamp he returned and drew this -boat up on the port side of the vessel and dropped into it along with -Merriwell. It was now dark, so Dick was not recognized by any of the -searchers, and therefore his plan of deception was carried through -successfully. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIX. - THE GHOSTLY FACE. - - -“’St, Brad!” - -The Texan stopped in his tracks as a dark figure stepped out before him. -Brad had just left the pier, having told Lynch, Ditson, and Du Boise -what he thought of them and what he meant to do. - -A queer, quivery sensation shot along Buckhart’s spine. He stood quite -still and stared at the dark figure which promptly strode toward him. - -“Don’t raise a shout, old man,” said the voice of Dick Merriwell. “Don’t -let those fellows hear you. It is I.” - -Brad deliberately pinched himself to make sure he was awake. - -“It sounds like you, and it looks like you,” he said, “but it can’t be -you. You’re drowned!” - -“Hardly,” said Merriwell, as he dropped a hand on the shoulder of his -chum. “But I want those fellows still to think I’m drowned. I’m in hopes -it will worry them some. That’s why I didn’t let you know I hadn’t gone -to the bottom.” - -Realizing at last that Merriwell was there in the flesh, the Texan -suddenly caught Dick’s wet figure in his arms and gave him a bear hug. - -“Oh, great horn spoon, I’ve got to yell!” he panted. “If I don’t, I’ll -sure blow up. Say, partner, can’t I yell just once? Can’t I let off -steam a little? Gophers and jack rabbits, I thought you were dead! Oh, -say, what a funny feeling I’ve got! I don’t know how to express it. Hang -it all, didn’t you know I was searching for you with the rest of the -bunch? Didn’t you realize how I felt about it? Partner, I wouldn’t go -through that thing again for fifty thousand dollars! I sure reckoned you -were food for the fishes.” - -The Texan’s voice was quivering with emotion, and he trembled in every -limb. - -“It was rough on you,” agreed Dick, “and perhaps I’m mistaken in -thinking it will disturb those rascals to fancy me done for. Let’s wait -here until they pass. We can tell by what they are saying whether they -are disturbed or not.” - -Hidden in the narrow space between two of the old buildings, the boys -waited until the trio of rascals came along and passed on their way. -Falling in behind but taking pains not to be seen, Dick and Brad -followed the three to the first saloon and from thence to Fred’s place -of business. - -“They’ve taken a private room,” said Brad, after peering between the -swinging doors. “They’ve gone upstairs, partner. I reckon they intend to -drown their remorse with plenty of booze. If you should appear before -them now, they’d certain think you a spook.” - -Dick laughed softly. - -“I have a fancy to play the spook,” he said. “Come with me.” - -In a near-by restaurant he purchased a few cents’ worth of flour, which -was given him in a paper bag. Slipping this into his pocket, he led the -way back to Fred’s. - -There were a very few patrons in Fred’s as the boys entered. Spofford, a -sophomore, was leaning lurchingly on the bar and telling a story. Two or -three of Spofford’s chums were with him. The barkeeper was listening and -the waiter was opening a barrel in the back room. No one paid any -attention to Dick and Brad, who sauntered through and quietly ascended -the stairs. - -There were two rooms above. Listening, Merriwell soon learned which of -these was occupied by the fellows he hoped to frighten. Having located -them, he brought forth the bag of flour, which he proceeded to smear -over his face until his features were well coated with it. - -“Do I look rather ghostly, Brad?” he whispered. - -“Your face looks that way,” softly chuckled the Texan, “but there’s -nothing very ghostly about the rest of you.” - -“Then I’ll show only my face,” decided Dick. “Here’s the panel through -which drinks are passed into that room.” - -“They shouldn’t see you in too strong a light,” murmured Brad. - -Merriwell’s fingers found the switch and turned it. This cut off all the -lights in the upper part of the building. - -“That’s too much,” he whispered quickly. “Turn off that one over your -head, Brad. Hurry up.” - -There was a faint click, and the Texan announced that he had found the -electric bulb and turned off the current. Then Dick softly pushed back -the panel and manipulated the electrical switch. He did not turn it on -at once, but moved it gradually, getting the result hoped for as the -lights glowed dimly at first. - -The startled fellows within that room saw the white, ghastly face at the -open panel and Du Boise shrieked and fell to the floor in a faint. Dick -closed the panel at once. - -“Skip, Brad!” he hissed. “We must make a sudden duck.” - -Spofford and his friends had left, and only the barkeeper was found in -the lower room. - -“What’s that yell I heard?” he asked, as the boys appeared. - -“Nothing but a little practical joke,” said Dick, as he mopped the flour -from his face with his handkerchief. “Those fellows upstairs are hitting -the booze too hard. It’s time they swore off. They may think they’ve -seen a ghost. Perhaps you’ll help them reform if you fail to undeceive -them.” - -“Don’t say a word,” said Brad, tossing a silver dollar on the bar. - -“You sure gave those gents something of a start, partner,” said Brad, as -they hurried away. - -“I think I did,” agreed Merriwell. “You should have seen them, Brad. -Their eyes stuck out of their heads. Du Boise collapsed like a pricked -bladder. It was really amusing. I’ve been well paid for the ducking I -received.” - -“Perhaps you have!” growled the Texan. “But I’ve got a bill to settle -with those gents. They still have to pay me for my _Sallie_, and you bet -your life I’ll make them cough up. You hear me gently chirp!” - - - - - CHAPTER XL. - A QUEER DELUSION. - - -Mike Lynch was placed under the care of a doctor, who found it necessary -to give the fellow opiates in order to quiet him. The doctor fancied -Lynch would come around all right in case he could get some sleep, which -he seemed to require. Mike’s friends took turns in watching him through -the day. - -Toward nightfall Lynch awoke and discovered Ditson and Wolfe in the -room. He announced his intention of getting up and proceeded to do so in -spite of their remonstrances. - -“I’m all right,” he declared. “The trouble with me was that I couldn’t -seem to sleep after the unfortunate drowning of Merriwell last night. -I’ve been troubled with hallucinations I suppose. Never had anything -like that before. I’m nearly starved, fellows.” - -“I should think you would be,” said Ditson, exchanging glances with -Wolfe. “Come on with us and get something to eat. You know we all -thought Merriwell drowned, and even now I don’t know how he escaped. Of -course we’re glad he did escape.” - -“What are you talking about?” cried Lynch, beginning to show excitement. -“Merriwell’s dead. Don’t think you can soothe my feelings by giving me -the impression that he escaped. Don’t try to deceive me, Ditson.” - -“Now listen to reason, Mike,” urged Duncan. “Here’s Bern—he’ll tell you -that Merriwell’s all right. We’ve both seen him several times to-day.” - -But at this Lynch fell into such a state of excitement that both his -friends were startled and alarmed. He beat the air with his clenched -fists and cried out that Merriwell was dead and would have to remain so. - -“By Jove!” whispered Wolfe, in Ditson’s ear. “We’d better let up on -this. The only way to satisfy him is to show him Merriwell alive and in -good health.” - -“And that may not satisfy him,” murmured Dunc. “They say the thing that -threw him into a fit was the sight of Merriwell this morning. Mike’s the -last person I’d ever fancied would get this way. I didn’t suppose he had -any nerves. He’s literally gone to pieces.” - -They soothed him by changing the subject of their conversation. By the -time he was dressed and ready to go out he again seemed in his normal -condition. - -On their way to a restaurant they met Merriwell, who, with several -friends, was coming from the gymnasium. - -At sight of Dick, Lynch turned ghastly pale and trembled. Not a word -came from his lips, but he turned his head away and walked on with -averted eyes. - -“Merriwell is looking pretty healthy for a dead man,” observed Wolfe, -winking at Ditson. - -“Stop!” cried Mike, with a snarl. “Don’t try any more of that! I won’t -have it. I know he’s dead, and that ends it.” - -His companions looked at each other in wonderment, deciding that, -although Lynch seemingly had recovered, he was a subject for the care of -a physician. - -But even the doctor who attended Lynch could not quite understand the -condition of the fellow’s mind. In everything else Mike seemed rational, -but the mere mentioning of Merriwell’s name in his hearing threw him -into a state of excitement that bordered on frenzy. At sight of Dick, -whom he occasionally encountered, he invariably turned pale and averted -his eyes. Some of the fellow’s friends insisted that he ought to go home -and take a rest, but this caused Lynch to grin and declare that he was -in “the finest condition ever.” He simply refused to acknowledge that -Dick Merriwell was not dead. - -Ditson and Du Boise raised money to settle for Brad Buckhart’s boat and -felt that they were getting out of the affair very cheaply. Of course -Dick was told of Mike Lynch’s singular mental delusion, but he, like -nearly every one else, believed Lynch would get over it in time. - -These were busy days for Dick. Baseball absorbed nearly all his spare -time. He was not a little surprised when Wilbur Keene came to him and -asked to be coached in pitching. At first Dick thought the fellow -joshing, but Keene was in sober earnest, and therefore day after day -Merriwell spent thirty minutes or more time instructing the varsity -pitcher. - -When Welch and the rest of the varsity twirlers learned that Keene was -being coached by Dick they unbottled their scorn upon Wilbur. He was -compelled to endure all sorts of jeers and sneers. Nevertheless, he -persisted, for from the very start he was convinced that Dick’s tutoring -would be beneficial to him. Within a few days he could see an -improvement in his work. - -The first thing Dick insisted on was that Keene should persist in -obtaining control of the ball. This he declared was far more essential -than speed or curves. The man who possessed perfect control and had a -good head on his shoulders could often deceive a batter who could not be -deceived by the chap whose control was imperfect, even though the latter -had everything else that a pitcher needs. - -The moment Keene could, put the ball where he wished to put it Dick -began on other things, and from that time the pupil made rapid progress. - -In practice on Friday, the day before the scheduled game with Cornell, -Keene did some pitching for batting practice. It happened that Dick was -present and on the bench. Wilbur decided to try his newly learned kinks -upon his comrades, and did so with the most surprising and satisfying -results. Safe hits were few and far between. When hit at all the ball -had a nasty way of popping into the air or rolling punkily along the -ground. To the exasperation of the players, they could not seem to get -their bats squarely against the ball. - -“What do you think of that, Leyden?” inquired Emery, trotting up to the -coach. “Keene seems to be in pretty good trim to-day, doesn’t he?” - -“And you know why, don’t you?” said Leyden. “He’s the only pitcher who -has taken the freshman Merriwell as a coach. The rest are prejudiced -against Merriwell or else they have too much foolish pride. Keene is -certainly improving. You’d better consider putting him into the box -to-morrow. It would be a good time to try him out.” - -“Welch expects to pitch to-morrow.” - -“But you haven’t told him that he’s to pitch, have you?” - -“Hardly. I don’t choose a pitcher so far ahead of a game.” - -“Well,” said Leyden, “I urge you once more to consider my suggestion. -Keene hasn’t been given much real work. Start him on the slab to-morrow. -If they pound him, pull him off.” - - - - - CHAPTER XLI. - SILVER BULLETS. - - -Mike Lynch dropped into an old curio shop and inspected an old-fashioned -powder-and-ball pistol. - -“Will it shoot all right?” inquired Mike, as he snapped the weapon. - -“Vy, certainly, mine frendt—vy, certainly it vill,” answered the Jew -proprietor. “It vos a goot pistol. It vos choost as goot as it efer vos. -But you don’t vant it to shoot vid, do you? Most beople buy such dings -as a decorations. Dey put dem up on der vall to look ad.” - -“That’s what I want it for,” said Mike; “but, still, I want to know that -the old thing will really shoot. If it was properly loaded, would it -kill anything?” - -“Vy, certainly, mine frendt—certainly. Dot pistol vent through der -Revolutionary Var. Heer vos der bullet mold dot goes vid it.” - -“You don’t say so! Why, I thought they used flintlocks then. This is a -percussion cap pistol. Do you suppose I could get any caps to fit it?” - -“Right over at der hardware store,” said the old Jew. “You vill find -plenty of dem, mine frendt.” - -“What’s the price of the pistol and mold?” - -“Fife tollars.” - -“I’ll give you a dollar.” - -“Oh, mine cootness! Do you vant to rob me? I pay four tollar for dat -pistol.” - -“All I have is a dollar,” said Mike, taking out a bill. “Here it is. -Take it or not just as you please.” - -“Cootn’t you make it two tollar?” whined the old Jew. “I vill lose money -on it at dot, but I vant to get rid of it.” - -“Take it or not,” repeated Mike, waving the dollar bill in front of the -shopkeeper’s face. - -He got the pistol and left with it in his pocket. Visiting the hardware -store, he secured a box of caps and a small supply of powder. In the -hardware store Lynch found a tinsmith to whom he made a most peculiar -proposition. - -“Do you see this?” said Mike, producing the bullet mold. “I want you to -mold me a few silver bullets.” - -The tinsmith gazed at him in surprise. - -“Silver bullets?” he questioned doubtfully. “Why aren’t lead bullets -good enough?” - -“I want silver bullets,” persisted Mike. “A silver bullet is the only -thing that will destroy a ghost.” - -“Look here, young man,” said the tinknocker, “is there anything the -matter with your head, or are you talking to hear yourself?” - -Mike winked gravely. - -“Never mind,” he said. “You have a nice little furnace there, and here -is a couple of silver dollars. Can’t you melt that money and mold me -some bullets?” - -“It’s against the law to destroy United States money.” - -“But no one besides ourselves will know anything about it. I’ll give you -five dollars to do the job for me.” - -“Five dollars is an inducement. Have you got it?” - -“Here it is,” said Mike, handing it over. “I’ll pay you in advance, and -I’ll wait for those bullets.” - -When he left he had several fresh-molded silver bullets in his pocket. - -The night, in the privacy of his room, with the door securely locked, -Lynch carefully loaded and capped the old pistol. Two of the silver -bullets were rammed down on top of the powder. - -“It’s my only way to get rid of Merriwell’s spook,” he muttered. “My -grandmother used to say that a silver bullet would always lay a spook. -Unless I get rid of this one it will drive me crazy. I’ll find an -opportunity to do the job to-morrow.” - - * * * * * - -During the game between Yale and Cornell, Dick Merriwell sat on the Yale -bench. He did so at the request of Keene, who had been sent in to pitch. -Wilbur believed the presence of the lad who had coached him would serve -to steady his nerves and carry him through the critical points of the -game. - -Keene astonished and delighted the Yale crowd, pitching a masterly game -from start to finish. Had he failed in any inning, Yale would have been -defeated, for the score was running close and Cornell had a team that -would not be likely to yield any advantage it might secure. - -Mike Lynch sat on the bleachers with several of his classmates. Having -discovered Dick on the Yale bench, Mike stared at him through inning -after inning, paying very little attention to the conversation of his -companions or the excited cheering of the great crowd. - -Ditson nudged Bern Wolfe and called his attention to Lynch. - -“Mighty queer about Mike,” he whispered. “I was talking with the doctor -to-day. He seems to think Mike has received some severe shock from which -he will not recover unless he gets a counter shock. Just look at him, -Bern. See his eyes. See him glare. Why, he looks absolutely dangerous -to-day.” - -“It isn’t right for him to stay in college,” muttered Wolfe. “He ought -to get away and take a rest.” - -In the seventh inning Lynch rose from his seat and announced that he was -going to leave the field. Although his friends felt that some one should -accompany him, the game was at such an exciting point that not one of -them wished to miss any of it. Therefore Mike was permitted to depart -alone. - -Instead of leaving the field, Lynch descended from the bleachers, -followed the walk round toward the locker house, and let himself in by -the gate onto the field. He was wearing a light overcoat, although the -day was very warm. Beneath that coat there was a strange bulge over his -hip pocket. - -“I’ll do it now!” he whispered huskily, as his eyes fell on Dick -Merriwell’s back. “I’ll end it right here!” - -His hand found and gripped the stock of the old pistol. Swiftly -advancing toward the unconscious lad, Mike produced the weapon and -softly cocked it. - -Just then a foul tip carromed from the bat of a Cornell man, came -whistling through the air, and struck Lynch near the temple, dropping -him unconscious to the ground. - -When Mike opened his eyes he was in the locker room and Merriwell was -the first person he saw. Several others were there, but Dick was on his -knees, working over Lynch. - -Mike caught his breath and lifted a hand to his head. - -“What—what happened to me?” he muttered huskily. - -“You were hit by a baseball,” answered Dick. “It knocked you senseless. -It hit you in a bad place, too—close to the temple.” - -“Hit by a baseball!” muttered Lynch. “Knocked me out, didn’t it? Isn’t -it queer, but I seem to have been dreaming. I seem to remember the -queerest things, but they’re all hazy like the visions of a dream. I -thought you were drowned, Merriwell. I thought we ran you down in a -steam launch, and then it seemed that your ghost was haunting me. What a -ridiculous dream, wasn’t it?” - -“Ridiculous, indeed,” nodded Dick. “But you see I’m not drowned, and you -realize I can’t be a ghost in my present material condition.” - -“Oh, yes, I realize that,” said Mike. “Of course I know there’s no such -things as ghosts. What’s that cheering?” - -The sound of the cheering spectators came to their ears. Into the room -rushed several bronzed, healthy-looking baseball men all in a hilarious -condition of triumph. One of them espied Dick and cried: - -“You’ll have your hands full coaching the rest of our pitchers now, -Merriwell! By Jove, Keene pitched a corking game! And he says you made -him fit for the job! We won, four to three! Hurrah for our new coach!” - -“Rah! rah! rah! New coach! new coach! Merriwell,” cried another chap, -flinging his sweater into the air. - -“Congratulations, Merriwell,” said Lynch. “You’re a winner at anything -you attempt. You always come out on top.” - -Dick now coached Keene for the great forthcoming game with Cornell. When -the two teams met, Yale came out victorious and again Merriwell was -hailed as a hero and the credit for the victory freely given him. - -Meantime, however, the pistol carried by Mike Lynch on the day he was -struck senseless by a foul ball had been found, and trouble was brewing -for Mike. - - - - - CHAPTER XLII. - BAD NEWS. - - -Wilbur Keene, bronzed, flushed, well satisfied, yet modest in bearing, -entered the locker house, surrounded by his comrades of the varsity -nine, which had just defeated Cornell in the game for which Merriwell -had coached Keene and which proved to be one of the closest and most -exciting games of the season. - -Every one was congratulating Wilbur and telling him what a wonderful -game he had pitched. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say nearly -every one was congratulating him. Two of the varsity pitchers, Pumper -Welch and Dudley Towne, had not expressed themselves. Towne seemed -wavering, but Welch wore a sullen, half-sneering look upon his not -unhandsome face. Hitherto Pumper had been considered the leading pitcher -for Yale, and now he realized that a rival who might snatch some of -these honors from him had suddenly arisen. - -“You certainly held ’em down in the tight places, Keene, old man,” cried -the tall Scotchman, Greg McGregor, slapping Wilbur on the shoulder. “You -pulled out of the bad holes in beautiful shape.” - -“It was control—control that did it,” asserted Cranch, the catcher. “On -my word, Wilbur seemed able to put that ball precisely where he wanted -to put it. Never caught a fellow with better control in all my life. -And, say, Keene, where did you get that queer hinkey-dink curve that you -use for a strike-out?” - -“I got that where I got my control,” answered Keene. “I’m not too proud -to acknowledge that I owe it all to Merriwell’s coaching. The first -thing he did was to keep at me about perfect control. Said it was more -important than speed or curves. Said it was the first thing a pitcher -ought to work for. As for that little hinkey-dink curve, as you call it, -I got that trying to throw Merriwell’s combination ball. I didn’t get -the combination, but I did get a queer little quirky shoot, which I used -in the game to-day.” - -At this moment Greg McGregor made a lunge through the crowd and seized a -lad who was trying to slip out. - -“No, you don’t!” shouted Greg triumphantly. “Hi, fellows! Here he is! -Here’s Merriwell! He was making a sneak.” - -The freshman was dragged back into the room and surrounded by the -bronzed, bare-armed, laughing youths. - -“I take off my hat to you, Merriwell,” said Bill Leyden, with mocking -seriousness. “When it comes to coaching pitchers, you seem to have me -skinned a mile.” - -Leyden was the baseball coach. - -“Hi, Merriwell!” cried Ben Carter. “Heard about the horrible calamity -that happened to your class team this afternoon? It’s simply awful.” - -Now, the Yale freshmen had been playing Highbridge High, and, regarding -the game as a cinch, the class of Umpty-ten had sent out a wretchedly -small aggregation of rooters. - -“What did they do?” laughed Dick. “Did they win by a score of about -twenty to nothing?” - -“Hardly that,” returned Carter. “Highbridge ate ’em up.” - -“Go on!” mocked Dick. - -“It’s a fact.” - -“Oh, you’ll have to tell that to some one else.” - -“I’m not joshing,” persisted Carter. “That’s the report. Umpty-ten was -trimmed by Highbridge. Horrible doings. Two pitchers knocked out of the -box.” - -“I can’t believe it,” said Dick, the smile slowly disappearing from his -face. “Why, no one regarded Highbridge as dangerous. Both Jones and -Robinson told me I would not be needed with the team to-day. That’s how -I happened to be here.” - -“You never can tell,” chuckled Carl Henderson. “Sometimes these things -happen when they’re least expected. It’s possible you might have saved -the game if you’d been with the team, Merriwell.” - -“And it’s possible I might have lost this game if he had been with his -own team,” confessed Wilbur Keene. “Every time I found myself in a hard -hole I got a nod of encouragement from Merriwell, and it seemed to -stiffen my backbone.” - -“Well, will you hear that blamed fool?” muttered Welch, in Dud Towne’s -ear. “He makes me sick at the stomach.” - -“If this keeps up,” said Towne, “Merriwell will have the credit for -winning the game, not Keene.” - -“It was a fluke, anyhow,” growled Welch. “Keene never pitched like that -before, and I doubt if he ever will again.” - -“What was that fellow trying to do who got hit by the ball in the -seventh inning?” inquired Towne. “How did he happen to be on the field? -I know him. He’s a freshman by the name of Lynch.” - -“Oh, I suppose he’s one of Merriwell’s chums,” answered Welch, with -scornfully curling lips. “He was sneaking in to get a word with -Merriwell when that swift foul tip caught him and stretched him out -cold.” - -“There he is now,” said Dud, jerking his head toward Lynch. “If I -remember right, he’s no friend of Merriwell.” - -“Then why did Merriwell take such an interest in him after he got -knocked silly? Why did Merriwell come here and work over the fellow the -way he did?” - -“Did he do that?” - -“Sure. I wouldn’t stay on the bench, you know. I was here, and I saw -them lug Lynch in. A doctor came along, but he wasn’t needed. Merriwell -had the fellow’s shirt torn open at the throat and was chafing his -wrists and moistening his forehead. By the time the doctor got ready to -do something his assistance wasn’t needed.” - -“That’s like Merriwell. He does those things for friends and foes alike. -Let any one need assistance and he doesn’t stop to ask whether the -person is a friend or an enemy.” - -“Haw!” grunted Welch. “He’s a great poser. He’s always trying to show -off. Of course he’s all swelled up now because he’s been coaching a -varsity pitcher. They wanted me to let him give me points. Think of -that! I’m not taking any coaching from a freshman. I notice that you -didn’t grab at the proposition. Keene was the only one who——” - -“And Keene pitched the game to-day and won it,” interrupted Towne, with -a shade of regret in his voice. - -“Any one would think you were sorry that you didn’t let Merriwell coach -you.” - -“Perhaps I am.” - -This was too much for Pumper Welch. - -“You make me sick, too!” he said. “Go ahead and coax Mr. Merriwell to -coach you. Perhaps you’ll pan out a great pitcher under his -instructions. Oh, thunder, what fools some fellows are!” - -With this final exclamation, Welch strode disgustedly away. As soon as -possible Dick escaped and made his way from the field. He was disturbed -over the rumor that Umpty-ten had lost to Highbridge High, and at the -gymnasium he sought for confirmation of this report. Apparently it was -true, for every one who had heard anything at all about it said the same -thing. As Dick was leaving the gym he encountered Bertie Lee. - -“Hello, Kid,” he called. “What do you know about the Highbridge game?” - -“Only what I’ve heard. I was out to watch the Cornell game.” - -“That report must be a josh,” said Dick. “Highbridge couldn’t beat -Umpty-ten.” - -“It doesn’t seem possible,” said Lee, swinging in at Dick’s side and -stretching his short legs to catch Merriwell’s stride. “Say, I want to -tell you something, Dick. I saw Lynch when he sneaked in onto the field -to-day and I followed him. I think I was the first fellow to reach him -after the ball stretched him out. Do you know what made me follow him?” - -“Can’t say that I do.” - -“Well, I’ll tell you. I got a look at his face, and I knew he was up to -some trick. If ever I saw a sneaky, bloodthirsty mug, it was that of -Mike Lynch. You know I’ve had trouble with him, and I don’t love him -any. I’m scared to death of him now. He’d cut his grandmother’s throat, -that fellow would. Funny nobody noticed what he had in his hand when he -was hit by the ball.” - -“What he had in his hand?” - -“Yes.” - -“What did he have in his hand?” - -“I can’t show you here. I’ve got it. It’s in my pocket. I picked it up. -I want you to have it. You better find out what Mike Lynch was going to -do. He was sneaking up behind you.” - -“I’ve wondered what he was trying to do,” said Dick. “Lee, you’ve got my -curiosity aroused. Come on over to the house and show me what it was you -picked up.” - -Bertie followed Dick to his room on York Street. The moment the door was -closed behind them Dick expectantly faced the little fellow, who had -once been prominent in the Ditson set, but who was now practically -ostracized. - -“I’m liable to get hurt for this,” said Lee, who now appeared genuinely -alarmed. “Those fellows have threatened me. They suspect I’ve told you -about several of their sneaking plots and schemes against you.” - -“It’s too late to back out now, Kid,” said Dick. “You know I won’t -betray you. You may as well tell me the whole business. What was it you -picked up on the field after Mike Lynch was knocked senseless?” - -Bertie unbuttoned his coat and produced something from beneath it. - -“This is what I found,” he announced, handing it over to Dick. - -It was an old-fashioned percussion-cap pistol. - - - - - CHAPTER XLIII. - THE SILVER BULLETS. - - -“Look out!” exclaimed Bertie; “it’s loaded.” - -Dick held the queer old pistol in his hand, turning it slowly and -looking at it with a puzzled expression on his face. - -“This is mighty queer,” he muttered. “I don’t understand it. Did you see -Lynch with this weapon in his hand?” - -“He dropped it when he was knocked out by the ball,” persisted Bertie. -“He was sneaking up behind you with that pistol, Dick.” - -Merriwell shook his head. - -“Why should Mike Lynch, or any one else for that matter, carry a weapon -like this?” speculated Dick. “It’s an ancient relic.” - -“You know Mike has been rotten queer lately.” - -“Yes, I know,” nodded Dick. “He’s been troubled with hallucinations. Of -course, you know about the running down of Buckhart’s boat in the -harbor. At that time Lynch and his friends fancied I was drowned. -Strangely enough, Mike was the one most affected by this belief. It -seemed to upset him mentally, and no one could convince him that I was -not dead. On other things he appeared rational enough, but he certainly -was queer on that point. Whenever he met me he refused to look at me. -They told me he invariably flew into a passion if any one spoke of my -escape from drowning. After being hit by that baseball to-day Lynch -seemed rational for the first time in many days. You know I did what I -could to restore him to consciousness. When he came round he stated that -he seemed to have dreamed that I was dead. I fancied the shock had -knocked the delusion out of his head and restored him to his normal -condition.” - -“Well, I don’t know what sort of condition he was in,” said Bertie; “but -I do know he was sneaking up behind you with this loaded pistol in his -hand. You can imagine what he meant to do. I don’t like to think of it.” - -“If he meant to shoot me,” muttered Dick, “the fellow was certainly -crazy. There’s no other explanation. No chap in his right mind would -attempt such a deed.” - -“Probably he meant to plead brain storm as an excuse,” said Lee. - -Dick shook his head decisively. - -“I must refuse to believe that Lynch contemplated any such dastardly -act. Perhaps there’s nothing but powder in this pistol. Perhaps he had -some freakish scheme in his befogged mind. Lee, I’m going to find out -whether there’s anything more than powder in this pistol. I haven’t -anything to draw the charge, but there’s another way to settle the -point. Come down into the back yard with me.” - -They descended the stairs and passed through the kitchen into the back -yard. Finding a heavy block of wood, Merriwell placed it close to the -fence, retreated a few feet, and leveled the pistol at it. When he -pulled the trigger there was an explosion like the report of a shotgun. -Springing forward to the block of wood, Dick examined it. - -“Great Scott!” he cried, his face paling. “Look here!” - -His finger pointed to the spot where two bullets had entered the wood -close to each other. - -“I see it! I see it!” spluttered Lee. “That settles it! Now you know the -old thing was loaded with something more than powder.” - -Dick took out his handkerchief and wiped beads of perspiration from his -forehead. - -“Mike Lynch must have been crazy,” he said huskily. “Only a crazy man -would think of using such a weapon as this, anyhow. Any one in his right -senses would have chosen an up-to-date revolver. Kid, I wish you’d ask -the kitchen girl for a hatchet. I’m going to get those bullets or slugs -out of this block.” - -But Maggie herself was on hand, having been brought out by the report of -the pistol. - -“Heavings save us!” she gasped, holding up her hands. “What air you -doing, Mr. Merriwell? You nearly scat me to death a-shootin’ out here in -the yard.” - -“Bring me the hatchet, Maggie!” called Dick. “I want to use it right -away.” - -The girl reëntered the house and reappeared with a heavy, broad-bladed -hatchet in her hand. Seizing this implement, Dick split off a piece of -the bullet-pierced block. - -“Say, but there was a heavy charge of powder in that old thing,” -observed Lee. “Look how deep the bullets went in.” - -Merriwell hacked at the block until finally one of the bullets was -uncovered. Cutting away around it, he pried it out with a corner of the -hatchet. - -“Fresh-molded,” he muttered, holding it up. “See how bright it is.” - -Lee seized the hatchet and hacked away at the block to bring the other -bullet to light. While Bertie was doing this, Dick produced his -jackknife and tried the blade on the bullet he had secured. - -“This is not lead,” he announced. “It’s too hard and too bright. If it -were lead, it would have flattened out. By Jove, Kid, this looks like -silver to me!” - -“Here’s the other one!” cried Lee. “They’re mates, Dick. Say, if you’d -ever got those through your head, it would have been your everlasting -finish.” - -Dick took the second bullet, inspected it, compared it with the first, -and dropped them both into his pocket. - -“Bertie,” he said, “I want you to keep a close mouth about this -business. Don’t mention it to any one—at least, don’t mention it until I -give you permission.” - -“I’m not liable to mention it,” said Bertie quickly. “I don’t want Mike -Lynch on my neck. I don’t know what you think about it, Dick, but it -seems to me that Lynch had something mighty nasty in his mind when he -was sneaking up behind you. If he’s daffy, he should be placed in -confinement where he’ll do no injury to any one. It isn’t right to let a -crazy fellow run loose. I’m afraid of him. If they don’t take care of -Lynch, I’m liable to get out of New Haven myself, I tell you that.” - -“Don’t hurry, Kid. If Mike Lynch is crazy enough to attempt murder, I’m -going to see that he is taken care of. But first I think I shall talk -with Lynch myself.” - -Having arrived at such a decision, Dick wasted little time. He proceeded -straight to the room occupied by Lynch and unhesitatingly knocked for -admission. - -A voice called, “Come in!” - -Lynch was sitting in a morris chair with a bandage around his head. He -was wearing a dressing gown and looked pale and listless. - -“Hello, Merriwell!” he said, with an intonation of surprise as Dick -appeared. “I didn’t suppose it was you. Thought it might be some of my -friends, but they don’t seem to be in any hurry about calling to find -out whether I’m seriously injured or not. Won’t you sit down?” - -“I’m not going to make a long call,” said Dick. “I dropped in to ask you -about this queer old pistol. Have you ever seen it before?” - -He produced the weapon and held it up before Lynch as he spoke. - - - - - CHAPTER XLIV. - LYNCH CONFESSES. - - -At sight of the pistol Mike started violently, betraying much agitation. -It seemed that his pale face grew still whiter. For a moment he sat -quite still, but finally, summoning command of himself, he extended a -hand and took the weapon from Dick. - -Merriwell stood watching every shade of expression that flitted across -the face of the sandy-haired youth. He was wondering if Mike would deny -having seen the pistol. In such a case Dick was ready with a hot -denouncement. In fact, he had practically determined to make public the -truth of the affair and force Lynch out of college. Why not? Certainly -there was no reason why he should permit the fellow to remain there -after this second attempt to commit murder. The running down of the -rowboat might be called a piece of reckless maliciousness without any -deliberate desire to take human life, but when, with a loaded pistol in -his hand, a man creeps up behind another man whom he hates, it certainly -looks like premeditated crime of the most bloodthirsty sort. - -Twice Lynch sought to moisten his lips with his tongue before speaking. -When he did speak his voice was husky and faltering. - -“Where did you get this, Merriwell?” he asked. - -“You haven’t answered my question,” reminded Dick coldly. “When you do -answer it I’ll answer yours. Have you ever seen that pistol before?” - -“I—I think I have,” muttered Mike. - -“Well, it was picked up on the baseball ground after you were knocked -senseless by that foul ball. It was found where you dropped when the -ball hit you.” - -Lynch drew a deep breath and a shiver seemed to run over him from his -head to his feet. - -“Then it was no dream,” he whispered huskily. “I was thinking about that -when you came in. I was trying to clear up things in my mind. I was -wondering what had really happened and what I had dreamed as happening.” - -Still holding the pistol and fixing his gaze upon it, Mike lifted one -hand to his bandaged head, apparently seeking to get a grip on his -disturbed and scattered thoughts. - -“Merriwell,” he said, “I wish you would tell me a few things. We ran -down a rowboat containing you and Buckhart, didn’t we?” - -“Yes.” - -“Buckhart escaped and was pulled on board our launch.” - -“Yes.” - -“But you—we saw nothing of you after the rowboat was wrecked. We -believed you were drowned. Buckhart thought so. We searched for your -body until long after it was dark. Others joined in the search. Finally -we gave it up. That night in Fred’s saloon we saw your white face -through the panel hole in the wall. We were drinking heavily. Du Boise -fainted. I’m sure both Ditson and myself believed we had seen an -apparition, a ghost. Du Boise tried to explain it by saying it was a -hallucination. I didn’t sleep much that night—in fact, I don’t think I -slept at all. I never passed through such a night. At daybreak I started -out into the country, seeking to get away from myself and my haunting -thoughts. Perhaps you don’t believe me, Merriwell, but I was the most -wretched fellow in the world. I didn’t think there was any real danger -that we would drown you when we ran your boat down. I wanted to give you -a ducking. There was malice in my heart perhaps, but not murder. I hope -you believe this.” - -Without speaking, Dick motioned for him to continue. - -“I say I started out early the following morning, but I’m not sure of -that. I don’t seem to know just what happened. I have fancied it was -nothing but a dream. I have fancied that I remained and dreamed that I -rose and took a long walk into the country. In a strip of woods I -stopped to rest. Along came some fellows taking a morning run. You were -with them. This seems to be a part of my dream. Tell me, Merriwell, did -such a thing happen?” - -“Yes, such a thing happened. You seemed terribly excited at sight of me. -You were brought back to town and placed under the care of a doctor. To -all outward appearances, you recovered in a very short time; but ever -since then up to the present day you have maintained that I was dead, -and whenever you met me you have refused to look at me.” - -Gripping the edge of the table, Lynch slowly rose to his feet. - -“Perhaps you’ll not believe it, Merriwell,” he said, “but I think I’ve -been slightly deranged. Getting hit by that baseball seems to have -straightened out my mind and brought me round.” - -Merriwell pointed sternly at the pistol. - -“What were you doing with that weapon?” he demanded. - -Lynch shook his head. - -“I can’t tell you,” he answered hoarsely. - -“Was the pistol loaded?” - -“It’s not loaded now, is it?” - -“Was it loaded when you started to creep up behind me with it in your -hand?” - -“I think it was.” - -“What were you going to do?” - -“Heaven help me! I am afraid I meant to shoot you.” - -Once more Mike was trembling, and it seemed necessary for him to cling -to the study table in order to stand. - -“I’m glad you see fit to tell me the truth,” said Dick grimly. “Here are -the bullets with which the pistol was loaded.” - -He produced them and held them in the hollow of his hand. - -“Silver bullets!” whispered Mike. - -“Silver?” - -“Yes.” - -“Why silver?” - -“To destroy a ghost.” - -“To what?” cried Dick. - -“It sounds foolish, doesn’t it?” muttered Lynch. “It’s an old -superstition. I heard my grandmother tell of it when I was a mere child. -My grandmother came from Ireland. She said the only way to lay a spook -was to shoot it with a silver bullet.” - -“And you—you believed such a ridiculous thing, Lynch? That’s too much!” - -“I don’t know whether I believed it or not,” muttered Mike. “You -understand that I was somewhat daffy. Whenever I saw you I fancied I -beheld a ghost. I thought myself haunted. In this state of mind I -remembered the words of my grandmother and resolved to exorcise you with -the aid of silver bullets. I seemed to remember some crazy conviction -that you would vanish instantly if shot with a silver bullet.” - -In spite of himself, Dick smiled. It seemed unspeakably preposterous, -and yet had not this fellow crept upon him with a pistol containing such -bullets? - -“I bought that old pistol,” Lynch went on. “You see an ordinary pistol -wouldn’t do. I had to get one that used powder and ball. I bought a -bullet mold and had a number of silver bullets made. At first I thought -I would creep up behind you some time when no one else was near, but -after a while I decided that, as long as you were a ghost, it made no -difference when I put an end to you. Certainly it could not be a crime -to destroy a ghost. I went to the game to-day little thinking that I -would find you there. When I discovered you I couldn’t keep my eyes off -you. I don’t remember anything at all about the game. At last I became -so worked up that I resolved to do the thing without loss of time. You -know what followed. This is the whole story, Merriwell. I don’t ask you -to believe a word of it. I don’t expect you to believe it. I don’t think -I would believe it if I were in your place. I’ve made a confession. I -acknowledge I tried to shoot you. Under any circumstances I shall not -deny it. You have all the evidence you need against me. I’ll wait here -for the officers.” - -It must be confessed that Merriwell was puzzled and felt himself in a -peculiar position. If Lynch spoke the truth, Dick had no desire to -punish him, as he now seemed genuinely penitent. Furthermore, his -actions had been those of a deranged man. - -“Hadn’t you better take a vacation, Lynch?” suggested Merriwell. “Don’t -you think you need it?” - -“I suppose you mean that I must leave college for good? You are going to -force me out?” - -“No. I mean exactly what I said—I think it will be beneficial to you if -you take a vacation without waiting for the term to close. I have not -accepted your story as true, and yet I hope it is true. I’ve always -fancied you to be a person with an ordinary amount of common sense. No -person with ordinary intelligence would have thought of shooting an -enemy, but if your mind was in a condition that led you to try such a -thing, it’s high time that you gave up studying and sought rest and -quiet in the country. If you don’t, you’re liable to break down entirely -and go to pieces beyond cure.” - -“I presume you’re afraid I’ll get another daffy streak, and repeat the -attempt on your life. I don’t blame you, Merriwell. Still, I’m not going -to leave college now. I’m all right at the present moment, and I believe -I’ll remain so. You know I’ve been dreadfully worried over my bills -here, for I ran deeply in debt. I didn’t know what would happen to me. I -thought I was swamped. As a last resort, I wrote a letter to my mother, -making a full confession. This morning I received her answer. She sent -me a check. It was large enough to enable me to pay all my debts and -have something left over. For the first time in weeks I’m straightened -out and ready to go ahead without worry. The only thing that will -prevent me is this business to-day. If you proceed against me, my -college career is ended. I have been a rather nasty enemy toward you, -Merriwell. I know that. I’ve hated you bitterly, and I’ve tried my best -to injure you. It was wrong. Now I throw myself on your mercy. Do -whatever you like.” - -With a sigh, Lynch sat down. - - - - - CHAPTER XLV. - MIKE PUTS IT ON PAPER. - - -It is a simple matter to imagine what would have happened to Lynch had -he, under similar circumstances, thrown himself on the mercies of almost -any other boy whom he had hated and plotted against as he had against -Dick. - -At the outset Merriwell’s intention had been to force the truth from -Mike’s lips, and then give him the alternative of leaving college or -being arrested at once. Even now Dick hesitated and wondered if that was -the only course to pursue. He stood meditating, with his eyes fastened -upon Mike’s face. - -Somehow, a most remarkable change seemed to have come over Lynch. His -face wore a sad, resigned expression that was genuinely pathetic and -appealing. It had lost its usual grim and half-brutal aspect. Indeed, as -Dick watched, Mike’s chin began to quiver, and two tears started from -his eyes and rolled slowly down his cheeks, although no sound came from -his lips. Indeed, he bowed his head, seemingly seeking to hide these -tokens of weakness. - -Was the fellow faking, or was he genuinely repentant? This question -troubled Dick. Under any circumstances, Merriwell believed the fellow -needed the attentions of a competent physician, for surely he must have -been mentally unbalanced for a time. It was not reasonable to suppose he -had been cured instantly. - -“I am going to think this matter over, Lynch,” said Dick, after a few -moments. “I want to do what is right. If I decide to keep this thing -quiet and make no move against you, you must promise me one thing.” - -“Anything,” murmured Lynch, without lifting his head. - -“You must be examined by an expert in mental disorders. If he says your -mind is in such a condition that you should quit college for a time, you -must accept his decision.” - -“Very well.” - -“You agree, do you?” - -“Yes, I’m ready to agree to anything that will give me a fair chance. I -don’t want to leave college. I believe I am all right now. Perhaps I -need a little medicine to tone me up, but that’s all. I appreciate this, -Merriwell. I can’t say much about it now, but I think I’ll prove to you -that I’m not ungrateful. I know what would have happened to me had you -been almost any one else. I confess I was depending on your generosity. -You have been generous with all your enemies—almost too generous. In the -end you overcome their enmity and win their respect. If you were afraid -of them, such would not be the case. At first I thought you were afraid, -but now I know my mistake. I doubt if you fear any one in the world. -Tell me the truth, Merriwell. Were you really ever afraid of anything?” - -“Yes, indeed,” was the prompt answer. “No credit for courage may be -given a person who has never known fear. It is the one who has -experienced fear and overcome it who is really brave. I’m going to take -this pistol, Lynch. I shall also keep these bullets. I did not pick up -this weapon after you dropped it. Another person did that. In case I -find you’re not sincere in your seeming repentance, I’ll have evidence -enough against you to put you out of college in a hurry.” - -Mike made no objection as Dick took the pistol and thrust it into an -inner pocket. - -“I’ll prove to you that I’m sincere,” he suddenly exclaimed, once more -rising to his feet. “You wait; I’ll place the proof in your hands this -very night. I’ll fix it so that you won’t need that pistol as evidence.” - -“What are you going to do?” asked Dick wonderingly. - -“Never mind,” said Lynch. “You’ll find out soon. I would offer to shake -hands with you, but——” - -“Prove to me beyond doubt that you’re genuinely repentant and ready to -do what’s right in future, and you’ll find my hand open to you,” said -Dick, as he turned toward the door. - -“I’ll prove it!” cried Mike, following him across the room and letting -him out. “You’ll be convinced sooner than you think. Good night, -Merriwell.” - -When Dick was gone Lynch turned back to his study table, produced a -paper pad, seized a pen, and prepared to write. - -Across the top of the first page he wrote these words: “Voluntary -Statement of M. J. Lynch, Student at Yale, Class of Umpty-ten.” This was -followed by the date. - -At this point Lynch paused, with uplifted pen, and a queer, crafty look -flitted across his face. - -“I shall ask Merriwell to destroy this paper when he is satisfied that I -am sincere in my repentance. But what if he forgets to destroy it? What -if it falls into other hands, and is read by some one for whose eyes it -is not intended? I must be cautious. I must look out for that.” - -Pulling the sheet from the pad, he tore it up and flung the pieces into -his waste basket. Then he arose, crossed the room, and opened a drawer -of his dresser, from which he took a very small bottle of ink. Returning -to the table, he sat down, selected a fresh, clean pen, and prepared to -use the small bottle of ink. For fully thirty minutes Lynch wrote. - -“There,” he said at last, “there’s a full confession of my connection -with the running down of Buckhart’s boat, and of my attempt to destroy -Merriwell’s ghost with silver bullets. Now, what I need is a witness for -my signature.” - -The witness appeared directly, for Bern Wolfe entered without pausing to -rap. - -“Thought I’d come round to find out how you are, Mike,” said Wolfe. “By -George, you got a bump! What the dickens were you doing, anyhow? You -left us on the bleachers, and went hustling away, after announcing that -you couldn’t stay there any longer, and had decided to leave the field. -How’d you happen to get in there where you could be hit by that ball?” - -“Never mind that,” said Lynch. “You’re just the fellow I want to use. I -have a little document here that I’m about to sign. I want you to attach -your name as witness.” - -“What’s the document?” - -Wolfe started to pick up the confession, but Lynch hastened to prevent -him. - -“It’s private,” he said. “I can’t let you read it, you know. All I wish -of you is that you put your name on as a witness to the genuineness of -my signature.” - -“That’s funny,” muttered Bern. “I don’t often sign anything unless I -know what I’m hitching my name to.” - -“I’m not asking you to sign it. I’m asking you to append your name as a -witness to my signature. I give you my word that it won’t get you into -any trouble. Here, I’m going to put my name to it.” - -Mike did so, writing his name in big, flourishing letters. - -“Sit down,” he said, getting up from the chair and covering the paper -with a blank sheet which left no more than the bottom line and his own -signature in view. - -Wolfe took the chair and picked up a pen, dipping it into the larger ink -bottle. - -“Hold on!” cried Mike, catching his wrist and checking him. “Don’t use -that ink.” - -“Eh? Why not?” - -“Well, for certain reasons that I won’t name. Take that other pen, -please, and use the ink from this smaller bottle.” - -“Aren’t you rather fussy?” grunted Wolfe, as he complied. “Where do you -want me to write and what do you want me to write?” - -“Write here,” indicated Mike. “Write these words: ‘Witness for M. J. -Lynch.’ Then sign your name.” - -Bern followed instructions, and then paused, with pen suspended. - -“Hey? What’s this?” he muttered, staring at the exposed line of writing. -“What’s this about ‘a full and complete confession?’” - -“That’s all right,” said Lynch, hastily catching up the sheets of paper. -“Don’t be such a rubberneck, Bern.” - -Having made sure that the ink was dry upon the paper, Mike carefully -placed the sheets together, folded them, and slipped them into an -envelope. - -“Now, if you’ll let me sit there a moment, Wolfe,” he suggested. - -Once more sitting down, Lynch addressed the envelope, using the ink from -the larger bottle. Bern peered inquisitively over Mike’s shoulder. - -“Eh?” he ejaculated. “Richard Merriwell? Say, what the dickens are you -writing to Dick Merriwell?” - -With a queer, grave smile, Lynch found a stamp and affixed it to the -envelope. - -“It won’t hurt you if you don’t know, Bern,” he answered. - -“But I have a right to know,” spluttered Wolfe. “If I had thought you -were writing anything to him, you’d never got my autograph on it.” - -“Make yourself comfortable,” said Mike, as he tossed aside his dressing -gown and took a coat from his wardrobe. “I’m going to step down to the -mail box.” - -“Needn’t trouble yourself so much,” said Wolfe, with sudden eagerness. -“You’re not feeling well, Mike. Give me the letter. I’ll mail it.” - -But Lynch shook his head. - -“I wouldn’t trust you,” he said. “I wouldn’t trust any one. I’m going to -mail it myself. I’ll be back in a minute.” - -“Well, what does it mean?” growled Wolfe, as Lynch went out with the -letter in his hand. - - - - - CHAPTER XLVI. - TURNING A NEW LEAF. - - -When Mike returned he was accompanied by Duncan Ditson and Mel Dagett. -The moment they were in the room and the door was closed, Dunc turned -fiercely on Mel. - -“Confound you!” he cried. “I tell you I haven’t any money! I tell you I -can’t pay! I’m broke—dead broke! You know it! You know what happened at -Providence. I raked up every dollar I could raise to bet against -Umpty-ten, and lost.” - -“Oh, yes, I know that,” sneered Dagett. “I let you have part of the -money. Didn’t I lose, too? That’s why I want you to pay me. I need it. -I’m strapped.” - -“Tell that to your grandmother,” sneered Dunc. “You’re not strapped. -Why, you’ve been loaning money at twenty per cent a month for the last -five months. You’ve bled everybody you could.” - -“But I’ve been unfortunate,” whined Mel. “I took your advice on that -Brown game, and you see what happened. You agreed to pay me a week ago. -I’ve been putting it off to give you time. You said you’d have money -to-day.” - -“Because I thought I’d get some from home. It hasn’t come. Do you know -how I’ve managed to scrub along the past week? Well, I’ll tell you: I’ve -borrowed from my sister. Yes, borrowed from my sister, and she gets what -little money she has by teaching music. It comes hard enough, and she -needs every dollar.” - -“I’ve got to have ten,” hissed Mel, wagging his head from side to side. -“I won’t wait any longer. Can’t you borrow that of her?” - -“Say, I’d like to choke you! No, I can’t; see?” - -“Well, then, there’s only one thing for me to do,” said Mel, with a -shrug of his shoulders and an upward toss of his hand. - -“What’s that?” - -“I’ll have to raise money on the securities you let me have. That was -according to the agreement. I’ll have to find out what they’ll bring.” - -“If you sell my stuff, I’ll knock the head off you!” shouted Duncan. - -“Don’t yell like that in this room,” remonstrated Lynch. “I can’t have -it, Ditson.” - -“But look at that cursed Shylock!” panted Dunc, pointing at Mel. “He’d -steal coppers off a dead man’s eyes.” - -“You have no right to say that,” complained Dagett. “Simply because I do -business in a businesslike fashion you insult me. I suppose you think I -ought to let you have the money for nothing. I suppose you think I ought -to give it to you. Mike has paid me what he owes me.” - -“Has he?” exclaimed Ditson, in surprise. “Why, I didn’t know——” - -“Sit down, both of you fellows,” directed Lynch. “Sit down, I say. -That’s right, Dagett, back yourself into that chair. Now, look here, -Dunc, how much do you owe Mel?” - -“I agreed to pay him ten dollars this week.” - -“How much is the full amount that you owe him?” - -“Forty-five dollars.” - -“What security has he?” - -“Two rings, a watch, and my scarfpin.” - -“Worth how much?” - -“Oh, the rings are worth thirty or forty dollars. The pin is worth about -ten. I don’t suppose I could get more than fifteen or eighteen on the -watch, but to me it’s worth twice that, as it was a present.” - -“Can you get those things and bring them here right away, Dagett?” asked -Mike. - -“Why, yes, if——” - -“Then hustle—hustle, I say! Get them! Go ahead now!” - -“But what’s the use if he can’t pay?” - -Lynch smote the table with his huge fist. - -“If he can’t pay, I can!” he roared. - -Duncan Ditson gasped with astonishment, for this was the last thing he -had expected from Mike. - -“If he can’t pay, I can,” repeated Lynch. “We have been friendly, and -I’m going to get him out of your greedy clutches, Dagett.” - -“Oh, you needn’t pay the whole of it,” said Mel quickly. “I only want -what’s due this week.” - -“You only want to keep him indebted to you, so you can continue to -squeeze him. If he can’t pay what’s due next week, then you’ll threaten -to sell his stuff. I know your game, Dagett, and it’s a mighty dirty -one.” - -“Now, don’t you start to preach to me,” sneered Mel. “I guess you’ve -been in some dirty jobs yourself.” - -“I have,” acknowledged Lynch instantly. “I’ve been in a number of them, -but that’s past now, and I’m done with it. Understand, I say I’m done -with it. I’ve turned over a new leaf, and in future I’m going to conduct -myself differently. Don’t grin, Dagett; I mean business. Your warped and -distorted mind may not be able to comprehend me, but I mean just what I -say. Heretofore I’ve carried around a grouch that has made me ugly and -disagreeable even toward my own friends. I haven’t enjoyed life. I’ve -been getting little satisfaction out of it. From now on I’m going to -follow a different plan. I begin here and now by helping one chap to get -out of your clutches, Dagett, even though it leaves me practically -broke. Now get those things and bring them here just as quick as you -can.” - -Ditson and Wolfe exchanged wondering glances. When Mel had left the -room, Duncan started to express his thanks, but Mike cut him short. - -“Why shouldn’t I do it?” he said. “Haven’t we been on friendly terms? -What’s a friend good for if he won’t help another out in a time of -need?” - -“Gee! is this Mike Lynch?” muttered Wolfe. “Say, Dunc, what do you think -I caught him doing? You can’t guess, so don’t try. I caught him writing -a letter to Dick Merriwell, and he induced me to hitch on my name as a -witness to his signature.” - -“What were you doing, Lynch?” grinned Ditson. “Telling Merriwell to go -to the dickens?” - -“No,” was the answer. “I was telling him something entirely different. -You heard me inform Dagett that I have turned over a new leaf. I wasn’t -talking to hear the sound of my own voice. Did you ever hear me admit -that I consider Merriwell the whitest man in college? You never did, but -I admit it now. I’m through trying to throw him down.” - -Both Ditson and Wolfe seemed thunderstruck. At first Duncan was inclined -to ridicule Lynch, but he quickly discovered that Mike would not endure -ridicule on that point. - -By the time Dagett returned with the valuables belonging to Duncan, -Ditson was satisfied that some remarkable change had taken place in -Lynch. - -Mike paid the money due Dagett. With his own hands he destroyed the -agreement held by Mel and signed by Ditson, by which Duncan was bound to -meet the extortioner’s demands or suffer the penalty of having his -valuables disposed of to raise the cash. - -This done, Mike took Mel by the collar, led him to the door, and ejected -him from the room. - - - - - CHAPTER XLVII. - A BITTER DOSE. - - -When the freshman team arrived in New Haven that night, Dick Merriwell -was the only one who appeared at the station to meet them. - -A sorry, downcast-looking bunch they were as they left the train, -carrying their bat bags and satchels. Blessed Jones had a face nearly a -yard long. Jack Spratt looked as if he had shed tears and had a reserve -supply on tap and ready for delivery. Rob Claxton carried his head high, -but could not disguise the fact that he was very much disgusted. The -round face of Bouncer Bigelow wore a moonish expression of mingled -regret and shame. Brad Buckhart looked ugly enough to eat railroad -spikes. Even Tommy Tucker seemed upset and downcast. - -Of them all, however, Sam Kates appeared to be the most wretched. He -lingered behind, being the last one to reach the platform, and showed an -inclination to slip away from the others if he could do so without being -detected. - -Although they saw Dick waiting for them, the most of the boys declined -to meet his inquisitive eyes. Truly, it was with no small difficulty -that Merriwell repressed a rising inclination to shout with laughter. In -spite of himself, a faint smile crept over his face, and this he tried -to conceal by covering his lips with his hand. Buckhart had observed it, -however, and he stopped at Dick’s side, glaring at his friend as he -muttered: - -“If you laugh, you certain take your life in your hand, partner. You’ll -have the whole blamed bunch on your back like a lot of catamounts. They -are sure the ugliest crowd I ever traveled with. We’ve had three scraps -on the way here, and if you’ll take a look at Otis Fitch, you’ll -discover that he’s wearing a handsome black eye. He made some -uncomplimentary remark about Spratt’s fielding, and Spratt punched him.” - -“Well, you must have had a hot time,” observed Dick. - -“Hot sure is no name for it. Don’t ask any questions now. Wait till we -get under cover. I want to sneak in by the back way. Think of being -walloped by a lot of high-school kids. Waugh!” - -Never had the Texan expressed greater disgust than he threw into that -final exclamation. Swinging on his heel, he strode away, regardless of -Merriwell. - -Failing to accept Brad’s warning, Dick took Jones by the arm and began -to question him. - -“A wise head containeth a silent tongue,” muttered the disgruntled -captain of the freshman team. - -“But he that seeketh diligently after wisdom shall obtain it,” reminded -Dick. - -“And he that is devoured by much inquisitiveness causeth disturbance,” -retorted Blessed. “Let us seek the shelter of our roof tree before we -prattle of our disgrace.” - -“Evidently you all take it sorely to heart,” said Merriwell. “I never -saw such a cut-up looking bunch of ball players.” - -“Cut up? If I’d let them scrap on the train, they’d be worse cut up than -they are now. Dick, I’m afraid harmony on the team is a thing of the -past. This has been a fatal day. And they all blame Robinson and me for -letting you stay behind. Don’t talk of it now.” - -That was all he could get out of Jones until they were in their room. -With his door open, Buckhart could be heard prowling about in the -adjoining room, but he seemed quite willing to let Blessed explain how -the thing had happened. - -According to Jones, it was a case of overconfidence by Umpty-ten, -followed by the rattles when Highbridge fell on Kates and batted him out -of the box. - -“Who filled Sam’s place?” inquired Dick. - -“Oh, Spratt helped the suffering along,” groaned Blessed. “He’s been -wanting to show what he could do on the slab, and I gave him a chance. -Every one of those kids got a bingle off him. So help me, Joshua, it was -an unspeakable relief when the game finally dragged to an end!” - -Buckhart stuck his head in at the door. - -“When Highland can do us up,” he said, “we’ll make a fine showing -against those Manhattan College sons of Erin. If those husky Irishmen -don’t eat us up Wednesday, it will certain be a miracle. You hear me -murmur!” - -“Dick will pitch that game,” said Jones. - -“And he’ll have a fine team behind him,” said the Texan. “Unless some -one pours oil on the troubled waters, I don’t believe we’ll get out more -than half the team next week.” - -“Well, you were to blame for a good deal of the trouble,” declared -Jones. “You told Kates he was bum, you reviled Spratt, you derided -Bigelow, and Claxton was about the only man you didn’t insult. I suppose -you realized you’d have a fight on your hands if you said much to him.” - -“It was enough to make anybody sit up on his haunches and howl like a -wolf,” said the Texan, as he stepped through the doorway. “I won’t get -over it in a month.” - -“Oh, forget it! forget it!” piped a voice, as Tommy Tucker pushed open -the door and peered in. “Still chewing it over? What’s the use? Say, -Dick, have you heard the story about the powdered sugar? Haven’t heard -it? Well, it’s fine.” - -Bang!—a shoe flew past Tucker and struck the half-open door, which was -knocked against the nose of Bouncer Bigelow, who had just started to -peer into the room. - -“Oh, wow!” cried the fat boy, grabbing his nasal organ with both hands. -“Be careless, will you? What are you trying to do, anyhow?” - -“Shoe fly, don’t bother me!” cried Tucker. “Come in quick and close the -door. These people seem violent. We may have to sit on them, and you’re -the proper size and weight for that job.” - -“Wonder you didn’t make my nose bleed,” grunted Bigelow, as he came in -and leaned against the closed door. “What is it, another fight? -Jerusalem! there hasn’t been a thing doing but fights ever since the -middle of that game. Never saw such a scrappy crowd. But, say, there -were a lot of pretty girls out to the game. They enjoyed it immensely -seeing Highland rub it into us. They kept squealing their class cheer -and waving their flags until I was afraid they would all have spasms. I -can’t seem to get the sound of that yell out of my ears. It was a sort -of a hiky-yi! ye-yo! yow! wow! wow! Even when they were yelling their -loudest they were pretty. I tell you, fellows, the fair sex is -beautiful.” - -“That’s natural,” said Dick. - -“Not always,” grinned Tucker. “Sometimes it’s artificial.” - -“But really,” said Bouncer, “I can’t understand girls. I don’t believe -any fellow ever does. Somehow, they seem to understand us better than we -do them.” - -“That began with the first woman created,” said Tommy. “See how well old -Mother Eve understood old Father Adam.” - -“That was because she was on the inside at the beginning,” said Dick. - -“Somebody loan me a brick, please,” begged Tucker. “I’ll give it to -Merriwell—good and hard!” - -“You seem to have recovered from your recent depression,” said Dick. - -“Oh, he doesn’t know enough to remain depressed long,” sneered Bigelow. -“He told me he was coming in to punch Buckhart for insulting him. I came -to save his life if he tried it.” - -“We’ll have to assemble the braves and smoke the pipe of peace,” said -Dick. - -“How can you show such unseemly merriment?” snarled Jones. “I believe -you’re pleased because we were beaten.” - -“You’ve got another guess coming,” said Dick. “But there’s no use crying -over spilled milk.” - -“‘Doth not wisdom cry and understanding put forth her voice?’” mocked -Blessed. “I think we’d better call the team together and choose a new -captain.” - -“Choose a new captain?” exclaimed Merriwell, in surprise. - -“Sure. I couldn’t seem to do anything with that crazy bunch after Kates -went to pieces. The more I talked to them, the worse they played. They -wouldn’t pay any attention to my orders, yet the wise in heart will -receive commandments, but prating fools shall fall.” - -“Weren’t you too harsh in your manner of reproving them?” asked Dick. - -“Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge, but he that hateth reproof -is brutish.” - -“I’m afraid you all lost your heads,” said Dick. “It may do the team -some good.” - -“How can that be?” - -“A team that can’t take defeat isn’t fit to win victories. An occasional -failure acts like tonic on an ambitious person. Let’s call this a good -dose of tonic for the team.” - -“Call it that if you like,” muttered Brad. “It tasted bitter enough, -anyhow.” - - - - - CHAPTER XLVIII. - WAS HE SINCERE? - - -The following day being Sunday, the boys were given a chance to rest. It -was a gloomy, sullen set that appeared at training table, and all -efforts to arouse them seemed wasted. One fellow was missing. Kates was -reported ill. - -Dick found an opportunity to hunt Sam up and talk to him. Kates would -have avoided Merriwell, but he could not do so, and he faced Dick with a -crestfallen air of shame. - -“Are you really ill, Sam?” Dick questioned. - -“You bet I am,” was the answer. “I’m downright sick. I haven’t been -right for a day or two, you know.” - -“No, I didn’t know it.” - -The fact was Dick had fancied Kates in the very best of health and in -fine spirits the day before the game with Highland. - -“Well, it’s true,” persisted Sam; “there’s something the matter with me. -I can’t stand for training-table feed. It makes me sick. All I can think -of is rare roast beef and stuff like that. I’d like to sit down and make -a square meal off cake and pie and ice cream and strawberries and -chocolates and bon-bons. I think it’s all rot this tying a fellow down -on a certain line of diet. One man’s food is another’s poison, you know. -How’s any one going to tell me what I need to eat unless he’s an expert -physician, and I’m ill with dyspepsia, or something of that sort? No -wonder I couldn’t pitch yesterday. Jones is too blamed rigid with the -team. It needs some one more liberal. Then there’s Robinson—he keeps -watch of us as if we were criminals or a jury sitting on a murder case. -Some day—some day I’m going to punch that man Robinson. I tell you I’m -in revolt, Merriwell.” - -“Let me tell you something, Sam,” said Dick quietly: “You’re trying to -make unnecessary excuses for yourself. You’re disgusted because you were -batted hard Saturday, and so you think you’ve got to lay the blame to -something. Shoulder it, shoulder it—that’s the only way. Evidently you -were not wholly to blame. According to what I’ve learned, there were -some rotten errors made.” - -“But they did hit me hard,” groaned Kates, shaking his head. “Merriwell, -I believe there were some ringers in that bunch. I don’t believe they -were all high-school boys. I never saw a high-school team hit the way -they did. The more I’ve thought about it, the sicker I’ve grown. It took -the heart out of me.” - -“Well, I’m sorry to know that you’ll let a thing like that take the -heart out of you, Kates. You’ve got to have more backbone.” - -“I suppose Buckhart told you all about our trouble?” - -“I don’t know as he mentioned any particular trouble with you, Kates. It -seems that the whole team was fussing and quarreling.” - -“But Buckhart called me a few names that I couldn’t swallow. I told him -I’d never pitch to him again until he apologized, and I meant it. He’s -got to apologize, Merriwell, or I’m done.” - -“A better way would be to drop it—to forget all about it,” said Dick. -“This demanding an apology for every hasty and unintentional word is a -poor business. The rest of the fellows have practically dropped it, and -you should do the same, Kates.” - -“Suppose you say that because Buckhart is your particular friend. I -suppose you think I ought to apologize to him, don’t you?” - -“I don’t think either of you should demand an apology from the other. -Nor should you hold a grudge. You’re not playing for Buckhart; you’re -playing for the team. Think it over, Kates. I’ll expect to see you out -with the others to-morrow afternoon. We’ve got to get together and play -ball if we hope to defeat Manhattan.” - -“We’ll have to play different ball than we did Saturday,” said Sam, as -Dick departed. - -On Monday morning Dick received a letter that surprised him unspeakably. -It was the confession of Mike Lynch. - -“Well, that beats!” he cried when he had finished reading it. - -“What is it?” questioned Jones. - -“I’d like to show this to you,” said Dick. “I’d like to have you read -it.” - -But when Jones reached for the letter, Merriwell drew it away, shaking -his head. - -“No, I can’t, old man,” he said. “It’s confidential. The fellow who -wrote this has trusted me. He has placed himself in my hands. With this -document I could have him expelled from college. He has thrown himself -on my mercy. The fellow must be sincere. He certainly protests that he -is, and he urges me to keep this letter, to be used against him in case -I ever find he is not in earnest. I think I’ll take him at his word.” - -Returning the confession to the envelope, Merriwell placed it in a -drawer which he always kept locked, and the key of which he carried -constantly. From this drawer he took the queer old horse pistol and the -two silver bullets. - -“What the dickens have you there?” asked Jones. - -“It looks like a young cannon, doesn’t it?” smiled Dick, as he procured -a sheet of wrapping paper and carefully wrapped the pistol. - -“What are you going to do with it?” - -“I’m going to return it to its owner. Remember he that is devoured by -much inquisitiveness causeth disturbance.” - -Carrying the carefully wrapped pistol under his arm, Dick knocked at the -door of Mike Lynch’s room. Mike was on the point of going out. He -flushed as Merriwell entered. - -“Here’s that pistol you asked for,” said Dick, handing the weapon over. -“Here are also the silver bullets. What do you propose to do with these -things?” - -“So you got my letter, did you?” - -“Yes, I received it.” - -“And read it?” - -“Every word.” - -“I’m going to hang this pistol on the wall yonder. I’m going to keep it -there as a reminder of my pledge to you. It will be a warning of what my -folly led me into. It will also remind me of your generosity toward me. -That letter ought to convince you that I mean business when I say I’ve -turned over a new leaf.” - -“It begins to look as if you do, Lynch,” said Dick. - -“Were you surprised by the contents of the letter?” - -“I was surprised, perhaps; but you told me nothing I did not already -know.” - -“Perhaps I told you nothing you did not suspect. But you had absolutely -no proof that I was really the one who betrayed the team some weeks ago. -That was a dirty piece of business, Merriwell, and I’m heartily ashamed -of it. I did it out of spite toward you. You see, I am in your power -now. If I do another dirty trick, you can publish that confession, and -that will be my finish. Not many fellows in my place would dare trust -any one as I’ve trusted you, for not many fellows in your place would -treat their enemies with the generosity you show them. I wish you would -promise me one thing, Merriwell.” - -“What is it?” - -“Unless something happens to convince you that I’m insincere in my -resolve to behave in future, I hope you’ll never read the contents of -that letter again. You’ve perused it once, and you know what there is in -it. This may sound like a queer request, and I don’t know as I can make -you understand my reason for it. You think badly enough of me now. If I -behave, and you begin to believe there is a decent streak in me, you may -get the belief knocked out of you if you reread that confession. That’s -why I hope you’ll never look at it after this day. When you’re -satisfied—thoroughly satisfied—that I mean to do right, I wish you would -return that confession to me, that I may destroy it. While it remains in -existence there’ll always be the danger that it may fall into the hands -of some one who’ll use it against me. Oh, I realized this when I wrote -it. I’m taking all the chances. I’ve asked you to keep it where it will -be safe.” - -“It’s under lock and key at this moment.” - -“But that’s not always safe. Don’t think I’m sorry I wrote it. Don’t -think I want to squeal. I could see no other way to convince you that I -meant to do the right thing. I wanted a chance to prove myself.” - -“You shall have it, Lynch,” said Dick earnestly. “But don’t forget your -promise to consult a physician.” - -“I’ve done so already. I was thoroughly examined yesterday. The doctor -says he sees no reason why I should leave college at the present time. -He thinks I’ll go through the term all right. I’m certain there’s -nothing the matter with me now, Merriwell. That bump on the head -straightened me out.” - -“I have just one question to ask,” said Dick. “Wolfe’s name was hitched -to that confession as a witness. Did he read it?” - -“Oh, no; he simply saw me sign my name. I didn’t permit him to read it.” - -“I thought not,” nodded Dick. - - - - - CHAPTER XLIX. - A WASTED WARNING. - - -Another surprise followed. Lynch came out to watch the team practice -that afternoon. When Kates failed to appear, Mike asked permission to -cover first. - -“Let me try it, Merriwell,” he begged. - -“You’re asking the wrong man,” said Dick. “I’m not captain of the team. -You’ll have to call on Jones.” - -“But he won’t give me a show unless you say something. Won’t you say -something? You know I can play baseball. The rest of them know I can -play, too, but they won’t trust me. It wouldn’t do any hurt to let me -practice with the team. Just say a word to Jones, won’t you, Merriwell?” - -Thus importuned, Dick trotted over to Blessed and told him of Mike’s -appeal. - -“That fellow!” growled Jones. “Forwardness is in his heart, he deviseth -mischief continually; he soweth discord.” - -“But he has promised——” - -“Put no dependence in the promises of such as he. I wouldn’t trust him, -Dick.” - -“He can do no particular harm in practice to-day. We’re not trying out -any signal work. Let him cover first.” - -“All right,” growled Jones. - -So Lynch got his chance to practice. Although he was not in uniform, he -stripped off coat and vest, rolled up his sleeves; and went at it in -earnest. His work at first was of an order to cause some favorable -comment from the spectators. Not a man in the infield entertained a -friendly feeling toward Mike. For this reason, all sorts of erratic -throws were sent over to him. The stops he made were simply marvelous. -Time after time he stretched himself on the ground with his toe clinging -to the sack and scooped the low ones. Again and again he leaped into the -air and pulled down high ones which seemed far beyond his reach. Hot -grounders and whistling liners he took whenever they came in his -direction. Not only that, but his throwing to second and third and to -the plate was little short of perfect. - -“There’s the man to cover that hassock,” some one finally cried. “He’s -needed.” - -Jones, at work in the field, did not fail to notice what was happening, -and began to regret that Lynch had been tried. - -“If we don’t give him a show, there’ll be a fuss,” muttered Blessed. -“Jerusalem! this old baseball team is worrying me to death.” - -The report that Lynch had been tried on first reached the campus ahead -of the players that night. It caused something of a sensation among the -freshmen. - -As soon as the news reached the ears of three fellows, they made haste -to Mike’s room, seeking confirmation. Bern Wolfe came upon Ditson and Du -Boise upon the steps, and the trio sailed in upon Lynch without -announcement. - -“Say!” cried Ditson challengingly; “what’s this yarn that’s come to our -ears?” - -Mike, with a towel bound round his head, rose from his chair by the -window. - -“What yarn?” he asked quietly. - -“Why, we understand you’ve been out practicing with the Merriwell -crowd.” - -“Yes, and we want to know about it!” snapped Wolfe. - -“I’ve been out practicing with the team.” - -“Oh, you have?” snarled Ditson. “Now, what do you mean by that?” - -“I suppose he’s going to try to get onto the team,” sneered Wolfe. - -“You couldn’t make a better guess if you had several more tries,” said -Lynch coolly. - -This seemed to be a staggerer for Bern. - -“Wh-what?” he gasped. “You don’t mean it?” - -“Oh, yes, I do.” - -“Lynch, you’re plumb daffy,” said Ditson. “Why, you’re the last fellow -in the world to strike his colors and surrender to that bunch.” - -“You’re crazy!” shouted Wolfe furiously. “You know what happened to me.” - -“Yes, I know what happened,” remarked Mike. - -“They kicked me off the team after giving me a show.” - -“For excellent reasons.” - -“And you were frothing mad with me because I thought of getting onto the -team in the first place. You were furious with Kates, and now you’re -going to try for it. That’s too much, Lynch. I won’t stand it.” - -“I don’t see how you can help it.” - -“I’ll—I’ll tell a few things.” - -“You can’t tell anything that’ll hurt me.” - -“Oh, can’t I?” - -“Not a thing. Do you remember I had you affix your name to a document I -had just completed Saturday. Well, that’s a full confession, and it’s -now in Merriwell’s hands. In that I took all the blame for a certain -affair in which you and I were concerned. You ought to know what I -mean.” - -“The sig——” - -“You can tell these fellows about it if you wish,” interrupted Mike -hastily. - -“If you’ve told Merriwell, everybody’ll know it. Lynch, you’re daffy. -You’re crazy as a March hare.” - -“I don’t think so. You’ll observe that I was given a chance to practice -with the team to-day. I believe I’ll have still further opportunities. -Unless I’m mistaken, I’ll be playing on the team before the end of the -season.” - -“And where will I be?” cried Wolfe. “It was your scheme that threw me -off the team.” - -“I’ve explained that, Bern. I’ve shouldered everything.” - -Duncan Ditson whistled wonderingly as he sank upon a chair. - -“What the devil has happened to you, Lynch?” he asked. “I swear I can’t -comprehend it. I agree with Wolfe that you’re bughouse. You’d better -hold up right where you are. You’d better not try to get in with the -Merriwell crowd. If you do, you’ll find yourself in trouble.” - -“Wait a minute, Duncan,” urged Mike quietly. “You’ve called yourself my -friend, haven’t you?” - -“Yes, but——” - -“But now you threaten to quit me. Have you forgotten what I did for you -Saturday? Have you forgotten how I saved you from the grip of Shylock -Dagett? I am still your friend, Ditson. You may need me again. Wolfe may -need me. If either of you need assistance, don’t hesitate to come to me. -I’ll do what I can for you. But I can’t listen to your talk now. I’ve -got a headache. I wish you would both get out.” - -Ditson sprang up. - -“I’ll go,” he snapped. “By Jove! I don’t know what the class of -Umpty-ten is coming to. Every man in it will be prostrating himself at -Merriwell’s feet if this thing keeps up. It’s simply disgusting.” - -“That’s what it is!” cried Wolfe, as he followed Ditson from the room, -slamming the door behind him. - -Mike returned to his chair and sat down with a weary expression, resting -his head on his hand. - -“I think I’d better go, too,” murmured Du Boise. - -“Wait a minute,” said Lynch. “Were you ever troubled with headaches, -Hal?” - -“I should say so.” - -“Had them bad, did you?” - -“I certainly did.” - -“Ever use any headache powders?” - -“Yes.” - -“What kind would you recommend?” - -“No kind,” answered Du Boise, at once. “They’re good things to let -alone.” - -“Eh? Don’t they stop the headache? - -“Sure they do.” - -“Then why——” - -“Why let them alone? I’ll tell you. Almost all of them contain cocaine. -I acquired the drug habit by using headache powders, to begin with, -Lynch. Don’t touch the things. The kind that seem to do you the most -good are the most dangerous, for they invariably contain the most -cocaine. Cure your headaches in some other way.” - -“Much obliged, Du Boise,” said Lynch. - -But ten minutes after Hal had left, Mike put on his coat and hat and -proceeded to the nearest drug store, where he purchased some headache -powders. And in twenty minutes after taking the first powder his -headache had vanished, and he was feeling like a fighting cock. - -The warning of Du Boise, himself a wreck from the use of drugs, had -fallen on barren ground. - - - - - CHAPTER L. - WOLFE HAS AN IDEA. - - -Reaching the street after leaving Mike Lynch’s room, Wolfe and Ditson -paused and looked at each other. - -“Well, what do you think of it?” asked Bern, in a disgusted way. - -“It beats me,” declared Dunc. “There’s something the matter with the -fellow. There’s been something the matter with him ever since the night -we accidentally ran down Merriwell and Buckhart as they were rowing on -the harbor.” - -“Accidentally?” murmured Bern, with a crafty wink. “Are you sure it was -an accident, old chap?” - -“Well, we didn’t take particular pains to avoid hitting their boat. I -don’t understand now how it was Merriwell escaped. He disappeared, and -we saw nothing of him. Even Buckhart thought for a time that he was -drowned. You see, Lynch got a foolish idea into his head that he was -haunted by Merriwell’s ghost. When the rest of us learned that Merriwell -was still alive, Mike persisted in fancying him dead. That was the first -indication of an unbalanced mind. He seems to have thrown off that -delusion, but with its disappearance he has suddenly changed in a most -astonishing way. He was the bitterest and most persistent of Merriwell’s -enemies. Now he’s joined the ranks of the Merriwell toadies. All of a -sudden he’s got good. Think of Mike Lynch doing anything like that!” - -“When the devil a saint would be, the devil a saint was he,” quoted -Wolfe. “I can’t believe he’s in earnest.” - -“Somehow, I think he is. He’s not the sort of fellow to try deception on -us.” - -“Well, confound him!” snapped Bern. “If he’s really in earnest, I’d like -to punch him. Only for him I might be playing on the baseball team now. -I’d like to tell you a few things, Ditson. Where can we go?” - -“There’s my room,” suggested Dunc. - -“The very place,” said Bern eagerly. - -Among the anti-Merriwellites Ditson was something of an aristocrat. He -was a fellow who regarded himself as very exclusive and well-bred. He -roomed alone, and his rooms were furnished with something like luxury. -There were fine rugs on the floors, plenty of books, easy lounging -chairs, athletic pictures on the walls, and the usual Yale flags, -crossed foils, boxing gloves, Indian clubs, and so forth. - -“You’ve got slick rooms,” observed Bern, as he flung himself on Duncan’s -comfortable, cushion-piled couch. - -“Oh, they don’t satisfy me,” said Ditson. “I’m going to have something -decent next term. I’ve got the rooms spotted now.” - -“Of course, you’re going to leave this locality?” - -“Well, I should say so. You don’t suppose I’d hang around Freshman Row -in my sophomore year? I’ll be glad when I get into a dormitory. Have a -smoke, Wolfe?” - -Bern accepted a cigarette, and lighted it. - -“This is my only consolation for being dropped from the baseball team,” -he said. “I can smoke as much as I choose.” - -“You were going to tell me something,” reminded Duncan, who had likewise -fired up, and was now standing with his elbow resting against the -mantelpiece. “Go ahead.” - -Wolfe sat up and eyed his companion askance. - -“I don’t know just how to begin,” he hesitated. “You remember that -Hudson A. A. business—the giving away of our signals, don’t you?” - -“As if I’d forget it!” exclaimed Ditson. - -“Well, you always thought Tommy Tucker betrayed the team, didn’t you?” - -“I believe that was practically proven, although Merriwell hired a cheap -bum to shoulder the blame, and Tucker is still on the team.” - -“Tucker didn’t do it,” announced Wolfe. - -“Tucker didn’t?” - -“No, sir.” - -“Then who did?” - -“I did.” - -“Wha-a-at?” Duncan dragged forth the exclamation with an intonation of -great astonishment. - -“Yes, I did it,” repeated Wolfe defiantly. “I was forced into it.” - -“By whom?” - -“Mike Lynch.” - -“How did he force you into it?” - -“Oh, he knew something about me that I wouldn’t have come out for the -world, and he threatened to expose me unless I went in with him on his -plan to throw down the team. You see, I had a good chance to do that. -Tommy Tucker had quit, and I was almost the only man who could come -anywhere near filling his place at shortstop. They had to have as good a -man as they could get. I believe I can play the position all around -Tucker. I went out and showed them what I could do. Merriwell advised -Jones to give me a chance on the team, and Jones decided to do so.” - -“Oh, of course!” sneered Ditson, exhaling a blue smoky breath while his -lips curled with scorn. “Jones is a mere figurehead. He agrees to -everything Merriwell proposes. Manager Robinson is another dummy. -Manager? Why, he couldn’t manage a chicken hatchery. He’s about the -biggest slob in the whole bunch.” - -Ditson’s doubled disgust for Robinson came principally from the fact -that big Rufe had at one time seemed inclined to favor the -anti-Merriwell crowd. After becoming manager of the team Robinson had -flopped, cutting out Duncan and his associates. - -“Well, I had my chance to make good and nail myself fast to the team,” -Wolfe hastily continued. “I meant to do it. I was in earnest, for I love -baseball more than any other sport. Lynch became infuriated with me. You -know what he thinks of Sam Kates. Kates got his chance on the team the -same time I did. He’s stuck there.” - -“But he made a beautiful mess pitching that Highbridge game,” smiled -Duncan, filliping a bit of ash from his cigarette. - -“Oh, as a pitcher Sam is erratic. He’s a wizard one day and a slob the -next. That experience will teach them better than to rely on him, even -against the weaker teams. As I was saying, Lynch put up that Hudson job. -He got me to make out a list of the teamwork signals. He told me how we -could make money by handing the signals over to Newhouse, the Hudson -manager. But I didn’t propose to have those signals turning up in my -handwriting, and so we engaged a bummer to get them typewritten for us. -In order to doubly cover our tracks, we actually fooled Newhouse into -believing that Tucker was the one who gave him the signals. - -“Lynch made the bargain with Newhouse, and arranged that I should meet -the man on a certain dark corner, and give him the typewritten document. -I kept the appointment, wearing an old ulster, with the collar turned -up, and a wide-brimmed hat pulled low down over my eyes. When Newhouse -inquired if my name was Tucker I said yes. That’s the way the trick was -worked. It was a mighty rotten piece of business, but Lynch was to blame -for it all. He drove me into it. I’m satisfied that Merriwell got at the -truth, and that’s why I was bounced from the team and Tucker taken back. -You can’t blame me, Ditson. You see the kind of a fix I was in. I didn’t -want to do it, but I had to.” - -Duncan tossed the butt of his cigarette into the open grate. - -“I see,” he said, with a shrug of his shoulders; “and I’ve been thinking -all the time that Tucker did it. I’ve been despising Merriwell because -he kept Tucker on the team. I must acknowledge that you and Lynch fooled -me, all right. I’m sorry to learn that Tucker was not the traitor.” - -“I didn’t want to be a traitor,” said Wolfe. “Do you wonder I’m sore on -Mike Lynch? I tell you I love baseball. I’m not playing, and Lynch is to -blame for it. Now he suddenly has a spasm of virtue, and it looks as if -he might get a chance to play on the team himself. Think I’m going to -stand for that? Not on your life! Say, I’m going to make a howl. I’m -going to rip up things generally.” - -“Are you?” smiled Ditson, as he selected and lighted a second cigarette. -“I wonder how you’re going to do it. It seems to me you’re in a tight -corner, and you haven’t much chance to make a disturbance. Didn’t I -understand Lynch to say he had written a full confession of his errors -and sent it to Merriwell?” - -“That’s what he says.” - -“Well, there you are. Merriwell has read that confession, and yet this -very day Lynch was given a chance to practice with the team. What does -that look like to you, Wolfe? Doesn’t it strike you that Merriwell has -accepted Mike Lynch’s protestations of regret and promises to reform as -genuine? If Merriwell didn’t believe Mike in earnest, the contents of -that confession would be public knowledge now. Merriwell is going to -keep still until he can satisfy himself whether Lynch means what he says -or not. If Mike proves that he’s sincere, that confession will be -destroyed.” - -“And Mr. Lynch will come out on top of the heap, while you and I will -remain in the soup,” snarled Wolfe, leaping up and excitedly pacing the -floor. “You’d like to play baseball yourself, Ditson. Have you had a -chance to play this spring?” - -“Oh, I suppose I might have played if I had bowed the suppliant knee to -the great mogul, Merriwell.” - -“But you wouldn’t do that.” - -“Not much!” - -“Nearly all the rest of the crowd have squealed and given in to him.” - -“I’ll never squeal. The squealers make me sick! Mike Lynch was the last -one I’d ever thought would lie down. I’m more disgusted with him than -any one else.” - -“I’m glad you are—I’m glad of it!” said Bern exultantly. “I hate him! -I’d like to get a good twist on him! I’d like to hold his nose to the -grindstone! It would do my soul good! And to think I witnessed his -signature to that confession! To think Merriwell has that document with -my name attached as a witness! I’d give something to get hold of that -paper.” - -“It would be rather valuable,” murmured Duncan, as if struck by a sudden -thought. - -“You bet it would! With that document in his possession, a fellow could -just about make Mike Lynch do as he pleased. Mike said that he had -shouldered all the blame for the betraying of those signals. If that’s -true, and I could get hold of that document, I’d have the power to drive -him out of college. Say, Ditson, isn’t there any way we can get our -hands on that paper?” - -Duncan meditated a moment, puffing softly at his cigarette. - -“It’s not easy to get anything away from Merriwell,” he said. “I presume -Merriwell will carry that paper in his pocket. If some fellow could find -an opportunity to go through his pockets——” - -“At the gymnasium, say?” - -“Not so easy there, for he has a locker into which he puts his -valuables. Of course, a man might find an opportunity to break open that -locker, but it’s dangerous trying such a thing.” - -“He might be held up on the highway and robbed.” - -“That gives me an idea,” muttered Dunc, scratching his head. “Saw my -sister this afternoon, and she told me that Merriwell and Buckhart were -going to call on her this evening. Unless they’re taking the girls out, -those chaps usually walk when they call there. The Midhursts live pretty -well out toward the outskirts of the city. I suppose a man might be held -up out that way. It would be much easier, though, if one of those chaps -was going out there alone.” - -“Don’t you suppose that we could do it?” asked Wolfe. “We could wear -masks and turn our coats, and have a couple of pistols, and I’ll bet we -could pull off the job.” - -“I don’t know,” murmured Dunc, rubbing his chin. “It would be better to -have two more fellows with us.” - -“But we don’t want to let anybody else in on this. Besides, I don’t know -whom you’ll get. The most of our crowd wouldn’t have nerve enough to -tackle the job. They got pretty well upset after that racket with -Tucker, when the old warehouse burned.” - -“I wouldn’t try to get any of the old crowd,” said Dunc. “I think I know -one chap we might induce to take a hand. He’s a tough customer, and I -don’t suppose it would be the first holdup he’s ever participated in. -More than that, he has a grudge against Merriwell. It would be well -enough to take him into the game in case he’ll work for a reasonable -sum. I think he will, as he’s on his uppers at the present time. He’s a -big brute, and he might make some impression on Buckhart and Merriwell. -Unless we can get some one like that, I hardly think we had better -tackle the job.” - -“If—if you can—get hold of this—this person,” faltered Wolfe. - -“I’ll try it,” said Duncan promptly. “Meet me at Fred’s about eight this -evening. I’ll let you know, what success I’ve had and whether we’ll try -this holdup scheme or not.” - -“All right,” said Bern, turning toward the door; “I’ll be there.” - - - - - CHAPTER LI. - THE HOLDUP. - - -Dick and Brad, in a jovial mood, were returning from their evening call. -It was about nine-thirty, and the night was dark, with a raw wind from -Long Island Sound. - -“This is a rather dark old corner,” observed Dick, as they started to -turn into another street. “Wonder what’s the matter with the street -light here? It doesn’t seem to be attending to its duties this evening.” - -“Gone on a strike, perhaps,” observed Brad, with a chuckle. “This would -be a good place to——” - -“Hold up your hands!” commanded a hoarse voice, as two masked figures -suddenly sprang out before them. - -One seemed to be a big man, while the other was a rather undersized -chap. Both held their arms outstretched, and, despite the darkness, the -boys fancied they caught the gleam of nickel-plated revolvers held in -the hands of the masked men. - -“Be quick about it, youse fellers!” growled the one who had ordered them -to put up their hands. “H’ist your paws if you don’t want to git the -tops of yer heads blew off! Put ’em up, I say!” - -“Yes, put ’em up!” wheezed the little chap, shaking his pistol. “Don’t -try no funny business, fer dere’s two udder fellers behind ye, see?” - -“Great horn spoon!” exploded the Texan. “Partner, it’s a holdup!” - -“We’re right here,” announced a voice behind them, “We’re not going to -hurt you unless you make a foolish move. Better act sensible.” - -In spite of this warning, the Texan made a sudden duck and lunged at the -small man who had confronted him. With a sidelong sweep of his arm, -Buckhart struck the pistol aside. Evidently, this caused the man’s -finger to contract on the trigger, for there was a sudden spurt of fire -and a sharp report. - -This astonished Brad, who had more than half fancied the holdup was a -practical joke. Realizing that the masked men were carrying real pistols -which were loaded, the Texan gave a snarl and grappled with the little -fellow. - -In the meantime, Dick Merriwell had sought to imitate his chum’s -example, but had been clutched from behind and flung to the ground. - -There were four of the assailants, two of whom had come upon the -unsuspecting boys from the rear. These two sought to give their -attention to Merriwell, and the trio went flopping and twisting and -writhing into the gutter, striking against the electric-light pole with -such violence that the stick of carbon in the globe far above their -heads was loosened, a contact was made, and, with a spluttering, hissing -sound, the light came on. - -The big ruffian who had first commanded the boys to put up their hands -now turned his attention to Buckhart, who had the smaller rascal pinned -fast to the ground. - -Reversing the pistol in his hand, the man lifted it and struck Brad a -stunning blow upon the head. With a faint, gasping groan, the Texan fell -across the little man. - -“Come on here, Cully!” said the thug who had dealt the blow, as he -kicked Brad one side with his foot, and attempted to lift his comrade. - -Evidently, Cully was also knocked out, for he made no effort to rise. - -Merriwell had seen Buckhart struck down. With a shout of fury, he -smashed one of his antagonists a staggering blow, torn free from the -other, whirled, and hurled himself upon the thug with the revolver. - -“You whelp!” he said, seizing the fellow’s wrist and giving it a twist -which caused him to drop the weapon. - -Ditson and Wolfe were the two fellows who had come upon the waylaid boys -from the rear. Like the thugs whom they had paid to assist them, they -were masked and otherwise disguised. But they carried no weapons. - -Duncan had made a bargain with the big man, Slugger Shea, who had -proposed bringing along Cully as a companion. - -Shea had ridiculed the idea that the boys might put up a fight. It was -his belief that he could scare any two Yale men blue, and relieve them -of their valuables without assistance. Still, he acknowledged that Cully -would come in handy to go through the pockets of the victims. Besides -that, Slugger had a friendly feeling for Cully, and he wanted his friend -to share in the profits of the job. It was understood, however, that, -under any circumstances, the two ruffians should be paid five dollars -apiece, and they agreed to give up to their employers whatever papers, -letters, or other documents they might secure. - -Dunc and Bern had decided that it would be well enough for them to take -a hand in the business, as they could then make certain of getting -possession of such plunder as they desired. Besides that, they fancied -Merriwell and Buckhart would be doubly frightened on finding themselves -trapped between two fires. But the boys had upset the calculations of -these rascals by unexpectedly showing resistance. - -“Good gracious!” gasped Wolfe, in dismay. “Hadn’t we better hit the high -places, Dunc? The police—that shot is liable to——” - -“Buckhart is down and out!” hissed Ditson. “Give a hand here! We’ll have -Merriwell down in a jiffy!” - -Again he hurled himself on Dick’s back. He did this just as Merriwell, -having secured a Japanese wrestling hold on Slugger Shea, sent the big -ruffian sprawling. - -Dick was nearly upset by Ditson’s weight, but he managed to keep his -feet, squirm around, and get a hold on Duncan. Wolfe rushed in, seeking -to render such assistance as possible. By this time Merriwell’s fighting -blood was thoroughly aroused. - -“The more the merrier!” he cried, with a strange, reckless laugh. “Call -up your friends! Get them into it!” - -In some manner he succeeded in slamming his elbow against Wolfe’s jaw, -and Bern staggered backward, nearly knocked out. - -Shea was a man with a violent temper, and without an oversupply of -brains. By this time his fury was thoroughly aroused. Snarling like a -madman, he rose to his feet, drawing from beneath his coat a long, keen -knife, on which the cold white light of the street lamp glinted and -gleamed. - -“Hold him, cuss him!” cried the slugger, rushing at Dick. “I’ll cut him -open!” - -But, with a cry of horror, Ditson gave Dick a sidelong thrust, at the -same time releasing his hold on the boy. - -Merriwell tripped over Buckhart, tried to recover his balance, and went -down heavily on his right shoulder. Shea followed the boy like a -bloodthirsty panther, and pounced upon him as he struck the ground. - -“For Heaven’s sake, let’s get out of this!” gasped Bern Wolfe, as he -wheeled and took to his heels. - -“I think we’d better,” muttered Ditson, imitating Wolfe’s example. - -But, having fled a short distance, something caused Duncan to stop and -cast a fearsome glance over his shoulder. - -What he saw chilled him to the core. With Dick Merriwell still pinned to -the ground, Shea had lifted that gleaming knife to plunge it into the -boy’s breast. - -“Murder!” thought Duncan, turning again to run as if his life depended -on it. - -Behind him a pistol shot ruptured the night, followed by a scream of -pain. - - - - - CHAPTER LII. - ROUTING THE RUFFIANS. - - -Buckhart’s senses had been sent wool-gathering, but he recovered in time -to see the ruffian with the knife pinning Dick to the ground a short -distance away. Merriwell was fighting for his life, but the injury to -his shoulder had seemed to benumb his entire body and rob him of his -strength. Snarling, spluttering, swearing, the ruffian lifted the deadly -knife. - -Within reach of his hand, Buckhart saw the pistol that Dick had wrenched -from the man’s grasp. Quick as thought, the Texan seized the weapon. The -double click of a hammer was followed an instant later by a sharp report -and a cry of pain. - -Brad had fired at the uplifted hand of the thug. The bullet struck and -shattered two of the man’s fingers. The knife dropped harmlessly. -Holding up his injured hand, the slugger sprang to his feet. - -“Stop—stop right where you are!” commanded Buckhart, leveling the -pistol. “If you don’t, I’ll sure run a tunnel through you! I’ll -ventilate you good and proper!” - -But Shea turned and fled. - -“I don’t want to kill him,” said the Texan, who was sitting up, “but I -think I’ll try for his legs.” - -Crack! crack! crack! crack! - -The weapon was emptied, but the fleeing wretch kept on and disappeared -into the darkness. - -“Well, I sure am a rotten bad shot,” observed the Texan, in disgust. -“Reckon that’s because I got a bump on the head that made me see a few -stars and comets. I say, partner, how are you?” - -“Alive, thanks to you,” answered Dick. “You chipped into the game at the -right moment. I believe that brute meant to knife me.” - -“It certain seemed that he had some such intentions. Where are the rest -of the gents?” - -“They’ve skipped—all but one. One of them should be here.” - -But the little man Cully, who had been knocked down, had crawled off -into the darkness and could not be found. - -“Evidently they’re all gone,” said Dick, rubbing his right shoulder with -his left hand. “I’m afraid that shoulder is hurt pretty bad.” - -“And I’m a whole lot unsteady on my pins,” muttered the Texan. “That was -a joyous old scrimmage, but it didn’t seem to wake up the neighborhood -much.” - -“Some one is coming now,” said Dick. “I can see a row of brass buttons -dancing this way.” - -“Well, it’s about time!” said Brad, as a policeman came up panting. -“You’re rather late, officer.” - -“What’s the matter here?” demanded the officer. “What are you doing with -that pistol? What do you mean by firing a pistol? You’re both drunk! I -think I’ll take you in.” - -Dick gave his chum a whimsical look of disgust. - -“What do you think of that, Brad?” he said. “He’s going to take us in. -We get held up and nearly murdered, and after it’s all over a gallant -policeman appears and arrests us.” - -“What’s that you’re saying?” snapped the officer. “What kind of a -fairy-story have you invented? You’re a couple of students, and I’m onto -your game. You fellows are forever making trouble. Give me that pistol.” - -“Sure,” growled Brad, handing over the weapon. “You’re welcome to it.” - -“Perhaps you’d better take this knife, also, officer,” said Dick, -picking up the knife and holding it out to the policeman. “You may find -a little blood on the handle, and it strikes me that there’s a man’s -finger lying there on the ground. Perhaps you’ll want that.” - -The cop bent over and stared in amazement at the bloody human digit -which lay on the ground. - -“So help me, it’s a finger!” he gasped, as if unable to believe his -eyes. “What’s it mean? How—why—when——” - -“As long as you’re determined to arrest us,” said Dick, “we’ll explain -to the sergeant at the station house. Of course, you won’t believe our -fairy-story about a holdup.” - -“By Jupiter! I’ll believe anything now!” cried the policeman. “Tell me -about it.” - -While they were telling him, several citizens from the neighboring -houses come out and surrounded them. One, a timid, nervous man, -substantiated their statements, shamefacedly acknowledging that he had -rushed out immediately after the first shot, and had witnessed the -encounter between the lads and their assailants. - -“I didn’t feel like dipping in,” he said, “so I jest stood back and -looked on. It was the hottest fight I ever witnessed. By Jove, these -young fellers did put up a fearful scrap! There was four against them, -and I don’t know but more than that. I saw four myself. I tried to -holler ‘murder’ when one of the masked men got this young feller down -and lifted a knife to stab him. Couldn’t seem to make a sound. Then I -saw the other chap grab up a pistol and shoot. The fellow with the knife -gave a howl and then jumped to his feet. I could see blood running off -his hand when he held it up in the light. When he took to his heels, the -fellow with the pistol banged away at him, but he kept on running. I’m -ready to swear to every word of this statement.” - -The policeman now sought to obtain a description of the holdup men from -the boys. Of course, this description was vague and unsatisfactory, as -the masks of the ruffians had prevented Dick and Brad from seeing their -faces. - -The citizens crowded around the two lads and insisted on shaking hands -with them and congratulating them over their nerve and success in -beating off the holdup men. - -“If you don’t mind, young gentlemen,” said the policeman, now addressing -them with the greatest respect, “I’d like to have you come to the -station and tell the sergeant all about it. This is my beat, but I was -down at the other end when I heard the shooting. I came as soon as I -could. I think we’ll take this along as a bit of evidence.” - -He displayed the human finger, which he now held partly wrapped in a -handkerchief. The timid citizen who had witnessed the encounter gave his -name and address, stating that he was willing to tell what he knew of -the affair at any time. - -It happened that there was a police reporter at the station house, and -the morning papers contained a complete account of the attempted holdup, -the courage of the boys being lavishly praised. - -But, with the Manhattan College baseball game only one day away, Dick -found himself with a very lame shoulder and an almost useless right arm. - - - - - CHAPTER LIII. - THE ODDS AGAINST YALE. - - -“No use, Kates,” said Dick soberly. “You’ve got to pitch this game. I -can’t.” - -The time for the game with Manhattan to begin had arrived. Yale -Umpty-ten was ready to take the field. The sturdy, bronzed, -healthy-looking visitors were on their bench and ready for the fray. -O’Mora, the first batter, was swinging two heavy clubs, in order to make -one seem lighter when he stepped up to the plate. - -Dick had been vainly trying to work the lameness out of his shoulder. -His comrades of the team had watched him anxiously, for on him they -relied. Unless Dick could pitch, they could not believe there was any -chance of defeating the visitors. - -But Dick could not pitch. He realized it, and at the last moment he told -Kates to go in. Blessed Jones, captain of the team, heard Merriwell’s -words, and his long, doleful face suddenly looked longer and more -doleful than ever. - -“All right, Dick,” he said soberly. “If you can’t, you can’t, and that -settles it. Go ahead, Sam, and do your best.” - -“Now, that’s encouraging!” muttered Kates, with a touch of bitterness, -as he turned to Dick. “What show have I, Merriwell? There is not a man -on the team who has any confidence in me.” - -Dick seized Sam’s hand, held it with a firm grip, and looked straight -into his eyes as he said: - -“I haven’t lost confidence in you, Kates. Do your level best, old -fellow. Do it for my sake—and for Yale.” - -“I will!” exclaimed Sam, in a low tone, as he strode out to the -pitcher’s position. - -Of the teams dreaded by the Yale freshmen, the one they now faced had -been regarded as among the most dangerous. The Manhattan College lads -always played the game for all there was in it, and fought it out to the -last gasp. There were no quitters among them, and therefore they were -always dangerous. - -On the scorers’ books the two teams were recorded as follows: - - MANHATTAN FRESHMEN. YALE FRESHMEN. - O’Mora, 2d b. Tucker, ss. - Bestock, cf. Lynch, 1st b. - Hanley, rf. Buckhart, c. - Marone, ss. Claxton, 2d b. - Snaith, 1st b. Jones, lf. - Carney, lf. Spratt, cf. - Halloran, 3d b. Bigelow, rf. - McDougal, c. Fitch, 3d b. - Hogan, p. Kates, p. - -Dead silence fell on the assembled spectators as Kates walked into the -box. Sam’s keen ears fancied this silence was broken by a number of -repressed groans. Involuntarily, he flashed a look of resentment toward -his classmates on the seats. Then he threw a few to Mike Lynch, just to -give his wing a last limbering, whirling and facing O’Mora as the umpire -called: “Play.” - -Sam’s first ball was far too high. O’Mora grinned and held his bat above -his head in a derisive manner after the ball had passed. - -The next one was straight over, and the Manhattan headliner met it with -a sharp, snappy swing. It was a pretty line drive, which whistled past -Kates ere Sam could thrust out a hand for it. With anxiety in his heart, -the pitcher whirled like a flash, making the relieving discovery that -Rob Claxton had seized the ball and clung to it like grim death. - -“Clever work, Clax—clever work!” cried Buckhart heartily. “That’s the -way to do it.” - -Kates grinned approvingly, and received the ball tossed to him by the -Virginian. O’Mora had started for first, but he turned back, shaking his -head in a disgusted manner. - -“Never mind,” called Captain Mike Marone, of the visitors. “That was a -case of horseshoe. Get after him, Bestock! Start us off now!” - -Bestock, one of the clever hitters of the visitors, waited until Kates -bent one over, and then nailed it with terrific force. - -It was a scorching hot grounder, but, with an electrified sidelong leap, -Tommy Tucker forked the sizzling ball with his bare right hand. Tucker -was whirled round in his tracks with a toplike motion, but managed to -keep his feet, recovered, and sent the ball across to Lynch. - -It was a bad throw, and Mike was compelled to leap high into the air to -get the ball. He got it, however, and down upon the sack he dropped, -just in time to secure a put-out. - -“More horseshoes!” yelled Marone. “Whose hunch did you rub, old man?” -This question was directed at Lynch, who retorted with a satisfied grin, -but made no answer in words. - -Hanley looked dangerous as he squared himself at the plate, poising his -bat over his shoulder. He was a big fellow, and he wielded a heavy club. -He had a reputation as a hard hitter. - -Kates was afraid of this man, and, in working desperately to prevent -Hanley from hitting, Sam got himself into a bad hole. One strike and -three balls were called. - -“Make ’em be good!” cried Marone. “He can’t put it over!” - -After glancing toward the bench, on which sat Merriwell, Kates steadied -himself, and carefully sent over a swift, straight ball. Hanley let it -pass, and the second strike was called. - -“That’s the talk, Sammy,” chirped Tucker encouragingly. “Now he’s got to -hit. Make him do it. Don’t let him walk.” - -Sam wisely decided to depend on his backing, and quickly whistled over -another straight one. - -Hanley smashed it far into the field, but, after an astonishing run, -Captain Jones smothered the ball and held it. - -“Well, what do you think of that?” asked Mel Dagett, who was sitting on -the bleachers, between Toleman and Poland. “That’s a good start for us, -isn’t it? We ought to be cheering with the rest of the bunch.” - -“It was luck—nothing more,” said Poland. “I don’t wonder Marone is -howling ‘horseshoes.’” - -“With that kind of backing, Kates may be able to hold the score down, -don’t you think?” questioned Bern Wolfe, at Toleman’s elbow. - -“Never,” answered Bill promptly. “Those Manhattan fellows are not going -to bat the ball right at somebody every time they hit it. Notice every -man did hit it. Kates never can win this game in the world.” - -“Between us four,” said Poland, in a low tone, “I don’t believe -Merriwell’s shoulder is as lame as he pretends it is. He’s afraid of -Manhattan, that’s what’s the matter. That was quite a fine and fancy -story about the holdup, but it sounded too fancy for me to believe.” - -“Oh, but the police say the story is all right,” snickered Dagett. “Have -you forgotten that Officer Jordan, who arrived on the scene after the -holdup men had escaped, picked up a human finger that had been shot from -one of the ruffians’ hands by the wonderful cowboy, Bradley Buckhart? -Say, I wonder how much those two fellows paid the cops and the reporters -to get such a yarn into the papers?” - -“Then you don’t take any stock in that holdup story?” questioned Wolfe -quickly. - -“I don’t,” answered Dagett. “Do you?” - -“Well, I don’t know,” said Bern. “It doesn’t seem to me that the yarn -can be wholly a fake.” - -“Why not?” questioned Poland. - -“I should fancy some one would expose the deception.” - -“I don’t know whether it’s a fake or not,” said Toleman, “but I agree -with Jim in thinking Merriwell has a case of cold feet, and is getting -out of pitching this game by pretending his shoulder is lame. It’s an -outrage to shove Kates in there to-day. Manhattan has Hogan, their very -best pitcher, against us. He’s on the slab now. Watch him. Note what he -does to our boys.” - -“Our boys! He! he! he!” scoffed Dagett. “Do you mean Mike Lynch? I -suppose you’re dead stuck on Mike now that he’s become a Merriwellite? -Yah! He makes me sick! What do you think of a fellow like him posing as -the soul of generosity and paying other fellows’ debts? I don’t blame -Ditson for taking advantage of his attempt to fool people, but I guess -we all know the kind of a fellow Lynch is.” - -“By the way, Wolfe,” questioned Toleman, “where is Ditson? Is he here?” - -“I don’t know,” answered Bern. “I haven’t seen him to-day.” - -But Wolfe lied. He had seen Duncan, and he believed he knew what the -fellow was doing that very hour. Both Ditson and Wolfe felt that they -were hovering over a volcano that might burst forth any moment. They -were frightened, and had agreed that they must take certain precautions -to protect themselves. - -Hogan now opened up on Tommy Tucker, who was the first batter for Yale. -The visiting pitcher had a great assortment of shoots and benders which -seemed too much for Tommy to fathom. As a result, Tucker slashed the air -twice, fouled a couple of times, and then lifted a little pop-fly which -Halloran gathered in. - -Mike Lynch looked grim enough as he strode forth to the plate. He had -been placed second on the batting order because of his ability as a -hitter. Realizing, however, that he was not a popular man in his own -class, Mike now seemed distressingly self-conscious, and, as a result, -he fell an easy victim to the wiles of Hogan, who struck him out. - -Brad Buckhart did little better than the two who had preceded him. He -hit the ball, and, for a moment, it seemed that he had popped out a -“Texas Leaguer.” But the infielders of the visiting team could cover -lots of territory, and cover it in a hurry. Both Marone and O’Mora went -after Brad’s ball. - -“I’ll take it!” yelled O’Mora. And he caught it beautifully while -running at full speed, with his face toward the outfield. - -While the little crowd of visiting rooters were cheering this play, -Wolfe espied Duncan Ditson, who was looking over the crowd in search of -Bern. Immediately Wolfe waved his cap at Duncan, who clambered up over -the seats and found room at the side of his fellow conspirator. - -“Well, how did you succeed?” whispered Bern, under cover of the noise. - -“I succeeded,” answered Duncan grimly. “I had to.” - -“You raised the money?” - -“Yes.” - -“How?” - -“I pawned my sister’s watch and rings.” - -“Did she let you have them?” - -“I took them. Couldn’t wait to ask her in an emergency like this. Shea -had to get out of New Haven. The police were looking for a man who had -lost a finger, and they were bound to nab Slugger sooner or later if he -remained in town. He knew it as well as I did. He was willing to go, but -he had to have the money to get away. I put the money in his hands -myself, and he says he’ll be out of the city before midnight.” - -“Do you think he can get away? Won’t they nab him? The cops are on the -watch, you know.” - -“If they don’t corner him before dark, I think he’ll get away. He’s been -a hobo, and he knows how to bum his passage on freight trains. As soon -as it’s dark he’ll stow himself away aboard some freight bound for New -York or Boston. If he’s not caught to-day, there’s every prospect that -he’ll not be caught at all. I’m not going to worry about it any more. -How’s the game going?” - - - - - CHAPTER LIV. - MANHATTAN IN THE LEAD. - - -A most astonishing thing was the manner in which the team backed up -Kates this day, while on the previous Saturday it had gone to pieces -behind him in an exasperating manner the moment the Highbridge School -boys began to hit him. As inning after inning progressed, with the -infielders making the most astonishing stops and throws, and the -outfielders pulling down hard-batted flies which seemed good for two or -three bases, Kates got a hold on himself, and gradually improved in his -box work. In the fifth inning Yale made her first runs, two scores, -secured through a clean hit by Buckhart, a sacrifice by Claxton, a base -on balls handed out to Jones, and Manhattan’s first error, the fielder -dropping Spratt’s hit to right and losing the ball, while Brad and -Blessed tore over the plate. - -But in the sixth the visitors retaliated with a vengeance. Three men hit -safely in succession. Then, for the first time, Yale showed symptoms of -going to pieces, for a couple of errors followed, and the Manhattanites -had tallied three times when the smoke cleared away. - -“I told you what would happen!” exclaimed Bill Toleman. “It’s all off -now. Kates is useless from this time on. Look at him! See him crawling -in to the bench like a yellow dog with its tail between its legs.” - -“Evidently you love Kates,” snickered Dagett. - -“Well, if I can’t pitch better than he can, I’ll eat my boots. Has any -one seen me asking Merriwell or Jones or Robinson for a chance to pitch -on their great team? I fought against them at the outset, and I’ve taken -my medicine. I haven’t squealed. I hate a squealer. That’s why I’m -disgusted with Mike Lynch. I’m not saying that he isn’t sincere now, but -I do say that he has squealed. After blowing and bleating around about -Merriwell, and making so much talk, he suddenly threw up the sponge. I -swear I didn’t know he was a quitter, but I know it now. He has -disgusted me more than any chap I know of. I’d like to see him kicked -out of college.” - -At this Wolfe gave Ditson a nudge. - -“There are others,” whispered Bern. “Oh, if I could only get hold of -that confession! If I knew how to put my hands on it! Do you suppose -Merriwell carries it round in his pocket all the time?” - -“I don’t know,” muttered Dunc, absent-mindedly. - -“Well, I’ve got an idea that he may keep it somewhere in his room,” said -Wolfe. “I’d like to get into his room and make a search. I’d dig it out -if it was there.” - -“Better forget it,” said Duncan. “That blamed old confession got us into -a nasty scrape. I’m worried.” - -“But I thought you said Shea would get out of town all right.” - -“I’m in hopes he will, but you never can tell what will happen.” - -“Think he’d squeal if he was nabbed?” - -“Of course he would. That would be the easiest way for him to get a -light sentence. He’d say he was paid to do the job by a couple of Yale -men. He’d ring us in as sure as fate.” - -“How about the other man?” - -“Cully? Oh, he’s sneaked already. He’s gone. He didn’t wait until -morning.” - -Having obtained the lead, Manhattan seemed determined to hold the home -team down. Hogan pitched as if everything he held dear depended on the -result. Nevertheless, Yale was warmed up, and the visiting twirler had -his troubles. But the Blue could not push a runner past third. Fast -fielding behind Hogan terminated the sixth inning, with the score three -to two, in favor of Manhattan College. - -“Now get after that pitcher and pound him to death!” fiercely urged -Marone, as the visitors trotted in to the bench. “This ought to be our -inning. We ought to pile up some more runs right here.” - -Merriwell had talked encouragingly to Kates, and, to the surprise of -every one, Sam opened the seventh by striking out a man. Even though the -next fellow hit safely, Kates did not seem disturbed, and he forced the -following chap to put up an easy infield fly. - -“All right, Katesy—all right!” piped Tucker. “They thought they had you -going, eh? Well, they’ve got another think coming!” - -But the next man hit, and the fellow on first made third by fast -running. - -“We’ll do it right here,” announced Marone, from the coaching line. -“Everybody run on a hit.” - -Merriwell smiled at Kates and nodded. Sam toed the slab without a -tremor, and quickly put the batter in a hole, two strikes and one ball -being called. - -“That’s all right! that’s all right!” yapped Marone. “You can hit him -just the same! He’s easy!” - -The batter did hit, but it proved to be an easy fly to right field, and -Bouncer Bigelow did his duty nobly by gathering it in. - -“Well, if that wasn’t crawling out of a small hole!” exclaimed Bill -Toleman. “Kates certainly is lucky to-day.” - -“But the boys can’t seem to hit Hogan,” said Wolfe. “Do you think they -have a chance to win, Bill?” - -“Not much of a chance, I imagine,” was the answer. “Still the score is -mighty close.” - -“I’d like to leave,” whispered Wolfe, in Ditson’s ear, “but I hate to -quit this game. I want to see it out.” - -“Why do you want to leave?” - -“I have a scheme.” - -“What sort of a scheme?” - -“Think I know how I could get a chance to rustle round in Merriwell’s -room. I’d just rush up to the house, ring the bell, and tell the girl -that Merriwell had sent me after something he’d left in his room. If she -let me upstairs, I’d come pretty near finding that confession if it’s -stowed away there. What do you think of that plan?” - -“If you want to take the chances——” - -“Don’t talk about that after the chances we took trying to hold those -fellows up. I wouldn’t touch anything else but the old confession. What -could Merriwell do about it if he did prove I got that? What value could -he put on such a paper? Besides, I’d give the girl at the house a -fictitious name. I’d like to try the trick.” - -“I advise you against it. Better be careful until the clouds roll by.” - -In spite of this advice, Wolfe grew restless every minute, and when the -seventh inning ended, with the score three to two, Bern whispered a -good-by to Duncan, told the others he would be back in a short time, and -left the stand. - - - - - CHAPTER LV. - A BEAUTIFUL BINGLE. - - -In the eighth inning Manhattan betrayed dangerous symptoms, for she made -a run and filled the bases, with two men out. Kates then struck out the -last batter. - -But the score was now four to two. Jones urged his men to get after -Hogan without delay, and they responded in a promising manner. In a -sharp batting rally, they drove in a score, but a fancy double play cut -short their chances of tying or taking the lead. - -Manhattan abated none of its fierceness when the ninth opened. The first -batter landed on Kates for a safe single. Following this, came a fierce -drive that got away from Tucker, and two men were on bases. - -A moment later Sam hit a batter on the hip, and the sacks were filled. - -Marone coached jubilantly, announcing his belief that something like a -dozen runs would be chalked down to Manhattan’s credit in the ninth. - -It was the critical point of the game, and Kates got the rattles at -last. Try as he might, he could not find the plate, and, as a result, he -walked the next batter, forcing in a run. - -“It’s all off,” announced Bill Toleman, to his companions in the stand. -“He couldn’t find the rubber now to save his life.” - -Dagett seized Toleman’s wrist. - -“Look!” he said. “What’s that mean?” - -“What?” - -“Merriwell——” - -“By Jove! Kates is going to the bench!” exclaimed Ditson. “Who’ll -pitch?” - -“Merriwell,” said Poland. “He’s going into the box as sure as fate.” - -“But he has a lame shoulder,” snickered Dagett. - -“He’s let Kates lose the game,” said Toleman, “and now he’s going to -show off. It’s too late for him to do anything.” - -“That’s right,” nodded Ditson. “The game is over. Merriwell ought to be -batted after sitting on the bench and letting those fellows have their -own way.” - -Mike Marone stood, hands on his hips, and laughed as Dick walked out to -pitch. - -“Like to limber up a little, Merriwell?” he inquired. “Give you all the -time you want.” - -“Thanks for your generosity,” said Dick. “I don’t believe I’ll bother to -limber up.” - -“Wow! wow! wow!” barked O’Mora. “He don’t have to limber up! He thinks -we’re easy.” - -Dick received the ball, and toed the slab in a position to pitch with -his left hand. He could not use his right, but he hoped to check the -enemy, just the same. The first ball delivered was so wild that it came -near getting past Buckhart, who stopped it by a marvelous sidelong leap. - -“Wow! wow! wow!” came again from O’Mora. “What do you think of that? -Better use your other hand, Merriwell. You can’t find the pan with your -left.” - -“Everybody run!” shouted Marone. “Score on the first passed ball!” - -“There won’t be any,” muttered Buckhart, as he resumed his position -behind the bat and gave Dick a signal. - -The next ball pitched by Dick came over the plate. It looked good to the -batter, but he simply popped up an easy fly that was taken by Otis -Fitch. - -“Don’t try to kill the ball!” shouted Marone. “Don’t try to knock the -cover off! You can all hit it!” - -“Sure you can hit it,” said Buckhart, in a low tone; “but hitting it -safe is what counts.” - -When Dick had fooled the next batter with two elusive benders, it began -to look as if hitting the ball was not such an easy thing, after all. -Forced into a corner, the batter finally lifted a high foul, which -Buckhart got under and gathered in. - -“That’s two, partner,” laughed the Texan, as he tossed the ball to Dick. -“Why, they couldn’t hit you safely if you pitched with your feet.” - -“Get in there, now,” urged Marone, as O’Mora trotted to the plate. “A -little single is all we want. A little safety is the goods. You know -where to put it, Mat.” - -But suddenly Dick bored over a fast one, and O’Mora literally threw -himself off his feet in the effort to get against it. - -“Wow! wow! wow!” he yapped, as he picked himself up. “Where’d you get -that speed, Merriwell? How can you do it with your little left? Be -gentle! be gentle! Give me a chance to look at the ball when it comes -over.” - -“All right,” said Dick. “How’s this?” - -He lobbed up a slow one, and O’Mora nearly broke his back reaching out -to hit the ball before it was anywhere near the plate. - -Marone snapped at the batter, and O’Mora shook his head with a comical -look of dismay. - -“I won’t strike out!” he muttered to himself. But that was precisely -what he did do. Dick worked with all the craft at his command, and -finally led O’Mora into reaching for a nasty curve which he could not -touch. - -Yale came to bat in the last of the ninth, with the score four to two -against them. - -“We’ve got to have two to tie and three to win,” said Dick cheerfully. -“Here’s where we get them.” - -But the wrong end of the batting list was up. Jones was to be followed -by Spratt, Bigelow, and Fitch, the three weakest hitters on the team. - -“Get to first, Blessed,” urged Merriwell. “Get there somehow.” - -Although the captain felt that it might not do any good, he stalked -forth and smote the ball a terrific crack that landed him on the initial -sack. - -“Hit and run, Spratt—that’s the game,” murmured Merriwell, as Jack -walked out to the pan. - -But Spratt simply lifted a high infield fly that was captured by Marone. - -“Looks bad, partner,” whispered Buckhart, in Dick’s ear. - -Merriwell made no reply. Claxton and Tucker were coaching. Bouncer -Bigelow, looking pale and shaking like a jellyfish, walked out and swung -with all his might at the first ball pitched by Hogan. The ball struck -on the under side of the bat, shot down to the ground, and twisted off -to one side with a queer, toplike motion. - -Without the remotest idea as to what he had done, Bigelow hurled the bat -straight up into the air and let himself out for first, while Jones went -to second. It was a lucky stab, for the ball, after threatening to roll -foul, stopped inside the base line, and Bouncer got a safe hit in this -manner. - -“Two to tie and three to win, Fitch,” said Dick, as the next batter left -the bench. - -Fitch had not touched the ball for the day. Hogan regarded the fellow as -an easy mark. Otis surprised every one by smashing a hot grounder toward -Marone, who made a startling stop, but juggled the ball and permitted -the bases to fill. It was Merriwell’s turn to strike. - -“Two to tie and three to win, partner,” said Buckhart, as Dick picked -out a bat. “You’ve got to do it for us! You’ve got to save this game! -Give us a bingle.” - -Dick forgot his lame shoulder. He forgot everything except the necessity -of getting a clean hit. After missing one of Hogan’s curves, he found -the ball with a sharp, snapping swing, and lined it far into right -field. - -The Yale stand rose with a roar as it was seen that Hanley could not -touch that long line drive. The ball struck the ground and went bounding -away, away to the far extremity of the field, while man after man romped -joyously over the plate. Dick had won the game by this beautiful bingle. - - * * * * * - -When Merriwell entered his room, followed by Jones and Buckhart, he -discovered that everything was in disorder. The drawers of his desk had -been pulled out and their contents emptied on the floor. This was -likewise the case with his dresser. - -“Hello!” he cried. “What’s this mean? Some one has been here while I was -gone.” - -A moment later he had reached the private drawer which he always kept -locked. One glance showed him that it had been pried open and the lock -broken. The contents of this drawer, however, had not been scattered -upon the floor. Everything was there—everything save one thing. - -The confession of Mike Lynch was gone. - -It was about the time when Merriwell made this discovery that Duncan -Ditson entered his own room and found Bern Wolfe waiting for him there. - -“Hello!” exclaimed Dunc, in surprise. “Forgot about you in the -excitement. Say, do you know what happened? Well, Merriwell went into -that game and won it with a corking hit in the ninth inning. Isn’t that -just his luck?” - -“Don’t talk to me about luck!” snarled Wolfe. “I’m sore! I’m disgusted!” - -“Eh? What’s happened? Did you try to get hold of that confession?” - -“Try?” rasped Bern, producing an envelope and flinging it on the study -table. “I should say I did! There it is!” - -“There it is? Then what’s the matter? What ails you?” - -Wolfe caught up the envelope, and drew forth the sheets of paper it -contained. - -“What ails me?” he hissed. “Just take a look at this! Here’s that -valuable confession!” - -He spread out the sheets of paper, and Ditson gazed at them in surprise, -for apparently there was not a line of writing upon them. - -“Confession?” muttered Duncan. “What are you talking about? There’s -nothing there.” - -“There was once. Look here—look close. Here, you can see the faintest -tracing of a word. There, you can see part of another word. There was -writing on this paper once. Why, I can even see a bit of my own -signature down in this corner, but it’s gone. It’s faded. It’s no good -to any one now.” - -Looking intently at the paper, Ditson was able to make out the faint -tracing of a few detached words upon it. - -Suddenly Duncan smote his clenched right fist into his left palm. - -“Well, if that wasn’t a slick trick on the part of Lynch!” he cried. “He -wrote his confession with sympathetic ink.” - -“With what? Sympathetic ink?” - -“Yes. That’s ink that will fade and vanish entirely, a few days after it -is used. I was with him when he bought it. He told me he had a girl to -whom he was writing letters, and, as he feared she might not destroy his -letters, he was taking care to use the kind of ink that would prevent -those epistles from ever rising like ghosts to haunt and confuse him. -Wolfe, we’re a couple of blamed fools!” - - - THE END. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -No. 150 of the MERRIWELL SERIES is entitled “Dick Merriwell’s Best -Work,” by Burt L. Standish. Admirers of Mr. Standish will find this -story up to his usual high standard—and this is the highest praise we -can give it. - - - - - BOOKS FOR YOUNG MEN - - MERRIWELL SERIES - - ALL BY BURT L. STANDISH - - Stories of Frank and Dick Merriwell - - Fascinating Stories of Athletics - - -A half million enthusiastic followers of the Merriwell brothers will -attest the unfailing interest and wholesomeness of these adventures of -two lads of high ideals, who play fair with themselves, as well as with -the rest of the world. - -These stories are rich in fun and thrills in all branches of sports and -athletics. They are extremely high in moral tone, and cannot fail to be -of immense benefit to every boy who reads them. - -They have the splendid quality of firing a boy’s ambition to become a -good athlete, in order that he may develop into a strong, vigorous, -right-thinking man. - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - 1—Frank Merriwell’s School Days - 2—Frank Merriwell’s Chums - 3—Frank Merriwell’s Foes - 4—Frank Merriwell’s Trip West - 5—Frank Merriwell Down South - 6—Frank Merriwell’s Bravery - 7—Frank Merriwell’s Hunting Tour - 8—Frank Merriwell in Europe - 9—Frank Merriwell at Yale - 10—Frank Merriwell’s Sports Afield - 11—Frank Merriwell’s Races - 12—Frank Merriwell’s Party - 13—Frank Merriwell’s Bicycle Tour - 14—Frank Merriwell’s Courage - 15—Frank Merriwell’s Daring - 16—Frank Merriwell’s Alarm - 17—Frank Merriwell’s Athletes - 18—Frank Merriwell’s Skill - 19—Frank Merriwell’s Champions - 20—Frank Merriwell’s Return to Yale - 21—Frank Merriwell’s Secret - 22—Frank Merriwell’s Danger - 23—Frank Merriwell’s Loyalty - 24—Frank Merriwell in Camp - 25—Frank Merriwell’s Vacation - 26—Frank Merriwell’s Cruise - 27—Frank Merriwell’s Chase - 28—Frank Merriwell in Maine - 29—Frank Merriwell’s Struggle - 30—Frank Merriwell’s First Job - 31—Frank Merriwell’s Opportunity - 32—Frank Merriwell’s Hard Luck - 33—Frank Merriwell’s Protégé - 34—Frank Merriwell on the Road - 35—Frank Merriwell’s Own Company - 36—Frank Merriwell’s Fame - 37—Frank Merriwell’s College Chums - 38—Frank Merriwell’s Problem - 39—Frank Merriwell’s Fortune - 40—Frank Merriwell’s New Comedian - 41—Frank Merriwell’s Prosperity - 42—Frank Merriwell’s Stage Hit - 43—Frank Merriwell’s Great Scheme - 44—Frank Merriwell in England - 45—Frank Merriwell on the Boulevards - 46—Frank Merriwell’s Duel - 47—Frank Merriwell’s Double Shot - 48—Frank Merriwell’s Baseball Victories - 49—Frank Merriwell’s Confidence - 50—Frank Merriwell’s Auto - 51—Frank Merriwell’s Fun - 52—Frank Merriwell’s Generosity - 53—Frank Merriwell’s Tricks - 54—Frank Merriwell’s Temptation - 55—Frank Merriwell on Top - 56—Frank Merriwell’s Luck - 57—Frank Merriwell’s Mascot - 58—Frank Merriwell’s Reward - 59—Frank Merriwell’s Phantom - 60—Frank Merriwell’s Faith - 61—Frank Merriwell’s Victories - 62—Frank Merriwell’s Iron Nerve - 63—Frank Merriwell in Kentucky - 64—Frank Merriwell’s Power - 65—Frank Merriwell’s Shrewdness - 66—Frank Merriwell’s Setback - 67—Frank Merriwell’s Search - 68—Frank Merriwell’s Club - 69—Frank Merriwell’s Trust - 70—Frank Merriwell’s False Friend - 71—Frank Merriwell’s Strong Arm - 72—Frank Merriwell as Coach - 73—Frank Merriwell’s Brother - 74—Frank Merriwell’s Marvel - 75—Frank Merriwell’s Support - 76—Dick Merriwell at Fardale - 77—Dick Merriwell’s Glory - 78—Dick Merriwell’s Promise - 79—Dick Merriwell’s Rescue - 80—Dick Merriwell’s Narrow Escape - 81—Dick Merriwell’s Racket - 82—Dick Merriwell’s Revenge - 83—Dick Merriwell’s Ruse - 84—Dick Merriwell’s Delivery - 85—Dick Merriwell’s Wonders - 86—Frank Merriwell’s Honor - 87—Dick Merriwell’s Diamond - 88—Frank Merriwell’s Winners - 89—Dick Merriwell’s Dash - 90—Dick Merriwell’s Ability - 91—Dick Merriwell’s Trap - 92—Dick Merriwell’s Defense - 93—Dick Merriwell’s Model - 94—Dick Merriwell’s Mystery - 95—Frank Merriwell’s Backers - 96—Dick Merriwell’s Backstop - 97—Dick Merriwell’s Western Mission - 98—Frank Merriwell’s Rescue - 99—Frank Merriwell’s Encounter - 100—Dick Merriwell’s Marked Money - 101—Frank Merriwell’s Nomads - 102—Dick Merriwell on the Gridiron - 103—Dick Merriwell’s Disguise - 104—Dick Merriwell’s Test - 105—Frank Merriwell’s Trump Card - 106—Frank Merriwell’s Strategy - 107—Frank Merriwell’s Triumph - 108—Dick Merriwell’s Grit - 109—Dick Merriwell’s Assurance - 110—Dick Merriwell’s Long Slide - 111—Frank Merriwell’s Rough Deal - 112—Dick Merriwell’s Threat - 113—Dick Merriwell’s Persistence - 114—Dick Merriwell’s Day - 115—Frank Merriwell’s Peril - 116—Dick Merriwell’s Downfall - 117—Frank Merriwell’s Pursuit - 118—Dick Merriwell Abroad - 119—Frank Merriwell in the Rockies - 120—Dick Merriwell’s Pranks - 121—Frank Merriwell’s Pride - 122—Frank Merriwell’s Challengers - 123—Frank Merriwell’s Endurance - 124—Dick Merriwell’s Cleverness - 125—Frank Merriwell’s Marriage - 126—Dick Merriwell, the Wizard - 127—Dick Merriwell’s Stroke - 128—Dick Merriwell’s Return - 129—Dick Merriwell’s Resource - 130—Dick Merriwell’s Five - 131—Frank Merriwell’s Tigers - 132—Dick Merriwell’s Polo Team - 133—Frank Merriwell’s Pupils - 134—Frank Merriwell’s New Boy - 135—Dick Merriwell’s Home Run - 136—Dick Merriwell’s Dare - 137—Frank Merriwell’s Son - 138—Dick Merriwell’s Team Mate - 139—Frank Merriwell’s Leaguers - 140—Frank Merriwell’s Happy Camp - 141—Dick Merriwell’s Influence - 142—Dick Merriwell, Freshman - 143—Dick Merriwell’s Staying Power - -In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the books -listed below will be issued during the respective months in New York -City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance -promptly, on account of delays in transportation. - - - To be published in July, 1926. - - 144—Dick Merriwell’s Joke - 145—Frank Merriwell’s Talisman - - - To be published in August, 1926. - - 146—Frank Merriwell’s Horse - 147—Dick Merriwell’s Regret - - - To be published in September, 1926. - - 148—Dick Merriwell’s Magnetism - 149—Dick Merriwell’s Backers - - - To be published in October, 1926. - - 150—Dick Merriwell’s Best Work - 151—Dick Merriwell’s Distrust - 152—Dick Merriwell’s Debt - - - To be published in November, 1926. - - 153—Dick Merriwell’s Mastery - 154—Dick Merriwell Adrift - - - To be published in December, 1926. - - 155—Frank Merriwell’s Worst Boy - 156—Dick Merriwell’s Close Call - - - - - Round the World Library - - Stories of Jack Harkaway and His Comrades - - -Every reader, young and old, has heard of Jack Harkaway. His remarkable -adventures in out-of-the-way corners of the globe are really classics, -and every one should read them. - -Jack is a splendid, manly character, full of life and strength and -curiosity. He has a number of very interesting companions—Professor -Mole, for instance, who is very funny. He also has some very strange -enemies, who are anything but funny. - -Get interested in Jack. It will pay you. - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - By BRACEBRIDGE HEMYNG - - 1—Jack Harkaway’s School Days - 2—Jack Harkaway’s Friends - 3—Jack Harkaway After School Days - 4—Jack Harkaway Afloat and Ashore - 5—Jack Harkaway Among the Pirates - 6—Jack Harkaway at Oxford - 7—Jack Harkaway’s Struggles - 8—Jack Harkaway’s Triumphs - 9—Jack Harkaway Among the Brigands - 10—Jack Harkaway’s Return - 11—Jack Harkaway Around the World - 12—Jack Harkaway’s Perils - 13—Jack Harkaway in China - 14—Jack Harkaway and the Red Dragon - 15—Jack Harkaway’s Pluck - 16—Jack Harkaway in Australia - 17—Jack Harkaway and the Bushrangers - 18—Jack Harkaway’s Duel - 19—Jack Harkaway and the Turks - 20—Jack Harkaway in New York - 21—Jack Harkaway Out West - 22—Jack Harkaway Among the Indians - 23—Jack Harkaway’s Cadet Days - 24—Jack Harkaway in the Black Hills - 25—Jack Harkaway in the Toils - 26—Jack Harkaway’s Secret of Wealth - 27—Jack Harkaway, Missing - 28—Jack Harkaway and the Sacred Serpent - 29—The Fool of the Family - 30—Mischievous Matt - 31—Mischievous Matt’s Pranks - 32—Bob Fairplay Adrift - 33—Bob Fairplay at Sea - 34—The Boys of St. Aldates - 35—Billy Barlow - 36—Larry O’Keefe - 37—Sam Sawbones - 38—Too Fast to Last - 39—Home Base - -In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the books -listed below will be issued during the respective months in New York -City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance -promptly, on account of delays in transportation. - - - To be published in July, 1926. - - 40—Spider and Stump By Bracebridge Hemyng - 41—Out for Fun By Bracebridge Hemyng - - - To be published in August, 1926. - - 42—Rob Rollalong, Sailor By Bracebridge Hemyng - 43—Rob Rollalong in the Wilds By Bracebridge Hemyng - 44—Phil, the Showman By Stanley Norris - - - To be published in September, 1926. - - 45—Phil’s Rivals By Stanley Norris - 46—Phil’s Pluck By Stanley Norris - - - To be published in October, 1926. - - 47—Phil’s Triumph By Stanley Norris - 48—From Circus to Fortune By Stanley Norris - - - To be published in November, 1926. - - 49—A Gentleman Born By Stanley Norris - 50—For His Friend’s Honor By Stanley Norris - - - To be published in December, 1926. - - 51—True to His Trust By Stanley Norris - 52—Facing the Music By Stanley Norris - - - - - A CARNIVAL OF ACTION - - ADVENTURE LIBRARY - - Splendid, Interesting, Big Stories - - -This line is devoted exclusively to a splendid type of adventure story, -in the big outdoors. There is really a breath of fresh air in each of -them, and the reader who pays fifteen cents for a copy of this line -feels that he has received his money’s worth and a little more. - -The authors of these books are experienced in the art of writing, and -know just what the up-to-date American reader wants. - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - - By WILLIAM WALLACE COOK - - 1—The Desert Argonaut - 2—A Quarter to Four - 3—Thorndyke of the Bonita - 4—A Round Trip to the Year 2000 - 5—The Gold Gleaners - 6—The Spur of Necessity - 7—The Mysterious Mission - 8—The Goal of a Million - 9—Marooned in 1492 - 10—Running the Signal - 11—His Friend the Enemy - 12—In the Web - 13—A Deep Sea Game - 14—The Paymaster’s Special - 15—Adrift in the Unknown - 16—Jim Dexter, Cattleman - 17—Juggling with Liberty - 18—Back from Bedlam - 19—A River Tangle - 20—Billionaire Pro Tem - 21—In the Wake of the Scimitar - 22—His Audacious Highness - 23—At Daggers Drawn - 24—The Eighth Wonder - 25—The Cat’s-paw - 26—The Cotton Bag - 27—Little Miss Vassar - 28—Cast Away at the Pole - 29—The Testing of Noyes - 30—The Fateful Seventh - 31—Montana - 32—The Deserter - 33—The Sheriff of Broken Bow - 34—Wanted: A Highwayman - 35—Frisbie of San Antone - 36—His Last Dollar - 37—Fools for Luck - 38—Dare of Darling & Co. - -In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the books -listed below will be issued during the respective months in New York -City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance -promptly, on account of delays in transportation. - - - To be published in July, 1926. - - 39—Trailing _The Josephine_ By William Wallace Cook - 40—The Snapshot Chap By Bertram Lebhar - - - To be published in August, 1926. - - 41—Brothers of the Thin Wire By Franklin Pitt - 42—Jungle Intrigue By Edmond Lawrence - 43—His Snapshot Lordship By Bertram Lebhar - - - To be published in September, 1926. - - 44—Folly Lode By James F. Dorrance - 45—The Forest Rogue By Julian G. Wharton - - - To be published In October, 1926. - - 46—Snapshot Artillery By Bertram Lebhar - 47—Stanley Holt, Thoroughbred By Ralph Boston - - - To be published in November, 1926. - - 48—The Riddle and the Ring By Gordon MacLaren - 49—The Black Eye Snapshot By Bertram Lebhar - - - To be published in December, 1926. - - 50—Bainbridge of Bangor By Julian G. Wharton - 51—Amid Crashing Hills By Edmond Lawrence - - - - - BOOKS THAT NEVER GROW OLD - - Alger Series - - Clean Adventure Stories for Boys - - The Most Complete List Published - - -The following list does not contain all the books that Horatio Alger -wrote, but it contains most of them, and certainly the best. - -Horatio Alger is to boys what Charles Dickens is to grown-ups. His work -is just as popular to-day as it was years ago. The books have a quality, -the value of which is beyond computation. - -There are legions of boys of foreign parents who are being helped along -the road to true Americanism by reading these books which are so -peculiarly American in tone that the reader cannot fail to absorb some -of the spirit of fair play and clean living which is so -characteristically American. - -In this list will be included certain books by Edward Stratemeyer, -Oliver Optic, and other authors who wrote the Alger type of stories, -which are equal in interest and wholesomeness with those written by the -famous author after which this great line of books for boys is named. - - _ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_ - - - By HORATIO ALGER, Jr. - - 1—Driven from Home - 2—A Cousin’s Conspiracy - 3—Ned Newton - 4—Andy Gordon - 5—Tony, the Tramp - 6—The Five Hundred Dollar Check - 7—Helping Himself - 8—Making His Way - 9—Try and Trust - 10—Only an Irish Boy - 11—Jed, the Poorhouse Boy - 12—Chester Rand - 13—Grit, the Young Boatman of Pine Point - 14—Joe’s Luck - 15—From Farm Boy to Senator - 16—The Young Outlaw - 17—Jack’s Ward - 18—Dean Dunham - 19—In a New World - 20—Both Sides of the Continent - 21—The Store Boy - 22—Brave and Bold - 23—A New York Boy - 24—Bob Burton - 25—The Young Adventurer - 26—Julius, the Street Boy - 27—Adrift in New York - 28—Tom Brace - 29—Struggling Upward - 30—The Adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy - 31—Tom Tracy - 32—The Young Acrobat - 33—Bound to Rise - 34—Hector’s Inheritance - 35—Do and Dare - 36—The Tin Box - 37—Tom, the Bootblack - 38—Risen from the Ranks - 39—Shifting for Himself - 40—Wait and Hope - 41—Sam’s Chance - 42—Striving for Fortune - 43—Phil, the Fiddler - 44—Slow and Sure - 45—Walter Sherwood’s Probation - 46—The Trials and Triumphs of Mark Mason - 47—The Young Salesman - 48—Andy Grant’s Pluck - 49—Facing the World - 50—Luke Walton - 51—Strive and Succeed - 52—From Canal Boy to President - 53—The Erie Train Boy - 54—Paul, the Peddler - 55—The Young Miner - 56—Charlie Codman’s Cruise - 57—A Debt of Honor - 58—The Young Explorer - 59—Ben’s Nugget - 60—The Errand Boy - 61—Frank and Fearless - 62—Frank Hunter’s Peril - 63—Adrift in the City - 64—Tom Thatcher’s Fortune - 65—Tom Turner’s Legacy - 66—Dan, the Newsboy - 67—Digging for Gold - 68—Lester’s Luck - 69—In Search of Treasure - 70—Frank’s Campaign - 71—Bernard Brook’s Adventures - 72—Robert Coverdale’s Struggles - 73—Paul Prescott’s Charge - 74—Mark Manning’s Mission - 75—Rupert’s Ambition - 76—Sink or Swim - 77—The Backwoods Boy - 78—Tom Temple’s Career - 79—Ben Bruce - 80—The Young Musician - 81—The Telegraph Boy - 82—Work and Win - 83—The Train Boy - 84—The Cash Boy - 85—Herbert Carter’s Legacy - 86—Strong and Steady - 87—Lost at Sea - 88—From Farm to Fortune - 89—Young Captain Jack - 90—Joe, the Hotel Boy - 91—Out for Business - 92—Falling in with Fortune - 93—Nelson, the Newsboy - 94—Randy of the River - 95—Jerry, the Backwoods Boy - 96—Ben Logan’s Triumph - 97—The Young Book Agent - - - By EDWARD STRATEMEYER - - 98—The Last Cruise of _The Spitfire_ - 99—Reuben Stone’s Discovery - 100—True to Himself - 101—Richard Dare’s Venture - 102—Oliver Bright’s Search - 103—To Alaska for Gold - 104—The Young Auctioneer - 105—Bound to Be an Electrician - 106—Shorthand Tom - 107—Fighting for His Own - 108—Joe, the Surveyor - 109—Larry, the Wanderer - 110—The Young Ranchman - 111—The Young Lumberman - 112—The Young Explorers - 113—Boys of the Wilderness - 114—Boys of the Great Northwest - 115—Boys of the Gold Field - 116—For His Country - 117—Comrades in Peril - 118—The Young Pearl Hunters - 119—The Young Bandmaster - 120—Boys of the Fort - 121—On Fortune’s Trail - 122—Lost in the Land of Ice - 123—Bob, the Photographer - - - By OLIVER OPTIC - - 124—Among the Missing - 125—His Own Helper - 126—Honest Kit Dunstable - 127—Every Inch a Boy - 128—The Young Pilot - 129—Always in Luck - 130—Rich and Humble - 131—In School and Out - 132—Watch and Wait - 133—Work and Win - 134—Hope and Have - 135—Haste and Waste - 136—Royal Tarr’s Pluck - 137—The Prisoners of the Cave - 138—Louis Chiswick’s Mission - 139—The Professor’s Son - 140—The Young Hermit - 141—The Cruise of _The Dandy_ - 142—Building Himself Up - 143—Lyon Hart’s Heroism - 144—Three Young Silver Kings - 145—Making a Man of Himself - 146—Striving for His Own - 147—Through by Daylight - 148—Lightning Express - 149—On Time - 150—Switch Off - 151—Brake Up - 152—Bear and Forbear - 153—The “Starry Flag” - 154—Breaking Away - 155—Seek and Find - 156—Freaks of Fortune - 157—Make or Break - 158—Down the River - 159—The Boat Club - 160—All Aboard - 161—Now or Never - 162—Try Again - - -In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the books -listed below will be issued during the respective months in New York -City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance -promptly, on account of delays in transportation. - - - To be published in July, 1926. - - 163—Poor and Proud By Oliver Optic - 164—Little by Little By Oliver Optic - 165—The Sailor Boy By Oliver Optic - - - To be published in August, 1926. - - 166—The Yankee Middy By Oliver Optic - 167—Brave Old Salt By Oliver Optic - - - To be published in September, 1926. - - 168—Luck and Pluck By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 169—Ragged Dick By Horatio Alger, Jr. - - - To be published in October, 1926. - - 170—Fame and Fortune By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 171—Mark, the Match Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - - - To be published in November, 1926. - - 172—Rough and Ready By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 173—Ben, the Luggage Boy By Horatio Alger, Jr. - - - To be published in December, 1926. - - 174—Rufus and Rose By Horatio Alger, Jr. - 175—Fighting for Fortune By Roy Franklin - 176—The Young Steel Worker By Frank H. MacDougal - - - - - VALUE - - -Although literature is generally regarded as more or less of a luxury, -there is such a thing as getting your money’s worth, and a little more, -in the way of literature. - -For seventy years the firm of STREET & SMITH has specialized in the -publication of fiction. During all this time everything bearing our -imprint represented good value for the money. - -When, about thirty years ago, we began the publication of a series of -paper bound books, which has since become world famous by the name of -“The S & S Novel,” we did our best to publish the right sort of fiction. -The sales of these books proved that we have succeeded in interesting -and pleasing the American reading public. - -There are over 1,800 different titles in our catalogue, and every title -above reproach from every standpoint. The STREET & SMITH NOVEL has been -rightly called the fiction of the masses. - -Do not be deceived by books which look like the STREET & SMITH NOVELS -but which are made like them only in looks. Insist upon having paper -covered books bearing the imprint of STREET & SMITH, and so be sure of -securing full value for your money. - - * * * * * - - STREET & SMITH CORPORATION - 79 Seventh Avenue :: New York City - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Listing, moved the first four pages book listings to the end of the - novel and before the listings at the end. - 2. 70, supplied “fight” as unknown 5 letter word in “By this time the - girl’s _____ had been answered.” - 3. Table of Contents added by transcriber. - 4. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - 5. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. - 6. 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Standish - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Dick Merriwell's Backers - Or, Well Worth Fighting For - -Author: Burt L. Standish - -Release Date: August 14, 2020 [EBook #62930] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DICK MERRIWELL'S BACKERS *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, David Edwards, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='tnotes covernote'> - -<p class='c000'><b>Transcriber’s Note:</b></p> - -<p class='c000'>The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='titlepage'> - -<div> - <h1 class='c001'>Dick Merriwell’s Backers<br /> <span class='large'>OR,</span><br /> <span class='xlarge'>WELL WORTH FIGHTING FOR</span></h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='small'>BY</span></div> - <div><span class='large'>BURT L. STANDISH</span></div> - <div><span class='small'>Author of the famous <span class='sc'>Merriwell Stories</span>.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/titlepage.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='large'>STREET & SMITH CORPORATION</span></div> - <div>PUBLISHERS</div> - <div>79–89 Seventh Avenue, New York</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='box'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>Copyright, 1907</div> - <div>By STREET & SMITH</div> - <div class='c004'>Dick Merriwell’s Backers</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>(Printed in the U. S. A.)</div> - <div class='c004'>All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c004' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='CONTENTS' class='c005'>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> -<div class='lg-container-b c002'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><a href='#I'>CHAPTER I.</a> LACK OF CONFIDENCE.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#II'>CHAPTER II.</a> A HEART-BREAKING FINISH.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#III'>CHAPTER III.</a> A SURPRISE FOR DICK.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#IV'>CHAPTER IV.</a> A HEARTY WELCOME.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#V'>CHAPTER V.</a> THE DINNER.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#VI'>CHAPTER VI.</a> THE BLACKMAILER.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#VII'>CHAPTER VII.</a> BEHIND THE PALMS.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#VIII'>CHAPTER VIII.</a> HUSH MONEY.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#IX'>CHAPTER IX.</a> ARLINGTON TAKES A HAND.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#X'>CHAPTER X.</a> A HOT OPENING.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XI'>CHAPTER XI.</a> CAUGHT WITH THE GOODS.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XII'>CHAPTER XII.</a> RETURNING THE MONEY.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XIII'>CHAPTER XIII.</a> JEALOUSY.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XIV'>CHAPTER XIV.</a> HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XV'>CHAPTER XV.</a> THE ABANDONED CAPTIVE.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XVI'>CHAPTER XVI.</a> AN EVIL BAND.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XVII'>CHAPTER XVII.</a> TUCKER GETS WARMED.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XVIII'>CHAPTER XVIII.</a> THE FIRE.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XIX'>CHAPTER XIX.</a> THE NEXT MORNING.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XX'>CHAPTER XX.</a> A PAIR OF RASCALS.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXI'>CHAPTER XXI.</a> FURTHER PLOTTING.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXII'>CHAPTER XXII.</a> A CERTAIN VISITOR.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXIII'>CHAPTER XXIII.</a> THE CONSOLER.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXIV'>CHAPTER XXIV.</a> SOMETHING DOING.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXV'>CHAPTER XXV.</a> REFUGE IN THE RIVER.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXVI'>CHAPTER XXVI.</a> WHAT HAPPENED TO BRAD.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXVII'>CHAPTER XXVII.</a> FROM THE BAR Z RANCH.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXVIII'>CHAPTER XXVIII.</a> A PITCHER NEEDED.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXIX'>CHAPTER XXIX.</a> DICK ACCEPTS A CHALLENGE.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXX'>CHAPTER XXX.</a> THE FRESHMAN PITCHER.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXXI'>CHAPTER XXXI.</a> THE GREAT REBELLION.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXXII'>CHAPTER XXXII.</a> CUT DOWN.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXXIII'>CHAPTER XXXIII.</a> THE RED STAIN.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXXIV'>CHAPTER XXXIV.</a> THE UNSEEN SHADOW.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXXV'>CHAPTER XXXV.</a> AN APPARITION.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXXVI'>CHAPTER XXXVI.</a> A TERRIFIED TRIO.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXXVII'>CHAPTER XXXVII.</a> PANGS OF CONSCIENCE.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXXVIII'>CHAPTER XXXVIII.</a> THE ESCAPE.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XXXIX'>CHAPTER XXXIX.</a> THE GHOSTLY FACE.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XL'>CHAPTER XL.</a> A QUEER DELUSION.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XLI'>CHAPTER XLI.</a> SILVER BULLETS.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XLII'>CHAPTER XLII.</a> BAD NEWS.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XLIII'>CHAPTER XLIII.</a> THE SILVER BULLETS.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XLIV'>CHAPTER XLIV.</a> LYNCH CONFESSES.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XLV'>CHAPTER XLV.</a> MIKE PUTS IT ON PAPER.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XLVI'>CHAPTER XLVI.</a> TURNING A NEW LEAF.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XLVII'>CHAPTER XLVII.</a> A BITTER DOSE.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XLVIII'>CHAPTER XLVIII.</a> WAS HE SINCERE?</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#XLIX'>CHAPTER XLIX.</a> A WASTED WARNING.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#L'>CHAPTER L.</a> WOLFE HAS AN IDEA.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#LI'>CHAPTER LI.</a> THE HOLDUP.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#LII'>CHAPTER LII.</a> ROUTING THE RUFFIANS.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#LIII'>CHAPTER LIII.</a> THE ODDS AGAINST YALE.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#LIV'>CHAPTER LIV.</a> MANHATTAN IN THE LEAD.</div> - <div class='line'><a href='#LV'>CHAPTER LV.</a> A BEAUTIFUL BINGLE.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='section ph1'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>DICK MERRIWELL’S BACKERS.</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span> - <h2 id='I' class='c005'>CHAPTER I.<br /> <span class='large'>LACK OF CONFIDENCE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>At the beginning of the sixth inning, Sam Kates -went into the box against the Tufts freshmen. The -score then stood seven to one, in favor of Yale Umpty-ten. -Tufts had shown no ability to connect with Dick -Merriwell’s shoots and benders. This was the opportunity -to give Sam a good try-out, and so, at Dick’s -suggestion, he changed places with Kates, who had -been playing first.</p> - -<p class='c007'>At the opening of the game, Tufts had professed a -hilarious confidence in its ability to hit Merriwell, but -within a short time this confidence oozed away, and -the game was proving tiresomely one-sided and monotonous -when Yale changed pitchers.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Immediately Tufts braced up and took heart. Kates -was nervous, and the visitors seemed to know it. They -whooped and barked joyously as the first man to face -Sam lined out a sizzling two-bagger.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Never mind that, Kates,” came reassuringly from -Dick. “Those things will happen occasionally. They -can’t all do it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Nevertheless Kates realized that he was trying to -fill the position just vacated by one vastly his superior, -and he also knew the Yale men who had been cheering -lustily in the stand were aware of the same fact. This -placed him at a disadvantage, for he was extremely -anxious, and a pitcher who gets anxious in the box is -almost sure to be an easy mark for the opposing batters. -Kates, under the manly influence of Dick Merriwell, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>had broken away from former undesirable associations -and was now putting forth his best efforts to -redeem his past mistakes.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The following Tufts man pounded a long fly into -the outfield. The ball was caught, but the runner on -second advanced to third after the catch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s all right,” again assured Dick. “They haven’t -scored, Sam.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But, unfortunately, the team had even less confidence -in Kates than he had in himself. Therefore, -they were likewise anxious, and this anxiety caused -Claxton, at second, to let a warm grounder get through -him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The little band of Tufts rooters yelled wildly as -another tally was chalked down for their side.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Keep after him! keep after him!” whooped a -coacher, as the next batter pranced out to the pan. -“Got him going!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ll put the blanket on him in a minute,” came -from the other coacher. “Knock his eye out, Tompkins!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Tompkins responded by slamming a hot one into -right field, where Bouncer Bigelow fell all over himself, -and lost the ball until another run had been -credited to the visitors and Tompkins had third safely -within his clutch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not your fault, Kates,” said Dick, as the wretched -pitcher cast him an appealing glance. “Nobody can -blame you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Blessed Jones, captain of the team, rushed part way -in from left field and called to his players to steady -down.</p> - -<p class='c007'>On the bench Robinson, the manager, was fidgeting -ponderously, and muttering to himself that Merriwell -would have to go back on the slab.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick walked out into the diamond, and many -<span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>thought that he was going to change places with Kates -once more. Instead of doing so, he placed a hand on -Sam’s shoulder and spoke to him in low tones.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t get worried now because of those errors behind -you. They’ve made one clean hit off you, and -that’s all. This sort of a thing is likely to happen to -any one. It might have happened to me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But I don’t believe it,” muttered Kates. “They -won’t back me up, Merriwell, old man.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“They’ll learn to back you up before the season’s -over.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not if I throw away the first game in which I’m -given a chance to pitch.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you’re not throwing it away. Don’t look -round, Kates. That fellow on third is going to try -to steal home. He thinks neither of us sees him. He’s -edging off. Now—nail him!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Kates whirled like a flash, and found the runner well -off third, balanced on his toes, and ready to make a -sprint for the plate.</p> - -<p class='c007'>With a snap Sam sent the ball to Otis Fitch, who -had covered the sack behind the runner’s back.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Nipped just in time, the Tufts man tried to plunge -headlong back to third, but Fitch clutched the ball and -nailed it onto him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’re out!” shouted the umpire.</p> - -<p class='c007'>This piece of work caused the Yale men to cheer, -while the Tufts lad who had been caught in his own -attempt to work a bit of craft walked in to the bench -shaking his hanging head.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Rotten! rotten!” snapped one of the coachers. -“Why don’t you keep your eyes open? Why don’t -you do your sleeping nights? You can’t afford to -get dopy on bases.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But everybody hits! everybody hits!” came from -the coacher at the other side of the field. “We’ll keep -<span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>right on. We’ll pound him off the rubber just the -same.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But, somehow, Sam’s nervousness had disappeared -beneath the effect of Merriwell’s touch and words. -Having caught the runner in this manner, Kates grew -cool and collected, and the next man up promptly bit -at two twisters that he did not touch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now you’re pitching, old fellow,” laughed Dick. -“The poor boy can’t see the ball. He’s yours, Sam—he’s -yours. Eat him up!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Kates had a huge drop, and this was the next ball he -used. As he delivered it, however, he pretended it had -slipped from his fingers, and he yelled for Buckhart -to “look out.” The batter thought the ball too high, -and made no move to swing. The sphere shot down in -an astonishing manner and crossed the batter’s chest.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Three strikes—out!” announced the umpire.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The deceived hitter stood as if dazed for a moment, -and then savagely hurled his bat to the ground. Once -more the Yale stand cheered, and Merriwell walked in -to the bench with Kates, congratulating him with sincere -pleasure.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’ve got to do your best work to-day, Sam,” -said Dick. “You’ve got to prove yourself. I need -you. Toleman won’t come out. He’s still sulking. I -can’t do all the pitching. The games are coming too -thick.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It wasn’t wholly my fault, was it, Merriwell?” -asked Kates.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Certainly not. Still, you’d better not kick about -your support, for that gets the fellows sore. They -know what they did, and they feel as rotten about it -as any one can. You’ll hold Tufts down after this.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But if you see they’re going to win the game, Dick, -you must go onto the slab again. You’ll do this, won’t -you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span>“If you don’t get the idea into your head that it’s -necessary, I believe I won’t have to pitch another ball -to-day.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But if it is necessary——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I won’t see them win the game if I can help -it, you may be sure of that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Tufts pitcher, who had improved as the game -advanced, now seemed to be at his best, and Yale -could do little with his delivery.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Not until the first of the eighth did anything more -of a sensational nature occur. In the eighth Tufts -got a batter to first by an error, and then Kates had -the misfortune to hit the next man. The third batter -lifted a long fly into center field, where Spratt made -a disgraceful muff and lost sight of the ball. While -Jack was spluttering to himself and pawing around -wildly in the grass, all three of the Tufts men romped -over the sacks and raced across the pan.</p> - -<p class='c007'>There was now great excitement, for Tufts needed -only one more run to tie the game.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Kates gave Dick a questioning look.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No fault of yours,” came once more from Merriwell.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But they won’t support me, they won’t support -me!” muttered Sam, in a disheartened manner.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The uproar was so great that Dick could not hear -these words, although he read them plainly by the -movement of Sam’s lips. Again he trotted out into -the diamond, and once more the spectators fancied it -was his intention to resume pitching.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t you quit, Kates,” was what he said. “If you -do, they’ll never give you any backing. Pitch as if -your life depended on it, but keep cool—keep cool and -use your head.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>There was an audible groan as Dick was seen returning -to first.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>The next Tufts man batted a slow grounder at -Tucker, who juggled the ball a moment and then made -a disgustingly bad throw to first. Dick was forced to -leave the sack and leap into the air to get the ball, and -the hitter crossed the hassock in safety.</p> - -<p class='c007'>With no one out, Tufts’ prospects of tying the score -were bright indeed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Look out for a bunt, Sam,” warned Dick, who believed -the visitors would try to sacrifice.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The infielders crept in toward the plate, and poised -themselves on their toes, every muscle taut.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The intention of the enemy had not been miscalculated. -The bunt came, and the runner on first reached -second while Kates got the ball and “killed” the batter -at first.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But now a fine single properly placed would be almost -sure to give the enemy the coveted run to make -the score a tie.</p> - -<p class='c007'>More than that, the next hitter was one of the cleverest -batsmen on the visiting team. Kates used all his -art and skill on the man, but finally the fellow smashed -the ball, driving it on a line toward right field.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick was playing ten or twelve feet into the diamond. -He made an electrified leap, shot out his right -hand, and pulled the liner down. The moment his feet -touched the ground he was ready to throw to second, -but he made sure that Claxton would get the ball. The -runner on second had started for third, but he stopped -and nearly broke himself in two in an effort to get -back.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He was a second too late, and the double play put -something of a dampener on Tufts’ elation.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Kates heaved a great sigh of relief, and something -like a sickly smile of joy passed over his face.</p> - -<p class='c007'>This was what he needed to put him once more at -his best, for he struck out the man who followed.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span> - <h2 id='II' class='c005'>CHAPTER II.<br /> <span class='large'>A HEART-BREAKING FINISH.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>But Kates’ troubles were not over. Yale did nothing -with the Tufts twirler in the eighth, and Tufts -opened the ninth with another two-sack bingle that -made the Yale crowd feel sick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Some one yelled for Merriwell. Kates again cast a -questioning glance toward Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If we pull him out,” Dick thought, “he’ll have no -further backbone for pitching.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Jones started in from the field. Divining the intention -of Blessed, Dick hurriedly waved him back.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Buckhart looked disgusted, and shook his head.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Reckon my pard wants to throw this game away,” -he muttered to himself. “We’ll lose it if we let Kates -stay on the rubber.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Kates stayed. Aware that Dick still had confidence -in him, Sam forced the following Tufts man -to put up an easy infield fly, which was captured by -Tucker.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All we want is a clean hit, Stroud!” cried a Tufts -coacher. “You’re the boy to do it!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Stroud was a dangerous man with the stick, and -the spectators hung poised on a point of painful suspense.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Four times Stroud fouled. Then Sam twisted one -round his neck, and he missed cleanly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s the way! that’s the way!” laughed Dick. -“Now it’s all right! That lively lad will pass away -on second.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With two strikes and only one ball called by the -umpire, it began to seem as if Kates would mow down -the last Tufts batter. But the fellow picked out a -corner-cutter and raised it far into left field.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>“All over!” shouted some one. “Jonesy has it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Jonesy thought he had it, but as the ball settled it -took one of those exasperating curves which are troublesome -to handle, and Blessed merely touched it with -the fingers of one upthrust hand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Before the dismayed Yale captain could get the -ball back into the diamond the score was tied, and -Tufts had another runner on third.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ve got this game—we’ve got it!” barked a -coacher. “They’ll never get away from us now!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Everybody knew what would happen,” cried a -voice. “The game was lost when they changed pitchers.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Strangely enough, Kates was no longer downcast -and lacking in confidence. He told himself that any -person with good baseball judgment must know he was -not responsible for what had happened. He did not -cast any further questioning looks toward first, but -placed himself on the rubber, ready to pitch at his best -as long as they would let him remain there.</p> - -<p class='c007'>His best proved good enough to fan the next Tufts -man, and Yale came to bat in the last of the ninth with -the tally tied.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ll do ’em up in the next inning,” announced the -Tufts captain, who seemed confident that there would -be an extra inning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It quickly began to look as if there would be such -an inning, for the first two Yale batters went out, one -on a fly and the other on an easy grounder into the -diamond.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then came a bad error for Tufts. Spratt, who -batted ahead of Kates, bumped a bounder toward third, -and reached first on an infielder’s fumble.</p> - -<p class='c007'>For an instant Kates seemed benumbed as he realized -he was the next person to hit. A strange silence -had settled over the field, and Sam fancied he could -<span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>feel the eyes of every spectator fixed upon him as he -stepped out, bat in hand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>As if from a great distance he seemed to hear some -one say:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps he’ll win his own game.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If he only could!” said another; but there was only -doubt in the words and the voice.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Kates glanced toward Spratt, and a signal told him -that the desperate fellow on first would try to steal. -To assist Jack, Sam swung wildly at the first ball -pitched, although he was careful not to hit it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Spratt’s thin legs carried him down the line to second -with deceptive speed, and a beautiful slide landed -him safely on the sack a second before he was tagged.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Safe!” shouted the umpire.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Spratt leaped up, dusting his clothes and grinning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’re dud-dud-dreadfully slow,” he observed -mockingly to the second baseman.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, never mind,” was the retort. “You won’t go -any farther.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Th-think so?” said Jack.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Know so.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Bub-bub-bet you on it. Kates is gug-going to -biff it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Sam heard those words. Here, at least, seemed to -be one person besides Merriwell who had confidence -in him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I will biff it!” he decided.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He made good in a way that brought the Yale men -up standing. Bat and ball cracked together, and the -ball was laced into the field halfway between right -and center.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Tucker, on the coaching line near third, waved his -arms frantically and shrieked until he was purple in -the face as Spratt came straddling on. Jack’s teeth -were gleaming, his hands clenched, and his eyes bulging -<span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>out of his head. As he crossed third the breath -whistled from his nostrils with a sound that reminded -one of a racehorse coming under the wire.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A fielder had the ball. He whipped it to the second -baseman. The second baseman turned and lined it to -the catcher.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Slide!” shrieked Tucker and many others.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Spratt flung himself headlong, as if making a dive. -Along the ground he scooted in a manner that seemed -to proclaim the dry soil greased at that particular point.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Plunk!—the ball landed in the catcher’s mitt. Down -he ducked and planted it between Spratt’s shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Jack had both hands on the plate, and the umpire -yelled: “Safe!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>To Dick Merriwell’s unspeakable satisfaction, Sam -Kates had really won his own game.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span> - <h2 id='III' class='c005'>CHAPTER III.<br /> <span class='large'>A SURPRISE FOR DICK.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>In the dressing room there was a jabber of youthful -voices as the players got into their street clothes. -Kates was feeling pretty well, for the fellows who -had made errors behind him, one and all, had come -forward and offered congratulations over his work, -at the same time blaming themselves for repeatedly -putting him into a bad hole.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Casper Steele, in a motoring suit, appeared and expressed -his appreciation of the hair-lifting game he had -witnessed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I was really losing interest when you went out of -the box, Merriwell, old man!” laughed Casper. “That -finish was a heart-breaker, though. How long before -you and your friends will be ready to start for Meadwold?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“On my word,” said Dick, “I’d forgotten about your -invitation.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you can go?” questioned Steele anxiously. -“You said you’d let me know if you couldn’t get away, -and I haven’t heard a word from you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s all right, I can go.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How about Claxton and Buckhart?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“They will come along. It’s all fixed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Good! A day off to-morrow will be to the benefit -of all of you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How about Tucker?” asked Dick, in a low tone. -“I don’t like to go away and leave him to himself for -even a day. I’ve taken the liberty of asking him if -he’ll join us, providing you don’t object.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now, look here, old man,” said Steele, “didn’t I -tell you this was to be your party? Didn’t I tell you -to invite any one you wished?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>“Yes, but——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I meant it. It’s to be a little housewarming, you -know. The gov’nor will have a party of his own down -there next week. Just now he has some sort of a -business deal on that is keeping him mighty busy. I -have my car here, and I’ll take you and your chosen -friends to pick up your dunnage. It’s forty miles to -Meadwold, and it will be dark before we get there, -anyhow.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It was mighty fine of you to plan this little outing, -Steele,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I hope you and your friends enjoy yourselves, -and I think you will.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Meadwold was the name given to a large country -estate purchased the previous year by Peyton Steele, -Casper’s father. Steele was a man who loved the -country and country life, and it was his intention to -make this newly acquired property an ideal summer -home for his occupancy. The old farm buildings had -been renovated and enlarged. Broad verandas had -been built. A fine stable was put up, and the place -was stocked with blooded horses and choice cattle. A -complete corps of servants had been installed at Meadwold, -and everything was ready for the housewarming.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Blessed Jones had been invited to become one of the -party, but had solemnly expressed it as his duty to -remain in town and look after those ball players who -needed watching. He now came up, with a sad and -doleful expression on his face.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Methinks thou wilt have a high old time, brothers,” -he said. “But look here, Steele, you want to remember -that these fellows are under training-table regulations. -Don’t gorge them with ice cream and cake and such -disastrous delicacies.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Leave that to me,” said Dick. “We’ll behave, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>Jones. Don’t be afraid. Too bad you don’t feel that -you ought to come.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is too bad,” nodded Steele. “I’d enjoy having -you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Without doubt,” said Blessed. “I would add immensely -to the gayety of the aggregation. I’m generally -about as funny as a funeral.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Tucker was pleased when he learned beyond doubt -that he was to be one of the party. Steele took them -in his car, and soon they were at the curb in front of -the lodging house on York Street.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll get my things and come back here,” said Rob -Claxton, as he sprang from the car.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Thirty minutes later the big touring car was bearing -them out of the city.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’ll certainly be fine to get out into the country, -where we can gambol with the little lambkins,” laughed -Tucker. “I need it. My! but wasn’t that a lovely -throw I made to you, Dick? I had a spasm when I -realized what I’d done. Didn’t think you’d ever touch -it, but you raked her in with one paw. Say, how long -is your arm? I swear you reached eleven feet into the -air for that ball!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Please don’t talk about errors, suh,” entreated -Claxton. “I’d like to forget that awful mess I made.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Kates sure pitched a good game,” observed Buckhart. -“But there was one time I thought he had gone -to the bowwows.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That game reminds me of the last one I played in -before coming to college,” said Tucker. “The finish -was just about as sensational. We had the other fellows -going up to the seventh inning, when they got -after our pitcher and bumped him. In the ninth inning -they needed one run to tie, and two to win, and -they had the bases filled. It was their last turn to -bat, and two men were out. I was playing center -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>field. Up came the heaviest batter on their team, and -he slammed a long fly out into my garden. The -ground out there was awfully soft in spots, and when -I started for that fly one of my feet got stuck in a -hole so that I couldn’t pull it out to save my neck. -There was the ball coming down just about six feet -beyond my reach, and me held fast by one hoof. I tell -you it was awful. Perspiration literally started out on -my face in drops as big as gooseberries. But I got the -ball.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How did you do it, suh?” asked Claxton curiously.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why, you see, I just stooped down, cut my shoe -laces, pulled my foot out of my shoe, made a lunge, -and grabbed the ball.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Remarkable!” breathed Rob. “Cut your shoe -laces, did you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yep.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you usually carry a knife around in your baseball -suit?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, no,” confessed Tommy, looking a bit confused. -“I didn’t cut my laces with a knife.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What did you cut them with, if you don’t mind -telling?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“With a blade of grass, of course,” snorted Tucker.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell, Buckhart, and Steele laughed, and, after -a moment, Claxton joined in.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’ll about do for you, Tommy,” said Dick. -“Don’t tell us any more such wonderful yarns. We -can’t quite digest them.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>New Haven was now left behind, and the car was -humming smoothly over the road. The boys had -brought along their heavy coats, and, therefore, were -quite comfortable, although it was growing cool as -the sun sank in the west. A beautiful sunset filled -them all with admiration and delight. The ride in that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>big, easy car was calculated to soothe their overstrained -nerves after the excitement of the game.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Strange,” said Claxton, “I didn’t see Miss Ditson -or Miss Midhurst at the game. They usually attend. -Were they there, Dick?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I didn’t see them myself,” confessed Merriwell.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Nor I,” said Buckhart. “I reckon they were not -there.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>No one observed the faint smile that flitted across -the face of Casper Steele as he bent over the steering -wheel.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I fancy you’re right,” he said. “I looked around -at the crowd in the stand, and I saw nothing of those -girls.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The sun had vanished, and purple shadows were -spreading in the east. They stopped to light the lamps, -and then bowled on again. Night enfolded them -softly, and the bright glare of the lamps grew more and -more effective as the darkness increased.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’re getting near Meadwold,” Steele finally announced.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A few moments later they swung in at a gate with -high stone posts, and followed a private road that -wound between long lines of gnarled old trees.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ll see the lights in a minute,” said Casper.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Surmounting a little rise, they beheld before them -the gleam of many lights, and Steele told them that -was Meadwold.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Gee whiz!” piped Tucker. “They’ve certainly illuminated -gorgeously for our arrival.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I have a party of friends there who are expecting -us,” was Casper’s surprising announcement.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He now pressed the pedal, and the Gabriel horn -sang sweetly through the spring night.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That will tell them we’re coming,” he laughed. -“They’ll be on the veranda to welcome us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>And now the boys discovered that the veranda and -the trees in the immediate vicinity of the house were -hung with hundreds of Japanese lanterns.</p> - -<p class='c007'>As they swung up the fine road to the front of the -house they heard a chorus of youthful voices, and -forth from the wide front door came swarming a -merry band of boys and girls. There were fully thirty -of them, and they crowded to the steps, waving their -handkerchiefs and laughingly crying welcome.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Great horn spoon!” muttered Brad Buckhart. -“What are we up against?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Dick was speechless, for there, in the mellow -light of the many lanterns, standing in front of all the -others, her hands outstretched to him, was the one girl -he knew best in all the world—June Arlington!</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span> - <h2 id='IV' class='c005'>CHAPTER IV.<br /> <span class='large'>A HEARTY WELCOME.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“Welcome, welcome to Meadwold!” cried the merry -voices.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick’s eyes swam in a happy, wondering mist. At -that moment he feared it was all a dream from which -he would quickly awaken. This vision of June—June, -radiant and flushed, and more beautiful than ever—could -not be other than a dream.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Dick—Dick, don’t you know me? Dick, aren’t you -glad to see me?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was her voice. He would have known it had it -reached his ears in the heart of darkest Africa. This -was no dream; it was a grand, joyous reality. The -next instant he was on the steps, both her warm hands -clasped in his.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“June, June!” he murmured ecstatically. “June, is -it possible? Can it be I’m really awake and this is -you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Kiss her! kiss her! kiss her!” shouted a chorus of -voices.</p> - -<p class='c007'>June, red as a fresh-blown peony, her voice trembling -with excitement, her eyes gleaming like twin -stars, answered his questions.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Of course it is I, and, of course, you’re wide -awake.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, he isn’t,” piped another voice, that sounded -strangely familiar. “If he was wide awake, he would -never pass up an opportunity like that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How is it possible that I find you here?” asked -Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Chester will explain.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Chester——”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>“Present,” laughed a bronzed youth, stepping -quickly down and placing an affectionate hand on -Dick’s shoulder. “How are you, Merriwell, old man? -On my soul, I’m quivering with delight over seeing -you again. Give us a grip at that man’s hand of -yours.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>This was June’s brother, who wrung Dick’s hand -with all the hearty regard and affection of his soul.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My head is humming,” laughed the bewildered boy. -“I thought you were in Wellsburg, June; and you, -Chester—I thought you somewhere away out in the -wild and woolly.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ve shed my chaps, had my hair cut, hung up the -riata, and come back to civilization,” said Arlington. -“But I don’t suppose we ought to monopolize him, -June. He has other friends who are anxious to get -at him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>While June and Chet turned to Brad Buckhart, Dick -shook hands with Jack Randall, of Harvard.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Quite a lively little party this of yours,” smiled -the handsome Harvard man.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mine?” said Dick. “Why, Steele got up this -party.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But we all understand it’s for your benefit and entertainment. -Here are Barbara and Mabel.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>And now Dick understood why he had not seen Bab -Midhurst and Mabel Ditson at the baseball game that -afternoon.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s a conspiracy!” he cried. “I have been deceived, -and I’m glad of it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I brought another friend of yours along with me,” -said Randall. “Where is he? He should have been -among the first to attack you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Like the modest, shrinking little violet that I am,” -said the voice that had declared Dick was not wide -awake when he shook hands with June, “I am content -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>to bloom low amid the other gorgeous flowers of this -fair garden. Therefore, I am easily overlooked. -Hello, Dick! Give us the high wigwag.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Dale Sparkfair, you handsome rascal!” cried Merriwell, -getting a good hold on the speaker’s hand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Sparkfair it was, jolly, jovial, scintillating as ever.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You see, I’m always loth to thrust myself forward, -Dick,” said Spark. “I’ve been suppressed and -sat on so much since butting into Harvard that my -natural timidness and reticence has increased a thousandfold.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Suppressed? Sat on?” laughed Randall. “If ever -there was a freshman who could not be suppressed and -sat on, this fresh freshman is the one. Why, he’s had -all Cambridge standing on its head the biggest part of -the time since he landed there. A dozen times he’s -turned the old place over to look at the bottom side -of it. He has more friends and enemies to the square -yard than any man at Harvard who is not a senior or -a big gun in athletics.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Fie! fie!” remonstrated Dale. “I fear much that -you will give people a false impression by the careless -trippling of your tongue. Trippling is good. I think -I’ll copyright it. I’m great at coining words. That’s -about the only kind of coin I can get hold of lately.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Introductions followed, Dick presenting his Yale -friends to those friends of his he had unexpectedly -found at Meadwold. All were then made acquainted -with the young people, youths, and maids who belonged -to Casper Steele’s particular set. At the very beginning -of these introductions, in a cautious whisper, -Sparkfair warned Dick not to exhaust his supply of -“hot-air compliments” too quickly, as there were lots -of pretty girls in the party, and he would need a liberal -supply to go round.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Steele had turned the touring car over to his mechanician, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>who was awaiting the arrival at Meadwold. -He now led the way into the renovated house, and the -chattering guests flocked after him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Casper’s mother was there, standing just inside the -door and smiling on them all. She gave her hand to -Dick and his friends as her son presented her. There -were also two other middle-aged ladies who were present -as chaperons.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m very glad to meet Dick Merriwell,” said Mrs. -Steele. “You won’t mind if I call you Dick, will you? -You see, I’ve heard Casper call you that so often that -it’s most natural for me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I am genuinely complimented to know that you -wish to call me by my Christian name, Mrs. Steele,” he -bowed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You must make yourself at home—you and your -friends. I hope you all have a pleasant time at Meadwold.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That is assured already, madam. I’ve had one of -the most delightful surprises of my life.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Steele took Dick, Brad, Rob, and Tommy upstairs -to the room they were to occupy.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You see, we’re a bit crowded,” he explained. -“There are two beds here and a bath adjoining. I -think you’ll be comfortable.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Comfortable!” said the Texan, looking around. -“Great horn spoon, I should say so! Why, this is -great for a man who has found comfort sleeping in -a blanket, with his boots for his pillow and the ground -for his bed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I’m certainly glad I came,” said Tucker. -“Isn’t it great, boys?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It reminds me of hospitality in old Virginia, gentlemen,” -came from Claxton. “I didn’t suppose they had -anything like it in your cold and reserved North.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, we’re not as cold and reserved as we seem, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>once you get under our skins,” chuckled Steele. “Take -your time to wash up, fellows. Come down when you -get ready. I fancy we’ll have dinner very soon now.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A great chap, that Steele,” murmured Tommy, as -the door closed behind Casper. “And to think he -didn’t get through college—it’s a shame. But then, he -has so much money that he doesn’t need a college education -to help him spend it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And that’s one of the brightest remarks I ever -heard you make, Tucker,” laughed Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Listen!” exclaimed Buckhart. “I sure hear music! -On my word, they’ve got an orchestra.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was true, for the soft strains of an orchestra -floated up to their ears from some part of the house.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Steele is certainly doing the thing up brown,” -chuckled Tucker. “Go ahead, Dick, and make your -ablutions. You’re the one in this bunch who’s most -wanted down below. The rest of us won’t be missed -if we’re slower in reappearing.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick pulled off his coat, rolled back his cuffs, and -disappeared into the bathroom.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No flies on this party, eh?” grinned Tucker. -“Everybody agreeable and congenial.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Buckhart shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“With one exception, possibly,” he muttered, not -wishing Dick to hear. “Chester Arlington might have -improved the party had he remained away. He was -Dick’s bitterest enemy at Fardale, and I can’t easily -forget the dirty tricks in which he was concerned. My -pard seems to think the fellow has reformed, but I’m -far from satisfied on that point. I doubt if any one -as rotten as Arlington has been ever wholly reformed. -However, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the -doubt until he shows the cloven hoof again. If he -does that, I’ll certain feel like lighting on him all -spraddled out. You hear me softly warble!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span> - <h2 id='V' class='c005'>CHAPTER V.<br /> <span class='large'>THE DINNER.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The dinner was a grand success. Two long tables -had been placed end to end, and around these tables -gathered the light-hearted guests, skillfully seated in -such a way that each youth found a congenial and -charming girl at his elbow.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Of course, June was at Dick’s side. For the time -being, Mrs. Steele and the two elderly ladies had -withdrawn, and there was no one present to cast the -lightest restraint on the innocent mirth of the gathering. -Waiters were numerous, silent, and attentive, and -the courses came on in a manner that would have done -credit to a first-class hotel. Somewhere in a near-by -room the orchestra discoursed appropriate music. Beneath -the softened lights the china, cutglass, and silverware -gleamed, and the girls, flushed with pleasurable -excitement, seemed the fairest to be found in all the -land.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Of course, I’m ready to explode with curiosity, -June,” said Dick, under cover of the chatter that rose -about them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I suppose you are,” she laughed tantalizingly, giving -him a look with those splendid eyes of hers that -shot him through with the old-time thrill.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you don’t seem in any hurry to satisfy that -curiosity. Don’t tantalize me, June. How did it happen?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your brother brought my brother back with him -to Wellsburg when he returned from the West.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, I know; but Wellsburg is a long distance from -Meadwold. It’s mysterious. I didn’t suppose Casper -Steele knew you, yet I find you here at his father’s -country home.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>“My father knows Mr. Payton Steele very well.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I see a faint ray.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“They have often had business relations. At present -father is carrying through a business deal in company -with Mr. Steele. To do this he had to come on -here, and, when he found he was coming, both Chester -and myself begged him to bring us along. That’s the -explanation, Dick. We met Casper Steele, and as soon -as he found out we were your friends he began to -plan this surprise party for you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And I never suspected a thing.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>From the head of the table Steele laughed at Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I was afraid you might get a suspicion of it,” he -said, having caught Merriwell’s words.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to get even with -you, old chap,” said Dick. “But perhaps I’ll find a -way some time.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Near the foot of the long table sat Mabel Ditson, -with Brad Buckhart on her right and Rob Claxton on -her left. She was dividing her favors between them, -and both seemed satisfied. Her position was a delicate -one, and it required art and cleverness to balance -her smiles and words so that neither should fancy the -other to be the one most favored. Sparkfair was -chatting in his airy manner with a beautiful girl by the -name of Agnes Locke. Nevertheless, it seemed that -he occasionally cast faintly regretful glances in the -direction of June and Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Jack Randall talked confidentially with Barbara, and, -save Dick himself, it was possible no one present knew -their exact relations. Suddenly Steele rose to his feet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A toast!” he proposed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A toast! a toast!” cried all.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Casper lifted a glass.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ll drink it in water, the favorite beverage of -the one to whom it will be given.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>They all rose, each with an uplifted glass of water. -There was a hush, and, with a grave smile, Casper -turned his eyes on the lad at June Arlington’s side.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Here’s to Dick Merriwell,” he said. “Here’s to his -friends and his foes; may his friends never falter in -their loyalty, and may his foes soon realize their folly -and become his friends.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Splendid! splendid!” was the cry as they drank the -toast.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick thanked Casper in a clever little speech, his -face flushed and his heart warmed by it all. It was -Randall who proposed the next toast.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Here’s to Yale,” he bowed; “Yale, Harvard’s beloved -rival. May the blue ever flutter high above all -other colors save the crimson.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll have to attach an amendment to that,” laughed -Dick. “May the best team win, and, if it does, the -blue has no fear of finding itself looking up to the -crimson.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You wait until your freshman baseball team goes -against our freshies!” cried Randall. “You know we -have a slab wizard by the name of Sparkfair.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Keep it dark, keep it dark!” came in a hoarse whisper -from Dale. “Don’t put the enemy wise. Let him -march unsuspecting to the slaughter.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Randall laughed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think I’ll have to tell how I happened to bring -Spark with me to Meadwold,” he said, as the entire -party was again seated.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I can’t bear to have you tell,” objected Dale.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This reckless young blade,” said Jack, “has injected -himself into all sorts of trouble since descending -on Cambridge. He seems to enjoy trouble with a keen -and fiendish enjoyment. The rackets he has been in -would fill a three-volume novel. Repeatedly he has -escaped disasters by a hair’s breadth. His last escapade -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>proved rather more serious than the others. He -stole a cinnamon bear.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Tut, tut!” remonstrated Sparkfair. “State the -facts, Randall—the bear conceived an overweening affection -for me, and insisted on following me like a -dog.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Insisted on following you after you had fed him -a two-pound box of chocolates and bon-bons,” said -Jack. “It was this way: An Italian organ grinder -brought a tame dancing bear into town. The dago did -a lively business around Harvard Square, for the bear -was really amusing, and the students coughed up their -spare coins to see him do his stunts. Some time in -mid-afternoon the bear’s master tied him to a tree on -Massachusetts Avenue, and went into a restaurant for -something to eat. About this time Sparkfair hove -upon the horizon and espied bruin. Dale had purchased -an extravagant amount of candy for some one -of his numerous lady loves. He took a notion to offer -the bear a chocolate drop, and bruin keenly appreciated -the favor. For some time Spark continued to deal -out confectionery to the beast, and with each fresh -chocolate or bon-bon the bear’s liking for Dale increased -by leaps and bounds. Just how bruin’s chain -came unhitched from the tree I’m unable to say. At -any rate, when Spark started to depart the cinnamon -waddled after him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It was a frightful moment,” put in Dale. “Imagine -my sensation of horror when I realized that I was -being pursued by a real bear. Of course, I wouldn’t -have minded so much if it had been one of those Teddy -things that they sell at a toy store, but this was the -real stuff, with genuine hair on it. It had claws and -teeth, too. At first I was tempted to fly for my life, -but I didn’t know just how fast that bear could sprint, -and, therefore, I was afraid to make a start. In order -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>to appease the monster I opened up my second box of -sweets and handed him out a few more chocolates.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s right,” chuckled Randall. “Behold Sparkfair, -in your mind, backing down Mt. Auburn Street -with the bear sniffing along after him and licking its -chops for more chocolates. It seems that Spark has -a sophomore friend whom he greatly admires that -rooms in Claverly. This sophomore’s name is Coakley. -Up to date I believe he and Spark have practiced -the manly art of self-defense on each other at -least four times. Coakley has lost one of his front -teeth, and for a week or so Sparkfair was proudly displaying -a beautiful black eye. Well, what do you think -Spark did? When he reached Claverly he proceeded -to decoy that bear into the building and upstairs to -Coakley’s room. It happened that Coakley was out, -but his door was unlocked. Spark got the bear inside, -and then heartlessly abandoned the poor beast.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not until I had fed him the last bon-bon in that -two-pound lot,” sighed Spark, with amusing dolefulness. -“I know a girl who went hungry for candy that -night.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Coakley returned to his room in the dusk of early -evening,” Randall continued. “He walked right in, -without anticipating the welcome he was to receive. -The bear was asleep on Coakley’s best Turkish rug. -I don’t think Coakley saw him. At any rate, he fell -over bruin, who rose with a grunt of disapproval. A -moment later other fellows in Claverly were horrified -by the most fearsome, heart-rending scream of terror -that ever smote mortal ears. Coakley yelled murder -and made a scramble to get away from the bear. Evidently -bruin fancied his friend with the candied delicacies -had returned, for he tried to embrace Coakley. -As I room in Claverly myself, I happened to see the -finish. Coakley ripped open his door and came gasping -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>and tumbling into the hall. A furry figure lumbered -after him. Coakley slid downstairs, and the bear imitated -his example. Confused and terrified, Coakley -made the mistake of dashing into the swimming room. -Bruin kept close at his heels until, with a last despairing -howl of anguish, Coakley plunged headlong into -the tank. The bear sat down on the edge and grinned -with pleasure as he watched Coakley splashing and -blowing about in the water. I think Coakley was in -that tank something like three quarters of an hour before -some one brought the bear’s master, who took -bruin away.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Unfortunately, some one saw Sparkfair decoying -the bear into Claverly. Coakley has sworn vengeance. -An investigation is threatened. There is a tinge of -blood on the moon in Cambridge. I thought it would -be best for Spark to get away for a couple of days, -and therefore I’ve inflicted him on this otherwise respectable -party.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span> - <h2 id='VI' class='c005'>CHAPTER VI.<br /> <span class='large'>THE BLACKMAILER.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>After dinner music and merriment resounded -through the many rooms of Meadwold. The guests -were free to go wherever they chose, and all seemed -to feel perfectly at home. A little group had gathered -around a girl who was seated at the piano, and Jack -Randall led in the familiar songs of old Harvard, -being joined by both boys and girls in the choruses.</p> - -<p class='c007'>One of the servants found Casper Steele and spoke -a low word to him. Steele left the room, and was -absent a few minutes. Returning, he sought for Sparkfair, -whom he found chatting in his airiest manner -with Agnes Locke, who was holding her own with -him in the way of persiflage.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Begging the girl’s pardon, Casper drew Spark aside.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There’s a friend of yours in the next room, Sparkfair,” -he said. “He’s just arrived, and seems very -anxious to see you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s natural,” said Dale. “My friends can’t bear -to be separated from me. It breaks their hearts. Did -he send in his autograph?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He told me to tell you that he was a classmate -from Cambridge.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I will flee to him on the wings of the morning—no, -I mean the wings of the evening. It’s too late -for this morning, and too early for to-morrow morning. -But say, old man, don’t let any giddy youth get -away with my find, Miss Locke. We’ve been flinging -bon mots and chunks of scintillating conversation at -each other, and at the present time she has me pretty -nearly backed off the map. After holding converse -with my friend from Cambridge I’m going out into the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>cool night air and think up a few neat ones to spring -on Miss Locke.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Spark danced into the adjoining room, but stopped -as if shot when his eyes fell on the new arrival. This -was a fellow about Dale’s age, with restless black eyes, -an unnaturally pale face, and startlingly red lips. He -was dressed in a spring suit of the latest cut and most -popular style. He wore a bright red necktie.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hanks!” breathed Spark, in astonishment.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s me,” nodded the other.</p> - -<p class='c007'>For a single moment Sparkfair had seemed staggered. -He recovered quickly, and assumed his usual -air of nonchalance.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Aren’t you lost, strayed, or stolen, Hanksy?” he -inquired.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I guess not,” was the answer, with a touch of -insolence in both manner and tone; “but I was afraid -you might become lost if I didn’t take pains to look -you up.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It was distressingly kind of you, Hanksy.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Cut out the Hanksy. You can’t afford to be too -flip with me just now.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I can’t afford much of anything since the squeezing -you gave me,” confessed Spark. “My dear fellow, -you’re certainly destined to become a millionaire, or a -stone breaker in an institution for people who are too -eager to acquire sudden wealth.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“None of that,” advised Hanks. “It doesn’t sound -well from a chap who was caught in a piece of gumshoe -work that would have done credit to a second-story -man. You can’t throw any stones, Mr. Dale -Sparkfair. If you do, you’re liable to get a few of -your own windows broken. I don’t wonder that you -ducked out of Cambridge in a hurry, but you made -a mistake in thinking you could get away without settling -with yours truly, Jimmy Hanks.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>“Didn’t you see Hunnewell after I left?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hanks permitted his red lips to curve contemptuously.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m not making any settlement through a third -party. I propose to do business with you direct, my -boy. Hunnewell chased me round, but I declined to -enter into dealings with him. I found out where you -had gone, and decided to take a little vacation myself, -and look you up. I am here. Now, take my advice -and be good. Unless you do, your goose is cooked at -Harvard.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why don’t you find an elevated platform somewhere -and tell people about it?” chirped Dale. “Hadn’t -you better hire a hall?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you don’t want your friends here to hear any of -our conversation, you might step outside with me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’d like to step outside. I’d like to see you in some -quiet, secluded spot where I could put a few dents in -your face, Hanks!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you want to try that on, you have my permission, -but you know what will follow. I have the -proofs, Sparkfair—I have witnesses. You were -caught with the goods. I’m not choosing this as the -proper place to discuss the matter. If you wish to -maintain secrecy, there’s a fine veranda and a broad -lawn outdoors.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This is no time to talk of such things,” protested -Dale, doing his best to hide the annoyance and exasperation -which threatened to get the upper hand. “If -you wish to see me to-morrow——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But I don’t. To-morrow I return to Cambridge. -We’ll come to an understanding to-night. If not, you’ll -be a fool if you ever again show your head at Harvard.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“As long as you’re so urgent,” smiled Spark, “I suppose -I’ll have to give you a modicum of my valuable -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>time. Toddle along, Hanksy, and I will follow your -lead.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>A couple who happened to be standing on the veranda -saw them come out of the house and stroll away -on the lawn, chatting freely in a way that was deceptive -in its seeming friendliness. It happened, also, -that Jack Randall had seen them leave the house, and -had recognized the fellow with Sparkfair.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What the dickens does that mean?” muttered Randall. -“That was Hanks. Where did he come from, -and what is he doing here?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Jack was tempted to follow them, but finally decided -not to do so. Some twenty minutes later Sparkfair -reappeared in the house and sought Jack, whom he -drew apart from the others.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Randall, old man,” said Dale, “I’d like to borrow -a little filthy lucre. Have you some molding simoleons -in your clothes?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What do you want of money?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now, that’s not nice, you know. If a friend asks -you for a loan you should submit gracefully and without -question to the holdup. I’m sure to pay you if -I ever raise the dough. If I don’t, you may rest assured -that you have performed a worthy action in -contributing to the peace of mind of a distressed comrade.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You can’t spend any money here, Spark. How -do you expect to get rid of it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m going to plug up a rat hole with it. I’ve got -to plug that hole, or the rat will eat my cheese. Now, -don’t—don’t distress me by further inquiry. Don’t -you observe the beads of cold and clammy perspiration -upon my noble brow? Can’t you detect the haunting -terror in my eye with fine frenzy rolling?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I know what you want with the money.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>“Tell me not in mournful numbers that this can -be true.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I saw Jim Hanks.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’re on.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, I’m on. Where is he?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Lingering near, like the vulture awaiting the feast.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He’s under this roof?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I expect the shingles of Meadwold shelter him at -this moment.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The dishonest crook, he ought to be kicked out! -I’ll see that he is kicked out at once.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Dale grasped Randall’s arm.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Be not too hasty in your violent resentment against -this pernicious person,” implored Spark. “You can’t -kick him to-night, Randy, without hitting me. He has -me nailed to the wall, and it’s useless to squirm.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Are you going to let that blackmailer squeeze money -out of you?” indignantly demanded Randall. “I -wouldn’t do it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If I refuse, he’ll proclaim to the world my iniquities. -I can’t stand for that to-night, Jack. I’ve got -to choke him off, and there’s only one way to do it. -For goodness’ sake, let me have a paltry one hundred -dollars.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“So he demands a hundred, does he? He’s modest!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Modesty is no name for it,” grinned Dale, still -endeavoring to be cheerful.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And this is only the beginning, Sparkfair. If you -give in to him now, he’ll suck you dry. You’ll have -to pay hush money to that fellow whenever he demands -it. You’ll become his slave.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Unless I find some way to trip him. All I want -is a little time, Randall, and I’ll find a way. In order -to get time, I’ve got to hoist the white flag at present. -You know where I’d stand if this fellow should tell a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>few things in the presence of the assembled merrymakers. -I can get rid of him at once by forking over -the sum he demands. If you don’t help me out, I -shall have to give Merriwell the touch, and perhaps he -hasn’t that amount in his jeans.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It certainly galls me to see you stand for blackmail, -Sparkfair.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It can’t gall you any worse than it does me, but -when a fellow’s guilty he has to cough if the blackmailer -puts on the screws. Let’s not procrastinate. I -want to hasten Hanks forth into the coolness of the -outer air. The knowledge that he is beneath this roof -hangs over me like a fog.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you think he’ll go if he gets the money?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He says he will.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I wouldn’t do this for any one else, Sparkfair. I -haven’t the money in my pocket, but I’ll get it for -you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Thanks, a thousand thanks,” said Dale. “I’m so -deeply moved that I fear I may fall on your bosom -and weep. I won’t forget it, Randall. On my word, -I won’t. I’m going to get a twist on Hanks if I live, -and I’ll find a way to squirm out of his grip. While -I’m planning such a coup I’ll have to soothe him with -the long green. I’ll tell him he shall have it directly, -but don’t be too long in providing the needful, old -man.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t worry. If he thinks he’s going to get a -hundred, he’ll keep his face closed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Randall turned away, while Dale once more sought -Hanks.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span> - <h2 id='VII' class='c005'>CHAPTER VII.<br /> <span class='large'>BEHIND THE PALMS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Ensconced behind some palms, Dick and June were -enjoying a delightful chat. They had a hundred things -to tell each other, and June was vainly trying to tell -it all at once. From their nook they could see Buckhart -happily occupied with Mabel Ditson, and apparently -satisfied for the time being that he had stolen -a lap on Claxton. Chester Arlington seemed to be a -favorite with the girls, and he appeared happiest with -several of them near.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t you think my brother is looking well, Dick?” -asked June.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Never saw him looking finer in my life,” was the -answer. “The West must have done him good.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I know it did, but Chester says he owes all the -benefit he has received to your brother Frank. He -has told me of the most wonderful adventures in company -with Frank. You know he was seriously wounded -down in Mexico. A bullet grazed his skull, and he -was out of his mind for some time. Frank took care -of him and brought him back to Wellsburg. Chester -has been training in Frank’s athletic school, and I feel -confident now that he’s finally succeeded in breaking -away from his old bad habits.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I sincerely hope he has.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He says you, Dick, were the one who started him -on the right road that summer, up in the Blue Hills. -Oh, that summer in the Blue Hills! I’ll never forget -it!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Nor I,” said Dick. “It was jolly and strenuous -and exciting enough to satisfy the most adventurous -tastes. How is Madge Morgan?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>“I knew you’d ask. That was almost the first question -Dale Sparkfair had for me. Madge is fine. She’s -attending school in Bloomfield, you know. We have -rooms together. Oh, she’s a splendid girl, Dick. She’s -so kind and thoughtful toward her poor old blind -father. He’s there living quietly in a home provided -for him by some good people. Madge sees him almost -every day. She’s the only person he has to live for -now, and I know his one fear is that he will lose her -somehow. That fear is groundless, though. She’ll -never be parted from him in the world.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not if I understand her as I think I do,” nodded -Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wasn’t it the greatest fortune that Chester and I -succeeded in inducing father to let us come on with -him? We planned to surprise you in New Haven, but -when we met Casper Steele, and he found we knew -you so well, he made arrangements for this surprise -party.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A surprise it was,” laughed Dick. “The greatest -surprise and the most delightful one of my life. Why, -I really thought I must be dreaming when we stopped -at the door and I saw you there on the steps. I wish -you could have seen yourself beneath the light of those -Japanese lanterns, June. I used to think you pretty, -but I declare when I saw you to-night you looked a -thousand times——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now stop—please stop!” she protested, quickly -placing a soft palm over his lips. “Don’t try to flatter -me like that, Dick.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The truth may never be called flattery. I had the -queerest feeling as I stared at you. I don’t wonder -Sparkfair said I was asleep.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you weren’t, were you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know,” admitted Dick. “I’m afraid I was. -I’m almost afraid I’m still slumbering.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>“Then you’d better wake up,” laughed the girl.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I will!” he suddenly exclaimed, and, screened by -the palms, he kissed her.</p> - -<p class='c007'>She caught her breath with a little gasp.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If that’s the way you wake up, hadn’t you better -go to sleep again?” she said.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t think so, for that is the realization of my -dreams, June.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>They both tingled with an unspeakable, undefinable -pleasure that was wholly innocent and harmless. -Tommy Tucker, with a tall, dark-haired girl, peered in -upon them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Peekaboo!” cried Tommy. “Caught you. Say, -Dick, what makes you monopolize the only secluded -retreat there is in this room? Can’t you give a fellow -a show?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mr. Tucker!” exclaimed the tall brunette reprovingly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Call me Tommy, Janette—please call me Tommy,” -pleaded the little chap. “And don’t for the love of -decorum hitch Mister onto my name. I have to stop -and think who you mean when you do. Nobody ever -calls me Mister. All my friends insult me by calling -me ‘Runt’ and ‘Shaver’ and ‘Sawed-off,’ and offensive -names like that. I’ve threatened vengeance on them a -thousand times, but it doesn’t seem to frighten them -a bit. I wish I was seven feet tall.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There’s a chap in Chicago, Tommy, who advertises -to increase a person’s height from an inch to two -inches,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, if I can’t put on more than an inch or two,” -declared Tucker, “I’ll let myself remain a sawed-off. -What’s the good of stretching one’s self for a paltry -inch of stature? Say, Dick, won’t you give me the -signal when you decide to move? I have a secret -which I wish to whisper in the shell-like ear of Janette. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>It can’t be told where the morbidly curious would be -liable to overhear a word.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ll move at once,” laughed Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t permit Mr. Tucker to disturb you,” said Janette. -“I think his secret will keep a while.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ah, cruel maiden!” cried Tommy dramatically. -“Would you keep the pent-up emotion of my heart -burning itself out with a lambent flame? Gee, but that -was a good one! Wonder how I happened to think of -it? I can’t always trace these brilliant ideas which -occasionally flash from the bubbling fountain of my -intelligence. They’re really going, Janette. Let’s rest. -Let’s ensconce ourselves. Let’s modestly retire from -the public gaze.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But the tall brunette was obdurate, and Tommy -could not inveigle her behind the palms.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I must look like a dangerous devil,” said Tucker -fiercely. “Never saw a girl that wasn’t scared to death -to get out of sight with me for ten seconds.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll give you a pointer,” smiled Janette. “Don’t let -them know you’re so dreadfully anxious to get out of -sight with them.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Never thought of that,” confessed the little chap. -“Say, Janette, let’s stand under the chandelier a while. -I’m awfully timid, you know. I wouldn’t go behind -those palms for the world.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then, in a mock whisper, he murmured to himself:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I wonder if it will work?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, you’re the silliest little chap!” exclaimed the -amused girl. “I suppose, now, you expect me to seize -you bodily and drag you behind the palms. You’ve -got a lot to learn, Tommy.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Bless you! bless you!” panted Tucker, beaming -with gratitude. “You didn’t say mister.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Again he resorted to an aside in a hoarse stage -whisper:</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>“I’ve got her coming. She’s mine if I don’t make a -misstep.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Janette began to laugh, and her merriment increased -until she almost gasped for breath. Indeed, she seemed -to lose her strength to such an extent that Tucker hurried -to offer his support, and a moment later they -found themselves on the secluded seat behind the -palms.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span> - <h2 id='VIII' class='c005'>CHAPTER VIII.<br /> <span class='large'>HUSH MONEY.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Two of the rooms of the old house had been converted -into one, which was now the dance room of -Meadwold. This was thrown open, and the alluring -strains of the orchestra brought the young people -flocking to the polished floor. Having left Mabel Ditson -for a moment, Buckhart hastened to look for her -at the first strains of the dreamy waltz, and was filled -with consternation on discovering her just whirling -onto the floor with Claxton. Some one touched Brad -on the arm as he stood glowering after the lucky Virginian.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t give yourself away like that,” said the voice -of Barbara Midhurst. “Why, you look ready to eat -some one up.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I see a gent from Virginia that I feel it my solemn -duty to assassinate,” growled the Westerner.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Is Mabel Ditson the only girl here?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“She is sure the only one for me,” admitted Brad.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Haven’t you any finesse?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know. Down in Texas we don’t run to -that a great deal.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I gave you credit for more artfulness, Brad. The -first time you met Mabel you were on your guard, and -you upset all her preconceived notions of you. Don’t -spoil it all to-night. You can’t keep her to yourself -every minute of the time.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I notice my pard is hanging onto June Arlington -right solid. There they are waltzing together.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But he hasn’t seen her for a long time. It’s different -with you and Mabel. Now, look at Jack and -me. Where is he? I haven’t the remotest idea. Brad -<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>Buckhart, if you don’t dance with me I shall be a wall -flower. You’re going to dance.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I reckon I am,” said Brad submissively. “I hope -you can stand for it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why, you’re really a splendid waltzer,” said Bab, -after they had swept once round the floor. “Somehow, -I didn’t fancy you were.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s it,” he muttered, “and I’ll bet Mabel thought -the same. If that’s the case, I won’t trouble her. I’ll -dance with somebody else.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Bab laughed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You are the most jealous, touchy person I ever saw, -Brad Buckhart. Why, you’re worse than the Virginian -you dislike so much.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t dislike him, begging your pardon. I thought -I did once, but I guess he’s all right in his way. We -don’t tie to each other a whole lot, but there’s no longer -any hard feelings. We have planted the tomahawk. -If Mabel likes him better than she does me, she sure -can have him as much as she wants.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dale Sparkfair and Agnes Locke swung past them. -Spark was laughing and chattering as if he had not -a care in the world. Certainly, trouble sat lightly on -the shoulders of this irresponsible fellow. Nevertheless, -Spark caught his breath on passing the wide door -of the dance room and discovering Jim Hanks standing -there, hands in pockets, serenely following Dale -with his dark eyes.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Jack Randall appeared in the door a few moments -later. At the conclusion of the waltz Sparkfair excused -himself and joined Randall. They moved way. -Hanks leisurely turning to watch them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Here’s the money,” said Randall, slipping the roll -into Dale’s hand. “Get that fellow out of here.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll chase him out with great alacrity and unspeakable -glee,” said Dale. “Leave it to me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>But when he signalled for Hanks to follow him the -intruder seemed utterly oblivious to his meaning. Dale -was compelled to walk up to Hanks and speak to him -in a low tone. This was precisely what Hanks wanted.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh,” he said, “here you are, Spark, old chap, -Didn’t know what had become of you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I noticed that,” scoffed Dale. “You were looking -right at me, but you didn’t see me. If you want to -close that business, just stroll outside for a moment.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Chester Arlington, having abandoned cigarettes, had -wandered out onto the veranda to whiff a cigar. Lighting -the weed, he was tempted to stroll down across the -lawn, and finally seated himself in a shrub-sheltered -arbor. Two minutes later two persons stopped near -this arbor. They were Sparkfair and Hanks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“So you succeeded in raising the wind, did you?” -chuckled the latter.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, I succeeded in raising the wind,” answered -Dale, “and, having done so, I expect you to fan the -wind with your heels. Your room is much preferable -to your company.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But I’m enjoying myself,” chuckled Hanks. “It’s -really a jolly little party. I wouldn’t mind staying and -joining the gay throng.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you won’t,” said Dale, with a grimness in his -voice. “Having blackmailed me to the tune of a hundred, -you’ll promptly hit the high places.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But I haven’t seen the hundred yet.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Here it is.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The word blackmail had caused Chester to check -himself in the act of coughing, to give them notice -that he was sitting near. He now listened with great -interest, peering forth at the dark figures to be seen -behind the shrubbery.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It feels like the real stuff,” laughed Hanks, with -satisfaction. “Are you certain it’s an even hundred?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>“I didn’t count it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then I think I will.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hanks struck a match and held it with one hand -while he thumbed over the money with his other hand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Four twenties, a ten, and two fives,” he said triumphantly. -“That’s quite right, Spark, old chap. It -looks like good money, too. I need it in my business, -you know.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know why you should, for you’ve certainly -fleeced enough greenhorns to be good and flush. I -caught you at your crooked game and exposed you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You did make something of a fuss,” acknowledged -Hanks, as he dropped the expiring match. “You -seemed to have me on the hip just then, but a little -later you made a bad mess for yourself. Of course, I -shall stand by my agreement and say nothing about -that. I’ll likewise keep silent the two friends who -were with me when we caught you sacking my room.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“When you caught me trying to recover some of my -goods which you had beaten me out of,” said Dale -hotly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Were the watch and the ring we found on you -goods of yours?” sneered Hanks. “If I remember -right, the watch bore my monogram, and I think I can -prove that I bought the ring with my own money.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“With the money you had cheated your victims -out of.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You were doing a little fine burglar work, Spark. -You can’t deny that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I took that watch and ring with the idea of holding -them until I could force you to give up my property.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s a nice little excuse, Sparkfair, but it happened -that several other fellows who had never obtained -any of your property recently lost valuable articles -from their rooms. It was believed that the thief -<span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>was a college man, and it was freely stated that he -would be expelled and punished if detected. You know -well enough what is coming to you if I ever tell or -permit my friends to tell how you were caught.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll not take the pains to deny that I am the suspected -thief,” said Dale. “I have hopes that the real -thief will be found.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s a pretty little bluff,” sneered Hanks, “but it -doesn’t go with me. Now, don’t get excited. Don’t -make any fighting talk. You won’t fight, because you -don’t dare.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not at present,” acknowledged Dale. “But my time -will come. I’m going back to the house.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And I’ll go with you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Go with me? You agreed to leave the moment I -gave you that money! Aren’t you going to keep that -agreement?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I meant to keep it when I made it,” said Hanks. -“But since then I’ve changed my mind. I’m going -back to the house with you, and you’ll introduce me -to your friends. I think I shall enjoy myself very -much.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“On my word, I’ll wear stripes before I’ll ever introduce -you to any of my friends!” flared Dale, as he -whirled and strode away.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ll see about that,” muttered Hanks, following -promptly. “I think another twist of the screws will -bring you to terms.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span> - <h2 id='IX' class='c005'>CHAPTER IX.<br /> <span class='large'>ARLINGTON TAKES A HAND.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Arlington rose and stepped out from behind the -shrubbery, standing where he could watch the two -figures passing beneath the glow of the many Japanese -lanterns. He saw Sparkfair mount the steps and enter -the house without once turning his head toward the -chap who kept so close at his heels. Hanks brazenly -followed, and likewise disappeared beyond the hospitable -door of Meadwold.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well,” said Chet, taking his cigar from his lips and -tapping it to knock off the ashes, “my friend Spark -seems to have gotten himself into a deuce of a mess. -Reminds me of myself in the old days. I was always -getting into some sort of a scrape like that. I sympathize -with him, hanged if I don’t! Spark is a jolly -good fellow. He is reckless and regardless of consequences, -and that’s the way I used to be. Used to be? -Perhaps I haven’t fully gotten over it yet. I’m hoping -I have, but one never can tell. If deviltry is in the -blood, it’s liable to break out any old time. Evidently -this blackmailer has Sparkfair dead to rights. He -caught Dale in a position that makes Spark look like -a sneak thief. He’s got Spark going, and he’s bound -to squeeze him good and hard. I think I’ll have to -take a little interest in Mr. Hanks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think I’ll have to see what I can do for my friend. -From what I overheard it’s evident that Hanks is something -of a card sharp. I should say he has been skinning -Sparkfair and other fellows at Harvard. Probably -he thinks he’s too clever to make a slip and be exposed -in his crookedness, although Sparkfair claims -to have caught him. It’s likely Spark couldn’t prove -<span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>his claim that Hanks was cheating. I’ve been up -against card sharps all over the country, and I think -I know their tricks. Although I should prefer to forget -it, I’ve practiced a few tricks myself. Really, I’d -enjoy a nice, sociable little game with Mr. Hanks. I’d -enjoy having him try some of his slick tricks on me. -Yes, I have decided that I’ll cultivate the acquaintance -of Hanks.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Flinging away his partly smoked cigar, Chester returned -to the house. The music of a two-step and the -rhythmical sound of gliding feet came from the ballroom. -Arlington slowly sauntered in that direction, -keeping his eyes open for Hanks. He found the fellow -just inside the door, watching the dancers. Without -hesitation, Chester spoke to him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hello,” said Chet, “you don’t seem to be dancing.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hanks showed some surprise in being addressed in -this manner.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, I’m not dancing,” he answered. “You see, -I’m a late arrival here, and I haven’t met many of the -young ladies.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then you weren’t at dinner? Somehow, I didn’t -remember seeing you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No. I missed the spread. By Jove! that’s a peach -of a pretty girl!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Which one?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The one my friend Sparkfair is dancing with. Do -you know her?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Chester’s eyes found Dale and his partner in the -moving throng upon the floor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, yes, I know her,” he answered.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s her name?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“June Arlington.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, that’s a pretty name. On my word, she’s -the queen to-night. I’d like to meet her.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Would you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>“You bet I would!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps your friend Sparkfair will give you an -introduction?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hanks chuckled.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I don’t know about that,” he confessed. -“You see, Spark and I have lately been mixed up in -an unfortunate tiff. Of course, it doesn’t amount to -anything, but he might be narrow and refuse to give -me a knockdown to that girl.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Have you any other particular friends here this -evening?” asked Chet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, there’s Randall—I know him. He’s a Harvard -man. I’m a Harvard man, you understand. I -suppose you’re an Eli?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not yet. I expect to enter Yale next fall.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, say, couldn’t you put me next to that stunning -girl with the dark eyes?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I might if we were better acquainted,” said Chester. -“Let’s go up to the smoking room and have a -little chat. There’s plenty of time to dance later. Come -on, old man.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He passed his arm through that of Hanks, and led -the fellow away. They mounted the stairs and entered -the smoking room, where they found one of -Casper Steele’s chums, Fred Harmford, enjoying a -cigarette. Harmford was the only fellow in the smoking -room.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hello, Arlington!” called Fred. “Going to smoke? -Have a coffin nail out of my collection.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He proffered his cigarettes.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, thank you,” smiled Chester. “I’ve cut those -things out. I prefer cigars when I smoke now, and -I’m careful not to hit them up too hard. Getting back -into form, you understand. Expect to enter Yale in -the fall, and I’m going in for athletics.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>By this time he had found Steele’s well-filled cigar -urn, and offered it to his new companion.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Excuse me,” said Hanks, as he took a cigar, “did -I get your name right when that fellow spoke to you? -Is your name Arlington?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I believe it is.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Any relation to the beautiful girl with the glorious -dark eyes?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Brother.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, by Jove! this is one on me!” laughed Hanks. -“Here I was asking you if you knew her! Say, a -fellow with a sister like that ought to feel proud enough -to blow up. I think she’s the handsomest girl I ever -set eyes on.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’re quite extravagant in your admiration,” said -Chester, waving Hanks to a comfortable chair, although -he felt like punching him in the eye. “Sit down, -old fellow. But first hadn’t you better shake hands -with Mr. Harmford? Harmford, this is Mr. Hanks, -of Harvard.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>They made themselves comfortable before the -faintly glowing embers on the hearth of the open fireplace. -The music, softened and subdued by distance, -floated faintly to their ears.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How does it happen you’re not dancing, Harmford?” -inquired Chet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t care much for dancing—never did. I prefer -some less strenuous form of amusement. Now, if -some one would only start up a set at bridge.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Or poker,” laughed Arlington. “That’s the game -for genuine amusement.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hanks had pricked up his ears, and was showing the -greatest interest.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Poker is a good game,” he said. “A man’s game.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you play?” asked Chester.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, occasionally—just for amusement, you know.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>“I understand. Of course, we all play just for -amusement. We don’t play to stick our friends, or -anything of that sort. If we had a crowd, and were -certain of no intrusion, I’d like to play a little game -now. Would you come in, Harmford?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If the limit was made reasonable, I might sit in -for a short time.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, here’s three of us,” said Chet. “That’s better -than no crowd at all. Of course, it isn’t as good -a game as more would make, but it will do. None -of the girls will come here, and I don’t think we need -to mind about the fellows.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Steele might object,” said Harmford apprehensively. -“I wouldn’t think of starting a game without -his permission.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, you and Hanks make yourselves comfortable -and sociable while I look for Casper,” said Chester. -“Perhaps he’ll join us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Doubt it,” said Harmford. “He’s too much interested -in a certain young lady. I don’t think he -would venture to leave her long enough to play poker.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Arlington left the room, but returned within ten -minutes, bringing a fancy poker set, with a full supply -of chips and several packs of cards.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You were right about Steele, Harmford,” he -said. “Casper said he couldn’t think of taking a hand. -Said he would have to keep around with the guests, -as it wouldn’t look well if he secluded himself for an -hour or more. He was perfectly willing we should -enjoy a little game here in the smoking room as long -as we do not pull away enough of the fellows to leave -any of the girls pining for partners. You know there -are several fellows more than girls in the party. Now, -let’s decline to take any one else into the game. Let’s -make it a little exclusive, three-cornered go. We’ll play -<span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>for exactly an hour, and then we’ll quit. That’s long -enough.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>While speaking he had pushed a card table into position -beneath the softened glow of some electric lights. -The trio gathered round that table and settled down -for the game.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span> - <h2 id='X' class='c005'>CHAPTER X.<br /> <span class='large'>A HOT OPENING.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“What’s the limit?” asked Harmford. “What sort -of a game are we going to play?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What would you suggest?” inquired Hank.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Five-cent ante and quarter limit is good enough -for me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Tut! tut! tut!” cried Hank. “That’s a piker’s -game. You can’t play poker with that sort of a limit. -If you attempt to make a bluff, everybody’ll call you -for a quarter. If you open a pot, everybody’ll stay in -on short pairs. Isn’t that right, Arlington?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ve noticed,” answered Chester, “that a fellow generally -loses as much with a five-cent ante and a quarter -limit as he does with the same ante and a dollar limit—that -is, if he knows how to play poker. The dollar -limit really makes it a good game.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Whew!” whistled Harmford; “that’s pretty near -the roof for me. Let me see, I don’t believe I’ve got -more than twenty-five or thirty dollars in my clothes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s good while it lasts,” grinned Hanks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then it’s settled as a dollar limit, is it?” said Chet. -“We’ll call the blue chips a dollar, the reds a quarter, -and the whites a nickel. I’ll be the banker. We’ll take -ten dollars’ worth of chips, each of us, to begin with.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Better take enough,” suggested Hanks. “Ten dollars’ -worth wouldn’t last a fellow long if he happened -to get a good hand and found himself bucking against -some one else. Why don’t we take twenty-five dollars’ -worth to start with?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“As much as you choose,” said Chester, “only it’s -understood that the chips are paid for when I hand -them out. There’ll be no credit business done by the -banker this evening.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>“And if the banker loses I suppose we’re to have -some assurance that he also will make good,” said -Hanks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll do precisely as you do,” assured Chester. “I’ll -pay for my chips and put the money in the card box -when I take them.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, that’s all right,” said Hanks, producing his -roll. “Here’s a yellow-backed twenty and a fiver.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Gee whiz!” grunted Harmford, as he reluctantly -counted out twenty-five dollars. “This is plunging for -a little game to pass away the time. I’m liable to get -skinned to the bone.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you get broke,” said Chester, “I’ll loan you -money.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That is, if you don’t get busted, too,” grinned -Hanks. “Of course, that’s not likely to happen, but -still, in a three-handed game I’ve noticed that, as a -rule, one man is the winner and the other two are the -losers. I hope it’s my evening to win.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He was skillfully rippling the cards as he spoke. -Having done this, he placed them on the table for the -cut.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Lowest deals,” he said, “and ace is low.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then I think I’ll deal,” laughed Harmford, turning -up an ace.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He was right, and the game began, Arlington putting -up the first ante.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now let them dance their heads off,” said Chester. -“I’m better satisfied right here.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hanks stayed on the very first deal, shoving out two -white chips, which raised Chet a nickel. Harmford -glanced at his cards and followed the Harvard man’s -example.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Arlington promptly made it a quarter.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s interesting,” said Hanks. “Seems to me -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>we all caught something right off the reel. Wonder if -you could stand another quarter, Mr. Arlington?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You might try me and see,” said Chester.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“By Jove, I will!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hanks pushed two red chips into the pot.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That lets me out,” said Harmford. “Can’t chase -anything as hot as that on a pair of jacks.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He threw down his cards and turned to Arlington, -wondering what Chester would do. Chester pushed -a blue chip into the pile.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you make it a dollar?” inquired Hanks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My money talks,” nodded Chet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, you’re going some! But you’ve just begun. -I’ll have to part with one of my blue babies, and I -think I’ll send another one along to keep it company.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s a bit over the limit,” reminded Chester. -“If you’ll pull down a couple of red ones, you’ll be -right.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, yes,” said Hanks, as he secured two red chips, -“you’re correct, Arlington. I boost you an even dollar.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You must have something good,” observed Chet, -with a faltering air.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The show-down will tell whether I have or not. -On my word, I hate to win the first pot, but I have to -play these cards for all there is in them.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t worry about taking the first pot,” said Chester. -“You haven’t taken it yet, have you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, but——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I’ll just boost you another blue one.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Cæsar’s ghost!” exclaimed Harmford. “You fellows -are plunging too sudden, aren’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s the use to hold back when we have the -right stuff to make a hot start?” chuckled Hanks, his -eyes beginning to gleam with greed, although he tried -to conceal the look beneath his bushy eyebrows. “I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>suppose I’m a fool, Arlington, but you’ve got my dander -up. I’ll raise you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And I’ll raise you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And I’ll raise you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With each raise they pushed chips representing two -dollars into the pot, and before cards were drawn the -first twenty-five dollars’ worth of ivories had disappeared -from the place in front of them. It was Arlington -who finally quit boosting.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Help! help!” gasped Harmford. “This is awful! -This is the worst thing I ever saw! Thank goodness, -I didn’t get into that mess!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Thank goodness I did,” laughed Hanks. “How -many cards will you take, Arlington? Harmford is -ready to hand them out.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You can give them to Hanks, old man,” said Chester. -“I don’t think I need any.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, wouldn’t that bump you!” grinned the Harvard -man. “Here I am in precisely the same fix. I -don’t need a card.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then they stared at each other as if seeking to read -an inkling of the truth in the expression of their faces.</p> - -<p class='c007'>One way in which a poker player seeks to judge the -strength of an opponent’s hand is by the opponent’s -draw. In this case neither Hanks nor Chet received -any such hint.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Harvard man produced his money, saying:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think I’ll have to have twenty-five dollars’ worth -of chips, Arlington.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Chester quietly counted them out, taking the proffered -money and making change.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll have to have the same amount,” he nodded. -“I’m bound to keep even with you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Lock the door! lock the door!” palpitated Harmford. -“Who’s armed? Who’s got a pistol? Let him -give it up before there’s any further betting.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>“I always carry a pistol,” laughed Hanks, “but I’ve -never had occasion to use it. Certainly I can’t think it -necessary now.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Once more the betting was taken up, and not until -fully fifty dollars had been put into the pot by each of -them was a call made. At length, Chester announced -that he was satisfied, and that he would call.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A touch of cold feet?” murmured Hanks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t think so.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m the one that’s got cold feet,” confessed Harmford. -“On my word, my teeth are chattering. Do -hurry up and show your hand.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Of course you may take it back,” said Hanks, still -keeping his eyes on Chester. “You may go on betting -if you wish to.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ve called,” nodded Chester grimly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How large is your straight?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I haven’t a straight.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh! Then how large is your flush?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I haven’t a flush.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then it must be a full hand!” cried Hanks. “But -I think my full house is good enough. Just take a look -at it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He spread out three aces and a pair of queens.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How does that look to you?” he inquired triumphantly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Pretty good,” nodded Chester. “How do these -look to you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He lay down a king and four ten spots.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span> - <h2 id='XI' class='c005'>CHAPTER XI.<br /> <span class='large'>CAUGHT WITH THE GOODS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Hanks stared at the cards displayed by Arlington, -and then he swore.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Where did you get them?” he finally demanded.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Harmford dealt them to me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And Harmford is a friend of yours!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No insinuation, I hope?” murmured Chester, an -ugly flash in his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t you think it mighty strange you got a hand -like that against this ace full of mine?” rasped Hanks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, it was rather odd,” admitted Chester. “But -still, I must repeat that I hope you’re not insinuating. -To begin with, I wish you to understand that Harmford -is not a particular friend of mine. I met him -for the first time in my life to-day at Meadwold. We -have never played cards together before. If you’re -not satisfied, Mr. Hanks——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I am!” snapped Hanks, picking up the cards and -pushing them across the table. “The pot is yours, -Arlington.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Thank you,” said Chester suavely, as he raked in -the chips.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now give me fifty dollars’ worth of those chips,” -said the defeated chap, as he flashed his money once -more. “I want you to understand that I’m after you, -Arlington. I’m going to even up for this devilish -streak of yours.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Forewarned is forearmed,” laughed Chet, counting -out the chips. “Here you are.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And here’s your money,” said Hanks, tossing it -over.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why, I won’t dare breathe in this game,” murmured -<span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>Harmford. “I certainly didn’t know what I -was getting into.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you want to get out,” said Hanks, “Mr. Arlington -and I can continue alone.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t get out, Harmford,” entreated Chester. -“That would spoil the game. Mr. Hanks will feel better -after he’s won a pot or two. He seems to be easily -disturbed over a little matter like that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I suppose you’ve seen plenty of games opened with -hands just like those,” sneered Hanks. “If you have, -you began playing with a cold deck. The cards were -stacked.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You can’t mean such was the case in this game,” -said Harmford, “for you shuffled the cards before we -cut for deal.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m not making any claims whatever. Let’s forget -it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Three or four hands were played without any further -excitement. Harmford won two small pots, which -put him slightly ahead. Hanks sat grimly glowering -from beneath his shaggy eyebrows. He was biding his -time, feeling determined to get back at Arlington by -hook or by crook. Finally, on an interesting jack pot, -all three players remained, Hanks having opened. -Hanks won this pot with three kings, Harmford having -three trays, and Arlington two pairs.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s just a flea bite,” observed the Harvard man.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, it leaves me about even,” said Harmford. -“Guess I’ve got a couple of dollars of somebody’s -money here, but that’s all.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>On Arlington’s next deal things happened. Harmford -discovered three sixes in his hand and made a bet. -Chester stayed in without taking up his cards. Hanks -raised Harmford. Those three sixes looked good, and -Fred came back with another raise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>By this time Arlington had examined his hand. He -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>now added to the excitement by raising a blue chip. -Hanks studied his hand a few moments.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think I’ll stay right with you people,” he observed. -“I’ll have to see you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you don’t raise?” inquired Chester.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Nor I,” said Harmford, making good.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hanks took one card. Harmford took two, but -failed to better his hand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think one will be enough for me,” said Chester.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The card Chet drew would have improved Harmford’s -hand, for it was the fourth six spot. It did not -improve Arlington’s hand, for Chester already held -four eight spots.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Harmford bet a dollar. Arlington raised a dollar. -Hanks pushed out three blue ones. Harmford began -to look disgusted.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“One or both of you fellows filled your hands,” he -observed, glaring at the three sixes he held. “What’s -the use for me to stick?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We may be bluffing,” grinned Hanks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you’re both bluffing, I’ll let you fight it out between -you!” snapped Harmford, flinging down his -cards. As he tossed them on the board one of those -cards was faced, but he quickly covered it with his -hand and turned it down.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s up to you, Mr. Arlington,” nodded Hanks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“In that case I shall have to give you another boost,” -said Chester.</p> - -<p class='c007'>They continued to raise each other until Hanks had -exhausted his supply of chips. Plunging down into -his pockets, he raked up all the money he possessed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Here’s twenty-two dollars,” he said. “Give me that -amount in ivories. That’s my last dollar.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“In such a case,” said Arlington, “I should advise -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>you not to press the betting any further. You may -need some money to-morrow.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t worry about me,” said Hanks. “I have you -beaten this time.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Chester accepted the money and counted out the -chips. While he was doing this Jack Randall and Casper -Steele wandered into the room and paused near -the table.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How’s the game going?” inquired Steele.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Too hot for me,” confessed Harmford. “I just -dropped threes to let these two crazy chaps buck each -other.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What threes did you hold?” inquired Casper, leaning -over Harmford.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Harmford whispered the answer in Steele’s ear. -Having secured more chips, Hanks resumed betting, -quite unaware that Jack Randall stood directly behind -him. Chester followed Hanks up until the fellow had -pushed in his last chip and was compelled to call.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’d never call in the world if I could borrow some -money,” he said. “I’ve got you beaten, Arlington, old -fellow. You’re trimmed this time.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Can you beat four eights?” inquired Chester, as he -spread out his hand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Easy,” laughed Hanks. “Here’s a beautiful -straight flush. Just take a look at that dusky array -of spades.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The cards exposed by him were the three, four, five, -six, and seven of spades.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That looks pretty good,” said Chester; “but what -card was it you picked up out of the discard?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Instantly Hanks flew into a rage.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What do you mean?” he snarled. “Do you accuse -me of cheating?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I saw you steal a card from the discards,” declared -Arlington grimly.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>“It’s a lie!” snarled Hanks fiercely. “It’s a trick to -beat me, but I won’t stand for it! I’ve won that money -fairly, and I’m going to have it!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wait a minute, wait a minute!” exclaimed Harmford, -who had just made a startling discovery. “Arlington -holds four eight spots and a six, doesn’t he?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes,” nodded Hanks; “but I hold a straight flush, -and that wins.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wait,” repeated Harmford. “Let’s examine this -pack. There must be too many cards in it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Too many cards? What do you mean?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You have the six spot of spades in your hand.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What of it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I started the betting on three sixes. When I quit I -threw them into the discards. That makes it seem -that there are five sixes in the pack, or, as Arlington -claims, you secured one of mine from the discards.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Harmford just informed me,” said Steele, “that he -had dropped three sixes. Let’s take a look at the discards, -gentlemen. If there’s cheating here, we want -to know it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In spite of himself, Hanks turned pale, for he realized -that he was trapped. He sought to hide his dismay -and alarm by a great amount of bluster, but Steele -sternly commanded him to be silent. The discards -were inspected, and only two six spots were discovered -among them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That settles it,” said Steele, his eyes fastened on -Hanks. “This fellow came here without invitation, -and he has remained without invitation. He’s a card -sharp and a cheat.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It isn’t true,” protested Hanks. “There’s a mistake -somewhere.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>For the first time Jack Randall spoke.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s right, Hanks,” he said. “There’s a mistake, -and you made it. You tried your old trick of cheating, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>but you overstepped yourself. Gentlemen, this -fellow is known at Harvard as a crook. He’s likewise -a contemptible blackmailer. Shall we kick him out, -Steele? I’d like the pleasure of booting him myself.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Let him get out as quietly as possible,” urged Casper. -“We don’t wish to raise a disturbance. We don’t -wish to alarm the girls.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’re getting off mighty easy, Hanks,” said Randall. -“Hereafter, I think you’ll find Cambridge a -most disagreeable place for you. Perhaps you hadn’t -better remain there longer than to pack up your belongings -and depart quietly.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hanks had risen to his feet, and he faced Jack defiantly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll go back to Cambridge and stay as long as I -please,” he declared. “You can’t drive me out. If you -try it, you know what will happen to your freshman -friend, Mr. Sparkfair.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do urge him to go hastily, Steele,” implored Randall, -“for if he doesn’t, I’ll certainly have to kick him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hanks was followed down the stairs by the entire -party. His hat and coat were handed him at the door, -and he passed out into the night without a dollar in -his pocket and with rage and longing for revenge filling -his heart.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span> - <h2 id='XII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XII.<br /> <span class='large'>RETURNING THE MONEY.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Chester found Sparkfair chatting with June.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you don’t mind, sis,” he laughed, “I’ll relieve -you of this noisy insect. I’ll take him away and give -your ears a rest.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’re wonderfully cocksure about that,” said -Dale. “Perhaps I’ll decline to be torn away. This -is the first time I’ve been able to find June when she -didn’t have Dick Merriwell hanging around her. If -I leave her for ten seconds, he’ll swoop down on her -again. I don’t know where he is this minute, but I’ll -wager he’s watching his opportunity.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps he is with another girl now,” laughed -Chester.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t believe it possible,” said Spark. “There -are no other girls for him while June is near.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’d like to see you just a minute or two on a matter -of some importance,” said Chet. “June will wait -for you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will you, June?” asked Spark anxiously.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, yes,” she laughed, “I’ll wait.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>When Arlington had drawn Sparkfair aside, he drew -from his pocket a wad of money and began counting -it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A fellow you know,” he murmured, “sent this -money back to you by me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Eh?” exclaimed Spark. “What is it, stage money?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, no, it’s the real stuff. Here, I believe that is -an even hundred. Take it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’ll have to enlighten me still further,” muttered -Dale, as Arlington thrust the money into his -grasp. “You have me a bit twisted, Chet.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>“It’s yours.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Impossible! I haven’t had so much money of my -own for months.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Tut! tut!” remonstrated Arlington. “I happen to -know a thing or two. That’s the money you paid a -fellow by the name of Hanks in order to keep his -mouth closed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Sparkfair could not help looking startled.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hanks!” he exclaimed. “What do you know about -him?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I know a great deal about him,” laughed Chet, -“and I reckon he knows a few things about me. That’s -the very money you coughed up to him. He decided to -leave it with me before taking his departure from -Meadwold.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Is he gone?” asked Spark anxiously.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Gone. Skidooed. Faded away. Vamosed, as they -say in the West. You’ll see no more of him this evening, -at least.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“For which relief I must confess I’m truly thankful,” -said Spark. “But you’ve got me guessing, Chester. -What do you know about any deal between Hanks -and myself?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Arlington was enjoying the mystification of his -companion.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I know Hanks is a crook and a card sharp,” he -answered. “I know he has been cheating you at -poker.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hush!” said Dale. “Don’t speak so loud. If Merriwell -should find it out——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I won’t blow on you, old fellow,” laughed -Chester. “I’ve been there myself too many times. I -can sympathize with you, my boy. I know how it feels -to be skinned by a cheating poker player, but I haven’t -experienced anything like that for some time. After -passing through a few experiences, I decided to do -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>the skinning myself. With that object in view I -learned all the crooked tricks of the game, and since -then I’ve had the satisfaction of stabbing several gentlemen -who were trying to knife me. It’s disreputable -business, Sparkfair. A man who gambles at cards -will learn to cheat sooner or later. He has to do it -or remain a sucker for the sharks to skin. You found -out Jim Hanks was skinning you. It made you hot -when you realized how you had been robbed. You had -even put up your watch and some other valuables to -raise money. Hanks had loaned you the money you -wanted, and then won it back from you. When you -found out he was dishonest, you boiled with indignation.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Boiled, sizzled, steamed, blew up,” said Dale.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Precisely. You made up your mind that the valuables -he had secured from you were still rightfully -your property. You slipped into his room to see if -you couldn’t find them. You didn’t find them, and -this made you still hotter. You decided to take a few -trinkets of his and hold them until he coughed up your -own property. Unfortunately, Hank and a couple of -friends dropped on you before you could get out of his -room. They caught you with the goods. Now, Mr. -Hanks has been blackmailing you. For some reason -he’s short of money of late, and, therefore, he chased -you down here, thinking it possible you might not return -to college after that cinnamon-bear escapade, and -feeling determined to get a last crack at you. He -squeezed a hundred dollars out of you this evening -under threat of exposing you before the company -here. I’ve recovered that hundred, and you have it -in your hand. That’s all.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, it isn’t all,” said Dale. “How the dickens do -you happen to know so much about this business?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I won’t keep you guessing any longer,” said Chet, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>and he told Sparkfair how it was he happened to know -so much.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But how did you get the money from him? How -did you force him to give it up?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That was easy,” chuckled Chester. “Hanksy thinks -himself clever at poker, but he has lots of tricks to -learn. I’ve played the game from Fardale to Mexico. -I’ve been up against all kinds of crooks, and I’ve -learned some tricks never dreamed of by Hanksy. It -didn’t hurt my conscience a bit to work some of those -tricks on him this evening. I inveigled him into a -little three-cornered game, Fred Harmford serving as -the dummy most of the time. Most of the fighting -was between Hanks and myself. Harmford broke -about even. I had luck at the very start, for the first -deal gave me a top hand over a full house by Hanks. -This enabled me hastily to relieve him of about half -the money you had handed over to him a short time -before. That made him ugly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He was bound to get at me somehow, but he overstepped -himself by stealing the six spot of spades from -the discards. The stolen card gave him a straight flush -against four eights held by me. But you see, Steele -and Randall had dropped in on us, and I was able to -prove that Hanks stole the card. That was his finish. -He had bet his last red cent, and a few moments ago -he was quietly escorted outside by Steele. He didn’t -make any fuss about it, for he was afraid to do so. -He’s gone, Sparkfair. You have the hush money he -squeezed out of you, and you needn’t worry about being -bothered by him again to-night. There’s June still -waiting for you, and the orchestra is starting another -waltz. So long, old chap. Enjoy yourself.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Refusing to hear any words of thanks, Arlington -turned away, and Dale hastened back to June.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span> - <h2 id='XIII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XIII.<br /> <span class='large'>JEALOUSY.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>In spite of herself, June could not help wondering -what had become of Dick. After dancing again with -Dale, she listened to his suggestion that they should -stroll out onto the veranda. There were other couples -outside, and, having paused near a corner, June’s keen -ears detected the sound of a faint familiar voice. Dick -was near at hand, speaking earnestly with a girl.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You know you can trust me, Bab,” he was saying. -“The secret is safe. Have I ever failed you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, Dick,” was the answer. “You’re a dear good -fellow. Really. I feel like hugging you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>June’s hand closed convulsively on Dale’s arm, and -she turned away. Sparkfair had caught a bit of this -conversation, which was not intended for their ears, -and, strangely enough, instead of feeling elated, he was -seized by a sudden paroxysm of indignation toward -Merriwell.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why, confound him for a scoundrel!” thought -Spark. “I didn’t think it of him. He’s got another -girl on the string, and there’s a secret between them. -If I get a good opportunity, I’ll have to give him my -opinion of his conduct.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Let’s walk down across the lawn, Dale,” said June, -suddenly anxious to get away from the house. “I -don’t think I’ll dance any more to-night.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>For the first time in his life Sparkfair, usually glib -of tongue, was at a loss for words. He felt awkward -and embarrassed, and every moment it seemed that his -indignation toward Merriwell increased.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You should be careful, June,” he finally said. -“You are very warm, and your dress is thin. You may -catch cold. You may get pneumonia.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>“I don’t care if I do!” she exclaimed bitterly. -“Really, I think it would be fine to have pneumonia.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I say, June, that’s ridiculous. Now you’re -talking like me. You’re just saying that to hear yourself -say something.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I mean it, Dale. I’m never ill, anyhow. Nothing -ever happens to me. Occasionally I get thin and ethereal, -but that’s all.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>They sauntered past the shrubbery behind which -Arlington had listened some time before to the words -of Spark and Hanks. Once more some one was hidden -behind that shrubbery. A pair of restless dark eyes -peered out at Spark and the girl. A pair of very red -lips softly whispered:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s Sparkfair, and that’s Arlington’s sister with -him. Curse Arlington! I’ll get even with him!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Crouchingly, the fellow slipped to the shelter of another -cluster of shrubbery. In this manner he followed -the couple some distance. At last they paused and -turned back toward the house. As they passed a thick -rosebush a pantherish figure leaped onto Sparkfair’s -back and hurled him fiercely to the ground.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dale was stunned and rendered helpless. The assailant, -who had a handkerchief tied over the lower -part of his face, whirled and caught June Arlington -in his arms. She uttered a scream of terror.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All right, my beauty—squawk away!” laughed the -fellow hoarsely. “You’re the prettiest girl I’ve seen -in a year, and I’m going to kiss you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He attempted to lift the handkerchief in order to -accomplish his purpose, but she fought him with such -fury that he was overcome by surprise. With a snatch -she tore the handkerchief from his face and flung it -to the grass. Still it was too dark for her to see his -features distinctly. By this time the girl’s fight<a id='t70'></a> had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>been answered. Voices were calling to her, and running -feet were thudding across the lawn.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Guess I’ll have to lose that kiss!” panted the ruffian. -“Never mind, I’ll get it some other time!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But when he attempted to free himself and take to -his heels, the girl held fast and battled him in spite of -all he could do.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Help!” she cried. “Quick! This way!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>A moment later she felt a pair of strong hands tear -her free from the scoundrel, who was instantly flung -face downward upon the ground and pinned there with -the knee of Dick Merriwell driven between his shoulder -blades. Steele, Buckhart, Randall, and several -others came hurrying to the spot and surrounded -them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Sparkfair had revived and was sitting up, although -bewildered and dazed to such an extent that he could -not tell what had happened to him. June could tell, -however, and she explained in a very few words.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The rage of those lads was boundless. Only for the -coolness of Merriwell, the captive might have been -vigorously manhandled.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Strike a match, somebody,” said Dick. “Let’s get -a look at his face.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>A match flared in Buckhart’s hands. Protected by -Brad’s curving palms, its light was flung on the face -of the captured rascal.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“On my word, it’s Hanksy!” breathed Sparkfair. -“Why, Hanksy, you shouldn’t get so careless.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Attacked you, did he, Sparkfair?” cried Casper -Steele. “Assaulted you and Miss Arlington, eh? Had -a handkerchief tied over his face when he did it, did -he? A pretty serious piece of business. I think it -ought to give Mr. Jim Hanks a nice little vacation behind -some good strong iron bars. Tie his hands, fellows.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>“Hold on! hold on!” protested Hanks. “What are -you going to do with me? I didn’t mean to hurt anybody -but Sparkfair, and I’ve got a grudge against him. -Here, Sparkfair, speak up for me. If you don’t, I’ll -tell them what I know about you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Go ahead,” said Dale defiantly. “I doubt if any -one would believe you now.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The captured ruffian’s hands were pinioned, and he -was marched back to the house. On the veranda the -girls were gathered, vaguely and apprehensively speculating -on the cause of those startling cries for help. -Beneath the light of the Japanese lanterns they made -a beautiful group, in dresses of white and pink and -light blue.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Randall was sent to reassure the girls, while the -captive was marched along toward the stable. Reaching -the stable, Hanks was bound and thrust into a -box stall, the door being fastened upon him. Steele -called one of the stablemen and gave him instructions -to guard the captive cautiously and faithfully.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now, fellows,” laughed Casper, “we’ll go back to -the girls and forget that there’s been anything to mar -the pleasure of the evening.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Returning to the house, Dick inquired for June. -He was told that she was in her room, and they assured -him that she had not been harmed. It was fully -half an hour before June reappeared in the ballroom. -He had been watching for her, and hastened without -delay to join her.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I trust you’re all right, June,” he said. “I was -afraid that scoundrel had hurt you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m all right,” she answered, with surprising coolness. -“I was not harmed in the least.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You must have been frightened.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Naturally, I was frightened somewhat, but I’m all -right now.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>“Will you dance any more?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then this waltz—let’s——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I beg your pardon,” she said. “There’s Dale. I -am to dance with him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>She gave Sparkfair a signal and moved toward him, -leaving Dick feeling perplexed and hurt.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You must dance with me this time, Dale,” she said.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“By the ears of Midas, I can’t!” he gasped, in dismay. -“I’ve engaged Janette Brice, and she has her eye -on me this minute, June.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then get me a partner and be quick about it,” June -urged. “Don’t leave me alone more than twenty seconds.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Out shot Dale’s arm, and he collared Harmford, -who was passing.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Here you are,” said Spark. “Fine girl, fine fellow. -Go it. You know Mr. Harmford, June.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Goodness!” gasped Harmford, as Spark hustled -away. “Is that his style of doing things? Will you -dance with me, Miss Arlington?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>June was ready to dance with any one save Dick. -She knew Dick was watching her, and as she whirled -onto the floor with Harmford she was filled with a -feeling of satisfaction, for it seemed that she had retaliated, -in a measure, for the deception of Merriwell. -As for Dick, he was simply filled with astonishment, -being utterly unable to understand what it meant.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sparkfair has stolen a march on me,” he decided. -“Well, if June is as fickle as that, he may have her. -I’ll show her that there are others.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With this resolution in mind, he found another partner, -and, thereafter, during the remainder of the evening -he and June did not dance together.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span> - <h2 id='XIV' class='c005'>CHAPTER XIV.<br /> <span class='large'>HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>In the morning the hostler came to Steele and sheepishly -informed him that some time during the night -the captive had slipped his bonds, managed to get out -of the box stall, and escape.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t see how he did it, sor,” said the hostler. “I -wisht you’d tell me how he opened the door of the -stall from the inside, sor.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You must have slept like a log, Killen,” said Casper. -“I’m sorry the fellow got away, but perhaps it -saved the trouble of prosecuting him. I don’t believe -he’ll show his nose in Cambridge again.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Breakfast, with the morning sun streaming in at the -windows of the dining room, was a jolly affair. Of -course it was not what might be called an early breakfast, -but before nine o’clock every one of the guests -was up and ready to sit down at table.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And now Dick found that, in some manner, June’s -seat had been changed. She was no longer at his side, -but Sparkfair had the pleasure of discovering her -beside him. Outwardly, Dick did not seem a bit disturbed. -He chatted and laughed as easily as ever. The -girl who filled June’s former seat received Dick’s smiling -attention.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Plans for the day were freely discussed, and new -projects were proposed, until Steele laughingly reminded -them that they had suggested enough things -to keep them all busy for a week, at least.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Who’s for a ride?” cried Agnes Locke. “Casper -has a stable full of saddle horses.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I accept the challenge,” came quickly from Arlington. -“You can’t shake me, Miss Locke, I’m with -you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>“And I think I’ll go, too,” said June. “Will you -come along, Dale?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will I? Ask me,” laughed Sparkfair.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps you’d like to join them, Merriwell,” said -Steele. “I have a fine black thoroughbred that it would -do your soul good to mount. I have plenty of riding -togs. What do you say?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Of course I wouldn’t think of forcing myself on -such a satisfactorily arranged party,” laughed Dick. -“Still, Steele, I’d like to bestride your thoroughbred.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Where’s there another girl to balance the party?” -cried Sparkfair.</p> - -<p class='c007'>June touched his arm.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hush!” she murmured. “Are you going to insist -on inviting Dick Merriwell to join us?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not if you don’t want him,” he whispered.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t,” she declared.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Therefore, it happened that less than an hour after -breakfast two lads and two girls rode out from Meadwold, -and Dick was not one of them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Nevertheless, Merriwell had donned riding clothes -offered him by Steele, and the quartet had no more -than disappeared when he galloped out from the stable, -astride the black thoroughbred.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Sparkfair found June in a nervous, excitable mood. -Several times he detected her looking back over her -shoulder as if half expecting to discover some one in -pursuit of them. In truth, she was looking for Dick, -but he had taken another course, and there was no -chance that he would come upon them from the rear.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I can’t get over the nervous feeling caused by that -affair last night,” said June. “I was dreadfully frightened -when that scoundrel leaped upon us from behind -the rosebush.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you proved yourself a heroine, June. You -hung to him and yelled bloody murder until the fellows -<span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>came up and nabbed him. At first I was sorry -when I learned this morning that he’d escaped in the -night. Now I’m rather glad of it. It saves us the -trouble of pressing the case against him, and I don’t believe -he’ll go back to Cambridge.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If he does——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If he does, I may have further trouble with him, -but I’m not worrying over that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>After a time Arlington and Agnes fell behind. Beneath -some trees by the roadside they halted, and soon -Dale and June passed from view. Finally discovering -that their companions were not following closely, they -drew rein and waited for them to come up. June was -seized by a strange desire to be alone for a time, at -least.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I wish you’d go back and look for them, Dale,” -she said. “Please do. You can overtake me. I’ll -wait for you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Thus urged, he finally turned back. She permitted -her horse to move along slowly, the rein lying loose -upon its neck. She was buried in deep thought when -a sheep suddenly started up by the roadside and gave -the horse a fright. An inexperienced horsewoman -would have been thrown from the saddle by the sidelong -leap of the animal. June maintained her seat and -caught up the reins. But the horse had the bit between -his teeth. With ears set flat back, he was running -away. Through a gate he tore, and away across -an open field the girl was carried.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell, cutting across that field to reach the highway, -saw what had happened. Immediately he headed -the black thoroughbred in pursuit of the runaway. It -was a wild and thrilling race, for neither walls nor -fences nor ditches could check the frightened animal -that was bearing June. Over them all he sailed. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>girl heard some one shouting to her, and, half turning -her head, she caught a glimpse of the pursuer.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Dick!” she breathed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But she could not understand his words, although -she fancied they contained a warning. Ahead of her -loomed another stone wall. She wondered if the runaway -would not be turned by it. Not until the animal -was sailing over that wall did she realize what -lay beyond it. A moment later horse and girl struck -with a mighty splash in the placid water of a small -river.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Carried from the saddle, June rose to the surface -just in time to see the black horse bearing Dick Merriwell -come flying over the wall above her.</p> - -<p class='c007'>What followed seemed like a dream to June. She -knew Dick clutched her with his strong hand, and she -had good sense enough to give herself up without -struggle or effort, so that he was finally able to bring -her unharmed to the low bank on the far side of the -little river.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The horses had swam out and were grazing in companionable -contentment upon the grass as Dick and -June, dripping wet, sat on the bank and looked at each -other.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well,” said Merriwell, with a light laugh, “I hope -this doesn’t give you a cold.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I hope it does!” she cried. “I told Dale last night -that I wanted to catch cold and have pneumonia and -die. Now this is my chance.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It surely is,” agreed Dick. “But why this sudden -morbid desire for death? What’s the matter?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You ought to know.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’ve deceived me, Dick. I heard you last night—I -heard you talking to that girl they call Barbara -Midhurst. You were speaking about a secret between -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>you. If you like her better than you do me, I’m sure -you’re welcome to her. I don’t care. I’m glad of it! -I hope you’ll live long and both be happy. I’m going -to die, anyhow!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And I hope it isn’t quite as serious as that, June,” -he laughed. “I’m glad I know what was the matter. -Yes, there is a secret between Barbara Midhurst and -myself, but I give you my word that the secret concerns -a third party. I discovered it by accident, and I’ve -kept it for her sake and the sake of the third party. I -don’t care for Barbara, June—that is, not as you mean. -Don’t you believe me? Did I ever tell you a lie in my -life? You’re the girl I care for more than all others -in the world. Can’t you trust me? What’s the matter? -You’re crying!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I’m all we-wet, and fuf-feel just per-perfectly -horrid!” sobbed June.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And you think I’m a two-faced scoundrel?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No-no I don’t. I tried to think that, but now I -know I was fuf-foolish. I’m ashamed of myself, Dick. -I can’t help crying, and I haven’t even got a dry handkerchief -to wipe my eyes with.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Nor I,” he said, glancing around to make sure no -one was in sight. “Never mind the handkerchief. -Let this dry your tears.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>And behind the palms they kissed and the misunderstanding -was at an end.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The next day the house party dispersed, Dick and -his friends returning to Yale to resume active work -in their baseball work.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick had not been in New Haven two hours before -he heard news that worried him. He learned that -some one had sold the baseball team’s signals to the -enemy. He quickly discovered the guilty person, and, -knowing that no further useful steps could be taken -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>in the matter, he told his friends that the incident was -closed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But the incident was not closed. For the guilty -man’s friends took the matter up. Not knowing that -Dick Merriwell already knew the identity of the traitor, -they resolved to capture Tommy Tucker for the purpose -of forcing him to sign a supposed confession.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span> - <h2 id='XV' class='c005'>CHAPTER XV.<br /> <span class='large'>THE ABANDONED CAPTIVE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Try as he might, he could not make a sound louder -than a smothered, choking groan. After repeated attempts -to shout he gave it up in despair, although the -cords which bound him to the chair had been drawn -so tight that they were cutting into his limbs and stopping -the circulation of his blood, and the thick cloth -tied over his mouth was nearly smothering him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>From the wall at his right projected a feebly fluttering -gas jet. The faint light, flickering on the face -of the captive, showed him to be a slight, slender, undersized -lad some seventeen or eighteen years of age.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was Tommy Tucker, and the freshman was in a -decidedly unpleasant and apparently serious situation.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Returning along a dark block after having seen a -charming and interesting girl to the door of her home, -Tucker was suddenly pounced upon by three or four -fellows, who seized him, flung a blanket over his head, -tripped him up, sat on him, and held him helpless -until a cab drew up at the curb. The victim was -bundled into the cab and carried away. After his first -efforts at resistance he made very little struggle, realizing -it was folly to fight against such odds.</p> - -<p class='c007'>By the time his assailants had pulled the blanket off -him inside the cab Tucker was feebly gasping for -breath. The curtains were closely drawn, and it was -so dark in the cab that he could not discern anything -whatever.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Gug-golly!” he gasped, catching his breath. “I’d -been cooked in ten seconds more. I was almost smothered.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I always did like smothered chicken, ta-ra-tum,” -sang a hoarse voice in Tommy’s ear.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>“Shut up!” snarled another voice. “Don’t talk—don’t -anybody talk! I love silence. I adore silence. -I will have silence.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hush-h-h-h-h!” breathed Tommy. “Be still as any -mouse. But, say, permit me to inquire what the dickens -you fellows are trying to do. Are you kidnaping -me with the idea of holding me for a ransom? If -you are, permit me to inform you that you’ve captured -the wrong kid. There are no millions in my family, -and I believe my father would feel actual relief if -some one should be foolish enough to take me away -where I wouldn’t bother him any more. Or are you -some poor, deluded sophomores who contemplate having -real fun with me? If such is the case——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If he doesn’t shut up, blanket him again.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, if you’re going to do that, I’ll keep mum,” -said Tucker hastily. “Please don’t put that thing over -my head again. Refrain, and I’ll close up like a clam.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>How far he was carried in the cab Tucker had no -accurate means of telling. Finally the cab stopped. -An instant later the blanket was again wrapped tightly -about the captive’s head and shoulders. They dragged -him out and forced him along, stumbling and half-falling -down a flight of stairs. The sound of their -feet echoed gloomily in what seemed to be a big room. -The air was damp and stale, as Tucker quickly discovered -when the blanket was lifted in order that he might -get a breath. It was, likewise, dark as Erebus.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Although he was highly indignant over the treatment, -Tucker knew the uselessness of displaying anger -and resentment. He permitted them to force him -down upon a chair and tie him there, although he made -occasional calls for the lifting of the blanket in order -that he might breathe. Finally they cast the blanket -aside, but he was given no more than a glimpse of -them, for a bandage was quickly slipped over his eyes. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>The gas jet had been lighted, and they were working by -the aid of the wretched light thus provided.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think I’ll raise a howl,” said Tommy. “I think -I’ll yell bloody murder.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Howl your head off,” said one of the captors -huskily. “You’re in the basement of Dinsmore & -Hyde’s old warehouse. You might shout for a week -without any one happening to hear you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then I will not rupture my voice,” said Tucker. -“But my unquenchable curiosity compels me to inquire -your motives and intentions. What are you going to -do with me?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’ll find out in time,” was the answer.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But I’m very impatient.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>This provoked a burst of suppressed, mocking -laughter.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’ll get a fine lesson in patience to-night,” -Tucker was told. “It will do you good.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What the dickens is the use to tie those ropes so -tight? Old Samson couldn’t get away after being -trussed up like this, and I’m no relation to Sam.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Behind his back one of the captors whispered a -hoarse question:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How long did you say a man could live without -food or water, captain?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That depends,” was the wheezy answer. “Some -live longer and some live shorter. This little runt is -one of the kind that lives shorter. He won’t last more -than three or four days at most.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My golly!” exclaimed Tommy. “Are you going -to leave me without anything to eat or drink for three -or four days?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’ll be well enough to silence his tongue,” said the -wheezy voice. “Art ready, Eros?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sure, Charon,” was the answer.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then gag him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>Tucker started to object, but his words were cut -short as they bound the thick cloth over his mouth.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“’Tis well,” said one, when the task was finished. -“Now he is secure and silent. We can leave him, comrades. -Our direful work is well did.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Indeed I think we have dooded it well,” said another. -“But methinks it were best to leave his eyes -uncovered, captain. What say ye?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“’Tis well. Remove the bandage from the wretch’s -eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>When this was done Tommy looked around for -them, but heard the sound of retreating feet behind -him. Turning his head, he caught a glimpse of their -dark figures melting from view amid the dim, dusty, -and empty boxes at the far side of the room. Seized -by something like panic, he would have called to -them, but the muffling cloth prevented this. The sound -of their footfalls grew fainter and fainter. A door -creaked on its rusty hinges. A few moments later -the door closed with a slam, and the deserted lad -fancied he heard the grating of the bolt as it shot into -the socket.</p> - -<p class='c007'>To the unfortunate boy it soon seemed that hours -had passed since his abandonment. Vainly he had -squirmed and twisted in an effort to free an arm or -a leg. Vainly he had worked his head and jaws, -trying to get his mouth clear of the bandage which -covered it. The silence that surrounded him seemed -appalling at first, but in time his ears detected a suspicious -rustling, which sent a chill through his body.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Although he would not have acknowledged it, -Tucker was a chap who believed in the supernatural. -All his life he had been industriously looking to see -a spook in the dark. Up to date he had never seen the -genuine article, although on various occasions he had -fancied many material things to be of a ghostly nature. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>Still, all these failures had not shaken his conviction -that some time he would see a real ghost.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And now he remembered the gruesome tale that, -after being ruined by his partner, old man Hyde had -locked himself up in the basement of the big warehouse -and committed suicide. From that day a hoodoo -had seemed to hover over the building. Ignorant -people asserted that the warehouse was haunted. It -was finally abandoned, and for years the heirs of the -Dinsmore estate had been vainly trying to get it off -their hands at any old price.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Gee whiz!” thought Tucker; “I’ll bet a cruller old -Hyde’s spook is prowling around here to-night. -Goodness, I thought I felt the touch of his fingers -then! Wish I had eyes in the back of my head. It’s -awful being able to see only one way. There it is -again! I know I heard something move.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Nearly twisting his head off, he peered apprehensively -into the shadows. The gas jet continued to -flicker and flare, and, once when it died down and he -fancied it was going out, his heart nearly stopped -beating.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Sque-e-e-eak!</p> - -<p class='c007'>Tucker’s hair stood at the sound, but in a twinkling -he felt something like relief, realizing at last that the -noise was made by a rat. This explained the mysterious -rustling he had heard.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If I ever find out for certain just who those fellows -were, I’m going to murder the bunch of them,” decided -Tommy. “Talk about the tortures of the Inquisition! -This is worse! What’s that?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Something slipped past like a flitting shadow on the -cement floor. It was a scampering rat, but it had -given the captive an awful start.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t like rats,” thought Tucker. “They’re nasty -creatures, and sometimes they’re dangerous. Let’s see, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>I think it was in ‘Les Miserables’ I read about the -sewer rats of Paris, big, hungry, creatures ready to -attack a man. Goodness, I hope these rats are well -fed! They’re getting altogether too friendly.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>For he had seen two or three others flit past him. -He was electrified by a shrill squeal close behind his -chair, followed by a scampering rustle.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Deuce take ’em!” he mentally exclaimed. “They’ll -be climbing over me in a minute.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Indeed it seemed so, for one big fellow advanced -boldly before him and sat up to inspect his appearance. -Tucker longed to hurl something at this old fellow, -who had a full set of grayish whiskers.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The example of the old rat emboldened others, and -within a few moments they were frisking about -Tucker’s feet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Only for the gag Tommy would have yelled lustily. -He was covered with cold perspiration, while his mouth -seemed dry and parched. His eyes bulged with terror.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Of a sudden one of the rats made a leap and landed -on Tucker’s knee.</p> - -<p class='c007'>With a convulsive twist, Tommy flung himself, -chair and all, over backward.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span> - <h2 id='XVI' class='c005'>CHAPTER XVI.<br /> <span class='large'>AN EVIL BAND.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>With a terrific squeaking and scampering, the rats -fled in all directions. Tommy was both relieved and -dismayed. His position was now decidedly awkward -and painful.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If this keeps up long, I can see my finish,” he -thought. “Bet my hair’s begun to turn gray now. -A few hours more will make it white as the driven -snow.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>After a time the rats began to return. He could see -them creeping out cautiously from the deeper darkness -which the flickering light did not penetrate.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A faint rattling sound made him prick up his ears. -His heart throbbed, for something told him that some -one was fitting a key to the lock of the door. He was -right in this supposition, and soon the old door -creaked once more on its hinges.</p> - -<p class='c007'>There was a faint gleam of light, which moved -slowly amid the old empty boxes. Tucker heard the -sound of many feet, and finally a grotesque figure appeared, -bearing an iron pan with a long handle. On -the surface of this pan, which seemed half filled with -grease, a saturated rag was burning. It was a huge -candle.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Tommy blinked rapidly as his eyes perceived the -figure which bore the flaring light. Apparently it was -a huge bear, walking upright on its hind legs.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A second later Tucker gasped again. Following the -bear, a gigantic bird that resembled an owl strutted -into view. Behind the owl came a turbaned Turk -with a curved sword in his hand. The Turk was followed -by a painted and grinning clown. On the heels -<span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>of the clown trod a crimson-clad, cloven-hoofed figure -which resembled Satan himself. Then came a somber -form in a long black cloak and high-peaked cowl. -This last person bore a huge broad-bladed ax in his -hands.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Tucker wondered if he was dreaming. As they -gathered around him he saw that Satan was carrying -a tinsmith’s hand furnace, in which a fire glowed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hoo! hoo!” hooted the owl. “Look! See! He -has upset!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With a fierce growl the bear waved the flaring light -in front of Tucker’s eyes.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Pick him up,” said the Turk, flourishing his sword.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Let him lie,” said Satan. “It comes natural for -him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Let him lie,” said the one in black, as he flourished -the ax. “In this position I can easily lop off his -head.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Restrain yourself, executioner,” chuckled the -clown. “We must have fun with him first. He must -answer my conundrum. Tell me, thou wretched creature, -why is a hen?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Back up,” said the bear, elbowing the clown aside. -“He can’t talk. Don’t you see he’s gagged?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Who gagged him?” cried the clown.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hoo? hoo?” hooted the owl.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Take hold, you imps,” commanded Satan. “Set -him upright.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The chair was lifted and planted on its legs.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Poor fellow!” said Satan, with mock sympathy. -“See how frightened he is! Why, Turk, you could -hang your turban on his eyeballs.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The executioner leaned on the handle of his ax.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Some one remove the gag,” directed the wearer of -the crimson.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hoo? hoo?” cried the owl.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>“You! you!” commanded Satan, pointing.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The huge bird complied, and Tommy, with great relief, -filled his lungs as the cloth was stripped away.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Much obliged,” he said, his voice just a bit unsteady. -“If you go away again, please don’t close my -trap. The rats are a little too thick for comfort around -here, and I couldn’t even cuss at them.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“When we leave you next time your tongue will be -silenced forever,” declared the executioner solemnly. -“With this good blade I shall sever your head from -your body.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He flourished the ax as he spoke, swinging it with a -sidelong movement until the edge touched the captive’s -neck.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Boo! that’s pleasant!” shivered Tucker. “So -you’re going to decapitate me, are you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No,” chuckled the clown, “we’re only going to cut -your head off.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But first,” said the Turk, “we must examine your -feet. We have a peculiar notion that you are the unfortunate -possessor of extremely cold feet.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Even so,” nodded Satan. “Remove his shoes and -stockings.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why don’t you take a hand, Sate,” piped the clown.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, get busy,” said the bear. “I’m holding the -light. That’s my job.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Tommy’s ankles had been bound to the legs of a -chair, but now they were set free, and a few moments -later his shoes and stockings were stripped from his -feet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Indeed his tootsies are very, very cold,” said the -owl. “Start up the fire in your little furnace, Sate.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Satan turned a thumbscrew which seemed to open a -valve of compressed air, for there was a hissing sound, -and the furnace began to glow almost at once.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What the dickens does all this tomfoolery mean?” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>demanded Tucker. “What are you trying to do with -me, anyhow?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“As Sate hath remarked,” said the Turk, “you’re an -easy-going liar. We are prepared to force the bitter -truth from your unwilling lips. A short time ago -some one sold the baseball signals of Umpty-ten to -the manager of a rival team. You, Thomas Jefferson -Tucker, were the miserable wretch who did that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You, Turkey, old boy, are a liar by the clock!” flung -back Tommy. “I had nothing to do with it. I thought -that was proven long ago.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Nothing of the sort,” said Satan. “Your fine -friend, Richard Merriwell, induced a wretched bummer -to shoulder the blame of that piece of treachery, -but we happen to know that the bummer was paid to -clear you of stigma. While you have been cleared, -suspicion has continued to rest on another who is -innocent.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I suppose you mean Bern Wolfe?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You have named him,” was the answer. “We -know Wolfe had nothing to do with that dirty business, -and we, likewise, know that you did. This very -night we caught you in company with the public -stenographer who made a typewritten copy of those -signals. After you escorted her home you were -brought here for treatment.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ha! ha!” laughed the clown. “Treatment is an -elegant and appropriate word.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We have here,” continued Satan, producing a sheet -of paper, “a nice little typewritten confession of your -sins, which we expect you to sign. I’ve brought a -fountain pen for the purpose. In this document you -acknowledge that you are the traitor who gave the -signals to Ben Newhouse of the Hudson team. Would -you like to read it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t care to waste my time,” said Tucker. “If -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>you think you’re going to get my autograph hitched -onto the bottom of that document, you’re a bigger -fool than I ever took the devil to be.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Cold feet,” snickered the clown.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But we have the facilities for warming them,” said -Satan. “Turk, kindly move the furnace a little nearer. -We’ll give his tootsies a nice comfortable baking. By -the time his toes are well done and crisp he may change -his mind and decide to append his signature to this -little document.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span> - <h2 id='XVII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XVII.<br /> <span class='large'>TUCKER GETS WARMED.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>By this time the tiny furnace was glowing redly. -Its heat had reached Tucker, who made a wry face -as the Turk seized the handle and started to move the -furnace nearer.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Really,” said Tommy, “I think you kind gentlemen -are awfully obliging, but you’re greatly mistaken in -fancying me at all troubled with cold feet. I beseech -you not to disturb yourselves to warm me up.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’ll do a great deal more begging before we -finish with you!” growled Satan. “Push the furnace -up close, Turk. Now get him by the ankle, clown—that’s -right. You take the other leg, Hooter. Hold -his feet extended so the bottoms will be thoroughly -warm.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With a sudden kick, Tucker upset both the clown -and the owl.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s the matter with you fellows?” snarled -Satan. “Aren’t you strong enough to hold his feet?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hoo? hoo?” cried the owl, scrambling up. “You -bet we are! If he kicks me again, I’ll warm his foot -by soaking it right plumb against the furnace.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, look!” grinned the clown, as Tommy began -making both feet fly like paddle wheels.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He’ll get tired of that in a minute,” said the crimson-clothed -imp. “Be ready to grab the instant he -lets up.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In truth, Tommy was unable to keep up those kicking -movements for more than a few moments. He -soon began to pant, and the instant he ceased snapping -his bare feet through the air the owl seized an -ankle. On the opposite side the clown did the same, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>and both clung fast with such strength that Tucker -could not jerk his feet away.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, say, I don’t see any fun in this,” protested the -little chap. “Ouch! Thunderation, that’s warm! Look -out, you’ll have my Trilbys against the old thing! -Wow! wow! I can’t stand that. It’s too much! Oh, -say, let up, will you? If this is a joke, you’re carrying -it too far.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s no joke,” grimly declared Satan. “We mean -business. When you fully understand that, you may -come to your senses and decide to sign this little confession -of your treachery to the baseball team.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Say, give me a chance to think it over, will you?” -panted Tucker. “You’re blistering my feet now—on -my soul you are!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s where we intend to blister them, on the -sole,” said the leader. “Lower his toddlers a moment, -boys. Let’s see if he is coming to his senses. But -keep a firm hold on his ankles. If he doesn’t agree -to our terms, we’ll warm him up again in a moment.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’re very rude and cruel,” said Tucker. “Jinks, -I believe you did blister my feet! If you have, I’m -going to murder somebody! I’ll murder the whole -bunch of you!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Isn’t he dangerous!” mocked the clown.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Better let me put an end to him,” said the executioner, -spitting on his hands and grasping the ax -handle.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Beyond the flaring pan of burning grease the bear -grinned and yawned.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do hurry up,” he said. “This confounded rig is -sweating me to death.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Evidently you know how I feel,” said Tommy. -“I’m perfectly willing to change places with you, -Teddy.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Come, come!” said Satan, flourishing the paper in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>front of the captive’s eyes. “Are you ready to sign -this confession?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What would it amount to if I did sign it?” sneered -Tucker. “You couldn’t make any use of it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Couldn’t we?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why not?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Because I’d tell the truth and let everybody know -how I was forced into putting my name onto that lying -document. The moment one of you fellows showed it -he’d find himself in a lot of trouble.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But I don’t think you’ll do anything of that sort,” -said the leader of the disguised chaps. “This is a fair -and square statement of the truth. You are the traitor -who betrayed the team.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You are a liar!” said Tommy, slowly and distinctly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wait a minute, Tucker—you’ll get all that’s coming -to you if you don’t get humble. I say you betrayed -the team. I’m not the only one who believes it. Merriwell -saved your pelt by hiring a disreputable character -to take the blame on his own shoulders. Every -one knows that man Smith lied when he said he was -the one who stole the signals and gave them to the -manager of the Hudson team.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think he lied myself,” said Tommy. “I’m satisfied -that some one on the team gave Smith the signals -and paid him to have them copied.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And you’re that some one,” declared the Turk.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll hand you out the same remark I just applied -to old Sate,” flashed the captive.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’ll have to sign this paper,” asserted the wearer -of the crimson.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If I sign it,” said Tommy, “I’ll lose no time in -telling every one under what circumstances I was -forced into it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>“And if you tell any one that,” threatened Satan, -“you’ll get it again, and next time we’ll blister you -from your heels to the nape of your neck. We don’t -propose to make this confession public, but we’re going -to use it to force Merriwell and his friends to give -certain fellows of the freshman class a square deal at -baseball.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And a sillier scheme I never heard of!” derided -Tucker. “You can’t force Dick Merriwell’s hand in -such a manner, and you ought to know it. Of course -I know you’re Merriwell’s classmates and enemies. I -think I could name you all. I’m dead sure I can name -four or five of you. It seems astonishing to me that -by this time you have not learned that Dick Merriwell -cannot be forced or browbeaten into anything.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will you sign this paper?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sure.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you mean it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, I mean it because I realize that you’re just -fools enough to cook my feet unless I do sign.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Release his hands, boys,” directed Satan. “Stand -close around him and be ready to jump on him if he -makes a scrap of it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m not as big a fool as you fellows are,” mocked -Tommy. “You’re six to my one, and I have no idea -of scrapping.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In a few moments they set his hands free, and he -stretched and rubbed his arms with grunts of relief.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I hope some time I’ll have the pleasure of giving -a few of you fellows some of the same medicine I’ve -had to take to-night,” he said.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Here,” said Satan, placing a short piece of board -across Tucker’s knees and spreading the confession -upon it. “Get ready to make your autograph. Here’s -a fountain pen.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Goodness! give me time,” urged Tucker. “How -<span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>do you expect a fellow to write when his blood is -stagnated? Why, even my fingers are stiff.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Watch him,” warned the Turk. “He’s tricky.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The executioner lifted and poised the ax.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If he tries any tricks,” he declared, “I’ll let him -have a taste of this where Nellie wore the beads.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Tucker glanced around at all of those grotesque -figures and then twisted his face into a comical look -of disgust and resignation.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Give me the goose quill,” he said. “Here goes my -Thomas J. right at the bottom of this lying mess.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Being a very little chap, Tommy wrote, like most -undersized persons, in a large, bold, flourishing hand. -In a moment he had dashed off his signature.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There’s my John Hancock,” he said. “I hope you -can see it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The leader took the paper with a nod of satisfaction.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“So far everything is satisfactory to us,” he -chuckled, folding the document and thrusting it into -a pocket.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“So far?” murmured Tommy questioningly. “Well, -I wonder how much farther you’re going? Isn’t this -about the limit?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Satan made a gesture, and in another instant the -captive was once more seized and pinned fast to the -chair.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Here! here!” he spluttered, in disgust. “What the -dickens are you up to now?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’re going to put you on your oath now,” announced -the leader. “We’re going to make you swear -by all things sacred, by all you hold dear, that you’ll -never tell under what circumstances you affixed your -signature to that document.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, you make me sick, the whole of you!” said the -little chap. “I’ll never swear to anything of the sort.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>“His feet are getting cold again,” snickered the -clown.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Go ahead and warm them up,” directed Satan.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Tommy squirmed and twisted and yelled at the top -of his voice. In the midst of his struggles the basement -door was hurled open with a bang, and, shouting -loudly, a dozen boys, headed by Dick Merriwell, came -rushing to the rescue.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span> - <h2 id='XVIII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XVIII.<br /> <span class='large'>THE FIRE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“This way! this way!” shouted the clear voice of -Merriwell. “Here they are!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Instantly Tucker was released by the startled and -dismayed fellows who had been torturing him. The -flaring light of a “slut” candle, aided by the dimly -flickering gas jet, showed the rescuers a most remarkable -group huddled there in the basement of that -old warehouse. The clown looked frightened; the -bear seemed ready to run; the Turk was crouching on -one knee and feeling blindly for his curved sword; -the executioner had dropped his broad-bladed ax; the -owl sought to edge away into the shadows.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Only Satan stood his ground boldly and defiantly. -In front of them all he stood with clenched fists, glaring -at the unexpected and unwelcome rescuers. The -flaring lights made him look very fierce and demon-like. -Involuntarily the rescuers halted and stared at -that remarkable group.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Come on!” yelled Tucker, giving the Turk a savage -jab in the ribs and upsetting the clown by kicking his -feet from beneath him. “Get into ’em, fellows! Give -’em fits! They’ve been giving me fits.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ve got them foul,” declared Dick. “They’ll -have to surrender.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Surrender?” snarled Satan. “Not on your life! -We’ll fight.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Fight they did. It was a fierce old battle that took -place down there in the warehouse basement. Dick -signaled out the crimson-clothed leader of the rascals -and engaged him. While they were tussling and writhing -and squirming, other struggles were taking place -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>amid the boxes and bales and dim shadows of the -place.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell found his antagonist strong as a bull, but -was finally getting the best of the fellow when some -one kicked over the pot of grease, the “slut” candle. -The burning stuff ran flaring into a dry mass of straw -and excelsior. Fire leaped up in a twinkling, illuminating -the entire basement.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Startled, the boys stopped in the midst of their -furious struggles.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Fire!” yelled one, in a tone of great alarm.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s bad business!” panted Dick, tearing away -from his antagonist and leaping toward the flames. -“Quick, boys, let’s see if we can’t smother it!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Satan, enraged by what had happened and utterly -reckless of consequences, sprang after Dick and grappled -with him again.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You fool!” exclaimed Merriwell, twisting about. -“Let me alone! Don’t you see what’s happening? -The building will go up in flames!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Let it go!” rasped the disguised fellow. “You’re -the cause, and I’m going to soak you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He struck Dick in the face, although the force of -the blow was partly broken by an upthrust arm. This -aroused young Merriwell and made him furious as a -wild creature. With a shout, he broke the fellow’s -hold upon him, seized the chap, snapped his heels into -the air, and whirled him headlong against the stone -wall. The crimson figure dropped limply to the cemented -floor and lay still.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Fellows, fellows!” shouted Dick, realizing that a -great many of the boys were taking to their heels and -getting out as quickly as possible. “Don’t run away. -We must smother this fire. We must put it out somehow.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>It was Buckhart who joined him, and they did their -best to put out the flames.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No use, partner,” said the Texan, “she’s got too -much headway. She’s bound to go. If we stay here, -we’ll be caught, and that will be mighty bad business -for us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Come on, Dick—come on!” cried Bouncer Bigelow, -making frantic gestures. “Everybody else has -skipped. I’m going. You can’t do anything. Let -her burn.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The fat boy ended with a choking, strangling cough, -for the place was rapidly filling with a thick volume -of pungent smoke. Brad seized Dick by the collar and -literally dragged him toward the door. Not until they -were in the outer air did Dick remember the crimson-clad -fellow he had last seen lying stunned at the foot -of the basement wall.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Follow me!” said Buckhart. “We must get away -lively.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He took to his heels, covering the ground with -rapid strides and plunging into the darkness between -two buildings. Instead of following his friend, Dick -turned and rushed down the rotten basement stairs. -A volume of smoke met him, rolling forth from the -door and veiling the interior of the place. Through -this smoke the fire sent a dull lurid glow.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Stooping low, Dick plunged into the smoke. He -ran full against a huge box, but managed to grope -his way along until he could see the spreading flames -and feel their scorching heat. Through the yellowish -light he saw something moving. In a twinkling he -had the fellow by the shoulder. It was his crimson-clothed -antagonist, who had partly recovered and was -blindly trying to find the way out.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This way!” wheezed Dick, pulling the bewildered -chap toward the door. “Hang onto me!”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>They reached the door and started up the steps just -as a burst of fire behind them sent its flaring gleam -out into the darkness of the night. At the head of -the steps stood a huge man, on whose breast gleamed a -badge.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was the night watchman of an adjoining lumber -yard. As Dick appeared he whipped out a revolver.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hold on, you firebug!” he shouted. “Stop where -you are, or I’ll bore ye!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then, plainly revealed by the flaring light of the -fire, he obtained a view of the demoniac, crimson-clothed -figure at Dick’s heels. To the superstitious -watchman it seemed like the Evil One himself, and, -with a howl of dismay, the man turned and took flight. -Merriwell was unspeakably relieved.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That was lucky for us,” he gasped. “Now we’d -better do some tall thinking.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Thinking the chap he had rescued would follow -him, Dick imitated Buckhart’s example by choosing -the darkness between two wretched buildings, reached -an old board fence, skulked hurriedly along beside it, -came to the railroad tracks, and for the first time found -himself alone.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hello!” he muttered. “That chap didn’t stick by -me. Well, I got him out, and I guess he can take -care of himself. That watchman will turn in a fire -alarm, of course. The healthy thing for me to do is -to get as far away from here as possible in a very -short time.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He fled along the tracks until a crossing was reached -and he could leave the railroad. As he cut across an -open lot and set his course toward York Street he -heard the fire engines coming whistling on their way -to the fire.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Bad business! bad business!” muttered the boy. “I -don’t suppose any one will feel very sorry to see the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>old warehouse burn, but still, I’d rather it would have -happened some other way. What if the lumber yard -takes fire also?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The question brought beads of perspiration out upon -his face. On the steps of the York Street house he -found Brad Buckhart and Tommy Tucker. The latter -was barefooted.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Lost a good pair of shoes and some beautiful fifty-cent -stockings this evening,” said Tommy. “I can’t -afford it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Great horn spoon, I’m glad to see you, partner!” -breathed the Texan, with unspeakable relief. “I -thought you right behind me until I hit the main highway. -When I discovered you weren’t with me I didn’t -know what to do. I thought of going back to look for -you, but that seemed foolish, for I knew you wouldn’t -turn round after getting out of that old building.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I did turn round, though,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Did?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What for?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I happened to think of the fellow I pitched against -the wall and left stunned when we made haste to get -out. I didn’t really know whether he had escaped or -not. I went back to see.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Great tarantulas!” exploded Brad.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’re referring to old Sate, I presume?” said -Tucker. “Well, I really hope he got scorched a little. -He didn’t quite blister the bottoms of my feet, but I -thought he had.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The fellow would have perished in that fire if I -hadn’t turned back to look for him,” said Dick. “I -got him out, all right, but we came mighty near being -nabbed by a night watchman.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Tucker snickered half hysterically on hearing Merriwell -<span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>tell how the watchman had yelled and taken to -his heels at sight of the satanic figure.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Tommy’s been telling me all about it,” said Buckhart. -“Why, those fellows were going to bake his -feet. We got there in the nick of time.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What I’d like to know,” said Tucker, “is how you -happened to get there at all.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll have to pledge you to keep it a secret,” said -Dick, “but there is a chap who used to be mighty -thick with that crowd, and he got onto the plot. He -gave me a tip, but made me swear I wouldn’t mention -his name.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I can guess,” chuckled Tucker. “It was Kid Lee. -Am I not right, Dick?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Haven’t I just stated,” said Merriwell, “that I -promised not to mention his name?”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span> - <h2 id='XIX' class='c005'>CHAPTER XIX.<br /> <span class='large'>THE NEXT MORNING.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Early the following morning Tommy Tucker, in -pajamas, came bouncing into Dick’s room. Merriwell -was already up. He had bathed and was partly -dressed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Pa-pore! pa-pore!” cried Tommy, flourishing a -newspaper. “All about de great fire last night! Dinsmore -& Hyde’s old warehouse burned to de ground! -Pa-pore! pa-pore!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Shut up, you yapping idiot!” cried Dick laughingly. -“Where’d you get the paper?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I fixed it with Maggie last night. Bribed her -to rise early this morn’ and hustle out for a newspaper. -She just left it at our door. See, here’s all -about the fire, Dick!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Blessed Jones turned over in bed, jabbed his head -halfway under a pillow, and smotheredly droned:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“‘Him that disturbeth the sleep of the righteous let -him be condemned to fire and brimstone and let him -burn forever.’”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, you were there, old snooker!” cried Tommy. -“You ought to be interested in this report. You were -with the gang last night.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Buckhart stuck his head into the room.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Read it, Tucker,” he urged.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Thus requested, Tommy read the account of the -fire which had destroyed the old warehouse and which -was believed beyond question to be the work of incendiaries. -Indeed, it was said that the watchman at -Gray S. Walpole’s lumber yard had detected two of -the firebugs in the act of leaving the basement of the -warehouse. According to the statement of Hatch, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>one of these chaps had been dressed in bright red and -looked like the devil himself. The watchman acknowledged -that the appearance of this fellow so startled -him that he permitted them both to get a flying start, -and, in spite of his efforts to run them down, they had -managed to avoid him and escaped in the darkness.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Thinking of what had really happened when the -watchman saw that crimson-clad figure, Merriwell was -compelled to laugh.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It says here,” said Tommy, “that the old building -was fully covered by insurance. I guess the owners -are mighty glad it burned.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But not the insurance company, Tucker. Of -course that fire was an accident and we could prove it, -but it’s just as well for us if we can escape getting -mixed up in the business. If the fellows are wise, -they’ll keep still about it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll have to read this to Big,” said Tommy, rising. -“See you later, fellows. Ta! ta!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell and Buckhart were ready to start out for -their usual morning walk, and Jones was sitting yawning -on the edge of the bed when callers arrived. They -were Jack Spratt, Otis Fitch, and Rob Claxton. Hearing -them come in, Tucker promptly appeared, followed -a moment later by Bouncer Bigelow, who was rubbing -his eyes and yawning, his uncombed hair standing up -like a topknot.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Have you fellows seen the morning newspaper?” -was Claxton’s anxious inquiry.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sure,” answered Tucker. “I took pains to provide -them with a few morning shivers by reading the report -of a fire that occurred last night.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I was in hopes the firemen would be able to save -the building,” said Claxton. “I dislike very much to -think that I was in any way responsible for that fire.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You really were not responsible, Claxton,” said -<span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>Dick. “None of us fellows were. The really responsible -ones are the chaps who carried Tucker into the -basement of that building and attempted to have fun -with him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Gwathuth!” lisped Fitch. “I’ll never forget the -thtart I got when I thaw thothe fellowth. Wonder -where they got their cothtumes?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Didn’t you read about that in the paper?” asked -Tommy. “The shop of Julius Steiger, the costumer, -was broken into and looted last night. A number of -valuable costumes and wigs were stolen.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Which explains the astonishing disguises worn by -Tucker’s captors,” said Dick. “While I don’t fancy -being mixed up in this affair, I wouldn’t hesitate to -testify against those rascals if they were arrested.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I wonder what became of that document they persuaded -me to sign?” laughed Tommy. “If they ever -try to use that paper, it will be their prompt undoing. -Of course, old Sate has it in his possession. Oh, I’ll -see that chap again, and I’ll know him, too. I’ve got -a nice little razzer hidden up my sleeve for Mr. Sate. -If I ever get a good opportunity, I’m going to slice -him good and deep.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You sus-seemed to cuc-cuc-come out of the bub-business -all right,” observed Spratt. “You don’t look -any the w-w-worse for wear.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Thank you, thank you,” bubbled Tucker. “And -you, Spratt, are looking perfectly divine this morning.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But I haven’t a cent to my nun-name,” said Jack -quickly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My dear boy, you misunderstand me!” cried -Tommy. “Can’t I pay a man a compliment without -wanting to borrow money?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I sus-suppose you can,” answered Spratt, “but sus-somehow -you nun-nun-never do.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>“Now that’s an insult!” snapped Tommy belligerently. -“I challenge you to a duel. Let’s not lose a -moment’s time. Let’s fight a duel right away.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You needn’t lose any time,” laughed Dick. “It -only takes two seconds to fight a duel.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Tucker collapsed on a chair.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I was going to spring that myself,” he said dolefully. -“It must be awfully stale.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is,” said Dick. “I thought I was stealing a -lap on you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You have certain enemies, Tucker,” observed -Jones, “who seem determined that you shall not play -on the team.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Thus far they’ve simply injured themselves,” said -Dick. “They must be disgusted with the way everything -has gone against them. We play Brown at -Providence, Saturday, and if we win that game it will -be the utter discomfiture of our enemies and the enemies -of the team.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, we’ll win the game, partner,” said Buckhart -confidently.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I hope we do,” nodded Dick; “but Brown has a hot -team, they say—the best freshman team she’s had in -years.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick smiled.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, how about uth?” inquired Otis Fitch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It has been generally reported that Yale has the -weakest freshman team she’s had in years, but I notice -we’ve been winning thus far.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Even with Sam Kates in the box,” grunted Bigelow. -“Of course, you’re going to pitch Saturday, -Dick? You wouldn’t think of putting Kates against -Brown?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I wouldn’t put him against Brown. I shall wait -to hear what Captain Jones has to say.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>“You’ll pitch, all right,” announced Blessed. “And -you’ll pitch the whole game, too.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Very well,” said Dick, “that seems to be settled.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And that settles the game,” asserted Spratt. “I’ll -bet my last dollar we win. It’s a sure thing.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Better not bet,” said Dick. “There’s nothing like -a sure thing in baseball. I may have my off day—I -have one sometimes. Anyhow, I shall have to depend -on my backers. Without good backing I can’t hope to -get away with that game. Only for old Brad behind -the pan to steady me and assist me in working the batters -I fear I’d make a pretty poor showing. In most -cases the success of a pitcher depends on the sort of -catcher he works with.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, dear, partner, let up on that!” exclaimed the -Texan, really confused. “You know you can pitch -ball without any old catcher at all behind the pan.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, I can pitch, but I can’t win games, Brad. To -win games I need the backing of the whole team, and -the man I depend on most is the man behind the bat.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span> - <h2 id='XX' class='c005'>CHAPTER XX.<br /> <span class='large'>A PAIR OF RASCALS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>At the tinkle of his alarm clock Mike Lynch awoke, -opened one eye, squinted at the clock, and growled like -a flea-bitten dog.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Rot it!” he muttered. “I haven’t had thirty minutes’ -decent sleep all night long. Whew! whew! I can -taste smoke clean down to my toes. Got a bump as -big as half a watermelon here on the side of my head, -and the cords of my neck are stiff and sore. All I’ve -done is dream fire, fire, and twist and snort and make -up and try to go to sleep again. Dash it all, I must -look like a wreck! I feel like one, anyhow.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Making an attempt to sit up, he dropped back with -a doleful groan.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Jingoes, but that does pull on my neck!” he murmured, -holding his head canted to one side. “What -makes my neck so lame? I suppose I know. That -whelp Merriwell chucked me headlong against the wall -in the basement of that old warehouse. Wonder I -didn’t spill my brains all over that wall. Next thing I -knew I was getting scorched and everything around me -seemed on fire. That brought me to my senses in a -hurry, but when I tried to find the way out I was -so bewildered that I didn’t know what to do. How -did I get out, anyhow? Oh, yes, somebody came back -and grabbed me and dragged me toward the door. -Somebody—it was Merriwell! That’s right, by Jove, -it was Merriwell! The rest of the fellows were gone. -They had sneaked and left me, the cowards! They -left me to roast in that fire trap. That’s a fine bunch -of friends to have!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He finally succeeded in sitting up, holding both -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>hands to his head as he groaned and cursed in mingled -pain and anger.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That was just about the worst night I ever experienced. -And to think I might have roasted only for -Merriwell! Hang it all! I hate to know I owe him -anything. Do I owe him anything? Why, of course -not. Didn’t he chuck me against the wall and knock -me senseless? Gee! I wouldn’t like to tell anybody -that he did, but that’s what happened. I suppose some -of those sneaks who skipped and left me will tell. No, -they won’t. They don’t dare. They’ll keep their faces -closed. But Merriwell’s friends—those who were with -him—they’ll tell. Let ’em! let ’em! They don’t know -who it was rigged up in those devil togs. Anyhow, -if they do suspect, they can’t prove it. I won’t acknowledge -it, you bet your sweet life!</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, I don’t owe Merriwell anything. If he’d left -me there, it would have been the same as murder. -After chucking me against the wall and sending my -wits wool-gathering, it was up to him to get me out. -I’m not going to blow up with gratitude toward him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lynch was greatly relieved over the thought that he -did not owe the lad he bitterly hated anything like -a debt of gratitude. This caused him to grin the least -bit, and, with some mumbling and muttering, he painfully -dragged himself out of bed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Suppose a hot bath would do me good,” he said, -“but I’m too stiff to get into a tub. I don’t know when -I ever felt this way before. Toleman was the only -one who had decency enough to come around last -night to find out whether I was alive or had been -cooked in that fire. I suppose he told the rest of the -bunch that I was here, all right. Confound it! what -brought Merriwell and his gang out there to the warehouse? -That fellow always turns up and spoils things. -How did he know we had Tucker there? He seems to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>get onto every move we make lately. Somebody is -giving us away. It can’t be Wolfe, for he wouldn’t -dare, and I know it isn’t Ditson or Toleman. I can -trust Poland, too. But Daggett—that fellow would do -anything for money. If the Merriwell gang tried it, -they could buy him easy enough. Still, he seems the -fiercest against Dick Merriwell. I don’t trust him. -We’ve got to cut him out somehow. It’s pretty hard -work doing it now he knows so much, but it’s necessary -to find a way. We had to cut Lee out. Only -yesterday I gave Wolfe a call-down for telling Lee -about our plans. The kid hasn’t any backbone.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>After washing up, Mike began to dress with more -or less difficulty. At intervals he paused to touch -gently the lump on his head. Every time he did this -he growled.</p> - -<p class='c007'>His head still throbbed, and when he stooped over -to lace his shoes something like a sledge hammer -seemed pounding within it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, ache! ache!” he rasped. “You’ll get over it -pretty soon—you’ll have to. I’m glad I haven’t any -marks on my face, and I won’t wear a bandage round -my head. My hat will cover that bump. They can’t -spot me. I’ll have to get rid of that devil rig, though. -Found my overcoat where we left our clothes when -we dressed back of the old warehouse. Only for that -I’d never been able to get to this room without being -pinched. Lucky my overcoat was good and long and -hid my costume. Two fellows did stop to stare at -my red ankles, but I took to my heels, and I know -they didn’t recognize me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Opening his wardrobe door, he found the crimson -masquerade suit, which he made into a bundle carefully -wrapped in brown paper and securely tied with -stout cord. This bundle was hidden away beneath -some underclothing in a drawer of the dresser.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>“I’ll dispose of that to-night,” he muttered. “Don’t -like to have stolen property on my premises. It was -Ditson’s idea to rig up in those costumes. He thought -it would frighten Tucker. Hanged if it didn’t seem to -amuse the little fool! I’m going to quit taking the -foolish advice of Ditson or anybody else. I didn’t -see anything like a joke in that business. I was in -earnest. But now I suppose we wasted our time. Of -course this isn’t any good at all, and I may as well -destroy it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>From a pocket he produced the typewritten confession -which Tucker had been forced to sign.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, it’s no good now,” he muttered, after reading -it over. “The little rat could prove he was compelled -to sign against his will. If any one tried to use this -document, it would get him into a nasty scrape. This -will settle it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In front of the fireplace he struck a match and applied -the flame to one corner of the paper.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What are you doing?” cried a voice that made him -jump as if struck by a bolt.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The burning paper fluttered to the hearth, and Lynch -turned a pale face toward the lad who had softly -opened the door and thrust his head into the room.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Gee!” he breathed, with mingled relief and resentment. -“You gave me a jerk. What the dickens do -you mean by poking your head into my room and -yelling like that? Come in and shut that door.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Bern Wolfe needed no invitation. Slamming the -door behind him, he leaped toward the hearth and -placed his foot on the burning paper.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Get away! get away!” said Lynch, catching the -visitor by the collar, and jerking him back. “Let it -burn.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s Tucker’s confession!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>“Are you crazy?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I guess not.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We had trouble enough getting that confession.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Too much trouble,” confessed Mike.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And now it’s destroyed!” groaned Bern, as he -watched the flames char the sheet and turn it to a black -film of ash, which crinkled at a breath and dissolved -into fluttering fragments.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It wasn’t any use after what happened,” declared -Lynch. And he proceeded to explain his reason for -thinking so. “You see,” he concluded, “that thing -might have gotten me into trouble if I had kept it -and any one had chanced to find it in my pocket.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I suppose that’s right,” muttered Bern, his thin lips -pulled back from the points of his sharp white teeth. -“Yes, I see you’re right, Mike, but I swear I’d like -to get some sort of a twist on that fellow Tucker. He’s -playing the position on the nine that I ought to fill. -I’m a better shortstop than Tucker ever was or ever -will be.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps you are,” nodded Mike, “but you’re not -one of Richard Merriwell’s petsy-wetsies. Therefore -you have no show to play on the team.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s not the reason why I’m not playing on -the team.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Eh? It isn’t?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then what is the reason?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You know well enough!” snapped Bern bitterly. -“You know I had my chance to get on the team, and -I landed there, too. Only for your great scheme to -knife Merriwell, I’d be playing on the team now.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now, hold on—hold on. Don’t always try to -shoulder everything onto me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m telling you the truth, and you know it!” cried -Wolfe, smashing his clenched right hand into his open -<span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>left. “If I’d refused to listen to your scheme, I’d be -playing shortstop and Tucker would be on the bench.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Bah! bah! What are you giving us?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Bah! bah! Bleat away. It’s a fact. Merriwell -was ready to use me. He did use me. I played in that -Hudson game until I got spiked.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And you haven’t played since,” grinned Lynch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Because Merriwell and his friends are dead sure -that I was concerned in the giving away of Umpty-ten’s -signals. That was your plan to hurt Merriwell, -but it never harmed him a bit. Instead of that, it -swamped me, all right, all right.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What right has Merriwell to keep you off the -team? There’s never been anything proven against -you, has there?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not proven perhaps, but——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then you’re not being used right, Bern.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not proven, but established as a conviction in Merriwell’s -mind.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Rot! rot! You just think it has been established -as a conviction in his mind. You don’t know whether -it has or not.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I do know he is satisfied that Tucker is innocent.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And Tucker, being one of his goo-goo boys, gets -the chance to play, while you pine on the bench.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Merriwell knows I’m friendly with you. He -knows you would do anything in this world to hurt -him. He doesn’t trust me. If I’d cut loose from you -the way Kates did, I’d be on the team the same as -Kates is. He’s there, isn’t he? You can’t say Merriwell -is keeping one of his particular pets on first to -the exclusion of Kates.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Merriwell had to have a first baseman and an assistant -pitcher. Ambitious as he is, as much as he -likes to show off, he can’t do all the pitching. Toleman -was sulking, and the team just had to accept -<span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>Kates. That’s plain enough. You didn’t have a -chance of forcing yourself in the way Sam did.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, don’t tell me that! I don’t believe it. I got -there once. What have I made by listening to your -plans and plots? I’ve lost the chance I had, and even -though they can’t prove anything against me I’m under -suspicion. You’ve said you would clear me, but never -yet have you made a single promise good.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now, hold on!” snarled Lynch, his red hair seeming -to bristle. “That’s just about enough from you. -Haven’t I been doing my best? Wasn’t I putting myself -out on your account last night, and didn’t it come -near being my finish?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I told you that was a preposterous scheme before -we started in upon it. You were the only one in the -crowd who thought it would amount to anything.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How do you know so much?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I know—I heard ’em say so.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then why did they take any part in it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“For a lark. It was to have some amusement with -Tucker that those masquerade costumes were stolen -and worn. I was against that piece of business, but -Ditson had been drinking, and he was ready for any -piece of recklessness. Give him a couple of drinks, -and you never know what he’ll do.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, you’re about as ungrateful a runt as I ever -saw!” declared Lynch bitterly. “I wash my hands of -it. I’m through trying to help you. If you want to, -you can go tell every one that you gave away the -team’s signals.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You know I’m not likely to do that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know what you’re likely to do. Why, I’ve -even convinced our own bunch that Tucker was the -guilty one instead of you. They believe it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“They pretend to,” muttered Bern, “but I’m not -sure they do.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>“To tell the truth, a fellow can’t be sure of much of -anything with them,” growled Mike. “Look at the -way they skipped me last night! Wasn’t that fine? -You did the same thing. You dusted out with the rest -and left me to the mercies of the Merriwell bunch, or -to roast.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It was every man for himself then.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, was it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sure.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And in such a case you’d leave a friend lying unconscious -to be burned to death, would you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I didn’t know you were unconscious. I was having -troubles enough of my own. I didn’t know what happened -to you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I’ll tell you what happened. About four of -those fellows, including Merriwell himself, jumped on -me in a bunch. One of them hit me over the head -with a piece of lead pipe or something like that. That -was the last I knew until I found myself lying on the -floor, almost choked by smoke and nearly roasted by -fire.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That was a tough situation,” admitted Wolfe. -“How’d you get out?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How did I? I wish you’d tell me. I crawled -among those boxes and bales on all fours without having -an idea where the door was. Just by good luck -I found it. Only for that good luck, my bones would -be lying this minute in the ruins of Dinsmore & -Hyde’s old warehouse.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It was a mighty bad piece of business,” breathed -Bern, shaking his head. “Only for that accidental -fire the Merriwell crowd would have had us all pinched. -I can see what would have happened to us. The fire -gave us a chance to break away, for they had to take -care of themselves, and they were all afraid of being -nabbed by the police or some one. You see you can’t -<span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>blame me for leaving you, Mike. I didn’t know what -had happened to you, and I don’t think the others -did. It was pretty rank of the Merriwell bunch when -they skipped out and left you there. Seems to me it -was up to some of them to look after you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, they didn’t,” lied Mike. “But why didn’t -some of you fellows come around last night to find -out whether I reached my room or not? Toleman was -the only chap who had decency enough to poke his -nose in here.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We sent him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, you did?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes. He came back and reported you were here. -We didn’t think it best to come around in a bunch just -then. I’m the first one to show up this morning, ain’t -I? Well, doesn’t that indicate that I take some interest?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, yes,” mocked Mike, as he buttoned his collar -and began knotting his necktie. “I expect you were -so terribly disturbed over me that you didn’t sleep a -wink.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I didn’t sleep much,” confessed Wolfe. “I -haven’t been doing much sleeping for the past two or -three weeks. I’m getting thin, and I feel like a leftover -jag the most of the time.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t tell me how you feel. I’ve got a bump as -big as a lemon here on my coconut. My head aches. -My neck is stiff. My back is lame, and every breath I -exhale smells of smoke. All on your account, too. -And you come around here and growl! You make me -sick. Get out of my way! Sit down!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lynch thrust his companion on a chair just as the -door opened and other visitors appeared.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span> - <h2 id='XXI' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXI.<br /> <span class='large'>FURTHER PLOTTING.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Duncan Ditson was the first to speak.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hello, you here, Wolfe?” he said. “We wondered -where you were.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Bill Toleman stalked in behind Dunc.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I reported last night, Lynch,” he said. “Let them -know you were still on earth.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And that soothed our disturbed spirits a great -deal,” said Jim Poland, finding a chair and gracefully -seating himself.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“’Sst!” hissed Mel Daggett, who was the last to -enter. “Don’t you know the door’s open? Don’t talk -so loud, you fellows.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Softly and silently closing and latching the door, -Mel waddled to the morris chair and squatted on the -broad arm of it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lynch, hands resting on hips, squared himself in -front of Daggett.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I wish you’d tell me something, Mel,” he said, with -an air of unmistakable accusation.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will if I can,” whispered Mel.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How did the Merriwell bunch know where to find -us last night?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Daggett’s froglike mug took on an expression of -puzzled blankness.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s something I’d like to know,” he declared.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t you know?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t I know?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s the question I put to you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mel caught his breath with a hissing sound, glared -at Mike with his green eyes, and then slowly rose to -his feet.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>“Now, see here,” he snapped, shaking one of his -knobby fists at Lynch, “if you mean to insinuate anything -about me, you’d better go slow!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Aw, sit down,” said Mike, placing his fingers -against Mel’s breast and pushing him back upon the -chair. “Don’t do that with me, Daggett. Don’t lift -your fist to me; you’re liable to get hit if you do.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you hit me, you’ll be sorry.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’ll you do, peach on the crowd?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I won’t stand for that—I won’t stand for it!” palpitated -Daggett.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’re not standing for it—you’re sitting. Somebody -gave away our plans to carry Tucker off to that -old warehouse last night. Who did it? Who -peached?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why do you come at me like this? Am I the only -one who knew about your plan? Didn’t the others -know? Why don’t you make your talk to them?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Because I know Ditson, Poland, Toleman, or -Wolfe would not breathe a word of it. I don’t know -about you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mel squirmed and tried to rise again, but was once -more pushed back by Mike.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t get up,” said Lynch. “I’ve asked you a -question.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And I’ve given you all the answer you’ll get from -me!” snarled Daggett. “I didn’t peach on anybody. -You’ve never seen me trying to get in with the Merriwell -crowd. You can’t say as much about some of -the rest of your friends. I’m not calling any names, -but you know who I mean.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, you mean me,” said Wolfe. “Perhaps you -think I’m the one who gave it away?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I didn’t say so. I’m not accusing anybody. Lynch -is making all that sort of talk that’s being made.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Because I mean to find out how it happens that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>Merriwell gets wind of everything we plan to do. Of -course, if you say you didn’t let anything slip, we’ll -have to take your word for it, Daggett.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You needn’t take my word for it if you don’t want -to. But if you continue to insinuate, I’ll fight you as -sure as I live. Perhaps you can do me up, but we’ll -see.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I hardly believe Dag would go back on us, Mike,” -said Poland.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Of course not,” put in Toleman.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Anyhow,” said Ditson, “we can’t afford to suspect -a fellow unless there are proofs against him. Have -you any evidence—any reason to believe Mel squealed -on us?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No reason beyond the fact that some one must -have squealed, and I feel confident the rest of the -crowd wouldn’t do that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This is not the first time you and I have had words, -Lynch,” said Daggett. “I want you to understand -that I’m just as trustworthy as you are.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you’re a greedy hog. A fellow who asks -friends twenty per cent a month on money loaned to -them would do almost anything.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s business, that’s business!” snapped Mel. -“There’s nothing underhand or sneaky about it. If -they borrow, they know what they’re expected to pay. -If you mean to insinuate that I would sell my friends -out to the Merriwell crowd, let me tell you that you’re -a confounded liar. Is that good enough for you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>It seemed that Lynch would make a lunge for Daggett’s -throat, but both Ditson and Toleman interfered -and checked him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Steady, Mike,” said Dunc. “We can’t afford to -have a fuss just now. The very fact that Mel is so -indignant over your suspicions ought to satisfy you -of his innocence. I’m satisfied.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>“Of course it was queer that Merriwell got onto the -business the way he did,” admitted Toleman; “but I -am not willing to think that any one of the fellows -here turned traitor. It leaked out through some accident -and not through deliberate treachery.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You may be right,” admitted Mike, calming down. -“I’m in a rotten bad humor this morning. I ought -to be after what happened last night. I’ve just been -telling Wolfe what I thought of you fellows for quitting -me the way you did. Somebody must have seen -me knocked out by the Merriwell crowd, yet you all -skidooed like a lot of frightened rabbits.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>One and all, they protested that they had not realized -he was knocked out. Apparently none of them -had seen Merriwell fling him against the wall, at the -foot of which he fell stunned and helpless. Satisfied -that this was the case, Mike once more repeated his -statement that he had been attacked by at least four -of the Merriwell crowd and had been knocked senseless -by a blow on the head.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I was having it with Merriwell himself when the -others jumped on me,” he said. “If they’d only let -me alone about ten seconds more, I’d broken that fellow’s -back for him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps,” nodded Ditson doubtfully; “but he has -a very tough back.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Have you fellows read the papers this morning?” -inquired Poland. “I have. The police say the old -warehouse was burned by firebugs. We want to keep -mum, fellows.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That was not all I read in the paper,” came from -Toleman. “Didn’t you notice the account of the -burglarizing of Steigler’s costuming shop? I want -you to know that I’ve disposed of the outfit I wore -last night. You can’t find it anywhere around my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>joint. The rest of you chaps better get rid of your -stuff.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, don’t be so timid!” mocked Ditson. “Who’ll -ever suspect us?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wait! What if some of the Merriwell crowd were -seen and recognized? What if they’re cornered and -tell all they know? What if they take a notion to tell, -anyhow? Although they can’t prove it against us, -I’ll venture to say they know every one of us. Now, -if the police get next to them and ask them questions, -won’t they name us chaps as being responsible for -that fire? If we’re named, you can bank on it that -the cops will search our rooms for some of the rigs -we wore. I’d a hundred times rather be pinched for -the fire than the other job. We could swear that the -fire was the result of an accident, a lark; and, although -we might regard the other business as a lark, -the police would not look on it in that light, and the -court would be sure to inflict punishment.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He’s right,” nodded Lynch. “I’m going to dispose -of my outfit just as soon as I can, and the rest of you -better do the same.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I suppose you’re all so frightened now,” sneered -Ditson, “that there isn’t one who’ll dare lift his hand -against Merriwell during the rest of the term.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s the use?” grunted Toleman. “Never anything -works right. Fellows, Merriwell is too much for -us. He has too much luck or too much something. -We’ll never do him any harm by striking at him direct.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You may be right about that, Bill,” acknowledged -Lynch. “I’ve begun to think so myself. It’s queer -how some chaps seem to have a guardian angel, or a -genius, or something that always takes care of them. -All winter we’ve been saying Merriwell wouldn’t make -much of a reputation at baseball with the kind of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>team he’d have behind him this spring. Now he’s attracting -any amount of attention. Why, Billings—the -great Billings—has written it that Merriwell might -coach the pitchers of the varsity. Think of that—a -freshman coach for the varsity pitchers! But no one -seems to realize the fact that Merriwell himself would -be rotten if he didn’t have a catcher behind the bat -who knows him and all his peculiarities. Only for -Buckhart, Merriwell wouldn’t be such a star on the -slab. Where’s there another freshman who could go -behind the bat and handle Merriwell’s pitching? -Where’s there another chap who could handle the combination -ball or any of Merriwell’s queer kinks and -shoots? Of course, a professional catcher, a big-league -man, would be all right for it; but I’m talking -about the freshman ball players to be found at Yale -to-day. Don’t think I’m in love with Buckhart—he’s -the fellow I dislike most next to Merriwell himself. -I’m simply stating the truth. Without Buckhart, Merriwell -would be an ordinary dub of a pitcher that any -one could hit.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think there’s something in that, Mike,” nodded -Ditson.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think so, too,” said Toleman promptly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, can’t you see what I’m driving at?” inquired -Lynch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not yet,” was the answer.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Take Buckhart away from the team, and what will -happen to Merriwell? He’ll get his bumps, won’t he?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Very likely,” nodded Duncan.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sure he will,” persisted Mike. “If he tries to use -those effective balls of his, the catcher will fumble -them. There’ll be passed balls galore. Every man -on the field faces the catcher. Let the catcher go to -pieces, and it’s up in a balloon for the rest of the bunch. -Now, look here, Umpty-ten Yale plays Umpty-ten -<span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>Brown at Providence next Saturday. Those Brown -fellows can bat. If anything should happen to Brad -Buckhart to prevent him from catching in that game, -Brown would have a cinch. I know of lots of Yale -money that is just begging for a chance to back -Umpty-ten. Fix it so Merriwell will lose his catcher, -and we fellows can line our pockets just as sure as -fate.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How are you going to fix it?” inquired Ditson.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well,” grinned Mike, “if this crowd hasn’t got -brains enough to devise a scheme, it’s a mighty poor -bunch. Let’s put our heads together and do a little -plotting.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span> - <h2 id='XXII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXII.<br /> <span class='large'>A CERTAIN VISITOR.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Dick gave up trying to grind. It was mid-afternoon -and once more his friends who roomed in the -house had wandered in upon him and were chattering -away regardless of his desire to study.</p> - -<p class='c007'>They had been speaking of disguises and practical -jokes. Bigelow was telling them what a fine Irishman -Dick became when he wished to represent one -and had the necessary make-up.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Didn’t he fool the cops that night you took in the -cock fight, Tucker?” demanded Big. “Didn’t he fool -you, too? You know he did. Both you and Jones -were scared out of your senses when you got back -here. Said you’d been recognized and your names -called by a policeman. Felt sure that meant the end -of Yale for both of you. Oh, but you were scared! -Tommy was white round the gills, and all Blessed -could do was groan and quote fake scripture.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Verily I was exceedingly distressed,” acknowledged -Jones.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I confess I was scared blue,” said Tucker. -“But out in that old barn with only two or three lanterns -to illuminate the place it was easy enough for -anybody to fool us. I’m not saying Dick isn’t good -at making up and playing a part, but he never could -deceive a native of old Erin if he tried to represent an -Irishman.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Bet he could, bet he could!” spluttered Bouncer. -“Couldn’t you, Dick?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know,” confessed Dick, “but I have an idea -that I might succeed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m willing to bet ten you can’t fool any real Irishman,” -cried Tucker.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>“I won’t bet, you know,” laughed Dick, “but I don’t -mind trying it. Tell you what I’ll do—I’ll experiment -on Maggie Swazey. She’s a good subject, isn’t she?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>They agreed that Maggie, the maid of all work in the -rooming house, was acceptable.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How are you going to experiment on her, partner?” -questioned Buckhart.</p> - -<p class='c007'>After a moment’s thought Dick unfolded his plan.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I know where to get a policeman’s uniform that -will fit me unless those fellows who robbed Steiger’s -place got away with the outfit. I’ll rig up as an Irish -cop this evening, and I’ll stroll around here and call on -Maggie shortly after eight o’clock. Tell you what I’ll -do, fellows—I’ll make love to Maggie. That ought to -be a satisfactory test. If I can fool her to that extent, -I ought to be able to fool any one.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Truly thou art taking thy life in thy lily-white -hands,” said Blessed. “If Maggie ever tumbles to -the trick, she’ll split your skull.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, say, that ought to be a circus!” shouted Tucker -hilariously. “I’d give anything if I could see the -sport.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Can’t you find a way to see it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’d like to be in it, too,” grinned Bigelow. “Oh, -I wouldn’t want to miss that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Miss it?” said Buckhart. “You bet your boots I -don’t propose to miss it!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’ll you do?” asked Tommy and Bouncer in a -breath.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s the pantry for mine!” announced the Texan. -“I’ll ensconce myself in the pantry where I can take -in the doings.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Maggie has an old couch down there that she rests -on when she’s very tired,” grinned Tucker. “I speak -for a snug berth beneath that couch.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But where can I conceal my slight and sylphlike -<span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>form?” asked Bigelow. “Say, Buckhart, you ought -to let me have the pantry.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then where would I fit in?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The sink,” cried Bigelow; “you can get under the -sink.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Aw, no, that won’t do,” protested Brad. “Think -of me hiding under a sink! Great horn spoon!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you’re selfish,” declared Bouncer. “Yes, you -are selfish, Buckhart. I can’t get under the sink to -save my neck—you can. I could hide in the pantry -or the cold room. If you’re going to have the pantry, -I’ll take the cold room.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll see more of the fun than either one of you,” -laughed Tucker. “Next to my chosen retreat beneath -the couch, I’d choose the sink, for then I could keep the -door open on a crack and watch everything that was -going on.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This don’t seem to be a time for dignity,” said -Brad, “so I’ll take the sink for mine. But, however -are we going to get to our retreats, gents?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’ve got sort of left me out,” observed Jones. “I -suppose you think I don’t enjoy life, anyhow, and -there’s no use in trying to amuse me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Tell you what you can do,” cried Tommy.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s kind, indeed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You can help us out.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If Maggie ever catches you stowed around the -kitchen, she’ll help you out.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You can call her upstairs for something, Jonesy, -and give us a chance to sneak into the kitchen. Will -you do it? Sure you will.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, certainly!” grunted Blessed. “That’s all I’m -good for. Work me, work me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you fellows want to be sure of seeing the sport,” -smiled Dick, “don’t fail to have yourselves properly -concealed in the kitchen by eight o’clock. I shall arrive -<span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>within five or ten minutes after the hour. That’s -settled now. You chaps skidoo. Yes, I mean it. Your -room is preferable to your company for the next hour. -I’ve got to study.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>According to the arrangement, Jones appeared at -the kitchen door some five minutes before eight that -evening, and requested Maggie Swazey to do him a -little favor. He was studying hard, he said, and -couldn’t spare the time to run out to the nearest stationery -store for a couple of notebooks. Would she -mind getting them for him?</p> - -<p class='c007'>The sight of a silver quarter in the way of emolument -for her services quickly banished any sign of -hesitation on Maggie’s part.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Certainly, sir—certainly I’ll git ye the books,” -she smiled.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You know what I want,” said Blessed. “If you -don’t, here’s a sample—here’s one of my old books. -You can take that along. When you come back bring -them up to my room, but get them right away—don’t -lose a minute. Time is precious with me this evening.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The moment the door closed behind Maggie three -chuckling lads scudded into the kitchen and prepared -to conceal themselves. At the last moment Buckhart -seemed inclined to rebel against hiding beneath the -sink.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You can sure get in there, Big,” he said. “Try -it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Bouncer dropped on all fours and quickly demonstrated -the impossibility of seeking to stow himself -away beneath the sink.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s a slick place, Brad,” he gurgled. “If I could -only get in there, I’d take it in a jiffy. You can -back in all right, and here’s a nice little knot hole -through which you can see everything that’s going -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>on. Cricky, that knot hole must have been made on -purpose.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That certain is a right fine knot hole,” agreed the -Texan, with a grin. “Don’t know but I’ll make use -of it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With more or less clattering and banging, he finally -succeeded in backing in amid the pots and pans and -settling himself in a comfortable position with the -knot hole convenient to his eye if he lifted his head a -bit. But even after getting in there he was again -struck by the thought that his position was most undignified, -and he started to crawl out.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, you don’t!” spluttered Bouncer, slamming the -sink door and turning the little wooden button that -held it. “You just keep still. It’s me to the pantry, -and I won’t have you spoiling my fun.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You wait till I do get out!” growled Buckhart’s -smothered voice. “I sure will spank you good and -plenty.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hurry up, Big!” hissed Tucker, thrusting his head -out from beneath the couch. “If you keep on puttering -around, Maggie will come back and catch you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The fat boy made a dash for the pantry. Five minutes -after the return of Maggie Swazey there came a -familiar tapping at one of the kitchen windows.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Good gracious!” exclaimed the girl; “it must be -Dennis. I didn’t expect him to-night.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>She hastened to the door and opened it wide in a -welcoming manner.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Good avenin’, Dennis,” she laughed. “How does -it happen you’re here so early?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s not Dinnis Oi am,” announced a voice, as a -man wearing the uniform of an officer stepped into -the room. “Me name is Patrick McGee, and Oi’ve -been app’inted to the beat lately hild by me lamentid -fri’nd Dinnis Maloney.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>“Your lamented friend?” gasped Maggie. “Why, -what do you mean, sir? Oh, tell me, has anything -terrible happened to Dennis?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sure and there has,” was the sad and solemn answer.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Maggie seemed ready to faint.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He isn’t dead, is he?” she almost shrieked.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Worse thon thot,” answered the visitor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Maggie stiffened up in astonishment.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Worse than dead?” she gasped. “Why, how can -that be possible? What do you mean?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He’s married,” said the stranger, in a heart-broken -manner.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span> - <h2 id='XXIII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXIII.<br /> <span class='large'>THE CONSOLER.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>And now Maggie did utter a shriek. After swaying -a moment, she fell limply into the arms of Patrick -McGee, who unhesitatingly supported her.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He was a queer-looking, medium-sized man with a -face which, using the hackneyed phrase, “looked like -a map of Ireland.” He had bushy eyebrows, a fringe -of chin whiskers, sand hair, and a plentiful spattering -of freckles. On finding himself clasping the limp -form of Maggie, Patrick twisted his mug into a comical -expression of dismay so that Tommy Tucker, -eagerly peering forth from beneath the couch, was -forced to stuff his handkerchief into his mouth to hold -back a shout of laughter.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Howld on, howld on, mavourneen!” spluttered Pat. -“Don’t yez be afther floppin’ over loike this, me darlint.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Married?” choked Maggie, in the greatest anguish. -“Oh, it can’t be true!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Av it ain’t true, Oi’m a liar!” said McGee.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“When did this happen?” asked the girl, attempting -to brace up.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This marnin’,” was the answer. “Yer see she -caught him, and he had to marry her.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“She caught him? Who caught him?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wan of his girruls.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“One—one of his girls?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yis, my dear.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“One of them? How many did he have?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, my dear, Oi don’t think he really knew himsilf. -Wan toime he towld me he was shpooning around -some sexteen or seventeen girruls.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>Maggie popped up straight and stiff as a ramrod, -flinging the visitor’s supporting arms aside.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sixteen or seventeen girls?” she cried furiously. -“Impossible! I can’t believe that! You are deceiving -me!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With his hand to his chin and his head canted sidewise, -Patrick McGee gave her a look of injured reproof.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Desaving ye, me darlint?” he said. “I wouldn’t -do that for the worruld!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now hold on right where you are,” commanded -Miss Swazey. “Don’t you dare to ‘darlint’ me. Why, -you scoundrel—to think of you coming around here -with such terrible inflammation and then calling me -darlint! And you tried to hug me—you know you -did! There’s the door, sir!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A foine door it is,” said Patrick, as he closed it. -“Exchuse me av Oi forgot to shut it behoind me. -Now phwats the use av gittin’ dishturbed loike this -over a little thing, Maggie, dear?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Maggie, dear; Maggie, dear? How do you know -my name is Maggie?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Phwoy, me fri’nd Dinnis towld me, av course.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your friend! your friend! So you shamelessly -confess you’re the friend of that deceiving monster! -Oh, I wish I had him here. I wouldn’t do a thing to -him! I’d scratch his eyes out! I’d pull his carroty -hair out by the roots! The monster! Deceiving a -poor trusting girl like me!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hush now,” protested McGee. “Don’t be too -harrud on Dinnis, the poor bhoy. He couldn’t hilp -it, you know.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Couldn’t help it? Couldn’t help having sixteen or -seventeen girls at the same time?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But ye see he was such a fascinating divvil,” whispered -Pat, with a grin and a wink. “The girruls, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>darlints, wouldn’t let him alone at all, at all. But it -nearly broke poor Dinnis’ heart whin Katie nabbed -him and led him to the praste. She meant business, -and there was nivver a bit av a chance for him to -escape. Whin it was all over he says to me, says he: -‘Pathrick, I lave it to yez to break the news to me -Maggie. It’s me Maggie Oi loved most of all other -girruls in all the worruld. It’s me Maggie Oi meant -to marry. Tell her, the swate crather, that me heart -do be breaking. Oi’ll nivver see her again. Oi’m -done wid me job, and ye’ve got it, Pathrick. Oi’m -going to lave this city and go far away to some foreign -country. Oi think Oi shall go to New Jersey.’ Then -the poor bhoy broke down and placed his head on me -breast and sprinkled me bosom wid his tears. Exchuse -me, Miss Swazey, but Oi have to wipe me eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Not only did he wipe his eyes but he blew such a -bugle blast with his nose that Maggie was actually -frightened.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Something like a smothered snicker seemed to come -from some part of the room, but Patrick coughed -loudly and Maggie failed to detect the suspicious sound. -Miss Swazey was affected in spite of herself. She -began to choke and sob into her apron, which she now -held before her eyes.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Dennis was a fine gent,” she said. “He used to -bring me candy and peanuts, and sometimes he brought -me banannies and other fruit. I don’t know what I -will do without Dennis.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>At this Patrick placed his hand over his heart and -lay his head sidewise upon his own shoulder, while a -sickly languishing light filled his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Av ye’ll not take it amiss, Miss Swazey,” he murmured, -“you nade nivver go wanting for candy and -peanuts and banannies as long as Pathrick McGee remains -on this bate. Av course Oi know Oi’m not such -<span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>a handsome mon as Dinnis, but Oi’ve got a heart in -me bosom, Oi have. Besoides thot, not being handsome, -there’s no danger thot Oi’ll have sixteen or -seventeen other girruls. Oi’m ready to do me bist to -take the place of Dinnis.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, but I’ll never trust another man—never! -never!” moaned Maggie. “They’re all deceivers, every -one of them!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oi wouldn’t desave yez for the worruld,” assured -the visitor earnestly. “Just give me one trial, Maggie, -me darlint. It’s awful lonesome ye’ll be now without -Dinnis to come round and tap at yer windy. Ye’ll be -afther broodin’ over yer throubles, and maybe ye’ll -pine away and doie.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I hope I do!” sighed Maggie. “I’d like a quiet -resting spot in the cold, cold ground. If I die, perhaps -Dennis would come to my grave some time and -place a flower upon it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Or a bananny,” said Patrick. “But yez couldn’t -ate a bananny then.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If Dennis could only see me in my coffin, I know -he’d have remorse. I know—boo, hoo!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Maggie broke down completely, and the visitor made -bold to slip an arm around her waist again.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ye poor choild!” he murmured, leading her toward -the couch. “Do be afther sitting down, me dear. Oi’ll -sit besoide yez. Rist yer head on me shoulder. There, -there, don’t cry loike thot! It’ll make yer nose red.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>At this moment Tommy Tucker who had discovered -one of Maggie’s hatpins beneath the couch proceeded -to jab the instrument up between the springs.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ow! wow!” howled Patrick McGee, making an -electrified spring into the air. “Bumblebees and hornets! -phwat were thot?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With one hand he industriously rubbed the spot that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>had been reached by the hatpin. At the same time, he -danced round the room in the most grotesque manner -imaginable. Maggie lowered her apron and stared -at him in surprise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s the matter with you?” she asked. “Have -you gone crazy?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s just a bit of neuraligy,” spluttered Patrick. -“Did yez iver have it, Maggie? It’s worse thon the -jumpin’ toothache. Whin it gives me a twinge loike -thot Oi am liable to yell the top av me head off, so -I am.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>While making this explanation he walked back to -the couch and kicked beneath it in the vain hope of -hitting the mischievous rascal concealed there.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do sit down again,” urged Maggie.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oi don’t dare.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why not?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oi fear Oi’d have another attack of the neuraligy. -Shtand up, me darlint—sthand up and look into me -eyes. You remind me av Kate Kearney. Did ye iver -hear of Kate Kearney?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then he sang:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Oh, did yez not hear of Kate Kearney?</div> - <div class='line in2'>She lives on the banks of Killarney;</div> - <div class='line'>From the glance av her eye shun danger and fly,</div> - <div class='line in2'>For fatal’s the glance of Kate Kearney.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, you’re a perfectly lovely singer!” exclaimed -Maggie, rising with clasped hands. “You have the -most beautiful voice!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Indade Oi have,” agreed Pat. “Unfortunately -thot’s the ownly thing beautiful about me. Oi can -sing loike a birrud.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>At this moment there was a slight rattling amid the -pans beneath the sink.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Goodness me, there’s that rat again!” cried Maggie. -“I’ll set the trap for that rat this very night.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>“Oi hope ye catch him,” said Pat. “Oi wish ye’d -be after telling me whether me voice is tenor eleven.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Once more he sang:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c008'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“O the days of the Kerry dancing,</div> - <div class='line in2'>O the ring of the poiper’s tune!</div> - <div class='line'>O for one of those hours av gladness,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Gone, alas! like our youth, too soon.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'>“Lovely! lovely! lovely!” gushed Maggie. “A man -who can sing like that must have a beautiful disposition.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oi have,” assured McGee. “Av Oi iver git married, -Oi’ll trate me wife roight. Av she cooks me -meals, washes the dishes, split the wood, brings in -the coal, takes in washing, and kapes the household -running dacently, Oi’ll nivver hit her.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>At this moment there came a sudden crash from the -cold closet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Good heavens!” cried Maggie. “What’s happened -now? Has the old cat got in there again?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>She sprang to the door and flung it open. Out -rolled Bouncer Bigelow covered from head to heels -with buttermilk, a panful of which he had upset and -brought down upon his head.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Land of wonders!” gurgled Maggie, aghast. -“What was you doin’ in there?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I was just looking for something to eat,” spluttered -Bouncer feebly. “I was starving to death, Maggie.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Officer McGee promptly pounced on Bigelow.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ye spallpane!” he cried. “Ye thafe of the -worruld, it’s a burglar ye are! Oi place ye under arrist. -Not a worrud, ye villain! Oi’ll take yez to the station -house. Ye can talk to the sargint.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Bigelow appealed to Maggie.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you let him pinch me,” said he, “I’ll tell Mrs. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>Watson what’s going on here in her kitchen night -after night.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Maggie grasped Patrick by the arm.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s nothing, only one of the stujents that rooms -in the house,” she explained. “Do let him go.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>McGee looked doubtful.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The scoundrel has been listenin’ to phwat we’ve -been sayin’, me darlint. He’ll be afther tillin’ on us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Bigelow pretended that he was very much alarmed. -In Bouncer’s ear the pseudo officer whispered:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Come on, Big. It’s time I got out of this. I think -I’ve made good, all right.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But as he was dragging the fat boy toward the door -that door suddenly opened and in it appeared Officer -Dennis Maloney himself.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span> - <h2 id='XXIV' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXIV.<br /> <span class='large'>SOMETHING DOING.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Dick stopped in his tracks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Stung!” he muttered.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Officer Maloney wore an expression of puzzled astonishment.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Phwat’s going on here, Oi dunno?” he inquired, -fixing a jealous eye on Patrick McGee.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Maggie Swazey seemed flabbergasted for a moment, -but she quickly recovered, and, pointing an accusing -finger at the new arrival, she shrieked:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How dare you show your face here, you wretch?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hey?” grunted Maloney, in astonishment.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You scoundrel! You reprobate! You base deceiver! -You breaker of innocent hearts! You—you—you——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>She could find no epithet that expressed her intense -emotion. Behind the excited girl’s back Tommy -Tucker thrust his head out from beneath the couch and -cried:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hit the high places, Dick! Hump yourself!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Beneath the sink there was a crash as Buckhart inadvertently -brought down one of the tin pans. Bouncer -Bigelow was fruitlessly trying to mop some of the buttermilk -off his clothes with his handkerchief. It was -an interesting tableau, and, in spite of himself, the -disguised boy laughed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Phwat do ye mane by laughing?” roared Officer -Maloney. “Phwat’s your name? How did yez happen -to come on my bate? Ye shnake, ye’re trying to -steal me girrul!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The hot blood mounted to the face of the speaker, -and he stepped belligerently into the room.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>“Skip, Dick!” said Tucker, once more. “It’s your -last chance!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Get out!” cried Maggie, waving Maloney back. “I -don’t want to see your treacherous features. Don’t -show your face to me! You’ve broke my poor heart! -you’re a monster! Go back to your wife!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Me woife?” shouted Dennis, astounded. “Go back -to phwat?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Back to your wife, you monster! Had seventeen -girls on the string at once, did you? Bragged about -it, did you? If I’d ever found that out in time, I’d -served you the way the other one did: I’d married -you!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sure, darlint, Oi don’t undershtand yes,” faltered -Maloney. “It’s not married Oi am at all, at all.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not—not married?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not yit, and Oi nivver will be onless ye have me -yersilf.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But—but—but your friend—your friend, Officer -McGee—he told me you were married this morning.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Maloney glared at the disguised boy, at the same -time reaching for his club.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Me fri’nd, Officer McGee?” he rasped. “So thot’s -phwat he’s been telling ye, is it? Well, now Oi think -Oi’ll hav a bit to say to Officer McGee, a mon phwat -Oi nivver saw before in all me loife. Ye lyin’ shnake! -Oi’m goin’ to break yer head, so Oi am!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He meant it, too, for he charged at Dick, who barely -escaped with a nimble duck and a quick dodge to one -side.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hold on, hold on!” spluttered Bigelow, managing -to get in the enraged policeman’s way. “Let’s have -an understanding.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“An ondershtandin’?” howled Maloney. “Oi’ll give -him an ondershtandin’!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Tucker started to crawl from beneath the couch, but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>the enraged Irishman hurled Bigelow staggering to -one side, and, getting his feet tangled, the fat boy -spun like a top and finished by sitting down heavily -on Tucker’s head.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Thump! thump! thump! It was Buckhart pounding -furiously on the sink door in an effort to get out.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yow! yow!” squawked Tucker smotheredly; “my -nose—you’ve smashed my nose!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Having clung fast to the hatpin, he now jabbed it -fiercely into Bigelow, who gave a wild yell of pain -and rolled out into the middle of the room just in time -to catch Officer Maloney’s foot and send him sprawling.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Heaven sakes!” palpitated Maggie Swazey, with -uplifted hands. “This is terrible!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick saw his opportunity now and embraced it. He -did not wait for Maloney to rise, but promptly ducked -for the back door and disappeared into outer darkness.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span> - <h2 id='XXV' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXV.<br /> <span class='large'>REFUGE IN THE RIVER.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Although he did not fully understand the rather -surprising affair, Policeman Dennis Maloney was now -satisfied that his sweetheart, Maggie Swazey, had been -outrageously imposed upon by the scrubby-bearded, -red-faced, blue-coated, brass-buttoned individual he -had accidentally discovered there in the kitchen. What -part the three boys had taken in the affair he could not -understand. In fact, he was decidedly bewildered and -vexed, but, at the same time, his fighting blood was -aroused and he vowed terrible vengeance on Patrick -McGee if he could but once get his hands on that deceiving -scoundrel.</p> - -<p class='c007'>With a furious imprecation, Maloney gave Bigelow -a fierce kick in the ribs, which brought another howl -of pain from the lips of the fat chap. Scrambling to -his feet, the policeman dashed toward the door unmindful -of the imploring shriek which came from -Maggie’s lips. Forth into the darkness he hustled in -pursuit of the disguised and fleeing lad, swearing the -most terrible vengeance as he vanished.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Scuttling along the alley, Dick paused to peer out -upon the street. He did not fancy Maloney would -pursue him closely, and therefore he was startled by -the sound of thudding feet and turned to see the dark -figure of the policeman charging upon him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Cæsar’s ghost!” gasped the boy. “Here’s where -I take Tucker’s advice and hit the high places.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He knew it would be a serious thing for him if he -fell into the hands of the enraged officer. Confident -of his ability to outrun Maloney, he laughingly skipped -away. Behind him the policeman raised a great shouting.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>“Stop thafe! stop thafe!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Looking back, Merriwell saw the bluecoat, club in -hand, covering ground with wonderful speed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The boy dodged to the right at the first corner. He -collided with another policeman who had heard Maloney’s -shouts, and was rushing to discover the meaning -of the uproar. Down they went.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What in blazes——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick stopped the policeman by savagely interrupting:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What do you mean by interfering with me? Why -didn’t you nab that thief?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What thief?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The one who just dodged round this corner.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I didn’t see any one,” said the surprised officer.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then you were asleep!” snorted Merriwell, scrambling -up just as Maloney came panting and shouting -round the corner.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Stop thafe! stop thafe!” howled Dennis.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Stop thief! stop thief!” shouted Dick, taking up -the cry and leading Maloney by barely a few yards in -the breathless rush down the street.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Into the very heart of town they raced, and the -crowds upon the lighted street scattered to give them -room. People stared in wonderment, seeking to catch -a glimpse of the fleeing thief whom those two policemen -seemed pursuing. A crowd of men and boys fell -in behind Maloney, joining in the cry of, “Stop thief!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There he is, the spallpane!” panted Dennis, pointing -at Dick, who was gradually increasing the distance -between them. “Shtop him! shtop him!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But no one fancied that he meant the blue-coated -person who seemed to be leading this wild and desperate -pursuit of the unseen thief. Pointing ahead, -Dick took up the cry of the Irish cop.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There he is! there he is! Stop him! stop him!”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>At the very first opportunity Merriwell made haste -to escape from the more-crowded and better-lighted -streets. Round first one corner and then another he -whisked. Behind him came the hounds in full cry, -led by the persistent Irishman, who seemed entirely oblivious -to the fact that already he was far off his beat.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Evidently Maloney will follow me as long as -there’s the slightest chance of overtaking me,” decided -Dick. “I’ve got to shake him and that mob.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Nevertheless, not until the vicinity of the Quinnepiac -was reached did the boy feel that he had succeeded -in his purpose. Resting beside the river a short distance -above the drawbridge, Merriwell chuckled over -his adventure.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He did not remain long undisturbed. Through the -darkness two skulking figures moved toward him, and, -fancying they were pursuers searching for him there, -he hastily crouched beside a pile of timbers.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The two figures paused a short distance away and -began speaking in low tones. Peering through the -gloom, the boy made out that each carried a bundle in -his hand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m going to chuck my outfit in right here,” said -one.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I wanted to burn mine,” whispered the other -hoarsely, “but I couldn’t find an opportunity.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hello, hello!” thought the hidden boy. “I fancy I -know those chaps. I wonder what it is they’re going -to chuck into the river. My curiosity is too much for -me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Suddenly he leaped out and was right upon them -before they became aware of his presence.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Surrender, ye raskills!” he cried. “Don’t thry to -resist an officer av the law.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With gasps of dismay, both dropped their bundles -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>and took to their heels, running as if their very lives -depended upon it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Thanks,” laughed Dick, picking up the bundles. -“Now I’ll find out what you were so anxious to dispose -of.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Returning to the lumber pile, he settled himself on -a stick of timber and began to open the bundles, both -of which had been tightly rolled and securely tied with -cords. The knots bothered Dick, and he felt in vain -through the pockets of his unusual clothing in search -of a knife.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Of course I haven’t a knife,” he muttered. “Didn’t -think to put my own in a pocket of this suit. I’ll have -to untie those knots.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was a long and tiresome task, but he finally succeeded -with one of the bundles which was untied and -spread out on the ground at his feet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Clothing of some sort,” he decided, “but it’s too -dark to see just what it is. I need a match.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Once more he searched through his pockets, finally -discovering the brimstone end of a broken match.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This will have to do,” he said, as he carefully -struck the match on his trousers leg.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Shading it with his hands, he threw the light upon -the clothing outspread before him. It was a masquerade -suit of crimson.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ah-ha!” muttered Dick. “I think I have seen this -rig before. I think it was worn by Satan the night -the old warehouse burned, and if I’m not greatly mistaken -I recognized the voice of Satan just now.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He was startled by the sound of footsteps, and, -turning to glance over his shoulder, discovered three -dark figures rapidly coming down upon him. The -match was dropped.</p> - -<p class='c007'>One of the three figures had appeared between the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>boy and a distant electric light. He saw it was a -policeman.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Cornered!” thought Dick. “Jingoes, if they catch -me with this rig, I’ll be in a bad scrape! I can’t deny -that I was at the warehouse, and it’ll look as if I was -concerned in robbing the costumer’s shop.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Catching up the crimson suit and the bundle, he -sought an opening by which he could escape, but the -trio had spread out and were hemming him in so that -there seemed absolutely no chance to dodge them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Begobs, we have him now!” shouted an exultant -voice—the voice of Dennis Maloney.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not yet!” cried the boy.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Splash!—he flung himself into the cold Quinnepiac. -Freeing himself of the bundle and the crimson masquerade -suit, the boy struck out into the river.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Come on!” he challenged. “Follow me! Catch -me! I dare you!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Come back here, ye spallpane!” roared Maloney, -pausing at the water’s edge and vainly shaking his club -at the dark head which bobbed like a cork on the surface -of the river.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“In a minute—I don’t think,” was the answer. -“Why don’t you come in for me?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He’ll have to come ashore somewhere,” said another -one of the trio. “The current is carrying him -down toward the bridge. Keep watch of him. We’ll -nab him when he tries to get out.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m afraid they will,” thought the boy. “I’m still -in a nasty scrape. What’ll I do?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Suddenly he flung up his arms and uttered a painful -cry for help.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Cramps! cramps!” he shouted, floundering and -splashing in the current which was sweeping him toward -the bridge. “Help! quick! Ah——”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>Down he went, the water seeming to cut short that -last gasping cry for assistance.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The poor devil is drowning,” chattered one of the -officers.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He’s gone!” cried another.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And Oi nivver aven put the weight of me hand on -him,” muttered Maloney regretfully.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The dark current swept on into the black shadows, -beneath the bridge, but they watched in vain for the -fugitive to rise to the surface.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He’s gone,” muttered Dennis. “Oi’ll howld no -grudge. May the saints rest his sowl.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span> - <h2 id='XXVI' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXVI.<br /> <span class='large'>WHAT HAPPENED TO BRAD.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The boys waited in Dick’s room for him to reappear. -They were confident he had escaped Maloney. -With tears of merriment streaming down his cheeks, -Tucker rehearsed every particular of the preposterously -amusing affair that had taken place in the kitchen. -Tommy’s version of it was sufficient to bring a ghastly -smile to the solemn face of Jones.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, yes, it was funny, wasn’t it?” sneered Bigelow. -“I ruined a good suit of clothes, and then Tucker stuck -a butcher knife into me about a foot and a half, and -that Irish policeman wiped his feet on me and broke -a couple of ribs.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What I want to know,” said Buckhart, “is who -fastened me under the sink. Had to brace and push -with all my strength in order to break that door open.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“When Dick skipped and Maloney went after him, -howling like a madman,” laughed Tommy, “Maggie -promptly collapsed. About that time Mrs. Watson -came down on us, and I expect we’ll all get fired out -in the morning.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do wish my pard would show up,” muttered Buckhart, -glancing at the clock. “It’s strange he doesn’t -come back. Been more than an hour and a half now. -If he doesn’t get in before eleven, I’m going out looking -for him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The restlessness of the Texan finally led him to slip -downstairs, and, hearing the murmur of voices coming -from the kitchen, he tiptoed to the door and listened. -A few minutes later he came charging into the -room where the boys were gathered.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Great horn spoon!” he gasped, his face pale and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>his eyes betraying the greatest excitement. “That -Irish cop is in the kitchen this minute. Just heard -him telling Maggie how they chased Dick clean to the -river, and he tried to get away by swimming. Maloney -says he got cramps and went down. Maloney -said he sure was drowned. I don’t believe it, but I’m -going to find out what I can about it. Who’s with -me?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Seizing their hats, they followed the Texan; but on -the front steps they encountered Merriwell, who was -getting out his latchkey.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hello, fellows,” said Dick coolly. “Where are you -bound in such a rush?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well,” breathed Brad, in relief, “this sure is some -satisfying, partner. Just heard you were last seen -hollering for help in the river. You’re supposed to be -drowned.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s right,” laughed Dick, “and I’m willing they -should continue to cherish that delusion. It was the -only way I could escape. I pretended to sink, but -when the current carried me under the bridge I clung -to a pier until I could swim ashore without being seen. -It was hard work reaching the costumer’s without attracting -undesirable attention in my dripping clothes, -but I finally got there and made a change for my own -garments. I’m here, and I guess I’m all right unless -I get cold from that ducking.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In his room he told them about the two chaps who -had brought bundles of clothing with the evident intention -of casting those bundles into the river.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“One of the fellows was Ditson,” said Dick. “I -think the other was Lynch. Either Ditson or Lynch -wore that satanic masquerade outfit. Of course, I -have no proof against them, and they could give me -the laugh if I accused them; but those chaps were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>concerned in the game to amuse themselves at your -expense, Tucker.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ve thought so right along,” said Tommy. -“They’ll overstep themselves yet and get into a scrape -they can’t squirm out of.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In spite of the exciting events of the evening, Merriwell -slept well that night and did not catch cold from -his ducking. Shortly before one o’clock the following -day Brad Buckhart came hurrying into Dick’s room -and found Merriwell on the point of going out.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Pard,” said the Texan, “I’m in a scrape. Just met -Mabel Ditson and Bab Midhurst. Mabel was feeling -rather blue and downcast. It seems that Rob Claxton -invited her to attend Professor Oblong’s lecture on -Japan and then found out he couldn’t get seats. I -thought I knew where I could get a couple of seats, -and it seemed to me a good chance to get ahead of our -friend, the Virginian, and so I asked her if she would -go with me. She said she sure would, and I’ve been -round to the scalpers’ after those seats. There isn’t -one to be had for love or money. Now what do you -think of that? She’s going to be a whole lot disgusted -when I tell her I fizzled the same as Claxton -did.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Let’s see, when is this lecture?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Thursday evening.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And Friday afternoon we leave for Providence. -It’s just as well you didn’t get seats, Brad. You’re -supposed to turn in at ten o’clock Thursday night.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I could make it pretty near that,” said the -Texan.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Those lectures never last later than ten. I’d have a -cab take Mabel home, drop her, and have cabby land -me at this ranch in double-quick order.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, you ought to thank your luck that you’re not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>compelled to listen to that lecture. Don’t you hear -lectures enough?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Listen!” snorted Buckhart. “What’s the matter -with you, pard? You don’t suppose I was going to -that lecture with the idea of listening to it, do you? I -was going to take a girl—the girl—the only girl. I -was going to steal a lap on Claxton. I wouldn’t care -if the old lecture was about the Hottentots or the Zulus. -Partner, I’m going to get into that lecture if I have -to pay a ten-dollar premium on tickets. You hear -me warble!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’d better forget it,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But the Texan did not forget it, and on Thursday -he triumphantly announced that he had secured tickets -by paying double price for them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, you’d better consult Jones about staying out -after ten to-night,” advised Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Brad consulted Blessed and was given permission to -attend the lecture on his pledge to lose no time about -getting to bed after it was over.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Going to do this thing up brown, partner,” -chuckled Buckhart, as he dressed that evening. “My -carriage will call for me at seven-thirty. If you happen -to see Claxy this evening, be good enough to find -a way to tell him that I’ve taken Miss Ditson to the -lecture. That sure ought to bump him some.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In spite of his promise to seek the mattress as quickly -as possible after the lecture was over, Brad permitted -himself to be lured into the house by Mabel, who told -him that Barbara wished to see him. He did not stop -many minutes, but came out in high good spirits, -bounded down the steps, reached the waiting cab, flung -open the door, and jumped in.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He sprang into the enfolding arms of some one who -was sitting inside the cab. Those arms, clasped about -his own, held him like bands of steel.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span>“Whoop!” roared the Texan, in astonishment. -“Whatever does this mean?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Over his shoulder a voice said:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Lively with that stuff! Come on, quick!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then Brad perceived a dark figure in front of him -and suddenly a sickly, pungent odor assailed his nostrils. -A handkerchief saturated with chloroform was -held over his mouth and nose.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Texan put up a savage fight, but his efforts -were futile, and in the end he was overcome, sinking -helpless in the arms of the fellow who had clung to -him with such fierce tenacity through it all.</p> - -<p class='c007'>When Brad revived he found himself in a basement -room, stretched upon a wretched cot, with a rough table -near at hand and a smoking lamp burning on the table. -It was some time before he could realize his situation. -Gradually he recalled what had happened, and, with a -groan, he started up from the couch. He was still -dressed in evening clothes, although his collar and -necktie had been torn away. There was a sensation of -nausea at the pit of his stomach and his head swam. -After a moment he was forced to sink back upon the -couch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What does it mean?” he muttered. “Where am -I, anyhow? How did I get here?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>There were no windows save a small, narrow transom -above the one heavy door of the room. He was -impressed with the belief that the room was sunken -deep beneath the ground and no sounds he made could -be heard outside. Nevertheless, finally summoning his -strength, he raised an outcry.</p> - -<p class='c007'>When there was no answer he succeeded in dragging -himself to his feet, reeled across the cemented -floor, and tried to open the door.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It refused to move before his efforts.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>“No use,” he muttered, stumbling back to the couch -and dropping upon it. “I’m bagged. I can’t understand -it, and I suppose I’ll have to wait until somebody -comes around to explain. If it’s a joke, it’s a -blamed poor one. You hear me gurgle!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span> - <h2 id='XXVII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXVII.<br /> <span class='large'>FROM THE BAR Z RANCH.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Although he had promised to return early that night, -the Texan did not return at all. Dick was highly -vexed over Buckhart’s failure to come in as soon as -he had promised, finally falling asleep with the intention -to give Brad a piece of his mind in the morning.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In the morning the Texan was still absent. Dick became -alarmed. As soon as possible he telephoned to -Mabel and learned that Brad had bidden her good -night before ten-thirty the previous evening.</p> - -<p class='c007'>What had become of Buckhart? This was the question -which soon stirred up no end of excitement, but -midday delivery brought Dick a letter which he anxiously -opened, reading the following message:</p> - -<p class='c009'>“<span class='sc'>Dear Pard</span>: Suppose you’re a heap worried about -me. You needn’t be. I’m all right. Will explain on -meeting you in Providence. I’ll be there in time to -do the backstopping in that game. Depend on me.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Faithfully, <span class='sc'>Brad</span>.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'>Not thirty minutes behind the letter arrived a -startlingly picturesque individual who nearly pulled -the door bell out by the roots and scared Maggie when -she appeared at the door by yanking off his broad-brimmed -hat, making a sweeping bow and huskily saying:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How are yer, miss? Is this yere the ranch where -Brad Buckhart can be found?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Maggie was tempted to close the door in the face -of that bewhiskered, sunburned, booted, and spurred -man. From his Stetson hat to his high-heeled boots -he looked like the burlesque Western desperado seen on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>the stage. Around his waist he wore a loose belt -which supported a pistol holster, the latter, however, -being empty.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mr. Buckhart—he—rooms here,” faltered Maggie, -“but you see, sir—he—ain’t to home now.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Waal, that’s all right, my gal,” said the fierce-looking -man, “I’ll just walk in and wait for him. You -see I’m from his father’s ranch, the Bar Z, and the -old man axed me to look up Brad while I was on yere. -You can show me his room, little gal. I’ll squat thar.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Shiveringly Maggie led the way to Buckhart’s room, -into which the visitor strode with an air of perfect -self-assurance.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I—I’m afraid you’ll have to wait an awful long -time, sir,” said the girl. “I understand Mr. Buckhart -he has gone away somewhere, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Waal, whar’s he gone?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I dunno, sir. I dunno’s anybody knows, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick Merriwell looked in from the adjoining room. -He had the singular letter in his hand, for he was still -puzzling over it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you want to see Buckhart, sir?” he inquired.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I sure do,” answered the visitor. “Mebbe you can -tell me when he’ll git back. My name is Bill Bugle, -and I’m a cow-puncher from the Bar Z. You see the -boy’s old man axed me would I drop round and see -him and bring back a report as to how he was gittin’ -along here. Who are you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My name is Merriwell, and I’m——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Put her thar!” shouted Bugle, extending his hand. -“Why, you’re Brad’s kid pard. You’re the youngster -he’s writ so much about to his old man. I’m certain -powerful glad to meet up with you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Maggie retreated, leaving them together, and in a -very short time Dick and the visitor became surprisingly -friendly. The door into the hall was closed, and, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>listening from the stairs some minutes later, Miss -Swazey heard Dick and Bugle laughing in the most -friendly manner. They seemed to be enjoying something -like a joke.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A little later Dick gave out the contents of the letter -he had received. When its genuineness was -doubted he asserted that the writing looked like that of -Buckhart, and he was confident the Texan would show -up in Providence according to his promise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Among the freshmen who accompanied the team to -Providence were to be seen the entire Ditson crowd. -On reaching the city they took a suite of rooms at a -medium-priced hotel, and immediately pooled every -dollar they could raise for the purpose of betting -against Yale.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s a dead cinch!” Mike Lynch asserted. “Without -Buckhart behind the bat Merriwell will be hammered -out of the box.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But how do you know for a fact that he won’t -have Buckhart?” inquired Mel Daggett. “Of course -we all know that the Texan isn’t with the team, but -they say Merriwell has heard from him and he’s promised -to be in the game.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s all right, Mel,” smiled Duncan Ditson -knowingly. “We have reasons to know that Buckhart -won’t show his nose on the field to-morrow. He won’t -be in the game, so don’t you worry about your money. -Here’s where we fellows make a clean-up that will put -us on our feet again.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If we don’t,” said Jim Poland; “if we lose, I’m -ruined this time. I don’t know how I’m going to raise -another dollar.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>That night Ditson and Lynch slept well after drinking -to their good luck, which they believed was assured. -The following forenoon the Yale men put in -some light practice on the field. They waited in vain -<span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>for the appearance of Buckhart, although Dick remained -confident that Brad would show up.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But when the time arrived for the team to dress -and proceed to the field Buckhart was still missing. -No one seemed more disappointed over this than Bill -Bugle, who hung around the boys, and, through Dick’s -intercession, was finally given permission to ride to -the field on the barge with the players.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I used to play this yere game some myself,” he -announced. “I wonder if you youngsters wouldn’t let -me git holt of the ball. I’d like to do some batting -for ye when ye practice.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ll have to take you for a mascot,” said Robinson. -“If you can bat for us, we’ll let you do so.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>There was more or less laughter and joshing from -the Providence boys as the Yale team marched onto -the field with Bugle at the side of Blessed Jones. Every -one watched with intense curiosity to see what the -man would do when he seized a bat and prepared to -take part in the practice. To the surprise of all, he -hammered the ball in a scientific manner, driving it -wherever he chose and in whatever manner he chose.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Buckhart was still absent and the Yale players -were downcast. They were talking about a substitute -catcher when Bugle announced that he was going to -do the catching himself. They gave very little heed to -this until Tucker called attention to the fact that the -Westerner was shedding his garments. The man had -stepped out into an open space near the Yale bench -where he proceeded to kick off his high-heeled boots, -skin his shirt over his head, and snap himself out of -his trousers before a hand could be lifted to prevent. -These movements produced a most astonishing metamorphosis, -for beneath those outer garments Bugle -wore the baseball uniform of Yale Uumpty-ten. Not -only that, but his whiskers and long hair vanished with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>the rest of his outfit, and, as he turned toward the -bench, Dick Merriwell observed:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I told you Brad would arrive on time, boys. Here -he is.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The astonishment of the Yale lads was unspeakable, -for before them stood Buckhart, smiling and wiping -some of the grease paint from his face with a soiled -handkerchief.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Just a little joke,” explained Brad, with a wink. -“We’ll talk it over later, fellows. Now let’s get into -this game and eat Brown up.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In the midst of the universal excitement the consternation -of the Ditson crowd failed to attract particular -attention. As for Lynch and Duncan, both -seemed to fancy themselves dreaming. They were -aroused by Daggett, who snarled at them:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You know a lot, don’t you? You knew Buckhart -wouldn’t be here, but there he is!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, there he is,” muttered Poland, who had lost -heart at once, “and Yale will win this game. Fellows, -we’re busted, every blamed one of us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Jim was right, for Yale put up a great game against -the clever Brown freshmen. Nevertheless, it was nobody’s -game until the eighth inning, when, with the -bases filled, Buckhart smashed out a home run that -proved to be the undoing of Brown. Among Dick’s -backers the man behind the bat was the one who really -won the game.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was true the entire Ditson crowd was unspeakably -disgusted and sore. That night they quarreled among -themselves, and Mel Daggett wore a black eye for some -days thereafter.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Of course Dick had known for a certainty that Buckhart -would be in the game, having penetrated the disguise -of the young Texan shortly after he appeared -as Bill Bugle. The letter was a clever forgery. Brad -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>had succeeded in escaping through his own efforts, -having broken the lock on the door of the wretched -room in which he found himself confined.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Although the Texan believed there had been no intention -to perpetrate serious injury upon him, he -thirsted for revenge upon the fellows who had sought -to carry through such a rascally piece of business. -This led him to visit the costumer so often patronized -by Dick, where he secured the cowboy outfit and made -himself up to pass as a cattleman from the Bar Z.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But the fact that they lost their bets doesn’t satisfy -me by a whole lot,” he declared. “I’d like to have -proof of the identity of those two gents who nabbed -me in the cab. If I ever do get such proof, I’ll light -on them all spraddled out. You hear me softly -warble!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>A few days later, Dick was pitching for practice, -when a number of the members of the varsity nine -happened along and were at once struck with the wondrous -way in which Dick manipulated the ball.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The varsity nine is mighty weak as to pitchers,” -said one of the spectators of Dick’s skill. “I wish -it were possible to get Merriwell to help us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The others laughed at the idea of the possibility of -a mere freshman giving instructions to the men of the -varsity nine. Yet this chance remark made by a junior -classman led on to very practical results. For not -long after that Dick was called upon to give a practical -demonstration of his cleverness with the ball for the -edification of the varsity nine.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span> - <h2 id='XXVIII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXVIII.<br /> <span class='large'>A PITCHER NEEDED.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>For some time, indeed, there had been a feeling of -uneasiness and apprehension on the varsity nine. This -feeling culminated following the game with Williams -in which the youngsters from the hilly country came -near administering a most disgraceful trouncing to -Yale. Pitcher after pitcher was tried in the box by -the Elis, but the Williams lads seemed to find every -blue twirler an easy mark. Only for the terrific batting -of Henderson, and Cunningham’s freak home run -that sent in three men ahead of him, Williams would -have scooped the game.</p> - -<p class='c007'>That there was something the matter with Yale’s -pitching staff the critics acknowledged. Efforts had -been made to keep this fact out of the newspapers, and -in some way influence had succeeded in gagging Walter -Billings, the college reporter, whose opinions in regard -to Yale athletics were highly respected and universally -conceded to be remarkably astute. But Billings -could be choked off no longer. He grimly declared -that it was for the good of the nine and forthwith -proceeded to express his opinion in print. From -him it became universally known that Yale was far -from satisfied with her pitching staff.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Pumper” Welch, the chief pitcher of the team, was -so sore over this that he refused to recognize Billings -for several days. Welch claimed that a slight lameness -in his arm had prevented him from doing his -best in the Williams game. No one could remember -of hearing him mention this lameness before he was -batted out of the box. More than that, he seemed -to have unusual speed that day, but the Williams lads -had a taste for speed and simply ate up his fast ones.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>In order to do its best a team must have confidence -in its pitcher. Without such confidence the players -are liable to make the most outrageous errors and in -many cases the entire team will get rattled and go to -pieces at a critical moment.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Yale dreaded the games that lay before her. The -harder ones were to come. If Williams could be defeated -only by a fluke home run, what would happen -when the blue went up against the crimson? Harvard -had the pitchers, and everything seemed to indicate -that her team was stronger than it had been the season -before when she snatched the championship from Yale -in two straight.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Manager, captain, and coaches were worried. Consultations -were frequent There was any amount of -guarded talk and argument and a great deal of dubious -head-shaking. Something must be done, but what?—that -was the question.</p> - -<p class='c007'>One balmy morning Dick Merriwell met Billings on -the campus. Walter squinted at Dick through his -spectacles and then stopped short and called to him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hello, Merriwell,” he said, shaking the freshman’s -hand. “How’s trix? Everything going all right?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“First-rate,” was the cheerful answer.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you’re pitching your arm off, boy. Now don’t -tell me you’re not. You’re doing too much. You’ll -hurt yourself.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m pretty careful of that arm,” laughed Dick. “I -watch it and care for it as if it were a baby. I don’t -think I’ll injure it, Billings.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you’re doing more than half the pitching for -your team. You’re winning the games, too, and I -know you’ve got a third-rate bunch behind you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Some fellows would have swelled up and looked flattered -over a compliment like this, but not so with Dick. -Instead of that he gravely protested that he thought -<span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>the Umpty-ten team very good indeed. Billings grinned -but failed to provoke the freshman into the slightest -display of amused sarcasm.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You talk as if you meant it,” said the reporter.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I do.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Impossible!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I do,” repeated Dick. “No pitcher can win right -along unless he has good backing.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, but there are a lot of soreheads who are not -playing on your team.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I know that, and we’re better off without such fellows. -Their jealousies and ambitions make them detrimental -to the good of any team they get on.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I guess that’s right,” nodded Billings.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’d rather have nine men who are not quite so brilliant, -but who have the right spirit and the determination -to play the game for the glory of their team -or college than to have a team made up of stars, every -one of whom is looking for his own glory.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’ve got a level head, young fellow,” said Billings. -“You’re all right. I’ve been watching you some -time. You’re a comer, and I bet my life you’ll get -there.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Thank you,” murmured Dick, blushing.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m sorry you’re a freshman this year. Wish you -weren’t barred from varsity baseball. The varsity -needs you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I don’t think——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I know,” interrupted Billings quickly. “You’d be -a great help to the varsity nine. It’s no secret now -that we are weak on the slab.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There are candidates enough.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Candidates enough, such as they are. Never in my -life saw such a swarm of fellows trying to pitch. -They’ve been culled out and sifted down to five or six -at the present time, but out of what remains there’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>not a single steady, cool-headed, reliable man with real -talent for pitching. Of course, I don’t want to be -quoted, Merriwell. I wouldn’t say this to every one, -but it’s a fact.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There’s no danger that I’ll repeat it, Billings. It’s -a shame.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It is a shame!” growled Walter. “Already we’ve -been beaten by some of the smaller teams. What will -happen to us when we go up against some of the better -ones? It makes me sick to think what Harvard -is sure to do to us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s the matter with Welch for a pitcher?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The trouble is right here,” answered Billings, tapping -his forehead. “Welch has speed and kinks and -all that, but he doesn’t use his head.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, there’s Swett. Every one seemed to think -him a wizard.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He’s a spit-ball pitcher, and that’s all you can say -about him. He hasn’t another thing but the spit ball, -and some days he’s liable to throw that straight up into -the air.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How about Dud Towne?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All he knows anything about is a drop. Give him -a hard game, put him up against good batters, and -he insists on pitching that drop all the time. Result, -a lame arm constantly. He’s been told that he’ll ruin -his wing.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, there’s Wilbur Keene.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“In my opinion he’s the most promising man we -have. He’s the youngest and the least experienced, -but he’s in earnest and he has a splendid inshoot which -is frightfully hard to hit; but he lacks confidence, and -there’s always a chance that he’ll blow up in a tight -place.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“With proper coaching some of these fellows ought -to make good men.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>“With proper coaching—there’s the rub. Welch resents -coaching. Towne is too opinionated, and set to -improve by it. Swett is so sensitive that he can’t accept -criticism. Besides that, it takes a peculiar talent -to coach a pitcher properly. I say, Merriwell, why -don’t you come out to the field this afternoon? I suppose -you’re busy with your own team, but you might -get off for an hour. Come along with me, will you? -I’d like to have your ideas concerning the practice and -the men. You might give me some hints that I can -use.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I wouldn’t like to do that,” said Dick. “Not for -the world would I let any one get the impression that -I had criticized the varsity.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All right, then, don’t give me any hints, but come -out to the field. It won’t do you any hurt to stay away -from your own team’s practice to-day—it’ll do you -good. Will you come if I’ll fix it? I’ll speak to Jones -about it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, if you’re so eager for my society and you can -arrange it,” laughed Dick, “I’ll come.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span> - <h2 id='XXIX' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXIX.<br /> <span class='large'>DICK ACCEPTS A CHALLENGE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The field presented a lively appearance when Billings -and Merriwell arrived that afternoon. Three or -four coachers were hard at work with the regular -players and the substitutes. Of the pitchers three were -limbering their arms while two more batted for the -practicing fielders. The manager and the head coach -were standing apart from the other men on the field, -engaged in an earnest argument. Captain Emery was -working like a Trojan, and it was plain by the expression -on his face that he was not wholly without worry. -Some forty or fifty students were scattered about in -little groups on the bleachers, watching the practice.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Billings was recognized the moment he appeared, but -the sudden show of interest, the sudden craning of -necks—Billings’ companion caused all this.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s Merriwell.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s he doing here?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There’s a pitcher.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s a shame we can’t use him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I don’t know. He might not prove so much -in real fast company.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>At this the fellow who had expressed regret because -the varsity was not permitted to use Dick proceeded -to straighten up and assert his belief that the freshman -was just about the hottest thing in the way of a -twirler that had been seen at Yale since the days of -his famous brother.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mark what I say,” said this chap, shaking a finger -in the air, “that boy is a wizard. I’ve watched -him pitch, and I know what I’m talking about. He -has some kinks up his sleeve that no one ever saw -before.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>“Can he throw the double shoot?” laughed a sarcastic -chap with a cigarette. “You know Frank Merriwell -had the reputation of pitching such a ball. -Why, there are fellows right here in college who really -believe he could throw a ball that would curve two -ways.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Of course you don’t believe anything of that kind?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do I look like an idiot? I admit that Merriwell -had some kind of a deceptive twist, but common sense -will tell any one that the double shoot is a rank impossibility.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There was a time,” said the other, “that common -sense seemed to tell every one that any kind of a curve -was an impossibility. Even at the present time there -are lots of curves and shoots that cannot be explained -by the wisest seers. Who can give an acceptable -theory of the erratic actions of the spit ball? Sometimes -it curves slowly, sometimes it doesn’t curve at -all, and sometimes it breaks at a sharp angle.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s Billings doing with Merriwell?” inquired a -curious chap. “He’s taken him over to the bench. -They’re talking with Leyden.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Leyden was the head coach. It happened that -Billings was simply introducing Dick to the man.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How are things going to-day, Mr. Leyden?” inquired -the reporter.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The coach regarded him suspiciously.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now don’t come to me for material,” he said. -“You’ve made trouble enough already, Billings. Go -ahead and write your stuff, but don’t expect assistance -from me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Billings smiled.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think I’ve taken pains never to give away any confidences -or secrets,” he said. “No one has the good -of the team more at heart than I have. Sometimes it -becomes necessary to tell the truth. I kept still until -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>outsiders began to get onto the actual condition here. -It’s no secret that Yale needs pitchers. I wish we -were in position to give this boy a trial, Leyden.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He placed his hand on Dick’s shoulder as he spoke, -causing the lad to flush and look embarrassed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Of course you know we can’t do that, and he might -not prove the man we need if we could.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This boy,” said Walter, “is a natural pitcher. He’s -made a study of it, and he has a few original curves -of his own.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There are no original curves nowadays, Billings. -There’s nothing new in that line.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Think so?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Say, why don’t you give Merriwell an opportunity -to pitch for batting practice? Your batting practice -is rather tame in my estimation. Can’t get a pitcher -to go out there and pitch the way he would in a game, -you know. They simply go out and throw the ball -straight over. This doesn’t do much good for the -batter.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I didn’t come out to take any part in the practice, -Billings,” said Dick hastily.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Discovering Merriwell, Pumper Welch came slouching -up, a sarcastic smile on his face. Welch had never -liked Dick, and he now seized the opportunity to be -nasty.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hello, Merriwell,” he said. “I suppose you’ve -come out to show us how to pitch?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>There was something absolutely insulting in the way -these words were spoken.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How do you do, Welch,” bowed the freshman, his -eyes snapping a bit. “I didn’t come out to show you -how to pitch. I presume you know it all.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I won’t come to you to learn what I don’t know,” -was the instant retort.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dudley Towne came forward. Like Welch, Towne -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>had no love for Dick. He had not forgotten how, in -the fall games, the freshman had outpitched him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why aren’t you practicing with your team this -afternoon, Merriwell?” he inquired. “I presume you’re -such an expert that you really don’t need to practice -much of any?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Frank Emery came trotting forward.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’re going to get some batting practice now,” he -said. “You pitch first, will you, Towne? Wake up a -little and give ’em something to hit. Don’t simply -lob over some lazy straight ones. You haven’t got to -pitch your arm off, but you can use a few curves, you -know.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Towne scowled and looked sulky.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My wing is lame, cap,” he said. “Don’t you think -I’ve used it about enough this afternoon? Of course, -I’ll pitch if you say so, but——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If your arm is lame, I should think you’d keep it -covered up when you get through working,” said -Emery warmly. “Why, you don’t even put on a -sweater, Towne. A man without sense enough to take -care of his arm is bound to have a lame wing the most -of the time. We can get along without you. Where’s -that freshman, Toleman? He’s the only fellow who -really does give the batters any practice that’s worth -while.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Toleman hasn’t been out this afternoon,” said -Leyden. “Billings was just proposing that we should -use this youngster in batting practice.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, hello, Merriwell!” cried Emery cordially. -“What are you doing here? All right, come ahead -and pitch a while, will you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This was not my proposition,” said Dick. “I -simply came round to look on. Thought I might pick -up some points for my own benefit, you know.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>At this Welch laughed unpleasantly.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>“Just peel off and pitch a while, Merriwell,” he said. -“I wish you would. I’d like to bat against you. I’ve -never had a chance. You’re pretty clever at striking -out freshmen, but you’ll find it different against real -batters. I’m a fairly good hitter myself, and I don’t -think you could strike me out in a week.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps not,” admitted Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Thinking Merriwell frightened, Welch proceeded to -rub it in by offering to give the boy ten dollars every -time he struck out if Dick would give him a dollar -for every clean hit he made.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Which is the same as betting,” said Dick. “I never -bet.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Of course he doesn’t,” chuckled Towne. “He -hasn’t sand enough. I don’t believe he has the nerve -to get out here and pitch for batting practice.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What sort of batting practice is this to be?” demanded -Dick sharply. “Under ordinary circumstances -the pitching is not made too difficult for the -batter. It’s not customary in such practice for the -pitcher to deceive the batter in any possible way. Instead -of that, he is to put the ball over if he can.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you’ll pitch, I shall be highly pleased to have -you deceive me in any possible manner,” said Welch. -“Just show what you can do, will you? They say Manhattan -College has a pitcher after your style, and I -just want to show the boys what I’m going to do to -him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Go ahead, Merriwell,” urged Emery.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Thus challenged, Dick proceeded to pull off his coat -and get ready for business.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span> - <h2 id='XXX' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXX.<br /> <span class='large'>THE FRESHMAN PITCHER.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Dick had not come out for that purpose, and he -gave Billings a good-natured frown, receiving in return -an equally good-natured smile of satisfaction. -Things had happened exactly the way Billings had -hoped they would. It was his belief that Merriwell -could show the varsity pitchers a few tricks, but the -boy was not the kind voluntarily to show off, and the -pride and prejudice of the varsity pitchers would prevent -them from seeking any tips of a freshman.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It must be confessed that Merriwell’s blood had been -warmed a little by the unconcealed sneering of Welch -and Towne. He knew both of these fellows disliked -him heartily, and, to tell the truth, he was not inclined -to waste any love on them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Having practically stated that he would do all sorts -of things to Dick’s delivery, Welch sought permission -to lead off in the batting and was given a nod by -Emery.</p> - -<p class='c007'>For the first time Billings was a trifle worried, for -he feared the freshman might not be up to his usual -form. If this should be the case and the boy was -batted freely and heavily, Billings knew he would “get -the laugh” from those chaps who were eagerly watching -for him to make a mistake in judgment.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“As this is not to be ordinary batting practice, -Emery,” he said, “why don’t you appoint an umpire to -call balls and strikes? That’s the only way to make -a fair test of it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You might do that, Leyden,” suggested Emery. -“It will give you a chance to watch the kid’s curves. -You can tell in a few moments if he has anything up -his sleeve.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>The coach jogged out and took his position back of -the pitcher’s stand. A few of the regulars and a -number of subs were placed on bases and in the field. -Del Cranch, the catcher, leisurely sauntered into position -some twenty-five feet behind the batter. There -was no reason why he should get under the stick where -he might be hurt, just to limber his arm a bit, Dick -threw a few balls to the chap on first.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now watch me pound this wonderful freshman’s -curves,” invited Welch, in a low tone, as he walked -out to the plate.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Pumper is too confident,” muttered Dudley Towne. -“I’ve batted against Merriwell, and he isn’t easy, although -I wouldn’t tell him so for the world.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The first ball delivered by Dick looked good to -Welch, but it took a queer inward twist, passing close -to his knees, and he did not even foul it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“One strike,” called Leyden. “You’ll have to use -better judgment than that, Welch. It didn’t even -cross the inside corner.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Pumper shrugged his shoulders and grinned.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Just wanted to encourage him, that’s all,” he said. -“Now he’ll have to put ’em over.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But the next two balls were wide, which made it -seem that Dick’s control was rather poor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, come! come!” cried the batter. “You can’t -fool me, kid. Don’t wear yourself out. Don’t waste -your strength. Get ’em over, get ’em over.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Even as Pumper was speaking Dick delivered a -speedy one that seemed to make the air sizzle.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Welch struck under it at least a foot.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hello, hello,” muttered Leyden, “that was a pretty -jump ball. Can you throw it when you wish, youngster?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If I’m in proper form, I can. Occasionally I can’t -make it jump as much as I would like. It’s one of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>hardest balls to pitch, because there seems to be no -regular way to throw it that will give positive and -consistent results. Sometimes when I try hardest to -make it jump it pans out to be merely a high straight -ball.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you pitch a raise ball the same as you do the -jump?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, no,” answered Dick quickly. “The two are -pitched in entirely different ways. The jump is the -result of extreme speed with an overhand delivery. -I’ll pitch the raise ball now.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>These final words were spoken in such a low tone -that they did not reach the ears of Welch. Grasping -the ball exactly as if he meant to pitch an outcurve, -Dick swung his arm, dropping his hand nearly to the -level of his knee. The ball left his hand and came -floating up toward the batter’s shoulder in a most deceptive -manner. There was no great speed, and it -seemed easy enough to hit the ball. Nevertheless, -Welch struck under it, for, even though he knew it -was a rise, he found it something he could not accurately -gauge.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“One strike-out,” called Leyden. “Try again, -Pumper. Perhaps you’ll do better next time.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>A tinge of red leaped into the cheeks of Welch, -and he bit his lips angrily.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, that’s once,” he admitted. “I’m all through -encouraging the kid.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’ve been very kind,” said Dick, with mock -gratitude.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He’s laughing at you, Welch,” whispered Towne -behind his outspread hand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Pumper set his teeth and squared his jaw, gripping -the bat fiercely. An outcurve nearly led him into -reaching, but he checked himself just in time for Leyden -to call a ball instead of a strike. Another outcurve -<span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>followed and Welch edged up close to the rubber, -his toes almost touching it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick now grasped the ball firmly with two fingers, -while his curved thumb touched it very lightly. Keeping -his hand in an upright position as he swung, he let -the ball go over the tips of his fingers with a lateral -motion. All the speed he could command was put into -this delivery. When the ball left his fingers it was -turning from right to left and apparently aimed to -cross the outside corner of the plate.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Just as Welch swung the sphere took a sudden inshoot, -and he actually felt its breath as it twisted past -his ear.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Realizing he had been deceived by a high inshoot -that had nearly hit him, Welch snarled at the freshman:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Look out there! You came near hitting me in the -head then! You want to be careful!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you’d been hit in the head, Pumper, you might -have blamed yourself,” said Leyden. “You’re standing -on top of the rubber. Get back the proper distance.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>By this time Welch was both angry and ashamed. -He sullenly moved back from the plate, feeling his -blood leaping hotly in his veins.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ve got to hit the next one I swing at,” he thought. -“I’ve got to—and I will.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In spite of this determination, he merely fouled the -next ball he went after.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Saved yourself by touching it,” said Leyden. -“You still have a chance.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Thus far, with the single exception of the raise -ball, Dick had been using speed. He now swung overhand -as if intending to throw a swift one, but when -the ball left his fingers it seemed to hang in the air -as if some invisible force was retarding it. Welch -<span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>saw it coming and knew it would cross the pan fairly. -He was impatient to hit at it, and, in spite of himself, -he could not wait until the ball was near enough. -Swinging far too soon, he missed it entirely. Some -of the spectators laughed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Welch longed to send his bat spinning at Dick Merriwell’s -head, for there is nothing so provoking to a -batter as to be fooled by a slow ball. It makes him -feel foolish, and the laughter that invariably greets his -ears arouses his ire.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s two strike-outs, and you haven’t even hit a -little one into the diamond, Welch,” reminded Leyden. -“The youngster is fooling you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Welch was at a loss for words.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Where’s Henderson?” cried some one. “Carl’s the -man to bump that sort of pitching.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Carl Henderson was the most reliable batter on the -Yale team. The pitcher who could strike him out had -good reason to plume himself on his feat.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m not through yet,” declared Welch hastily. -“I’m just getting his measure. In batting practice we -always have three hits at the ball.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But there are others who wish to try their skill -some time this afternoon, you know,” drawled Billings. -“If they wait for you to get three hits, Welch, -I’m afraid they won’t have a chance to try their luck -at all.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yar!” muttered Pumper to himself. “That bighead -Billings always did make me sick! He says the -varsity is weak in the box. I suppose the next thing -that will happen he’ll write an article claiming the -freshmen have a better pitcher than the varsity.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t go off in a trance, Welch!” cried Leyden, as -the ball whistled past the batter. “That ball was -straight over the heart of the pan, but you didn’t see it, -and I won’t call a strike on you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>Again Pumper heard a titter, and by this time his -blood was being pumped through his veins in such a -manner that it caused a hammering sound in his ears. -He glared at Dick with the most malicious hatred.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Come on! come on!” he snapped. “I’m waiting! -When you get through showing off and playing your -monkey tricks perhaps you’ll settle down and pitch in -a decent manner!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell made no retort, but deliberately tossed up -a straight ball that cut the plate in two equal halves.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Welch, however, could not believe Merriwell had -thrown a straight one, and swinging in anticipation -of a curve, he made another clean miss. After all -his boasting he was making a sorry spectacle of himself.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Following this Pumper managed to foul the ball -twice, but he ended by biting at another jump and being -again declared out by Leyden.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Here, give somebody else a chance, Welch,” called -Captain Emery. “Let’s see if the freshman is invincible. -Come on, Henderson, show us what you can do.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Pumper turned and savagely flung his bat toward -the pile lying near the bench. Even Towne joined in -the chaffing that was tossed after him as he retired -from the plate.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span> - <h2 id='XXXI' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXI.<br /> <span class='large'>THE GREAT REBELLION.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Two of the pitchers, Sweet and Keene, were now -behind Cranch, watching the freshman’s curves.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t see that he has anything in particular, do -you?” muttered Swett.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Nothing remarkable,” said Keene.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He has good control for one thing,” observed -Cranch. “He can put the ball just where he wants -to.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know,” came from Swett. “He doesn’t put -them all over.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He doesn’t want to.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Most pitchers try to in batting practice.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you seem to forget that the freshman was up -against a challenge. Pumper made some talk about -pounding him all over the field.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, Pumper’s great on making talk,” said Swett. -“He doesn’t mean half he says.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But he’s sore now,” declared Keene, as Welch -hurled his bat aside and walked toward the bench.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now take a lesson by that fellow,” muttered -Cranch. “I’ve told him time after time that his temper -spoiled his pitching. When things go wrong in a -game he acts just as he’s acting now. A pitcher who -permits himself to get wrathy never can do his best.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, we’ll see what Henderson can do to the -freshie,” said Swett. “Old Hen ought to biff him -some.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick knew he was up against the crack batter of -the varsity, and his first inclination was not to attempt -to strike Henderson out. The first ball he delivered -was straight over, and Carl smashed it out on a -line.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>“Clean hit!” cried Leyden.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, it’s different now! it’s different now!” shouted -a voice. “The freshie will find he’s pitching against -a real batter!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What fool said that?” snarled Welch, glaring -around in search of the speaker.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Whoever it was, the fellow kept himself out of -sight for the time being.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick saw Swett and Keene laughing behind Cranch. -There were other players behind those fellows, all eager -to watch the work of young Merriwell. The boy was -now spurred to do his best.</p> - -<p class='c007'>When the ball was returned to him Dick settled himself -for business. Three times he pitched the jump -to Henderson and three times Henderson fouled. -Then a sharp twisting drop caused the batter to make -a clean miss, and Merriwell secured the credit of a -strike-out.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well! well! well!” shouted a fellow on the bleachers. -“What’s the matter with Hen?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Welch sat up and took notice.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If he can strike Henderson out again,” thought -Pumper, “I won’t feel so bad over my own batting.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The great Yale hitter leaned over the rubber plate -and thumped it with the end of his “slugger.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That was first-rate, Merriwell,” he nodded. “You -certainly caught me napping.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>A moment later Henderson batted a slow grounder -into the diamond. It was gathered cleanly and -snapped to first.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No hit,” came from Leyden. “That would have -been an easy out at first.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, what do you think of that, Swett?” muttered -Wilbur Keene. “Hen doesn’t seem to be hitting -the freshman very hard.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>“Wait,” said Swett, “Carl is taking Merriwell’s -measure. I reckon he’ll baste it next time he swings.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Dick was taking Henderson’s measure, and by -this time he had learned something of the great batter’s -weak points. Two fouls followed, and then, for -the first time that day, Dick used the combination -ball. It started like a rise, but shifted into a drop, -and once more Henderson experienced the mortification -of striking out.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Here, give me a chance,” laughed Captain Emery, -seizing a bat and trotting out to the plate. “Of course -I don’t expect to do any better than you fellows, but I -want to see why it is you can’t hit him. He looks -easy enough.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Emery was a left-hand hitter. The moment he -saw this, Dick shifted his position, took the ball in -his left hand, and pitched in that manner.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hold on! hold on!” cried Emery. “You’re right-handed. -What are you doing, anyhow, Merriwell?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I pitch with either hand,” smiled Dick. “As a -rule, I use my left hand when I find myself up against -a left-hand hitter.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, by Jove, I knew that, but I’d forgotten it!” -said Emery. “You’re the only pitcher I ever saw who -could really do that trick. Have you any speed with -your left?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not much,” answered Dick; but a moment later he -sent over a left-hander that seemed to make the air -smoke.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, not a bit of speed—not a bit!” cried Emery, -who struck and missed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Having struck the Yale captain out, Dick seemed -satisfied, for he made no further effort to secure -strike-outs, although he continued pitching for ten -minutes or more. Once in a while he would send in -a queer shoot or curve that would bewilder the man -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>at bat, but he did not keep himself constantly at his -best.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Bill Toleman had arrived on the field as Dick walked -out to pitch. After watching Merriwell a while, -Toleman retired to the bleachers and listened to the -comments of the spectators. What he overheard did -not seem to please him, and finally, in a surly manner, -he left the field. Keene was called out to pitch when -Dick stopped. Leyden walked in to the bench with the -freshman.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, what do you think about the boy, Bill?” -asked Billings, who was smiling with a great deal of -satisfaction.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The coach scratched his head.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He certainly has the kinks and the control,” he -admitted. “I’ve never seen him pitch in a game, but -if he has a level head I should say he’s all the mustard.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>This pleased Billings, who proceeded to call Emery -and Leyden aside where he could speak to them -privately.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t want you gentlemen to think I’m butting -in,” he said, “but, of course, you know that I have -the interest of the team at heart just as much as any -one. I’m not here to give you any advice, but if you -won’t be offended, I’ll make a suggestion.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>They exchanged glances, and then Emery said:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ll listen to your suggestion, Billings.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sure,” nodded Leyden. “We don’t have to accept -it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Certainly not,” said Walter quickly. “It’s rather -unusual, I will admit; but why not get Merriwell to -coach the varsity pitchers?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Emery looked astounded.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Unusual?” he cried. “I should say so. Whoever -<span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>heard of such a thing? Whoever heard of a freshman -coaching men on the varsity nine?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But there’s no reason why a freshman should not -do such a thing if he’s capable, is there? I don’t know -of any reason.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Nor I,” admitted Emery, turning to Leyden. -“What do you think of this peculiar proposition, Bill?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Leyden was a Yale grad. Had he been a professional -coach, it is likely he would have received -Billings’ proposal with scornful derision; but, really -having the good of the team at heart, he now admitted -that there was, to his knowledge, no reason why a -freshman should not coach any member of any varsity -team.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will he do it?” asked Emery.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think he’ll do anything in his power to help his -college. He has the right spirit. He’s a true Yale -man.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He must be pretty busy on his own team,” said -Leyden.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He is,” nodded Billings. “Still, I think he would -find a little time to do this work I’ve suggested.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If he undertook to coach all our pitchers, it would -take his entire time,” said Leyden. “We must pick -out a man and turn him over to Merriwell.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A good suggestion,” nodded Emery. “Let’s see -what the youngster can do with one man.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Whom will you choose?” questioned Billings.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Welch is our best pitcher. If he could get some -of Merriwell’s kinks, it would make us strong in the -box. I suggest Welch.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>A moment later Pumper was called by Emery. -Wondering what they wanted, he sauntered up and -joined them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The captain of the nine quickly explained Billings’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>proposal. Before Emery had finished speaking the -lips of Welch had begun to curl disdainfully.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Preposterous!” he exclaimed, giving Walter a -scornful look. “Why, there isn’t a man on the team -who’ll be coached by that freshman. The fellow has -a terrible swelled head, anyhow. If he got a chance -to coach a member of the varsity nine, he’d be simply -intolerable.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Billings surveyed Pumper from head to heels.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Welch,” he said, “I’ve never yet seen a fellow as -capable as Merriwell who was so absolutely modest -and unassuming. When you say he has a swelled head -you do so without reason.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps I do,” growled Welch. “But what made -him come out here and show off to-day?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I induced him to come, and as for showing off he -was literally baited into doing what he did. I believe -that you announced that you were going to show what -you would do to some pitcher who resembles Merriwell. -Well, you demonstrated precisely what you will -do. If you ever get up against a pitcher like Merriwell, -you’ll strike out. If that boy wasn’t a freshman -and barred from the varsity on that account, Yale -would have a cinch at the college baseball championship -this year.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The flush had left Pumper’s face, and he was now -quite pale.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know what business you have to meddle -with baseball affairs, Billings!” he cried hotly. -“You’re always spying around to get hold of something -you can write up for the papers. You betray -Yale’s athletic secrets in order to get a few paltry -dollars for your greedy pockets. It’s mighty contemptible -business, I think. This coaching idea was -suggested by you, and, therefore, I wouldn’t accept -it, anyhow.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>“Hold on, Welch,” came quickly from Emery; -“you forget yourself. I’m captain of the team. -What I say——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What you say goes, captain,” interrupted Pumper. -“It goes with me as long as I remain on the team; -but if you attempt to put that freshman over me as a -coach, I’ll get off the team. I beg your pardon for -speaking like this, but I was forced into it.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span> - <h2 id='XXXII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXII.<br /> <span class='large'>CUT DOWN.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Dick was crossing the campus.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hello, Merry!” cried one of the group near the -fence. “They tell me you’re pitching for the varsity -now.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not yet, Peterson,” smiled Dick, unruffled.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not yet, but soon, I suppose. Toleman says you -were out for practice with the varsity team.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Note the haughtiness of his manner,” cried another -chap. “I suppose the rules will be suspended in -order to permit him to pitch.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>There was much more of this sort of chaffing, but -Dick took it all good-naturedly and passed on his way. -Buckhart was sitting on the steps of the house on -York Street.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hey, pard!” he cried. “Waiting for you. She’s -a baby!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Who’s a baby?” asked Dick, in surprise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“My Sallie.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your who?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sallie. She’s a trim little girl. Light and airy -and just my size.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Say, what ails you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Come on and let’s hit the grub pile,” said Brad. -“After we fill our baskets I’m going to introduce you -to Sallie. You’ll love her, I know you will.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think you had better excuse me,” said Dick. -“I’m too busy just now to make the acquaintance of -your Sallie, whoever the delightful damsel is.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Texan chuckled but continued to insist that -Dick must meet Sallie. Nor would Brad accept no -for an answer. In the soft twilight they made their -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>way down to the harbor front, and there, lying among -other boats at a float, was one toward which the Texan -led his chum.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There’s <i>Sallie</i>,” said Brad, with a proud wave of -his hand. “I told you I was going to buy a boat, and -I’ve done it. Paid thirty-five dollars for her. How -do you like her, Dick?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“So this is <i>Sallie</i>?” laughed Merriwell. “Well, by -Jove! I expected to meet a fair damsel with golden -hair and heavenly blue eyes. She looks good to me, -Brad.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Get the oars, boy,” said the Texan, turning to a -rather tough-looking youngster who had charge of the -boats. “Bring both pair.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In a few moments the oars were brought and placed -in the boat.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now,” said Brad, “we’re going to be able to enjoy -a row every night. Three times we’ve been down here -after a boat and couldn’t get anything better than an -old scow. There’ll be no more of that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>There was a soft haze on the harbor as the boys -swung out from amid the piers. Both handled the -oars skillfully, and the light rowboat seemed to glide -over the surface of the water with scarcely a ripple. -Here and there a light was commencing to gleam -along the shore. On the vessels red and green lights -were also being hoisted. Still, there was a golden -afterglow in the western sky, which flung its orange -reflection over the water. From one of the vessels -at anchor came the sound of singing. Other rowboats -were gliding hither and thither amid the shipping. -The air was cool and refreshing.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This is great!” exclaimed Dick, with satisfaction. -“By Jove! this will be a good thing for us every night, -Brad. I’m glad you bought <i>Sallie</i>, and I agree with -you that <i>Sallie</i> is a peach.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>“If it wasn’t for baseball,” said the Texan, “I’d -sure go in for rowing. A fellow can’t do both and -cut much ice at either.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Look out!” called Dick, looking over his shoulder. -“There’s a small steam launch cutting our course ahead -of us. Let’s not try to run her down.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>They shifted their course, but a moment later, to -their surprise, they found that the launch had also -changed its course and was heading almost directly -for them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wonder what they’re trying to celebrate?” growled -Buckhart. “Can’t they see us?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Starboard, pull—pull hard!” cried Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Brad misunderstood and pulled hard with his -port oar, which offset the efforts of Merriwell.</p> - -<p class='c007'>With a rushing swish, the tiny steam launch puffed -down upon them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Look out!” roared the Texan. “Keep off! You’ll -run us down!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Apparently the pilot of the launch did not hear this -cry, for an instant later, with a cutting crash, the sharp -prow of the craft struck the rowboat.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Texan had dropped his oars and risen to his -feet. With an electrified spring, he seized the gunwale -of the launch and held fast as the rowboat melted -beneath his feet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Twice the Texan shouted for help. His feet and -ankles were caught by a rushing current of water and -this brought a strain upon his hands which threatened -to break his grip.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It seemed that at last his cries were heard, for some -one looked over the gunwale and discovered him clinging -there. Looking upward, the Texan found himself -gazing straight into the evil, malicious eyes of Mike -Lynch.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span> - <h2 id='XXXIII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXIII.<br /> <span class='large'>THE RED STAIN.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>For a moment Lynch seemed to leer triumphantly -at Brad, who realized only too well his own desperate -plight. The Texan knew the probable result of losing -his hold and being carried beneath the swiftly moving -launch. In a moment almost the boat would pass over -him and the whirling screw would cut and mangle him -with its churning blades. It was sure death to let go.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And still he knew his hold would be broken unless -he received aid within a very few seconds. He could -feel his fingers slipping on the smooth, moist rail of -the launch—slipping, slipping, slipping. Above him -bent the face of a fellow who hated him with an intensity -that was really deadly. Lynch was a vindictive, -revengeful fellow, who would stop at nothing -in order to injure a person who had aroused his enmity. -In those moments of distress and anxiety, Buckhart -was struck by the thought that this malicious -young ruffian had deliberately brought about the running -down of the <i>Sallie</i>. Having seen Dick and Brad -in the rowboat, Mike had deliberately cut them down.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But where was Dick? As this question flashed -through the Texan’s brain he was seized with a shuddering, -sickening sensation of horror. Merriwell had -vanished as the launch smashed into the rowboat, which -was cut in two like a frail eggshell. If overwhelmed -and carried beneath the launch, of course Dick had -been struck by the propeller.</p> - -<p class='c007'>That meant death. It meant that the boy’s mangled -body might be found drifting at the will of the harbor -tides. It meant that he might be left lifeless, gruesome, -and ghastly, upon the muddy flats when the tide -<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>receded. Perchance he might be carried out into the -great Sound, the blue waters of which were traversed -by hundreds of sailing vessels, huge white passenger -steamers, and the magnificent pleasure yachts of -money-squandering millionaires. It was murder, and -this creature Lynch had committed the crime!</p> - -<p class='c007'>With a snarl, a showing of his strong teeth, a fire -gleam of his eyes, the Texan strained and lifted himself -in the effort to swing over the rail and reach the -wretch who hovered above him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Little chance he had of doing that through his own -efforts. Apparently Mike understood what Buckhart -was trying to do, for in a moment he seized the Texan’s -hands and tore them from the slippery rail.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You cur!” groaned the helpless boy.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But even as he expected to be dropped into the hissing -water Mike shouted for assistance, and a second -person joined him, bending over the rail and getting -a grip on Brad’s coat between the shoulder blades of -the Texan.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hoist away!” cried Lynch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>An instant later the bewildered boy was dragged -over the rail and found himself floundering in the -bottom of the launch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>There were four persons in the boat. The one at -the wheel was a rather rough-looking, bearded man. -The others were Mike Lynch, Duncan Ditson, and -Harold Du Boise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Ditson had assisted Lynch in lifting Buckhart to -safety. Du Boise, sitting in the stern, stared at the -rescued youth with an air of dopey comprehension. -Lynch swore, and Ditson expressed his feelings by -crying:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, what do you think of that? What the dickens -were you trying to celebrate, Buckhart?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Just pulled right in front of me,” said the man -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>at the wheel. “Couldn’t help hitting his boat. She’s -gone, and he can consider himself mighty lucky that -he didn’t go under with her.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Texan sat up.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You lunatic at the wheel!” he roared. “You deliberately -ran us down! My pard—where is he? -You’ve killed him! You’ve murdered him!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s that?” exclaimed Lynch. “Was there any -one with you in the boat we struck?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You know there was.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We didn’t see you at all,” asserted Ditson. “We -were sitting aft when we heard the crash and felt a -slight shock. Even then I didn’t know what had happened. -Berger said we’d hit a rowboat.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I sprang forward and looked over,” said Lynch. -“Saw you clinging to the rail. This is mighty bad -business.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Turn back—turn back!” cried Buckhart. “Dick -Merriwell was carried down when you smashed my -boat.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Turn back at once, Berger,” commanded Ditson. -“By Jove! this is bad. There are the pieces of the -boat, but I can’t see a sign of Merriwell.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The débris of the wrecked boat lay floating on the -orange-tinted waves, but Duncan spoke truly when he -said there was no sign of Dick. Buckhart rose to -his knees and stared heart sick along the wake of -the launch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Gone!” he said. “He could swim like a fish, and -we’d see something of him if he had not been injured.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The man at the wheel brought the launch round -with a sharp, sweeping curve.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Slower, Berger,” commanded Duncan. “Here, let -me have that wheel. You look after your steam. -Keep your eyes open, Mike. Can you see anything of -Merriwell?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>In the stern Du Boise stirred slightly and drawled:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Didn’t you say you were going to hit the boat -before we struck it, Mike? I thought you said something -about a rowboat.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’re dreaming!” snapped Lynch. “You didn’t -hear us say anything of the sort. Did he, Berger? -We didn’t see the boat, did we?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not until it was too late to avoid it,” answered -the bearded man, who was now monkeying with the -steam valves. “I’m not running down rowboats for -pleasure, although it’s a wonder the fools who row -around the harbor don’t get run down oftener than -they do.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Buckhart was saying not a word now. With his -strong hands gripping the rail, he leaned forward, -gazing at the placid water where the golden tint was -gradually changing to a dull reddish color like stagnant -blood. They slipped past a huge black hulk that -lay anchored near the spot where the catastrophe had -occurred. Under the eastern rail of this vessel the -shadows were almost inky black.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ve passed the spot, Lynch,” muttered Ditson. -“I’m afraid Merriwell’s gone down for good.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m afraid he has,” whispered Mike huskily.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Turn back,” came hoarsely from Buckhart’s lips. -“We’ll cruise around this locality as long as there’s a -ghost of a hope left.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Duncan brought the boat round, and they retraced -their course. This was repeated over and over until -the afterglow of sunset had faded in the west and -darkness shrouded the entire bosom of the harbor. -Not until Buckhart huskily confessed that he no -longer hoped did Lynch or Ditson propose abandoning -the search. They had been questioned by other -persons, and a number of boats were moving about in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>that vicinity, while the report of a collision and a -drowning had been carried to the shore.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Texan seemed completely overcome by the horrible -thing that had happened. Not a word did he -speak after the search was abandoned until the launch -swung alongside a float where they were to disembark.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’ve tried all sorts of tricks to down my pard -and myself,” he observed, fixing his gaze on Lynch -and Ditson. “At last you’ve succeeded in murdering -one of the whitest lads who ever lived. I said murder, -and that is the word I meant to use. Don’t tell me -you didn’t see our boat. Don’t tell me you didn’t -run us down intentionally. And don’t you think for -an instant that you’re going to escape paying the penalty -for the crime. You can’t lie out of it. There -are four of you in the secret, and some one of you -will make a false step and trip you all up. This thing -shall be investigated, I give you my word. If the -body is found, you’ll have a chance to face the coroner’s -jury. If it isn’t found, you’ll have a chance to -face a jury just the same.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why, you’re daffy, Buckhart!” exclaimed Ditson. -“You must be bughouse to think we’d deliberately do -anything like that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I know you wouldn’t stop at anything. Perhaps -you didn’t mean to drown either one of us when you -ran us down. Perhaps you thought it would be a fine -joke to smash our boat and give us a ducking. Well, -you see what’s come of your fine joke. Dick Merriwell -is at the bottom of the harbor, and you, you miserable -spawn of the earth—you have his blood on your -hands! You can’t wash it off. The stain will cling -there even as it clung to the hands of Lady Macbeth. -And retribution is as sure for you as it was for her.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span> - <h2 id='XXXIV' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXIV.<br /> <span class='large'>THE UNSEEN SHADOW.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>He left them there shivering in the launch with a -sudden chill that came not wholly from the cool breath -that crept in over the dark surface of the harbor. -They watched his dark bulk as he mounted the steps -from the float, nor did they speak until the sound of -his feet died out upon the pier.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lynch was the first to break the silence. He forced -a laugh as he turned to Ditson.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ve got something interesting to look for,” -he observed, with an air of bravado. “Mr. Buckhart -was very theatrical in his threats.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If I’d ever thought it would end this way——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mike checked his companion by suddenly gripping -Dunc’s arm and hissing:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Shut up! Don’t talk like that now! Of course we -didn’t mean to drown either one of them.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Berger stepped forward.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There’s something coming to me, gents,” he said. -“Don’t forget it. You made me a proposition to run -down that boat.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And you want to forget all about that, my man!” -remarked Mike. “You’ll get the money, all right, but -you don’t want to tell any one that there was any -understanding between us. The whole thing was an -accident. Nobody saw the rowboat until just as we -struck it. Say so and stick to it—unless you want to -do a turn in the stone jug.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The money——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lynch stepped close to Du Boise, to whom he spoke -in a low tone.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Got to have some more money, Hal,” he said.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>“We’ve got to put a plaster over that man’s mouth. -Cough up.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now, hold on,” protested Hal, after reaching into -his pocket. “Seems to me you’re inclined to push this -thing too far. I’ve coughed up enough already. I’ve -been paying your bills for the last three days.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ever since I caught you skinning a bunch of easy -marks with marked cards,” said Mike. “I saved -you from exposure by getting away with those cards -and substituting another pack when I found two of -the fellows were planning to make an investigation. -You ought to be grateful, Du Boise. You’re not as -clever as you were once. There was a time when you -didn’t have to use ordinary markers to win at poker. -The pace you’ve been hitting has proved too much for -you. But you made a fine haul off those suckers, and -when they insisted on examining the cards not a thing -could be proved against you, thanks to me. It was -lucky I had a pack in my pocket with backs almost -exactly like those markers. The resemblance was -sufficient to fool the most of those chaps. Why, you -thought you were cornered yourself until you picked -up one of the cards and examined it closely.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s right,” nodded Du Boise. “Even then I -wondered if I wasn’t dreaming. I didn’t know how -it happened until you got me alone and explained. I -think I’ve shown my appreciation. It’s cost me over -a hundred dollars already.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I tell you I’ll square with you when I’m flush -again. I went broke on that Providence game, and I -had to raise money by hook or crook. You came like -a delivering angel, Hal. I’ve got to pay Berger twenty-five -dollars before we leave him this evening. Hand -it over, old chap.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With a sigh, Du Boise drew forth his money, and, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>holding it close to his eyes, separated four bills from -the roll, three fives and a ten.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lynch took this money and gave it to Berger.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There it is,” he said, in a low tone. “Now let -that keep your tongue still. If you don’t, you’re liable -to find yourself in a nasty scrape. You were doing -the steering, and, therefore, you were the one most -responsible.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s right,” agreed Ditson quickly. “If you think -to get out of this business by turning State’s evidence, -we’ll swear we were not in earnest when we suggested -you should run that boat down. We’ll say we were -only joking. We’ll deny we ever gave you a cent of -money for that piece of work.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now you’d better hold up right where you are,” -growled the man, with an intonation of disgust. “I’m -no fool.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know about that,” muttered Lynch. “If -I’d been in your place, twenty-five dollars never would -have tempted me to run down a rowboat containing -two persons.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You heard the threat of the chap who escaped,” -said Ditson. “He’s the kind of a fellow to make good. -He talks a whole lot, but he means what he says. You -want to stand on your guard all the while. Don’t let -any one pump you. Of course you’ll be questioned -about the affair.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t have to have no advice from youngsters -like you,” growled Berger, as he thrust the money -deep into a safe pocket. “You take care of yourselves, -and I’ll take care of myself. You want to look -out that you don’t get tripped up. I reckon you’d better -report this business to the authorities. I’m going -to see the harbor master myself. Good night.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Silently they mounted the steps from the float and -paused, a shivering group, on the unlighted pier. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>The little launch, with lights set, swung out from the -float and puffed away. Ditson stood gazing out over -the inky harbor, a feeling of horror threatening to -take possession of him and turn his blood to ice water.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Bad! bad!” he muttered. “If I’d only thought -what might happen! But I knew Merriwell could swim -like a fish.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, cut that out!” growled Mike. “It’s no use -getting sloppy now. What I want is a drink, and I -want it right away.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Du Boise buttoned his light overcoat and shrugged -his shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I need a bracer myself,” he said. “Let’s get one -quick.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>They patronized the first saloon they came to, which -proved to be a rather disreputable-appearing sailors’ -resort. Lynch and Ditson ordered whisky, but Hal -called for absinthe.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We don’t have none of dat here,” said the barkeeper. -“Dem fancy drinks don’t go wit’ our customers.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then I suppose I’ll have to take the same as my -friends,” murmured Du Boise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The whisky was of the vilest sort, and he shuddered -and gasped after it had passed down his throat.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A man who can drink that can stand anything,” -he said, as he paid the bill.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In spite of the fiery drink they had swallowed, their -blood remained chill and sluggish, and a terrible load -seemed weighting down their hearts. Ditson could not -help thinking of Dick Merriwell lying beneath the -dark waters of the harbor. The gruesome vision -haunted him, and finally he fiercely exclaimed:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Let’s go where we can get some decent whisky. -Confound it all, I’m frozen clean to my marrow.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Where’ll we go?” inquired Du Boise.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>“Let’s go to Fred’s.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And let’s get off this dark street,” said Lynch, -who had been casting occasional glances over his -shoulders. “I can’t shake off the feeling that some one -is following us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps some one is following us,” said Du Boise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Eh?” exclaimed Duncan, also glancing round. “I -don’t see anybody. There’s no one behind us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps there is,” said Hal. “Maybe you can’t -see him even though he is there.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What do you mean? Who do you think is following -us?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A ghost,” was the whispered answer. “I don’t -dare to look round, fellows, but I can feel it. It’s -right at our heels.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, rats!” sneered Lynch, forcing a hoarse laugh. -“If you believe in ghosts, you’re a big fool, Du Boise. -There are no such things. I’m not the least bit superstitious -myself.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Aren’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not a bit?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not a bit.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then what makes you look round? You know -there’s no living thing behind you, yet you keep turning -your head to peer over your shoulder. You don’t -see anything, but you can feel it just the same as I -can. Ditson feels it, too. We all know it’s there, fellows. -I’m afraid the thing will follow us the rest of -our lives. I’m afraid we’ll never be able to get away -from it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“For Heaven’s sake, cut that out!” entreated Ditson. -“Like Lynch, I’m not superstitious, but I swear -you’ve got my teeth chattering by your silly talk. I -agree with you, Mike. This street is too dark.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hasten their footsteps as they might, they could not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>escape from the uncanny conviction that something -silent and ghostly and terrible was hovering at their -very heels. Even the better-lighted streets did not -banish that feeling, and by the time they reached Fred’s -the three were in a terrible state of funk.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span> - <h2 id='XXXV' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXV.<br /> <span class='large'>AN APPARITION.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Not a little to their satisfaction, they found that one -of the card rooms upstairs was unoccupied. Not wishing -to be seen at the bar by acquaintances, as they -were beginning to feel that their faces bore the stamp -of guilt, they made haste to mount the stairs to that -little room where they could seclude themselves and -order such drinks as they fancied might steady their -shaken nerves.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mike and Duncan stuck to whisky, but Du Boise -called for an absinthe frappé.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There’s nothing like it,” he asserted. “I’ve tried -everything when my nerves needed bracing.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s a deadly poison,” said Ditson. “I see they’re -trying to pass a law in France that will make the -manufacture of absinthe unlawful in one year and the -sale unlawful in two years. Absinthe is one of the -most potent influences in the degeneracy of the drinking -people of France. Why, man alive, if you were -to give a horse an ounce or two of absinthe, it would -throw the animal into convulsions and might cause -its death. If you yourself were to drink it the way -you would swallow a drink of whisky, the chances -are it would knock you stiff.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>At this Harold simply shrugged his shoulders and -smiled a pale, bloodless smile.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But that’s not the way to drink absinthe,” he said. -“The man who drinks whisky that way simply throws -it down his throat in order to get the effect. To get -the effect of absinthe, you sip it slowly. If your nerves -are in a bad state, if your luck is rotten, if the world -has turned its face against you, just try a little absinthe. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>I need it this minute. It works like a magic -charm. Gradually all the shadows disperse and flee -away, the sun smiles upon you and the weeds beneath -your feet blossom into the most lovely flowers. A -sensation of peace and buoyancy and confidence and -contentment gradually pervades your entire being. -From a dark and dreary cave the world changes into -a glorious, heaven-smiling paradise. There’s nothing -quite like absinthe to accomplish this marvelous change.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t mind telling you, fellows, that I’ve tried almost -everything. Opium works nicely in a way, but -it seems to interest you rather too much in other people. -Their pleasures become your pleasures. The -most trivial things are sufficient to amuse you. You -watch a laborer and his wife marketing on a Saturday -night, and somehow it is better than the finest -theatrical performance you have ever witnessed. Your -heart goes out to those humble people, and you accept -them as kin to you, blood relatives as it were. A child -playing with a top fills you with unspeakable satisfaction -and sympathy. A dove building its nest may -chain your attention for hours. Through such trivial -things you are made supremely content and satisfied.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Other drugs with which I have experimented produce -different effects, but they all bring about a relapse -in time, and you suffer the most horrible tortures as -retaliation for the pleasures that have been yours. -With absinthe I have not yet reached the point where -it retaliates and inflicts torments. It has helped me -shake off the grip opium had upon me. I prefer absinthe -to opium.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s simply a case of taking one poison as an antidote -for another,” said Ditson. “The time will come, -Du Boise, when you’ll find your blood entirely eaten -up by the poisons you have absorbed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And by your looks,” said Lynch, “I should say -<span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>that is not very far away. Never knew a chap to -change the way you have in the past four months. -It’s a wonder to me that you’ve managed to stick in -college this long. Don’t you realize what is coming -to you? Can’t you see your finish?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think I did realize it in time to escape,” said Hal. -“I began experimenting with opium for amusement. -I wanted to experience the effect. I had no idea of -letting the stuff get a hold on me, but when I found it -had I fled to absinthe, and absinthe has proved my -salvation.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It will prove your destruction,” declared Duncan. -“You’re its slave to-day, and you’ll never break away -from it. Here are our drinks.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In the wall a sliding panel shot back, and through -the opening could be seen the face of the waiter who -had brought the drinks. He pushed in a tray, which -Lynch received. The drinks were removed from the -tray and placed on the table. Du Boise tossed some -money on the tray, which was then passed back through -the opening. The sliding panel closed softly, and they -were again alone.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Here’s to forgetfulness,” said Du Boise, lifting the -glass, which was filled with fine cracked ice and a -greenish-amber liquid. “Here’s to forgetfulness, but I -fear you’ll not find it in the stuff you are drinking.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Ditson’s hand shook a bit as he lifted his glass of -whisky and literally tossed it down his throat. Du -Boise sipped softly at the absinthe. In a moment a -dreamy light seemed creeping into his faded eyes. Before -long a bit of color mounted into his cheeks.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why should we worry about anything in this world -or the next, my friends?” he murmured. “Let’s have -another drink. I need just one more.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In a short time another drink was brought. It was -strange to note the effect of the stuff on those youths. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>Ditson and Lynch became flushed and excited, talking -with a sort of reckless and fictitious hilarity. Du Boise, -calm, placid, smiling, lay back in his chair and watched -them as if studying them sympathetically, graciously, -almost pityingly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now, here,” said Duncan, shaking an uplifted -finger, “we’ve got to stick together on this business. -Of course it was an accident, for we didn’t think either -of those fellows would be drowned when we ran them -down. There’s only one way to protect ourselves, and -that is to swear that neither one of us saw the boat -until there was no chance to avoid hitting it. I feel -like the devil about this business. To tell you the -truth, I feel like what Buckhart called me—a murderer.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t talk that way!” growled Lynch, shrugging -his thick shoulders. “I don’t like it. Even if I didn’t -have any love for Merriwell, I wouldn’t want to kill -him, would I? We’re going to have lots of trouble -over this.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Again Du Boise smiled.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t worry, my friends,” he said. “Nothing really -matters, anyhow. This life is of no consequence. Perhaps -Merriwell is better off this minute than he would -be if he were living. Perhaps he’s thankful for what -happened. I’m sure the dead are better off than the -living. Why should he haunt us? We were foolish -to fancy we could feel him following us through the -streets to-night. And even if he were following us, he -could do us no harm. The spirits of the departed -cannot harm the living. Why, I wouldn’t be afraid -this minute to stand face to face with Merriwell’s -ghost. If such a thing happened, I would greet the -spirit pleasantly and without the least emotion of terror -or dread.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The blazes you would!” growled Lynch.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span>“You’d be scared to death,” asserted Ditson.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I wish I had power to summon the spirit of Merriwell,” -said Du Boise. “I would show you how mistaken -you are. If by a mere incantation I could bring -his wraith before us, I’d joyfully do so.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Barely were these words spoken when suddenly the -electric lights in the room went out, plunging the place -into deep darkness. This was rather startling and -caused the trio to utter exclamations of surprise. -Apparently the electric current had been suddenly -turned off.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lynch made a move to rise from the table. Ere -he could do this the lights began to glow dimly, illuminating -the room with a faint radiance that gradually -grew stronger.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A sudden scream burst from the lips of Hal Du -Boise. Flinging up his hand, he pointed toward the -panel in the wall.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Look!” he cried chokingly. “Great heavens, look! -There it is!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The panel had been silently opened, and through -that opening the trio could see the deathly white face -of Dick Merriwell, whose dark, staring eyes were fixed -upon them with an accusing gaze that made their very -souls seem to shrivel within them.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span> - <h2 id='XXXVI' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXVI.<br /> <span class='large'>A TERRIFIED TRIO.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Duncan Ditson tried to speak, but his dry tongue -clove to the roof of his mouth and his heart seemed -on the point of bursting in his throat.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lynch, having turned to look over his shoulder, sat -like an image of stone, the color slipping from his -usually ruddy face and leaving it almost as ghostly as -that dead-white face seen beyond the open panel. One -of Mike’s hands lay half-closed upon the table. It -began to shake, causing his finger nails to rattle upon -the uncovered top of the table like the faint far-away -tapping of castanets.</p> - -<p class='c007'>From the lips of Du Boise, who had lately boasted -that he would feel no terror were he brought face to -face with the wraith of Dick Merriwell, there issued -a sibilant hissing breath followed by a quavering -whisper:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s the dead! It’s Merriwell’s ghost! We are -haunted—haunted!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>There was a thud as he slipped from the chair on -which he had been sitting and fell limp and fainting -upon the floor. The lights came on with full force. -An unseen hand closed the sliding panel, hiding that -death-white face from the staring eyes of Lynch and -Ditson.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Still those two frightened fellows sat immovable, -their bodies cold as ice for some moments after the -apparition vanished.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Ditson was the one who broke the spell. Grasping -the edge of the table, he rose to his feet, upsetting his -chair, which fell with a clatter upon the floor.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Lynch,” he whispered hoarsely; “Lynch, for -Heaven’s sake tell me what you saw!”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>Mike gave himself a little shake and turned his horrified -eyes toward his companion. His face was -ashen, and there was a purple ring around his mouth. -At the corners of his nose, extending downward, were -two deep lines. His voice was husky and unsteady as -he answered:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know what I saw, but it looked like the -dead face of——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He paused, apparently unable to speak Merriwell’s -name.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And I saw it, too!” groaned Duncan. “So did Du -Boise. He’s fainted, Mike. We must call assistance.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>At this juncture, however, Hal began to show symptoms -of reviving. He gasped and moaned, moving -his limbs weakly. Ditson stooped and bent over him, -seizing his collar and breaking it loose with a twisting -jerk. The touch of Duncan’s hand seemed to revive -Hal, but apparently it filled the fellow with unspeakable -terror, for he shrank away, choking forth -a cry and beginning to quiver violently in every limb.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why, don’t you ring a bell, Lynch?” said Duncan. -“Du Boise is having a fit. He may be dying for all -I know.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Lynch, leaning forward with his elbows on the -table, had covered his face with his hands as if seeking -in that manner to shut out a terrible vision which -he could not otherwise dismiss. There was a strange -stooping slouch to his broad, thick shoulders—a droop -throughout his entire figure like that which assails an -old man or a younger one who has felt the crushing -hand of some fearful calamity.</p> - -<p class='c007'>With his legs beneath the table, Du Boise began to -mutter and mumble incoherently. Although he seemed -suffering from terror, he finally fell to laughing in a -hysterical manner, whereupon Duncan once more -clutched him by the shoulder and gave him a shake.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>“Stop it! stop it!” commanded Ditson. “Are you -losing your senses? Get up!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t! don’t! don’t!” gasped Hal, shrinking away. -“I’m all right. I’ll be all right in a minute. Did I -faint? I’m a fool! That’s right, Ditson, give me a -hand. Help me up. Oh, how ridiculous! Oh, what -a fool I am!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But the moment he was lifted he turned his eyes -fearsomely toward the panel in the wall. On seeing it -closed he seemed inexpressibly relieved. With Duncan’s -aid he regained his seat at the table, although he -still seemed dizzy and weak.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Never did that before in all my life,” he whispered -apologetically. “Wasn’t it a silly trick? Don’t -laugh at me—don’t laugh!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m not laughing, Du Boise.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I beg your pardon if I frightened you by yelling -the way I did. I thought I saw something. Of course -I know I was deceived. It must have been a hallucination. -Perhaps it was the effect of what I’ve drank. -Perhaps the absinthe is beginning to go back on me. -If it is, what can I turn to next? What’s the matter -with Mike?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>At this moment all three were given another frightful -start, for the panel was shot back with a rattling -sound, causing them to turn with a jerk and face it. -The face of the waiter who had served their drinks -appeared at the opening.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s the matter in there?” he inquired. -“T’ought I heard somebody give a yelp. T’ought I -heard somet’ing bump on the floor. Didn’t know but -youse chaps was havin’ a mix-up.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Say, Martie, come in here a minute,” invited Duncan, -quickly rising and unfastening the door.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The waiter stepped into the room, still wearing a -suspicious air as he eyed the pale-faced trio.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>“Anyt’ing wrong?” he interrogated.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I guess not,” answered Duncan slowly. “You see -we were talking over private matters, and so we fastened -the door. We didn’t want any one to come in -on us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Dat’s all right. We know youse fellers here, and -if yer want ter use dis room dat way when dere’s no -game nor nuttin’ goin’ on, dere’s no objection.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We didn’t wish any one to overhear what we had -to say. While we were talking somebody sneaked up -there and slid open the panel. They must have turned -off the lights, too.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Turned off der lights?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes. The lights went out and then came on again, -although they were dim at first. There’s a switch outside -the door, I believe?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sure t’ing, dere’s a switch out dere, but I don’t -see who it was dat monkeyed wit’ it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Didn’t you encounter any one on the stairs?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Any fellows in the other room?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Dey just went out about five minutes ago.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Of course you know Dick Merriwell by sight?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I t’ink I do. Everybody knows him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Has he been in the place to-night?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He don’t come around this place much of any unless -he’s lookin’ for some of his friends.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Have you seen him to-night?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Where were you when you thought you heard a -scream and a fall in this room?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I was out back tappin’ a barrel of ale.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And you came upstairs at once?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Soon as I could. ’Twan’t more dan a minute.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But that was time enough for an eavesdropper to -slip downstairs without being caught by you. Somebody -<span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span>was listening there at the panel. We all saw -the person. That’s why we raised a rumpus. There’s -no trouble between us, Martie. Everything’s all right. -But if you catch anybody listening around that slide, -jump on ’em and kick them downstairs. Bring us -another round of drinks. I reckon we need them. I’ll -have the same, and Lynch will, too. You’d better -switch off that stuff you’re drinking, Du Boise. It isn’t -good for you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Can’t switch now,” said Hal. “Just one more, Martie. -It’ll be my last to-night. Just one more.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>When the waiter had disappeared and the door was -fastened behind him Ditson came back and stood by -the table, looking inquiringly at his two companions.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, what do you think of it?” he finally forced -himself to inquire, ineffectually trying to assume an -air of nonchalance. “It certainly looked like the real -thing to me, and it scared Du Boise out of his senses.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then you saw something, did you?” whispered Hal. -“Tell me what it was.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I thought I saw a face.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I know I saw a face,” said Lynch. “Fellows, we’re -haunted! This is the first time I’ve ever acknowledged -a belief in ghosts, but I’ve got to acknowledge it now. -The face I saw was that of Merriwell, and we know -he is lying at the bottom of the harbor.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t talk that way—don’t!” implored Du Boise. -“It was a hallucination. It could have been nothing -else.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How does it happen that we were all deceived by -the same hallucination?” questioned Ditson. “There’s -something you can’t explain, Hal. You saw it first -and uttered a yell. We turned and looked. I confess -that I saw it as distinctly as I ever saw anything -in my life. It was ghastly pale with wide-open eyes -which struck terror to my heart. By Jove! I got such -<span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>a start that I’m afraid I’ll never have any more nerve. -I wish Martie would hurry up with those drinks. I’m -still cold from my head to my heels.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>To the relief of the agitated trio of rascals, Martie -now appeared with a tray that bore the ordered drinks. -Ditson relieved the waiter, handing out the money supplied -by Du Boise. When Martie had vanished and -they were again sitting around the table, Duncan lifted -his glass with a quivering hand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Here’s hoping we’ve seen it for the last time,” he -muttered.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“For the last time,” echoed Lynch hoarsely. “I hope -so, but I fear it’s only the beginning.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span> - <h2 id='XXXVII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXVII.<br /> <span class='large'>PANGS OF CONSCIENCE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Having sipped a little of the absinthe, Du Boise began -to smile in a silly, satisfied manner. He surveyed -his companions with a superior air of knowledge, in -which there was unmistakable pity.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The psychology of the mind is a mysterious and -perplexing thing,” he observed. “As yet the phenomena -of mental telepathy is but faintly understood. -Like electricity, we know it exists and we experiment -with it, but the real vital force and power is beyond -the comprehension of the human mind in its present -state of development. I think, gentlemen, we have this -evening experienced a most remarkable case of mental -suggestion. I think we all have been deluded by our -own overwrought imaginations. There is no other -reasonable explanation which we, as sane and sensible -men, can afford to accept.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lynch gazed at him blankly, while Ditson sharply -demanded:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What are you driving at now?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps I may not succeed in arousing your comprehension. -Perhaps you may not agree with me if -you do catch my theory and fully comprehend its significance.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Come down to earth and talk plain English.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I acknowledge that I was frightened by what I -fancied I saw,” said Hal, “but I’ve put that aside. I’m -no longer alarmed in the least. I now believe beyond -question that I was deluded by a hallucination conjured -before my mental vision by my own unwitting -efforts. I was in precisely the proper psychological -condition to deceive myself into believing that I saw -<span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>something which did not exist. We had been talking -of supernatural things. This, following the unfortunate -tragedy which we lately witnessed, was enough -to place us all in a mental condition that made us peculiarly -susceptible to a certain delusion.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We were speaking of ghosts. We had fancied while -walking on the street that something was following us, -although we could discover nothing when we looked -round. I assure you that I was sincere when I stated -a willingness to conjure up the spirit of Dick Merriwell. -At that moment I longed for the ability to bring -his ghost before me. I even fancied it as appearing. -With this powerful fancy overcoming me, I lifted my -eyes and looked toward yonder panel. The lights were -turned off at that moment. As they came on dimly -my overwrought fancy made me believe I beheld the -pale and ghostly face of Merriwell peering in upon us. -It was nothing in the world but a hallucination.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That might be true were it not for the fact that -Lynch and myself beheld the same white, ghostly -face,” said Ditson. “I’d like to think you have hit on -the real explanation of the affair, Du Boise, but I -can’t accept it. Had you been the only one to see that -apparition, your explanation would be received by us -both; but how can you account for the fact that we -also saw what you believed you saw—and we saw it -at precisely the same time.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Telepathy,” said Du Boise, nodding his head. -“Mental transmission of thought. Did I not cry out -that I saw it as I pointed toward the panel?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You did.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I thought so. Being thus firmly convinced that I -really beheld such an apparition, I transferred the conviction -to both of you, and you, too, were deluded into -believing you saw it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Again Dunc shook his head.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>“That’s too much for me to accept,” he said. “It’s -barely possible such a thing might have happened between -two persons, but when three individuals are involved, -it’s wholly beyond acceptance.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Harold shrugged his shoulders and sipped a little -more of the cool absinthe.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Of course I cannot compel you to accept my explanation,” -he said, “but I am certain you will come -to it in time. At present you are both overcome by -unreasoning fears. As time passes and you are not -again visited by such an apparition you will gradually -be forced to confess that my explanation of this -strange phenomenon is the only one that can be given. -You still remain frightened, both of you. Lynch looks -ten years older than he did three hours ago. Your -nerves are quivering in your bodies. Look—look at -my hand, it’s steady as a rock.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He lifted his glass and held it unquivering above -the table.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s not you,” said Duncan. “You couldn’t do -that yourself.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not me?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then what is it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The absinthe. Only for the stuff you’ve drank, -you’d be a pitiful, cowering, cringing creature this very -minute.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then here’s to absinthe!” laughed Hal, with a wave -of his glass. “Here’s to absinthe, the magic potion -which makes every man the commander of his own -soul!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Until the cursed stuff takes command and wrecks -both soul and body,” said Ditson. “I fear that time -is not far away for you, Du Boise.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lynch now filled his lungs with a deep breath, betraying -<span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>a sudden restlessness and an eager desire to -leave the place.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Let’s get out of here,” he urged. “I’m going to -my room. I’m going to turn in. It’s a wonder we -haven’t had newspaper reporters after us already. Of -course by this time they all know of Merriwell’s -drowning. We’ll have to tell the story until we’re -sick of it in the morning. We’ll have to face both -reporters and police. I’ve got to rest in order to do -that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Rest?” said Duncan. “I hope you can. I’m afraid -I shall get very little rest to-night.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Nor was Lynch to experience any genuine refreshing -rest. In his room, with the door locked, he paced the -floor for hours, pausing at intervals to listen, with -shuddering heart, to every faint sound of the night. -His face was drawn and lined like a graven mask. -His eyes rolled restlessly in their sockets. The passing -footsteps of a night watchman caused him to stand -with quivering hand pressed to his bosom, his jaw -drooping, his breath suspended, waiting, waiting—for -what?</p> - -<p class='c007'>He had closed his window and drawn the shade so -that not even a crack remained at the bottom. Even -though every light in the room was at full blast, he -whirled now and then to peer nervously into the corners -and behind the morris chair. The sudden scampering -of a mouse somewhere in the wall dropped him -nerveless upon the couch, where he sat mopping the -beads of cold perspiration from his face. Once as he -walked the length of the room he caught a glimpse -of a phantomlike figure which gave him a sidelong -leap and brought a gasping “Ah!” from his lips. Half -crouching and staring across his shoulder, he realized -that the thing he had seen was his own reflection in -a mirror.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>“Fool! fool!” he huskily whispered. “Why don’t -you go to bed? Are you trying to wear your own -nerves to a frazzle? What a coward you are, Mike -Lynch! If your friends knew, they’d be disgusted -with you. You didn’t mean to drown the poor devil -when you suggested that Berger should run down that -cockle shell of a rowboat. It was an accident—I say -it was an accident. You can’t make anything else of -it. No one can make anything else of it. Even if they -prove we smashed the boat intentionally, we can swear -we meant it for a joke. What if they do say it was -a crazy, foolhardy joke? We’ll stick to it that there -was no malice in it. That ought to save us. Perhaps -we may have to leave college, but I don’t see how anything -worse is going to happen.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But Merriwell’s friends will know it was not meant -for a joke. They’ll swear it was malicious. They’ll -swear it isn’t the first time I’ve tried to injure him. -The fact that there was bad blood between us is going -to make it rather unpleasant for me. But I’m not -alone in this. Ditson is as deep in the mud as I am in -the mire. Du Boise—I’m sorry we had him with us. -He’s the fellow I fear. Unsupported by either drink -or drug, Du Boise is a shivering, weak-kneed, spineless -creature. There’s no reliance to be placed upon -him. But I don’t believe even he is fool enough to -think we intended to drown Merriwell. I’m going to -bed now. I’ve got to go to bed. Why, I’ll be a wreck -in the morning if I don’t get a little sleep.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But there was no sleep for Mike. He dared not -turn off his lights, and when he attempted to woo -slumber with them blazing at full blast he soon found -his efforts vain. Groaning and cursing, he tossed to -and fro upon the bed. Gradually the ticking of his -little clock beat in his ears louder and louder until it -sounded like hammer-strokes upon an anvil. Whenever -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>he closed his eyes a ghastly white face seemed to rise -before him, and he fancied he beheld an outstretched -accusing finger pointing at him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Finally in despair he rose, drew his bathrobe about -him, and sat down near the study table. Seizing a -novel, he tried to read. The sentences ran into a -meaningless jumble before his eyes, and his tortured -mind continued to wander to the thing he longed to -forget. Repeatedly he started up and turned to look -behind him, shuddering and cold with the conviction -that some ghostly thing was hovering at the back of -his chair.</p> - -<p class='c007'>And thus the long night passed. Between three and -four o’clock in the morning Lynch opened his window -and waited for dawn. He joyously hailed the first -faint streaks of gray in the eastern sky.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s morning,” he said. “Now perhaps I can -sleep.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But no, even daylight could not bring him rest. The -sun was tinting the east with a delicate blush when -Mike slipped downstairs and hurried away, filling his -lungs with long, deep breaths. The streets were silent -and deserted. Not even a policeman seemed stirring -at this hour, for which he was sincerely thankful. -Without knowing whither he was bound, he turned -his face toward the outskirts of the city and with long -strides made for the open country.</p> - -<p class='c007'>An hour later Lynch was lying exhausted by the -roadside in the midst of a strip of woods. All around -him the young day was fresh and beautiful and joyous. -In the thickets the birds were singing happily. The -air was clean and sweet with the fragrance of springtime.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mike had been there before. He remembered the -very cluster of bushes beside which he now lay. At -one time, with two companions, he had hidden himself -<span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>there to await the appearance of Rob Claxton, against -whom he entertained a feeling of hatred and whom -he was determined to thrash in a fist fight. With some -bitterness he recalled the fact that Claxton had whipped -him in that fight which took place not far from this -spot.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And Merriwell was responsible for it!” he snarled. -“For a long time he had been secretly training that -haughty Virginian in order that the fellow might do -me up in a scrap. No wonder I hated Merriwell! I -had good reasons to hate him! I had good reasons -to wish him dead! I’m a fool to be upset like this! -I’m a fool to run away from investigation and questioning! -Wait, after I’ve rested a while I’m going -back. Never anything took hold of me the way this -business has. On my word, I’m done up!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He rolled over upon his back and lay there, with his -hat covering his eyes, until a faint far-away sound led -him to lift his head and listen.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Runners!” he said. “They’re coming this way. -Great Scott! are they after me?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Jerking himself to his feet, he cautiously peered over -the cluster of bushes.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Far along the road where it wound through the -woods some lightly clad figures came into view. His -relief was intense, for he saw at a glance that they were -college lads out for an early morning run. Their -white clothes, swinging bare arms, and churning legs -cut moving silhouettes against the dark background -of the woods.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I mustn’t be seen,” muttered Lynch, sinking down -and creeping close behind the bushes. “I’ll lie here -and watch them as they pass. They won’t notice me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The runners were Mike’s classmates. First came -Claxton, the Virginian, and Sam Kates almost shoulder -<span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>to shoulder. A short distance behind them Brad -Buckhart appeared.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Then came another, at sight of whom Lynch uttered -a hoarse, choking cry, sought to rise and then -fell back, his head swimming, his senses deserting him, -completely overcome by the fearful strain and the second -appearance of the “apparition.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>For he had again seen Dick Merriwell.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span> - <h2 id='XXXVIII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXVIII.<br /> <span class='large'>THE ESCAPE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Dick heard a cry and caught a glimpse of the figure -which dropped back behind the bushes. Shouting to -his companions, he whirled to the roadside and knelt -over Lynch, whom he found stretched unconscious -upon the ground.</p> - -<p class='c007'>When Mike revived he found them working over -him, and the boy he had so bitterly hated, the boy he -had fancied dead, was one of them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Take him away! take him away!” cried Lynch, -struggling weakly and staring at Dick with unutterable -horror. “He’s dead! Don’t let him touch me!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He means you, partner,” said Buckhart. “I sure -reckon he’s some disturbed to see you alive and -kicking.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He’s dead!” groaned Mike. “I killed him, but I -didn’t mean to do it. I wanted to run him down and -let him swim for it. That’s all. I didn’t think he -would drown, but I killed him, and I’m a murderer! -There, I’ve confessed it now! You all hear me—I’ve -confessed it! I killed him! Hang me! I suppose -they will. Don’t let him look at me like that. Take -him away—please take him away! Don’t look at me, -Merriwell! I can’t bear those eyes. I felt you following -at my heels last night. I saw you when you appeared -to us at Fred’s. Even after I locked myself -in my own room I knew you were near. I couldn’t -stand it long. It was too much for me. You’ve forced -me to confess at last. You’ve made me put my neck -in a noose. Now you should be satisfied.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In vain they had tried to check his panting flow of -words, but now Dick managed to make his voice heard, -speaking quietly and soothingly.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>“I’m no ghost, Lynch. I’m here in the flesh. You -didn’t drown me. I’m glad to know that you didn’t -really try to drown me. I couldn’t think that of you, -revengeful as I know you to be. Look here, touch my -hand and satisfy yourself that I’m living.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But when he held out his hand to Lynch the fellow -writhed and squirmed and rolled away, shrieking with -fear until his lips were covered with froth.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Great horn spoon!” muttered the Texan. “That -gent is pretty near daffy, partner. Never expected to -see him go to pieces like that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Keep him away from me!” shrieked Mike. “Don’t -let him touch me! Let me go! Help me to my feet!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was with the utmost difficulty that they prevented -him from rising and taking flight. Indeed he did get -upon his feet and stagger out to the road, fighting -them all off as they sought to assist him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A farm wagon, bound for town, came along, drawn -by two scraggy horses. On the seat sat a bewhiskered -old fellow who regarded the boys with no small -curiosity.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hey!” he called, pulling up the horses. “What’s -the matter with that fellow, anyhaow? Goshfry -mighty, he acts as if he was purty nigh crazy! Guess -he must have been hittin’ up somebody’s hard cider, -hey? Jerusalem! but they do git an awful jag when -they fill up on cider. I know haow it is, for I’ve been -there myself. The gosh-derned stuff makes ye act like -all thutteration. What’s he sayin’ a-yappin’ about -spooks and dead folks and things like that? By gum! -I guess you fellers better take keer of him. Be you -his friends? Waal, you better git him to a doctor jest -as soon as you ken. Put him in my waggin? ’Course -you ken. Jest ketch right holt and h’ist him aboard. -Couple of ye better come along with him to keep him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>quiet. I’ll only charge ye twenty-five cents apiece to -take you clean into the city, and that’s cheap enough, -by gum!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>So Lynch was tossed aboard the old farm wagon, -and two of the boys clambered in after him. Not until -the strip of woods was left far behind did Mike quiet -down and become amenable to reason. Even then -when they attempted to explain he grew violent and -shriekingly forbade them to mention Merriwell’s name.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Brad Buckhart remained with Dick and the others -who decided to complete the morning run ere retracing -their steps.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Partner,” said the Texan, as they were again jogging -along the road, “I sure reckon you have accomplished -your object with that gent. He’s just about -as near bughouse as any galoot I ever saw.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes,” agreed Dick, “I think he has been properly -punished. I’m willing to let up on him now, and I -hope he comes out without going clean daffy.”</p> - -<hr class='c011' /> - -<p class='c007'>A moment before the sharp prow of the steam launch -struck Buckhart’s <i>Sallie</i>, Dick realized the collision -could not be averted, rose to his feet, and made a headlong -dive into the water. His action was not seen by -Buckhart, whose eyes were fastened on the launch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Understanding the danger of being hit by the whirling -propeller of the launch, Merriwell dove as deep as -possible. With powerful strokes he swam some distance -beneath the water. When compelled to rise to -the surface, he turned his head and found that the -launch had passed over him and was some distance -away.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He wondered what had become of Brad and looked -around in vain for some sign of his companion. Near -at hand swung a vessel at anchor. Toward this Dick -<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>swam, reaching its side and seizing a hawser which -dangled to the water’s edge.</p> - -<p class='c007'>As he clung there in the deep shadow of the vessel -he discovered that the launch had slackened its speed -and was swinging round on its course. Across the -intervening water came the sound of excited voices. -Brad Buckhart was hotly denouncing the fellows who -had cut down the rowboat.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A great wave of relief swept over Dick, for he knew -now that in some manner the Texan had escaped and -was on board the launch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick’s first inclination was to raise a shout and announce -that he also was safe and unharmed. This was -suppressed almost instantly by a desire to wait and -see what would happen, and so, clinging to the hawser -there in the dark shadow of the vessel with only his -head above the surface of the water, the boy watched -and listened.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Like Brad, Merriwell believed the rowboat had been -cut down by deliberate intent. On discovering that -Lynch and Ditson were aboard the launch, this belief -became a fixed certainty in Dick’s mind.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The launch slid slowly past, with Buckhart vainly -straining his eyes for some glimpse of his chum.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s awfully tough on Brad,” thought Dick; “but -I’m more than willing those other fellows should think -I’ve been drowned. If they have a conscience, it ought -to prick them a little.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Pulling at the hawser, he found that it was secure, -and when the launch had passed he lost little time in -lifting himself up by the rope, hand over hand, and, -rolling over the rail of the vessel, dropped to the deck.</p> - -<p class='c007'>From the vessel Dick watched the launch as the -afterglow of sunset died in the west, and night spread -its sable wings above the world. He saw other boats -<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>join in the search, but still he declined to make known -the fact that he had escaped.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A huge colored man, stretching his arms, and yawning, -appeared on deck from below.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mah golly!” he muttered. “Ah must hab slept like -a log. Why, it’s gone got dark areddy, and Ah ain’t -lit dem lights. If de cap’n evah foun’ dat out, Ah’d -ketch it. Ah guess Ah’ll hurry up about gittin’ dem -lights lit. Yes, sah!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s right, Sambo,” said Dick, in a low tone, as -he stepped out and confronted the negro. “You better -get onto your job.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Fo’ laws sake!” gasped the colored man, starting -back. “Where yo’ come from, maan? How’d yo’ -git on dis yere vessel? What yo’ doin’ on dis yere -vessel? By golly! Ah guess yo’ one ob dem pirate -thieves dat goes round stealin’ from vessels, ain’t yer? -Now, yo’ keep yo’ distance. Don’ come near dis nigger, -fo’ Ah’ll crack your skull jes’ as sure’s yo’ do. -Ah’s a baad maan, Ah is. Mah name is Thomas Jefferson -Jackson Jones, and Ah’s dangerous when Ah -gits mah mad up. If Ah eber hits yo’ wif one of -dese mauls ob mine, dat will be yo’ funeral, maan. -Yo’ll ride along wif de flowers in de front carriage, -and yo’ won’t hear none of de music. Yes, sir; yes, -sir! Ah’s dangerous!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You look it,” laughed Dick, for through the darkness -he could see the darky’s eyes rolling with terror, -and it seemed that the fellow’s shaking knees -would melt beneath him. “Don’t let my accidental -presence on board the vessel disturb you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, Ah’s not disturbed in the slightes’ declivity,” -hastily retorted Thomas Jefferson Jackson Jones. -“Ah’s puffeckly caam and placated, Ah is. Ah’s a maan -dat nebber takes no chances. Always carries a razzor -in mah pocket for ’mergencies. Yes, sah!”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>“Well, let your razor stay in your pocket,” said -Dick. “You won’t have to use it. Be kind enough to -do me a favor—don’t speak quite so loud. I’ll explain -how you came to find me here.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The darky listened with an air of doubt to Dick’s -words, but the boy called his attention to the fact that -the launch and a number of small boats were moving -about near the spot where the collision had occurred.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“They’re still searching for me,” said Merriwell. -“For certain reasons I don’t want them to know I -escaped. I want them to think I was drowned. Now, -Sambo, I’m going to make you a proposition.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ah beliebe Ah ’stinctly tol’ you mah name is -Thomas Jefferson Jackson Jones. Yo’ll kindly deflane -from callin’ me Sambo, sah.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All right, Thomas,” laughed Dick. “I see you’re -very sensitive. I have no desire to hurt your tender -feelings. Instead of that, I feel very friendly toward -you. After you have lighted those lamps you can -make five dollars by taking a boat and setting me -ashore.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ah ain’t s’posed to leabe dis vessel, sah,” said the -colored man, “but if Ah saw a five-dollar bill a-comin’ -mah way, Ah might be injewsed to leave it fo’ a -short time.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The boy brought out some money, and finally succeeded -in peeling a dripping five-dollar bill from the -small roll.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s the real stuff, Thomas,” he said. “If you give -me your word that you’ll set me ashore, and say nothing -about it, the money is yours.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mah word is jes’ as good as mah bond,” chuckled -the negro, “and dey ain’t either one wuth a tinker’s -rap. Yah! yah! yah! But when Ah see a five-dollar -William comin’ mah way, Ah’s ready fo’ almos’ anything. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>Yo’ hol’ up, maan, till Ah gets dem lamps -lighted. Ah’ll be wif yer in jes’ about two seconds.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Made secure by a painter, a boat lay floating under -the stern of the vessel. When the colored man had set -the lamp he returned and drew this boat up on the -port side of the vessel and dropped into it along with -Merriwell. It was now dark, so Dick was not recognized -by any of the searchers, and therefore his plan -of deception was carried through successfully.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span> - <h2 id='XXXIX' class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXIX.<br /> <span class='large'>THE GHOSTLY FACE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“’St, Brad!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Texan stopped in his tracks as a dark figure -stepped out before him. Brad had just left the pier, -having told Lynch, Ditson, and Du Boise what he -thought of them and what he meant to do.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A queer, quivery sensation shot along Buckhart’s -spine. He stood quite still and stared at the dark -figure which promptly strode toward him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t raise a shout, old man,” said the voice of -Dick Merriwell. “Don’t let those fellows hear you. -It is I.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Brad deliberately pinched himself to make sure he -was awake.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It sounds like you, and it looks like you,” he said, -“but it can’t be you. You’re drowned!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hardly,” said Merriwell, as he dropped a hand on -the shoulder of his chum. “But I want those fellows -still to think I’m drowned. I’m in hopes it will worry -them some. That’s why I didn’t let you know I hadn’t -gone to the bottom.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Realizing at last that Merriwell was there in the -flesh, the Texan suddenly caught Dick’s wet figure in -his arms and gave him a bear hug.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, great horn spoon, I’ve got to yell!” he panted. -“If I don’t, I’ll sure blow up. Say, partner, can’t I -yell just once? Can’t I let off steam a little? Gophers -and jack rabbits, I thought you were dead! Oh, say, -what a funny feeling I’ve got! I don’t know how -to express it. Hang it all, didn’t you know I was -searching for you with the rest of the bunch? Didn’t -you realize how I felt about it? Partner, I wouldn’t -<span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>go through that thing again for fifty thousand dollars! -I sure reckoned you were food for the fishes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Texan’s voice was quivering with emotion, and -he trembled in every limb.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It was rough on you,” agreed Dick, “and perhaps -I’m mistaken in thinking it will disturb those rascals -to fancy me done for. Let’s wait here until they pass. -We can tell by what they are saying whether they are -disturbed or not.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hidden in the narrow space between two of the old -buildings, the boys waited until the trio of rascals -came along and passed on their way. Falling in behind -but taking pains not to be seen, Dick and Brad -followed the three to the first saloon and from thence -to Fred’s place of business.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“They’ve taken a private room,” said Brad, after -peering between the swinging doors. “They’ve gone -upstairs, partner. I reckon they intend to drown their -remorse with plenty of booze. If you should appear -before them now, they’d certain think you a spook.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick laughed softly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I have a fancy to play the spook,” he said. “Come -with me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In a near-by restaurant he purchased a few cents’ -worth of flour, which was given him in a paper bag. -Slipping this into his pocket, he led the way back to -Fred’s.</p> - -<p class='c007'>There were a very few patrons in Fred’s as the boys -entered. Spofford, a sophomore, was leaning lurchingly -on the bar and telling a story. Two or three of -Spofford’s chums were with him. The barkeeper was -listening and the waiter was opening a barrel in the -back room. No one paid any attention to Dick and -Brad, who sauntered through and quietly ascended the -stairs.</p> - -<p class='c007'>There were two rooms above. Listening, Merriwell -<span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>soon learned which of these was occupied by the fellows -he hoped to frighten. Having located them, he -brought forth the bag of flour, which he proceeded to -smear over his face until his features were well coated -with it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do I look rather ghostly, Brad?” he whispered.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Your face looks that way,” softly chuckled the -Texan, “but there’s nothing very ghostly about the rest -of you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then I’ll show only my face,” decided Dick. -“Here’s the panel through which drinks are passed -into that room.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“They shouldn’t see you in too strong a light,” murmured -Brad.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell’s fingers found the switch and turned it. -This cut off all the lights in the upper part of the -building.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s too much,” he whispered quickly. “Turn -off that one over your head, Brad. Hurry up.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>There was a faint click, and the Texan announced -that he had found the electric bulb and turned off the -current. Then Dick softly pushed back the panel and -manipulated the electrical switch. He did not turn it -on at once, but moved it gradually, getting the result -hoped for as the lights glowed dimly at first.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The startled fellows within that room saw the -white, ghastly face at the open panel and Du Boise -shrieked and fell to the floor in a faint. Dick closed -the panel at once.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Skip, Brad!” he hissed. “We must make a sudden -duck.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Spofford and his friends had left, and only the barkeeper -was found in the lower room.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s that yell I heard?” he asked, as the boys -appeared.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Nothing but a little practical joke,” said Dick, as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>he mopped the flour from his face with his handkerchief. -“Those fellows upstairs are hitting the booze -too hard. It’s time they swore off. They may think -they’ve seen a ghost. Perhaps you’ll help them reform -if you fail to undeceive them.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t say a word,” said Brad, tossing a silver dollar -on the bar.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You sure gave those gents something of a start, -partner,” said Brad, as they hurried away.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think I did,” agreed Merriwell. “You should -have seen them, Brad. Their eyes stuck out of their -heads. Du Boise collapsed like a pricked bladder. It -was really amusing. I’ve been well paid for the ducking -I received.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps you have!” growled the Texan. “But -I’ve got a bill to settle with those gents. They still -have to pay me for my <i>Sallie</i>, and you bet your life -I’ll make them cough up. You hear me gently chirp!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span> - <h2 id='XL' class='c005'>CHAPTER XL.<br /> <span class='large'>A QUEER DELUSION.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Mike Lynch was placed under the care of a doctor, -who found it necessary to give the fellow opiates in -order to quiet him. The doctor fancied Lynch would -come around all right in case he could get some sleep, -which he seemed to require. Mike’s friends took turns -in watching him through the day.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Toward nightfall Lynch awoke and discovered Ditson -and Wolfe in the room. He announced his intention -of getting up and proceeded to do so in spite of -their remonstrances.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m all right,” he declared. “The trouble with me -was that I couldn’t seem to sleep after the unfortunate -drowning of Merriwell last night. I’ve been troubled -with hallucinations I suppose. Never had anything -like that before. I’m nearly starved, fellows.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I should think you would be,” said Ditson, exchanging -glances with Wolfe. “Come on with us and -get something to eat. You know we all thought Merriwell -drowned, and even now I don’t know how he -escaped. Of course we’re glad he did escape.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What are you talking about?” cried Lynch, beginning -to show excitement. “Merriwell’s dead. Don’t -think you can soothe my feelings by giving me the impression -that he escaped. Don’t try to deceive me, -Ditson.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now listen to reason, Mike,” urged Duncan. -“Here’s Bern—he’ll tell you that Merriwell’s all right. -We’ve both seen him several times to-day.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But at this Lynch fell into such a state of excitement -that both his friends were startled and alarmed. He -beat the air with his clenched fists and cried out that -Merriwell was dead and would have to remain so.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>“By Jove!” whispered Wolfe, in Ditson’s ear. -“We’d better let up on this. The only way to satisfy -him is to show him Merriwell alive and in good -health.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And that may not satisfy him,” murmured Dunc. -“They say the thing that threw him into a fit was the -sight of Merriwell this morning. Mike’s the last person -I’d ever fancied would get this way. I didn’t -suppose he had any nerves. He’s literally gone to -pieces.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>They soothed him by changing the subject of their -conversation. By the time he was dressed and ready -to go out he again seemed in his normal condition.</p> - -<p class='c007'>On their way to a restaurant they met Merriwell, -who, with several friends, was coming from the gymnasium.</p> - -<p class='c007'>At sight of Dick, Lynch turned ghastly pale and -trembled. Not a word came from his lips, but he -turned his head away and walked on with averted eyes.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Merriwell is looking pretty healthy for a dead -man,” observed Wolfe, winking at Ditson.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Stop!” cried Mike, with a snarl. “Don’t try any -more of that! I won’t have it. I know he’s dead, and -that ends it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>His companions looked at each other in wonderment, -deciding that, although Lynch seemingly had recovered, -he was a subject for the care of a physician.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But even the doctor who attended Lynch could not -quite understand the condition of the fellow’s mind. -In everything else Mike seemed rational, but the mere -mentioning of Merriwell’s name in his hearing threw -him into a state of excitement that bordered on frenzy. -At sight of Dick, whom he occasionally encountered, -he invariably turned pale and averted his eyes. Some -of the fellow’s friends insisted that he ought to go -home and take a rest, but this caused Lynch to grin -<span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>and declare that he was in “the finest condition ever.” -He simply refused to acknowledge that Dick Merriwell -was not dead.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Ditson and Du Boise raised money to settle for Brad -Buckhart’s boat and felt that they were getting out -of the affair very cheaply. Of course Dick was told -of Mike Lynch’s singular mental delusion, but he, like -nearly every one else, believed Lynch would get over -it in time.</p> - -<p class='c007'>These were busy days for Dick. Baseball absorbed -nearly all his spare time. He was not a little surprised -when Wilbur Keene came to him and asked to -be coached in pitching. At first Dick thought the fellow -joshing, but Keene was in sober earnest, and -therefore day after day Merriwell spent thirty minutes -or more time instructing the varsity pitcher.</p> - -<p class='c007'>When Welch and the rest of the varsity twirlers -learned that Keene was being coached by Dick they -unbottled their scorn upon Wilbur. He was compelled -to endure all sorts of jeers and sneers. Nevertheless, -he persisted, for from the very start he was convinced -that Dick’s tutoring would be beneficial to him. -Within a few days he could see an improvement in -his work.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The first thing Dick insisted on was that Keene -should persist in obtaining control of the ball. This -he declared was far more essential than speed or -curves. The man who possessed perfect control and -had a good head on his shoulders could often deceive -a batter who could not be deceived by the chap whose -control was imperfect, even though the latter had -everything else that a pitcher needs.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The moment Keene could, put the ball where he -wished to put it Dick began on other things, and from -that time the pupil made rapid progress.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In practice on Friday, the day before the scheduled -<span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>game with Cornell, Keene did some pitching for batting -practice. It happened that Dick was present and -on the bench. Wilbur decided to try his newly learned -kinks upon his comrades, and did so with the most -surprising and satisfying results. Safe hits were few -and far between. When hit at all the ball had a nasty -way of popping into the air or rolling punkily along -the ground. To the exasperation of the players, they -could not seem to get their bats squarely against the -ball.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What do you think of that, Leyden?” inquired -Emery, trotting up to the coach. “Keene seems to be -in pretty good trim to-day, doesn’t he?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And you know why, don’t you?” said Leyden. -“He’s the only pitcher who has taken the freshman -Merriwell as a coach. The rest are prejudiced against -Merriwell or else they have too much foolish pride. -Keene is certainly improving. You’d better consider -putting him into the box to-morrow. It would be a -good time to try him out.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Welch expects to pitch to-morrow.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you haven’t told him that he’s to pitch, have -you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hardly. I don’t choose a pitcher so far ahead of -a game.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well,” said Leyden, “I urge you once more to consider -my suggestion. Keene hasn’t been given much -real work. Start him on the slab to-morrow. If they -pound him, pull him off.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span> - <h2 id='XLI' class='c005'>CHAPTER XLI.<br /> <span class='large'>SILVER BULLETS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Mike Lynch dropped into an old curio shop and inspected -an old-fashioned powder-and-ball pistol.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Will it shoot all right?” inquired Mike, as he -snapped the weapon.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Vy, certainly, mine frendt—vy, certainly it vill,” -answered the Jew proprietor. “It vos a goot pistol. -It vos choost as goot as it efer vos. But you don’t -vant it to shoot vid, do you? Most beople buy such -dings as a decorations. Dey put dem up on der vall -to look ad.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s what I want it for,” said Mike; “but, still, I -want to know that the old thing will really shoot. If -it was properly loaded, would it kill anything?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Vy, certainly, mine frendt—certainly. Dot pistol -vent through der Revolutionary Var. Heer vos der -bullet mold dot goes vid it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You don’t say so! Why, I thought they used flintlocks -then. This is a percussion cap pistol. Do you -suppose I could get any caps to fit it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Right over at der hardware store,” said the old -Jew. “You vill find plenty of dem, mine frendt.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s the price of the pistol and mold?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Fife tollars.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll give you a dollar.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, mine cootness! Do you vant to rob me? I -pay four tollar for dat pistol.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All I have is a dollar,” said Mike, taking out a -bill. “Here it is. Take it or not just as you please.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Cootn’t you make it two tollar?” whined the old -Jew. “I vill lose money on it at dot, but I vant to -get rid of it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>“Take it or not,” repeated Mike, waving the dollar -bill in front of the shopkeeper’s face.</p> - -<p class='c007'>He got the pistol and left with it in his pocket. -Visiting the hardware store, he secured a box of caps -and a small supply of powder. In the hardware store -Lynch found a tinsmith to whom he made a most -peculiar proposition.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you see this?” said Mike, producing the bullet -mold. “I want you to mold me a few silver bullets.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The tinsmith gazed at him in surprise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Silver bullets?” he questioned doubtfully. “Why -aren’t lead bullets good enough?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I want silver bullets,” persisted Mike. “A silver -bullet is the only thing that will destroy a ghost.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Look here, young man,” said the tinknocker, “is -there anything the matter with your head, or are you -talking to hear yourself?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mike winked gravely.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Never mind,” he said. “You have a nice little -furnace there, and here is a couple of silver dollars. -Can’t you melt that money and mold me some bullets?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s against the law to destroy United States -money.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But no one besides ourselves will know anything -about it. I’ll give you five dollars to do the job for me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Five dollars is an inducement. Have you got it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Here it is,” said Mike, handing it over. “I’ll pay -you in advance, and I’ll wait for those bullets.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>When he left he had several fresh-molded silver bullets -in his pocket.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The night, in the privacy of his room, with the door -securely locked, Lynch carefully loaded and capped -the old pistol. Two of the silver bullets were rammed -down on top of the powder.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s my only way to get rid of Merriwell’s spook,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>he muttered. “My grandmother used to say that a -silver bullet would always lay a spook. Unless I get -rid of this one it will drive me crazy. I’ll find an opportunity -to do the job to-morrow.”</p> - -<hr class='c011' /> - -<p class='c007'>During the game between Yale and Cornell, Dick -Merriwell sat on the Yale bench. He did so at the -request of Keene, who had been sent in to pitch. -Wilbur believed the presence of the lad who had -coached him would serve to steady his nerves and carry -him through the critical points of the game.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Keene astonished and delighted the Yale crowd, -pitching a masterly game from start to finish. Had he -failed in any inning, Yale would have been defeated, -for the score was running close and Cornell had a -team that would not be likely to yield any advantage -it might secure.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mike Lynch sat on the bleachers with several of his -classmates. Having discovered Dick on the Yale bench, -Mike stared at him through inning after inning, paying -very little attention to the conversation of his companions -or the excited cheering of the great crowd.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Ditson nudged Bern Wolfe and called his attention -to Lynch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mighty queer about Mike,” he whispered. “I was -talking with the doctor to-day. He seems to think -Mike has received some severe shock from which he -will not recover unless he gets a counter shock. Just -look at him, Bern. See his eyes. See him glare. Why, -he looks absolutely dangerous to-day.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It isn’t right for him to stay in college,” muttered -Wolfe. “He ought to get away and take a rest.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In the seventh inning Lynch rose from his seat and -announced that he was going to leave the field. Although -his friends felt that some one should accompany -<span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>him, the game was at such an exciting point -that not one of them wished to miss any of it. Therefore -Mike was permitted to depart alone.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Instead of leaving the field, Lynch descended from -the bleachers, followed the walk round toward the -locker house, and let himself in by the gate onto the -field. He was wearing a light overcoat, although the -day was very warm. Beneath that coat there was a -strange bulge over his hip pocket.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll do it now!” he whispered huskily, as his eyes -fell on Dick Merriwell’s back. “I’ll end it right here!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>His hand found and gripped the stock of the old -pistol. Swiftly advancing toward the unconscious lad, -Mike produced the weapon and softly cocked it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Just then a foul tip carromed from the bat of a -Cornell man, came whistling through the air, and -struck Lynch near the temple, dropping him unconscious -to the ground.</p> - -<p class='c007'>When Mike opened his eyes he was in the locker -room and Merriwell was the first person he saw. Several -others were there, but Dick was on his knees, -working over Lynch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mike caught his breath and lifted a hand to his -head.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What—what happened to me?” he muttered -huskily.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You were hit by a baseball,” answered Dick. “It -knocked you senseless. It hit you in a bad place, too—close -to the temple.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hit by a baseball!” muttered Lynch. “Knocked me -out, didn’t it? Isn’t it queer, but I seem to have been -dreaming. I seem to remember the queerest things, -but they’re all hazy like the visions of a dream. I -thought you were drowned, Merriwell. I thought we -ran you down in a steam launch, and then it seemed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>that your ghost was haunting me. What a ridiculous -dream, wasn’t it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ridiculous, indeed,” nodded Dick. “But you see -I’m not drowned, and you realize I can’t be a ghost in -my present material condition.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, yes, I realize that,” said Mike. “Of course I -know there’s no such things as ghosts. What’s that -cheering?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The sound of the cheering spectators came to their -ears. Into the room rushed several bronzed, healthy-looking -baseball men all in a hilarious condition of -triumph. One of them espied Dick and cried:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’ll have your hands full coaching the rest of -our pitchers now, Merriwell! By Jove, Keene pitched -a corking game! And he says you made him fit for -the job! We won, four to three! Hurrah for our -new coach!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Rah! rah! rah! New coach! new coach! Merriwell,” -cried another chap, flinging his sweater into -the air.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Congratulations, Merriwell,” said Lynch. “You’re -a winner at anything you attempt. You always come -out on top.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick now coached Keene for the great forthcoming -game with Cornell. When the two teams met, Yale -came out victorious and again Merriwell was hailed as -a hero and the credit for the victory freely given him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Meantime, however, the pistol carried by Mike -Lynch on the day he was struck senseless by a foul ball -had been found, and trouble was brewing for Mike.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span> - <h2 id='XLII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XLII.<br /> <span class='large'>BAD NEWS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Wilbur Keene, bronzed, flushed, well satisfied, yet -modest in bearing, entered the locker house, surrounded -by his comrades of the varsity nine, which -had just defeated Cornell in the game for which Merriwell -had coached Keene and which proved to be one -of the closest and most exciting games of the season.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Every one was congratulating Wilbur and telling -him what a wonderful game he had pitched. Perhaps -it would be more accurate to say nearly every one was -congratulating him. Two of the varsity pitchers, -Pumper Welch and Dudley Towne, had not expressed -themselves. Towne seemed wavering, but Welch wore -a sullen, half-sneering look upon his not unhandsome -face. Hitherto Pumper had been considered the leading -pitcher for Yale, and now he realized that a rival -who might snatch some of these honors from him had -suddenly arisen.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You certainly held ’em down in the tight places, -Keene, old man,” cried the tall Scotchman, Greg McGregor, -slapping Wilbur on the shoulder. “You pulled -out of the bad holes in beautiful shape.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It was control—control that did it,” asserted -Cranch, the catcher. “On my word, Wilbur seemed -able to put that ball precisely where he wanted to put -it. Never caught a fellow with better control in all -my life. And, say, Keene, where did you get that -queer hinkey-dink curve that you use for a strike-out?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I got that where I got my control,” answered -Keene. “I’m not too proud to acknowledge that I -owe it all to Merriwell’s coaching. The first thing he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>did was to keep at me about perfect control. Said it -was more important than speed or curves. Said it -was the first thing a pitcher ought to work for. As -for that little hinkey-dink curve, as you call it, I got -that trying to throw Merriwell’s combination ball. I -didn’t get the combination, but I did get a queer little -quirky shoot, which I used in the game to-day.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>At this moment Greg McGregor made a lunge -through the crowd and seized a lad who was trying to -slip out.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, you don’t!” shouted Greg triumphantly. “Hi, -fellows! Here he is! Here’s Merriwell! He was -making a sneak.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The freshman was dragged back into the room and -surrounded by the bronzed, bare-armed, laughing -youths.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I take off my hat to you, Merriwell,” said Bill -Leyden, with mocking seriousness. “When it comes -to coaching pitchers, you seem to have me skinned a -mile.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Leyden was the baseball coach.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hi, Merriwell!” cried Ben Carter. “Heard about -the horrible calamity that happened to your class team -this afternoon? It’s simply awful.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Now, the Yale freshmen had been playing Highbridge -High, and, regarding the game as a cinch, the -class of Umpty-ten had sent out a wretchedly small -aggregation of rooters.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What did they do?” laughed Dick. “Did they win -by a score of about twenty to nothing?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hardly that,” returned Carter. “Highbridge ate -’em up.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Go on!” mocked Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s a fact.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, you’ll have to tell that to some one else.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m not joshing,” persisted Carter. “That’s the report. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span>Umpty-ten was trimmed by Highbridge. Horrible -doings. Two pitchers knocked out of the box.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I can’t believe it,” said Dick, the smile slowly disappearing -from his face. “Why, no one regarded -Highbridge as dangerous. Both Jones and Robinson -told me I would not be needed with the team to-day. -That’s how I happened to be here.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You never can tell,” chuckled Carl Henderson. -“Sometimes these things happen when they’re least expected. -It’s possible you might have saved the game -if you’d been with the team, Merriwell.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And it’s possible I might have lost this game if he -had been with his own team,” confessed Wilbur Keene. -“Every time I found myself in a hard hole I got a nod -of encouragement from Merriwell, and it seemed to -stiffen my backbone.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, will you hear that blamed fool?” muttered -Welch, in Dud Towne’s ear. “He makes me sick at -the stomach.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If this keeps up,” said Towne, “Merriwell will have -the credit for winning the game, not Keene.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It was a fluke, anyhow,” growled Welch. “Keene -never pitched like that before, and I doubt if he ever -will again.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What was that fellow trying to do who got hit by -the ball in the seventh inning?” inquired Towne. -“How did he happen to be on the field? I know him. -He’s a freshman by the name of Lynch.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I suppose he’s one of Merriwell’s chums,” answered -Welch, with scornfully curling lips. “He was -sneaking in to get a word with Merriwell when that -swift foul tip caught him and stretched him out cold.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There he is now,” said Dud, jerking his head toward -Lynch. “If I remember right, he’s no friend -of Merriwell.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then why did Merriwell take such an interest in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span>him after he got knocked silly? Why did Merriwell -come here and work over the fellow the way he did?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Did he do that?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sure. I wouldn’t stay on the bench, you know. I -was here, and I saw them lug Lynch in. A doctor -came along, but he wasn’t needed. Merriwell had the -fellow’s shirt torn open at the throat and was chafing -his wrists and moistening his forehead. By the time -the doctor got ready to do something his assistance -wasn’t needed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s like Merriwell. He does those things for -friends and foes alike. Let any one need assistance -and he doesn’t stop to ask whether the person is a -friend or an enemy.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Haw!” grunted Welch. “He’s a great poser. He’s -always trying to show off. Of course he’s all swelled -up now because he’s been coaching a varsity pitcher. -They wanted me to let him give me points. Think of -that! I’m not taking any coaching from a freshman. -I notice that you didn’t grab at the proposition. Keene -was the only one who——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And Keene pitched the game to-day and won it,” -interrupted Towne, with a shade of regret in his voice.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Any one would think you were sorry that you -didn’t let Merriwell coach you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps I am.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>This was too much for Pumper Welch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You make me sick, too!” he said. “Go ahead and -coax Mr. Merriwell to coach you. Perhaps you’ll pan -out a great pitcher under his instructions. Oh, thunder, -what fools some fellows are!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With this final exclamation, Welch strode disgustedly -away. As soon as possible Dick escaped and made -his way from the field. He was disturbed over the -rumor that Umpty-ten had lost to Highbridge High, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span>and at the gymnasium he sought for confirmation of -this report. Apparently it was true, for every one who -had heard anything at all about it said the same thing. -As Dick was leaving the gym he encountered Bertie -Lee.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hello, Kid,” he called. “What do you know about -the Highbridge game?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Only what I’ve heard. I was out to watch the -Cornell game.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That report must be a josh,” said Dick. “Highbridge -couldn’t beat Umpty-ten.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It doesn’t seem possible,” said Lee, swinging in at -Dick’s side and stretching his short legs to catch Merriwell’s -stride. “Say, I want to tell you something, -Dick. I saw Lynch when he sneaked in onto the field -to-day and I followed him. I think I was the first fellow -to reach him after the ball stretched him out. Do -you know what made me follow him?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Can’t say that I do.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I’ll tell you. I got a look at his face, and I -knew he was up to some trick. If ever I saw a sneaky, -bloodthirsty mug, it was that of Mike Lynch. You -know I’ve had trouble with him, and I don’t love him -any. I’m scared to death of him now. He’d cut his -grandmother’s throat, that fellow would. Funny nobody -noticed what he had in his hand when he was hit -by the ball.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What he had in his hand?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What did he have in his hand?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I can’t show you here. I’ve got it. It’s in my -pocket. I picked it up. I want you to have it. You -better find out what Mike Lynch was going to do. He -was sneaking up behind you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ve wondered what he was trying to do,” said -Dick. “Lee, you’ve got my curiosity aroused. Come -<span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>on over to the house and show me what it was you -picked up.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Bertie followed Dick to his room on York Street. -The moment the door was closed behind them Dick -expectantly faced the little fellow, who had once been -prominent in the Ditson set, but who was now practically -ostracized.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m liable to get hurt for this,” said Lee, who now -appeared genuinely alarmed. “Those fellows have -threatened me. They suspect I’ve told you about several -of their sneaking plots and schemes against you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s too late to back out now, Kid,” said Dick. -“You know I won’t betray you. You may as well tell -me the whole business. What was it you picked up on -the field after Mike Lynch was knocked senseless?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Bertie unbuttoned his coat and produced something -from beneath it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This is what I found,” he announced, handing it -over to Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was an old-fashioned percussion-cap pistol.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span> - <h2 id='XLIII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XLIII.<br /> <span class='large'>THE SILVER BULLETS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“Look out!” exclaimed Bertie; “it’s loaded.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick held the queer old pistol in his hand, turning it -slowly and looking at it with a puzzled expression on -his face.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This is mighty queer,” he muttered. “I don’t understand -it. Did you see Lynch with this weapon in -his hand?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He dropped it when he was knocked out by the -ball,” persisted Bertie. “He was sneaking up behind -you with that pistol, Dick.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell shook his head.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why should Mike Lynch, or any one else for that -matter, carry a weapon like this?” speculated Dick. -“It’s an ancient relic.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You know Mike has been rotten queer lately.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, I know,” nodded Dick. “He’s been troubled -with hallucinations. Of course, you know about the -running down of Buckhart’s boat in the harbor. At -that time Lynch and his friends fancied I was drowned. -Strangely enough, Mike was the one most affected by -this belief. It seemed to upset him mentally, and no -one could convince him that I was not dead. On other -things he appeared rational enough, but he certainly -was queer on that point. Whenever he met me he -refused to look at me. They told me he invariably -flew into a passion if any one spoke of my escape from -drowning. After being hit by that baseball to-day -Lynch seemed rational for the first time in many days. -You know I did what I could to restore him to consciousness. -When he came round he stated that he -seemed to have dreamed that I was dead. I fancied -<span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>the shock had knocked the delusion out of his head and -restored him to his normal condition.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I don’t know what sort of condition he was -in,” said Bertie; “but I do know he was sneaking up -behind you with this loaded pistol in his hand. You -can imagine what he meant to do. I don’t like to -think of it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If he meant to shoot me,” muttered Dick, “the fellow -was certainly crazy. There’s no other explanation. -No chap in his right mind would attempt such a -deed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Probably he meant to plead brain storm as an excuse,” -said Lee.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick shook his head decisively.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I must refuse to believe that Lynch contemplated -any such dastardly act. Perhaps there’s nothing but -powder in this pistol. Perhaps he had some freakish -scheme in his befogged mind. Lee, I’m going to find -out whether there’s anything more than powder in this -pistol. I haven’t anything to draw the charge, but -there’s another way to settle the point. Come down -into the back yard with me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>They descended the stairs and passed through the -kitchen into the back yard. Finding a heavy block of -wood, Merriwell placed it close to the fence, retreated -a few feet, and leveled the pistol at it. When he pulled -the trigger there was an explosion like the report of -a shotgun. Springing forward to the block of wood, -Dick examined it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Great Scott!” he cried, his face paling. “Look -here!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>His finger pointed to the spot where two bullets had -entered the wood close to each other.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I see it! I see it!” spluttered Lee. “That settles -it! Now you know the old thing was loaded with -something more than powder.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>Dick took out his handkerchief and wiped beads of -perspiration from his forehead.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mike Lynch must have been crazy,” he said huskily. -“Only a crazy man would think of using such a -weapon as this, anyhow. Any one in his right senses -would have chosen an up-to-date revolver. Kid, I -wish you’d ask the kitchen girl for a hatchet. I’m -going to get those bullets or slugs out of this block.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Maggie herself was on hand, having been -brought out by the report of the pistol.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Heavings save us!” she gasped, holding up her -hands. “What air you doing, Mr. Merriwell? You -nearly scat me to death a-shootin’ out here in the -yard.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Bring me the hatchet, Maggie!” called Dick. “I -want to use it right away.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The girl reëntered the house and reappeared with -a heavy, broad-bladed hatchet in her hand. Seizing -this implement, Dick split off a piece of the bullet-pierced -block.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Say, but there was a heavy charge of powder in -that old thing,” observed Lee. “Look how deep the -bullets went in.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell hacked at the block until finally one of the -bullets was uncovered. Cutting away around it, he -pried it out with a corner of the hatchet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Fresh-molded,” he muttered, holding it up. “See -how bright it is.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lee seized the hatchet and hacked away at the block -to bring the other bullet to light. While Bertie was -doing this, Dick produced his jackknife and tried the -blade on the bullet he had secured.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This is not lead,” he announced. “It’s too hard -and too bright. If it were lead, it would have flattened -out. By Jove, Kid, this looks like silver to me!”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>“Here’s the other one!” cried Lee. “They’re mates, -Dick. Say, if you’d ever got those through your head, -it would have been your everlasting finish.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick took the second bullet, inspected it, compared -it with the first, and dropped them both into his pocket.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Bertie,” he said, “I want you to keep a close mouth -about this business. Don’t mention it to any one—at -least, don’t mention it until I give you permission.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m not liable to mention it,” said Bertie quickly. -“I don’t want Mike Lynch on my neck. I don’t know -what you think about it, Dick, but it seems to me that -Lynch had something mighty nasty in his mind when -he was sneaking up behind you. If he’s daffy, he -should be placed in confinement where he’ll do no injury -to any one. It isn’t right to let a crazy fellow -run loose. I’m afraid of him. If they don’t take care -of Lynch, I’m liable to get out of New Haven myself, -I tell you that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t hurry, Kid. If Mike Lynch is crazy enough -to attempt murder, I’m going to see that he is taken -care of. But first I think I shall talk with Lynch myself.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Having arrived at such a decision, Dick wasted little -time. He proceeded straight to the room occupied -by Lynch and unhesitatingly knocked for admission.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A voice called, “Come in!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lynch was sitting in a morris chair with a bandage -around his head. He was wearing a dressing gown -and looked pale and listless.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hello, Merriwell!” he said, with an intonation of -surprise as Dick appeared. “I didn’t suppose it was -you. Thought it might be some of my friends, but -they don’t seem to be in any hurry about calling to -find out whether I’m seriously injured or not. Won’t -you sit down?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span>“I’m not going to make a long call,” said Dick. “I -dropped in to ask you about this queer old pistol. Have -you ever seen it before?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He produced the weapon and held it up before -Lynch as he spoke.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span> - <h2 id='XLIV' class='c005'>CHAPTER XLIV.<br /> <span class='large'>LYNCH CONFESSES.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>At sight of the pistol Mike started violently, betraying -much agitation. It seemed that his pale face grew -still whiter. For a moment he sat quite still, but finally, -summoning command of himself, he extended a hand -and took the weapon from Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell stood watching every shade of expression -that flitted across the face of the sandy-haired youth. -He was wondering if Mike would deny having seen -the pistol. In such a case Dick was ready with a hot -denouncement. In fact, he had practically determined -to make public the truth of the affair and force Lynch -out of college. Why not? Certainly there was no -reason why he should permit the fellow to remain there -after this second attempt to commit murder. The running -down of the rowboat might be called a piece of -reckless maliciousness without any deliberate desire to -take human life, but when, with a loaded pistol in his -hand, a man creeps up behind another man whom he -hates, it certainly looks like premeditated crime of the -most bloodthirsty sort.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Twice Lynch sought to moisten his lips with his -tongue before speaking. When he did speak his voice -was husky and faltering.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Where did you get this, Merriwell?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You haven’t answered my question,” reminded -Dick coldly. “When you do answer it I’ll answer -yours. Have you ever seen that pistol before?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I—I think I have,” muttered Mike.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, it was picked up on the baseball ground after -you were knocked senseless by that foul ball. It was -found where you dropped when the ball hit you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>Lynch drew a deep breath and a shiver seemed to -run over him from his head to his feet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then it was no dream,” he whispered huskily. “I -was thinking about that when you came in. I was trying -to clear up things in my mind. I was wondering -what had really happened and what I had dreamed as -happening.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Still holding the pistol and fixing his gaze upon it, -Mike lifted one hand to his bandaged head, apparently -seeking to get a grip on his disturbed and scattered -thoughts.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Merriwell,” he said, “I wish you would tell me a -few things. We ran down a rowboat containing you -and Buckhart, didn’t we?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Buckhart escaped and was pulled on board our -launch.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you—we saw nothing of you after the rowboat -was wrecked. We believed you were drowned. -Buckhart thought so. We searched for your body until -long after it was dark. Others joined in the search. -Finally we gave it up. That night in Fred’s saloon we -saw your white face through the panel hole in the wall. -We were drinking heavily. Du Boise fainted. I’m -sure both Ditson and myself believed we had seen an -apparition, a ghost. Du Boise tried to explain it by -saying it was a hallucination. I didn’t sleep much that -night—in fact, I don’t think I slept at all. I never -passed through such a night. At daybreak I started -out into the country, seeking to get away from myself -and my haunting thoughts. Perhaps you don’t believe -me, Merriwell, but I was the most wretched fellow in -the world. I didn’t think there was any real danger -that we would drown you when we ran your boat -down. I wanted to give you a ducking. There was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span>malice in my heart perhaps, but not murder. I hope -you believe this.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Without speaking, Dick motioned for him to continue.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I say I started out early the following morning, but -I’m not sure of that. I don’t seem to know just what -happened. I have fancied it was nothing but a dream. -I have fancied that I remained and dreamed that I rose -and took a long walk into the country. In a strip of -woods I stopped to rest. Along came some fellows -taking a morning run. You were with them. This -seems to be a part of my dream. Tell me, Merriwell, -did such a thing happen?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, such a thing happened. You seemed terribly -excited at sight of me. You were brought back to -town and placed under the care of a doctor. To all -outward appearances, you recovered in a very short -time; but ever since then up to the present day you -have maintained that I was dead, and whenever you -met me you have refused to look at me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Gripping the edge of the table, Lynch slowly rose -to his feet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps you’ll not believe it, Merriwell,” he said, -“but I think I’ve been slightly deranged. Getting hit -by that baseball seems to have straightened out my -mind and brought me round.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell pointed sternly at the pistol.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What were you doing with that weapon?” he demanded.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lynch shook his head.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I can’t tell you,” he answered hoarsely.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Was the pistol loaded?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s not loaded now, is it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Was it loaded when you started to creep up behind -me with it in your hand?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think it was.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span>“What were you going to do?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Heaven help me! I am afraid I meant to shoot -you.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Once more Mike was trembling, and it seemed necessary -for him to cling to the study table in order to -stand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m glad you see fit to tell me the truth,” said Dick -grimly. “Here are the bullets with which the pistol -was loaded.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He produced them and held them in the hollow of -his hand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Silver bullets!” whispered Mike.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Silver?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why silver?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“To destroy a ghost.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“To what?” cried Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It sounds foolish, doesn’t it?” muttered Lynch. -“It’s an old superstition. I heard my grandmother tell -of it when I was a mere child. My grandmother came -from Ireland. She said the only way to lay a spook -was to shoot it with a silver bullet.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And you—you believed such a ridiculous thing, -Lynch? That’s too much!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know whether I believed it or not,” muttered -Mike. “You understand that I was somewhat daffy. -Whenever I saw you I fancied I beheld a ghost. I -thought myself haunted. In this state of mind I remembered -the words of my grandmother and resolved -to exorcise you with the aid of silver bullets. I seemed -to remember some crazy conviction that you would -vanish instantly if shot with a silver bullet.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In spite of himself, Dick smiled. It seemed unspeakably -preposterous, and yet had not this fellow -crept upon him with a pistol containing such bullets?</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I bought that old pistol,” Lynch went on. “You -<span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>see an ordinary pistol wouldn’t do. I had to get one -that used powder and ball. I bought a bullet mold -and had a number of silver bullets made. At first I -thought I would creep up behind you some time when -no one else was near, but after a while I decided that, -as long as you were a ghost, it made no difference -when I put an end to you. Certainly it could not be a -crime to destroy a ghost. I went to the game to-day -little thinking that I would find you there. When I -discovered you I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. I -don’t remember anything at all about the game. At -last I became so worked up that I resolved to do the -thing without loss of time. You know what followed. -This is the whole story, Merriwell. I don’t ask you to -believe a word of it. I don’t expect you to believe it. -I don’t think I would believe it if I were in your place. -I’ve made a confession. I acknowledge I tried to shoot -you. Under any circumstances I shall not deny it. -You have all the evidence you need against me. I’ll -wait here for the officers.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>It must be confessed that Merriwell was puzzled and -felt himself in a peculiar position. If Lynch spoke -the truth, Dick had no desire to punish him, as he now -seemed genuinely penitent. Furthermore, his actions -had been those of a deranged man.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hadn’t you better take a vacation, Lynch?” suggested -Merriwell. “Don’t you think you need it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I suppose you mean that I must leave college for -good? You are going to force me out?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No. I mean exactly what I said—I think it will -be beneficial to you if you take a vacation without waiting -for the term to close. I have not accepted your -story as true, and yet I hope it is true. I’ve always -fancied you to be a person with an ordinary amount -of common sense. No person with ordinary intelligence -would have thought of shooting an enemy, but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>if your mind was in a condition that led you to try such -a thing, it’s high time that you gave up studying and -sought rest and quiet in the country. If you don’t, -you’re liable to break down entirely and go to pieces beyond -cure.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I presume you’re afraid I’ll get another daffy -streak, and repeat the attempt on your life. I don’t -blame you, Merriwell. Still, I’m not going to leave -college now. I’m all right at the present moment, and -I believe I’ll remain so. You know I’ve been dreadfully -worried over my bills here, for I ran deeply in -debt. I didn’t know what would happen to me. I -thought I was swamped. As a last resort, I wrote a -letter to my mother, making a full confession. This -morning I received her answer. She sent me a check. -It was large enough to enable me to pay all my debts -and have something left over. For the first time in -weeks I’m straightened out and ready to go ahead -without worry. The only thing that will prevent me is -this business to-day. If you proceed against me, my -college career is ended. I have been a rather nasty -enemy toward you, Merriwell. I know that. I’ve -hated you bitterly, and I’ve tried my best to injure -you. It was wrong. Now I throw myself on your -mercy. Do whatever you like.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With a sigh, Lynch sat down.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span> - <h2 id='XLV' class='c005'>CHAPTER XLV.<br /> <span class='large'>MIKE PUTS IT ON PAPER.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>It is a simple matter to imagine what would have -happened to Lynch had he, under similar circumstances, -thrown himself on the mercies of almost any -other boy whom he had hated and plotted against as -he had against Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>At the outset Merriwell’s intention had been to force -the truth from Mike’s lips, and then give him the -alternative of leaving college or being arrested at once. -Even now Dick hesitated and wondered if that was -the only course to pursue. He stood meditating, with -his eyes fastened upon Mike’s face.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Somehow, a most remarkable change seemed to have -come over Lynch. His face wore a sad, resigned expression -that was genuinely pathetic and appealing. It -had lost its usual grim and half-brutal aspect. Indeed, -as Dick watched, Mike’s chin began to quiver, and two -tears started from his eyes and rolled slowly down his -cheeks, although no sound came from his lips. Indeed, -he bowed his head, seemingly seeking to hide -these tokens of weakness.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Was the fellow faking, or was he genuinely repentant? -This question troubled Dick. Under any -circumstances, Merriwell believed the fellow needed the -attentions of a competent physician, for surely he must -have been mentally unbalanced for a time. It was -not reasonable to suppose he had been cured instantly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I am going to think this matter over, Lynch,” said -Dick, after a few moments. “I want to do what is -right. If I decide to keep this thing quiet and make -no move against you, you must promise me one thing.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Anything,” murmured Lynch, without lifting his -head.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>“You must be examined by an expert in mental disorders. -If he says your mind is in such a condition -that you should quit college for a time, you must accept -his decision.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Very well.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You agree, do you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, I’m ready to agree to anything that will give -me a fair chance. I don’t want to leave college. I -believe I am all right now. Perhaps I need a little -medicine to tone me up, but that’s all. I appreciate -this, Merriwell. I can’t say much about it now, but -I think I’ll prove to you that I’m not ungrateful. I -know what would have happened to me had you been -almost any one else. I confess I was depending on -your generosity. You have been generous with all -your enemies—almost too generous. In the end you -overcome their enmity and win their respect. If you -were afraid of them, such would not be the case. At -first I thought you were afraid, but now I know my -mistake. I doubt if you fear any one in the world. -Tell me the truth, Merriwell. Were you really ever -afraid of anything?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, indeed,” was the prompt answer. “No credit -for courage may be given a person who has never -known fear. It is the one who has experienced fear -and overcome it who is really brave. I’m going to -take this pistol, Lynch. I shall also keep these bullets. -I did not pick up this weapon after you dropped it. -Another person did that. In case I find you’re not -sincere in your seeming repentance, I’ll have evidence -enough against you to put you out of college in a -hurry.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mike made no objection as Dick took the pistol and -thrust it into an inner pocket.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll prove to you that I’m sincere,” he suddenly -exclaimed, once more rising to his feet. “You wait; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>I’ll place the proof in your hands this very night. -I’ll fix it so that you won’t need that pistol as evidence.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What are you going to do?” asked Dick wonderingly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Never mind,” said Lynch. “You’ll find out soon. -I would offer to shake hands with you, but——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Prove to me beyond doubt that you’re genuinely -repentant and ready to do what’s right in future, and -you’ll find my hand open to you,” said Dick, as he -turned toward the door.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll prove it!” cried Mike, following him across the -room and letting him out. “You’ll be convinced sooner -than you think. Good night, Merriwell.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>When Dick was gone Lynch turned back to his -study table, produced a paper pad, seized a pen, and -prepared to write.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Across the top of the first page he wrote these -words: “Voluntary Statement of M. J. Lynch, Student -at Yale, Class of Umpty-ten.” This was followed -by the date.</p> - -<p class='c007'>At this point Lynch paused, with uplifted pen, and -a queer, crafty look flitted across his face.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I shall ask Merriwell to destroy this paper when he -is satisfied that I am sincere in my repentance. But -what if he forgets to destroy it? What if it falls into -other hands, and is read by some one for whose eyes -it is not intended? I must be cautious. I must look -out for that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Pulling the sheet from the pad, he tore it up and -flung the pieces into his waste basket. Then he arose, -crossed the room, and opened a drawer of his dresser, -from which he took a very small bottle of ink. Returning -to the table, he sat down, selected a fresh, -clean pen, and prepared to use the small bottle of ink. -For fully thirty minutes Lynch wrote.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>“There,” he said at last, “there’s a full confession of -my connection with the running down of Buckhart’s -boat, and of my attempt to destroy Merriwell’s ghost -with silver bullets. Now, what I need is a witness for -my signature.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The witness appeared directly, for Bern Wolfe entered -without pausing to rap.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Thought I’d come round to find out how you are, -Mike,” said Wolfe. “By George, you got a bump! -What the dickens were you doing, anyhow? You left -us on the bleachers, and went hustling away, after announcing -that you couldn’t stay there any longer, and -had decided to leave the field. How’d you happen to -get in there where you could be hit by that ball?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Never mind that,” said Lynch. “You’re just the -fellow I want to use. I have a little document here -that I’m about to sign. I want you to attach your -name as witness.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s the document?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Wolfe started to pick up the confession, but Lynch -hastened to prevent him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s private,” he said. “I can’t let you read it, you -know. All I wish of you is that you put your name -on as a witness to the genuineness of my signature.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s funny,” muttered Bern. “I don’t often -sign anything unless I know what I’m hitching my -name to.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m not asking you to sign it. I’m asking you to -append your name as a witness to my signature. I -give you my word that it won’t get you into any -trouble. Here, I’m going to put my name to it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mike did so, writing his name in big, flourishing -letters.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sit down,” he said, getting up from the chair and -covering the paper with a blank sheet which left no -<span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span>more than the bottom line and his own signature in -view.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Wolfe took the chair and picked up a pen, dipping it -into the larger ink bottle.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hold on!” cried Mike, catching his wrist and -checking him. “Don’t use that ink.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Eh? Why not?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, for certain reasons that I won’t name. Take -that other pen, please, and use the ink from this smaller -bottle.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Aren’t you rather fussy?” grunted Wolfe, as he -complied. “Where do you want me to write and what -do you want me to write?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Write here,” indicated Mike. “Write these words: -‘Witness for M. J. Lynch.’ Then sign your name.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Bern followed instructions, and then paused, with -pen suspended.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hey? What’s this?” he muttered, staring at the -exposed line of writing. “What’s this about ‘a full and -complete confession?’”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s all right,” said Lynch, hastily catching up -the sheets of paper. “Don’t be such a rubberneck, -Bern.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Having made sure that the ink was dry upon the -paper, Mike carefully placed the sheets together, folded -them, and slipped them into an envelope.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now, if you’ll let me sit there a moment, Wolfe,” -he suggested.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Once more sitting down, Lynch addressed the envelope, -using the ink from the larger bottle. Bern -peered inquisitively over Mike’s shoulder.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Eh?” he ejaculated. “Richard Merriwell? Say, -what the dickens are you writing to Dick Merriwell?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>With a queer, grave smile, Lynch found a stamp and -affixed it to the envelope.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span>“It won’t hurt you if you don’t know, Bern,” he -answered.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But I have a right to know,” spluttered Wolfe. “If -I had thought you were writing anything to him, you’d -never got my autograph on it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Make yourself comfortable,” said Mike, as he -tossed aside his dressing gown and took a coat from -his wardrobe. “I’m going to step down to the mail -box.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Needn’t trouble yourself so much,” said Wolfe, -with sudden eagerness. “You’re not feeling well, -Mike. Give me the letter. I’ll mail it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Lynch shook his head.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I wouldn’t trust you,” he said. “I wouldn’t trust -any one. I’m going to mail it myself. I’ll be back in -a minute.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, what does it mean?” growled Wolfe, as -Lynch went out with the letter in his hand.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span> - <h2 id='XLVI' class='c005'>CHAPTER XLVI.<br /> <span class='large'>TURNING A NEW LEAF.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>When Mike returned he was accompanied by Duncan -Ditson and Mel Dagett. The moment they were -in the room and the door was closed, Dunc turned -fiercely on Mel.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Confound you!” he cried. “I tell you I haven’t -any money! I tell you I can’t pay! I’m broke—dead -broke! You know it! You know what happened at -Providence. I raked up every dollar I could raise to -bet against Umpty-ten, and lost.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, yes, I know that,” sneered Dagett. “I let you -have part of the money. Didn’t I lose, too? That’s -why I want you to pay me. I need it. I’m strapped.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Tell that to your grandmother,” sneered Dunc. -“You’re not strapped. Why, you’ve been loaning -money at twenty per cent a month for the last five -months. You’ve bled everybody you could.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But I’ve been unfortunate,” whined Mel. “I took -your advice on that Brown game, and you see what -happened. You agreed to pay me a week ago. I’ve -been putting it off to give you time. You said you’d -have money to-day.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Because I thought I’d get some from home. It -hasn’t come. Do you know how I’ve managed to -scrub along the past week? Well, I’ll tell you: I’ve -borrowed from my sister. Yes, borrowed from my -sister, and she gets what little money she has by teaching -music. It comes hard enough, and she needs every -dollar.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ve got to have ten,” hissed Mel, wagging his -head from side to side. “I won’t wait any longer. -Can’t you borrow that of her?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>“Say, I’d like to choke you! No, I can’t; see?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, then, there’s only one thing for me to do,” -said Mel, with a shrug of his shoulders and an upward -toss of his hand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s that?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll have to raise money on the securities you let -me have. That was according to the agreement. I’ll -have to find out what they’ll bring.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you sell my stuff, I’ll knock the head off you!” -shouted Duncan.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t yell like that in this room,” remonstrated -Lynch. “I can’t have it, Ditson.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But look at that cursed Shylock!” panted Dunc, -pointing at Mel. “He’d steal coppers off a dead man’s -eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You have no right to say that,” complained Dagett. -“Simply because I do business in a businesslike fashion -you insult me. I suppose you think I ought to let you -have the money for nothing. I suppose you think I -ought to give it to you. Mike has paid me what he -owes me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Has he?” exclaimed Ditson, in surprise. “Why, -I didn’t know——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sit down, both of you fellows,” directed Lynch. -“Sit down, I say. That’s right, Dagett, back yourself -into that chair. Now, look here, Dunc, how much do -you owe Mel?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I agreed to pay him ten dollars this week.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How much is the full amount that you owe him?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Forty-five dollars.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What security has he?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Two rings, a watch, and my scarfpin.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Worth how much?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, the rings are worth thirty or forty dollars. -The pin is worth about ten. I don’t suppose I could -<span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span>get more than fifteen or eighteen on the watch, but to -me it’s worth twice that, as it was a present.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Can you get those things and bring them here right -away, Dagett?” asked Mike.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why, yes, if——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then hustle—hustle, I say! Get them! Go ahead -now!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But what’s the use if he can’t pay?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Lynch smote the table with his huge fist.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If he can’t pay, I can!” he roared.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Duncan Ditson gasped with astonishment, for this -was the last thing he had expected from Mike.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If he can’t pay, I can,” repeated Lynch. “We have -been friendly, and I’m going to get him out of your -greedy clutches, Dagett.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, you needn’t pay the whole of it,” said Mel -quickly. “I only want what’s due this week.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You only want to keep him indebted to you, so you -can continue to squeeze him. If he can’t pay what’s -due next week, then you’ll threaten to sell his stuff. -I know your game, Dagett, and it’s a mighty dirty -one.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now, don’t you start to preach to me,” sneered -Mel. “I guess you’ve been in some dirty jobs yourself.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I have,” acknowledged Lynch instantly. “I’ve -been in a number of them, but that’s past now, and -I’m done with it. Understand, I say I’m done with -it. I’ve turned over a new leaf, and in future I’m -going to conduct myself differently. Don’t grin, -Dagett; I mean business. Your warped and distorted -mind may not be able to comprehend me, but I mean -just what I say. Heretofore I’ve carried around a -grouch that has made me ugly and disagreeable even -toward my own friends. I haven’t enjoyed life. I’ve -<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>been getting little satisfaction out of it. From now -on I’m going to follow a different plan. I begin here -and now by helping one chap to get out of your -clutches, Dagett, even though it leaves me practically -broke. Now get those things and bring them here -just as quick as you can.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Ditson and Wolfe exchanged wondering glances. -When Mel had left the room, Duncan started to express -his thanks, but Mike cut him short.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why shouldn’t I do it?” he said. “Haven’t we -been on friendly terms? What’s a friend good for if -he won’t help another out in a time of need?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Gee! is this Mike Lynch?” muttered Wolfe. “Say, -Dunc, what do you think I caught him doing? You -can’t guess, so don’t try. I caught him writing a -letter to Dick Merriwell, and he induced me to hitch -on my name as a witness to his signature.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What were you doing, Lynch?” grinned Ditson. -“Telling Merriwell to go to the dickens?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No,” was the answer. “I was telling him something -entirely different. You heard me inform Dagett -that I have turned over a new leaf. I wasn’t talking -to hear the sound of my own voice. Did you ever -hear me admit that I consider Merriwell the whitest -man in college? You never did, but I admit it now. -I’m through trying to throw him down.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Both Ditson and Wolfe seemed thunderstruck. At -first Duncan was inclined to ridicule Lynch, but he -quickly discovered that Mike would not endure ridicule -on that point.</p> - -<p class='c007'>By the time Dagett returned with the valuables belonging -to Duncan, Ditson was satisfied that some remarkable -change had taken place in Lynch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mike paid the money due Dagett. With his own -hands he destroyed the agreement held by Mel and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span>signed by Ditson, by which Duncan was bound to -meet the extortioner’s demands or suffer the penalty -of having his valuables disposed of to raise the cash.</p> - -<p class='c007'>This done, Mike took Mel by the collar, led him to -the door, and ejected him from the room.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span> - <h2 id='XLVII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XLVII.<br /> <span class='large'>A BITTER DOSE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>When the freshman team arrived in New Haven -that night, Dick Merriwell was the only one who appeared -at the station to meet them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A sorry, downcast-looking bunch they were as they -left the train, carrying their bat bags and satchels. -Blessed Jones had a face nearly a yard long. Jack -Spratt looked as if he had shed tears and had a reserve -supply on tap and ready for delivery. Rob -Claxton carried his head high, but could not disguise -the fact that he was very much disgusted. The round -face of Bouncer Bigelow wore a moonish expression -of mingled regret and shame. Brad Buckhart looked -ugly enough to eat railroad spikes. Even Tommy -Tucker seemed upset and downcast.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Of them all, however, Sam Kates appeared to be -the most wretched. He lingered behind, being the -last one to reach the platform, and showed an inclination -to slip away from the others if he could do so -without being detected.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Although they saw Dick waiting for them, the most -of the boys declined to meet his inquisitive eyes. Truly, -it was with no small difficulty that Merriwell repressed -a rising inclination to shout with laughter. In spite of -himself, a faint smile crept over his face, and this he -tried to conceal by covering his lips with his hand. -Buckhart had observed it, however, and he stopped -at Dick’s side, glaring at his friend as he muttered:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you laugh, you certain take your life in your -hand, partner. You’ll have the whole blamed bunch -on your back like a lot of catamounts. They are sure -the ugliest crowd I ever traveled with. We’ve had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>three scraps on the way here, and if you’ll take a -look at Otis Fitch, you’ll discover that he’s wearing a -handsome black eye. He made some uncomplimentary -remark about Spratt’s fielding, and Spratt punched -him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, you must have had a hot time,” observed -Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hot sure is no name for it. Don’t ask any questions -now. Wait till we get under cover. I want to -sneak in by the back way. Think of being walloped -by a lot of high-school kids. Waugh!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Never had the Texan expressed greater disgust than -he threw into that final exclamation. Swinging on his -heel, he strode away, regardless of Merriwell.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Failing to accept Brad’s warning, Dick took Jones -by the arm and began to question him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A wise head containeth a silent tongue,” muttered -the disgruntled captain of the freshman team.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But he that seeketh diligently after wisdom shall -obtain it,” reminded Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And he that is devoured by much inquisitiveness -causeth disturbance,” retorted Blessed. “Let us seek -the shelter of our roof tree before we prattle of our -disgrace.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Evidently you all take it sorely to heart,” said Merriwell. -“I never saw such a cut-up looking bunch of -ball players.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Cut up? If I’d let them scrap on the train, they’d -be worse cut up than they are now. Dick, I’m afraid -harmony on the team is a thing of the past. This has -been a fatal day. And they all blame Robinson and -me for letting you stay behind. Don’t talk of it -now.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>That was all he could get out of Jones until they -were in their room. With his door open, Buckhart -could be heard prowling about in the adjoining room, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span>but he seemed quite willing to let Blessed explain how -the thing had happened.</p> - -<p class='c007'>According to Jones, it was a case of overconfidence -by Umpty-ten, followed by the rattles when Highbridge -fell on Kates and batted him out of the box.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Who filled Sam’s place?” inquired Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, Spratt helped the suffering along,” groaned -Blessed. “He’s been wanting to show what he could -do on the slab, and I gave him a chance. Every one -of those kids got a bingle off him. So help me, Joshua, -it was an unspeakable relief when the game finally -dragged to an end!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Buckhart stuck his head in at the door.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“When Highland can do us up,” he said, “we’ll -make a fine showing against those Manhattan College -sons of Erin. If those husky Irishmen don’t eat us -up Wednesday, it will certain be a miracle. You hear -me murmur!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Dick will pitch that game,” said Jones.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And he’ll have a fine team behind him,” said the -Texan. “Unless some one pours oil on the troubled -waters, I don’t believe we’ll get out more than half -the team next week.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, you were to blame for a good deal of the -trouble,” declared Jones. “You told Kates he was -bum, you reviled Spratt, you derided Bigelow, and -Claxton was about the only man you didn’t insult. I -suppose you realized you’d have a fight on your hands -if you said much to him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It was enough to make anybody sit up on his -haunches and howl like a wolf,” said the Texan, as -he stepped through the doorway. “I won’t get over -it in a month.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, forget it! forget it!” piped a voice, as Tommy -Tucker pushed open the door and peered in. “Still -chewing it over? What’s the use? Say, Dick, have -<span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span>you heard the story about the powdered sugar? -Haven’t heard it? Well, it’s fine.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Bang!—a shoe flew past Tucker and struck the half-open -door, which was knocked against the nose of -Bouncer Bigelow, who had just started to peer into -the room.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, wow!” cried the fat boy, grabbing his nasal -organ with both hands. “Be careless, will you? What -are you trying to do, anyhow?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Shoe fly, don’t bother me!” cried Tucker. “Come -in quick and close the door. These people seem violent. -We may have to sit on them, and you’re the -proper size and weight for that job.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wonder you didn’t make my nose bleed,” grunted -Bigelow, as he came in and leaned against the closed -door. “What is it, another fight? Jerusalem! there -hasn’t been a thing doing but fights ever since the -middle of that game. Never saw such a scrappy crowd. -But, say, there were a lot of pretty girls out to the -game. They enjoyed it immensely seeing Highland -rub it into us. They kept squealing their class cheer -and waving their flags until I was afraid they would -all have spasms. I can’t seem to get the sound of -that yell out of my ears. It was a sort of a hiky-yi! -ye-yo! yow! wow! wow! Even when they were yelling -their loudest they were pretty. I tell you, fellows, -the fair sex is beautiful.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s natural,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not always,” grinned Tucker. “Sometimes it’s -artificial.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But really,” said Bouncer, “I can’t understand girls. -I don’t believe any fellow ever does. Somehow, they -seem to understand us better than we do them.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That began with the first woman created,” said -Tommy. “See how well old Mother Eve understood -old Father Adam.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span>“That was because she was on the inside at the beginning,” -said Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Somebody loan me a brick, please,” begged Tucker. -“I’ll give it to Merriwell—good and hard!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You seem to have recovered from your recent depression,” -said Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, he doesn’t know enough to remain depressed -long,” sneered Bigelow. “He told me he was coming -in to punch Buckhart for insulting him. I came to -save his life if he tried it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ll have to assemble the braves and smoke the -pipe of peace,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How can you show such unseemly merriment?” -snarled Jones. “I believe you’re pleased because we -were beaten.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’ve got another guess coming,” said Dick. “But -there’s no use crying over spilled milk.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“‘Doth not wisdom cry and understanding put forth -her voice?’” mocked Blessed. “I think we’d better call -the team together and choose a new captain.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Choose a new captain?” exclaimed Merriwell, in -surprise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sure. I couldn’t seem to do anything with that -crazy bunch after Kates went to pieces. The more -I talked to them, the worse they played. They wouldn’t -pay any attention to my orders, yet the wise in heart -will receive commandments, but prating fools shall -fall.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Weren’t you too harsh in your manner of reproving -them?” asked Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge, but he -that hateth reproof is brutish.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m afraid you all lost your heads,” said Dick. “It -may do the team some good.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How can that be?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A team that can’t take defeat isn’t fit to win victories. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span>An occasional failure acts like tonic on an -ambitious person. Let’s call this a good dose of tonic -for the team.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Call it that if you like,” muttered Brad. “It tasted -bitter enough, anyhow.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span> - <h2 id='XLVIII' class='c005'>CHAPTER XLVIII.<br /> <span class='large'>WAS HE SINCERE?</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The following day being Sunday, the boys were -given a chance to rest. It was a gloomy, sullen set -that appeared at training table, and all efforts to arouse -them seemed wasted. One fellow was missing. Kates -was reported ill.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick found an opportunity to hunt Sam up and talk -to him. Kates would have avoided Merriwell, but he -could not do so, and he faced Dick with a crestfallen -air of shame.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Are you really ill, Sam?” Dick questioned.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You bet I am,” was the answer. “I’m downright -sick. I haven’t been right for a day or two, you know.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, I didn’t know it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The fact was Dick had fancied Kates in the very -best of health and in fine spirits the day before the -game with Highland.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, it’s true,” persisted Sam; “there’s something -the matter with me. I can’t stand for training-table -feed. It makes me sick. All I can think of is rare -roast beef and stuff like that. I’d like to sit down -and make a square meal off cake and pie and ice cream -and strawberries and chocolates and bon-bons. I think -it’s all rot this tying a fellow down on a certain line -of diet. One man’s food is another’s poison, you know. -How’s any one going to tell me what I need to eat -unless he’s an expert physician, and I’m ill with dyspepsia, -or something of that sort? No wonder I -couldn’t pitch yesterday. Jones is too blamed rigid -with the team. It needs some one more liberal. Then -there’s Robinson—he keeps watch of us as if we were -criminals or a jury sitting on a murder case. Some -<span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>day—some day I’m going to punch that man Robinson. -I tell you I’m in revolt, Merriwell.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Let me tell you something, Sam,” said Dick -quietly: “You’re trying to make unnecessary excuses -for yourself. You’re disgusted because you were batted -hard Saturday, and so you think you’ve got to lay -the blame to something. Shoulder it, shoulder it—that’s -the only way. Evidently you were not wholly -to blame. According to what I’ve learned, there were -some rotten errors made.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But they did hit me hard,” groaned Kates, shaking -his head. “Merriwell, I believe there were some ringers -in that bunch. I don’t believe they were all high-school -boys. I never saw a high-school team hit the -way they did. The more I’ve thought about it, the -sicker I’ve grown. It took the heart out of me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I’m sorry to know that you’ll let a thing like -that take the heart out of you, Kates. You’ve got to -have more backbone.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I suppose Buckhart told you all about our trouble?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know as he mentioned any particular trouble -with you, Kates. It seems that the whole team -was fussing and quarreling.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But Buckhart called me a few names that I couldn’t -swallow. I told him I’d never pitch to him again until -he apologized, and I meant it. He’s got to apologize, -Merriwell, or I’m done.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“A better way would be to drop it—to forget all -about it,” said Dick. “This demanding an apology -for every hasty and unintentional word is a poor business. -The rest of the fellows have practically dropped -it, and you should do the same, Kates.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Suppose you say that because Buckhart is your -particular friend. I suppose you think I ought to -apologize to him, don’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t think either of you should demand an -<span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span>apology from the other. Nor should you hold a -grudge. You’re not playing for Buckhart; you’re playing -for the team. Think it over, Kates. I’ll expect -to see you out with the others to-morrow afternoon. -We’ve got to get together and play ball if we hope to -defeat Manhattan.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ll have to play different ball than we did Saturday,” -said Sam, as Dick departed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>On Monday morning Dick received a letter that surprised -him unspeakably. It was the confession of Mike -Lynch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, that beats!” he cried when he had finished -reading it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What is it?” questioned Jones.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’d like to show this to you,” said Dick. “I’d like -to have you read it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But when Jones reached for the letter, Merriwell -drew it away, shaking his head.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, I can’t, old man,” he said. “It’s confidential. -The fellow who wrote this has trusted me. He has -placed himself in my hands. With this document I -could have him expelled from college. He has thrown -himself on my mercy. The fellow must be sincere. -He certainly protests that he is, and he urges me to -keep this letter, to be used against him in case I ever -find he is not in earnest. I think I’ll take him at his -word.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Returning the confession to the envelope, Merriwell -placed it in a drawer which he always kept locked, -and the key of which he carried constantly. From -this drawer he took the queer old horse pistol and the -two silver bullets.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What the dickens have you there?” asked Jones.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It looks like a young cannon, doesn’t it?” smiled -Dick, as he procured a sheet of wrapping paper and -carefully wrapped the pistol.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span>“What are you going to do with it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m going to return it to its owner. Remember -he that is devoured by much inquisitiveness causeth -disturbance.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Carrying the carefully wrapped pistol under his arm, -Dick knocked at the door of Mike Lynch’s room. Mike -was on the point of going out. He flushed as Merriwell -entered.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Here’s that pistol you asked for,” said Dick, handing -the weapon over. “Here are also the silver bullets. -What do you propose to do with these things?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“So you got my letter, did you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, I received it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And read it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Every word.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m going to hang this pistol on the wall yonder. -I’m going to keep it there as a reminder of my pledge -to you. It will be a warning of what my folly led -me into. It will also remind me of your generosity -toward me. That letter ought to convince you that -I mean business when I say I’ve turned over a new -leaf.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It begins to look as if you do, Lynch,” said Dick.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Were you surprised by the contents of the letter?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I was surprised, perhaps; but you told me nothing -I did not already know.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps I told you nothing you did not suspect. -But you had absolutely no proof that I was really the -one who betrayed the team some weeks ago. That -was a dirty piece of business, Merriwell, and I’m heartily -ashamed of it. I did it out of spite toward you. -You see, I am in your power now. If I do another -dirty trick, you can publish that confession, and that -will be my finish. Not many fellows in my place would -dare trust any one as I’ve trusted you, for not many -fellows in your place would treat their enemies with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>the generosity you show them. I wish you would -promise me one thing, Merriwell.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What is it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Unless something happens to convince you that I’m -insincere in my resolve to behave in future, I hope -you’ll never read the contents of that letter again. -You’ve perused it once, and you know what there is -in it. This may sound like a queer request, and I -don’t know as I can make you understand my reason -for it. You think badly enough of me now. If I -behave, and you begin to believe there is a decent -streak in me, you may get the belief knocked out of -you if you reread that confession. That’s why I hope -you’ll never look at it after this day. When you’re -satisfied—thoroughly satisfied—that I mean to do -right, I wish you would return that confession to me, -that I may destroy it. While it remains in existence -there’ll always be the danger that it may fall into the -hands of some one who’ll use it against me. Oh, I -realized this when I wrote it. I’m taking all the -chances. I’ve asked you to keep it where it will be -safe.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s under lock and key at this moment.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But that’s not always safe. Don’t think I’m sorry -I wrote it. Don’t think I want to squeal. I could -see no other way to convince you that I meant to do -the right thing. I wanted a chance to prove myself.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You shall have it, Lynch,” said Dick earnestly. -“But don’t forget your promise to consult a physician.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ve done so already. I was thoroughly examined -yesterday. The doctor says he sees no reason why I -should leave college at the present time. He thinks -I’ll go through the term all right. I’m certain there’s -nothing the matter with me now, Merriwell. That -bump on the head straightened me out.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>“I have just one question to ask,” said Dick. -“Wolfe’s name was hitched to that confession as a -witness. Did he read it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, no; he simply saw me sign my name. I didn’t -permit him to read it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I thought not,” nodded Dick.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span> - <h2 id='XLIX' class='c005'>CHAPTER XLIX.<br /> <span class='large'>A WASTED WARNING.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Another surprise followed. Lynch came out to -watch the team practice that afternoon. When Kates -failed to appear, Mike asked permission to cover first.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Let me try it, Merriwell,” he begged.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’re asking the wrong man,” said Dick. “I’m -not captain of the team. You’ll have to call on Jones.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But he won’t give me a show unless you say something. -Won’t you say something? You know I can -play baseball. The rest of them know I can play, too, -but they won’t trust me. It wouldn’t do any hurt to -let me practice with the team. Just say a word to -Jones, won’t you, Merriwell?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Thus importuned, Dick trotted over to Blessed and -told him of Mike’s appeal.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That fellow!” growled Jones. “Forwardness is in -his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth -discord.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But he has promised——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Put no dependence in the promises of such as he. -I wouldn’t trust him, Dick.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He can do no particular harm in practice to-day. -We’re not trying out any signal work. Let him cover -first.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All right,” growled Jones.</p> - -<p class='c007'>So Lynch got his chance to practice. Although he -was not in uniform, he stripped off coat and vest, rolled -up his sleeves; and went at it in earnest. His work -at first was of an order to cause some favorable comment -from the spectators. Not a man in the infield -<span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span>entertained a friendly feeling toward Mike. For this -reason, all sorts of erratic throws were sent over to -him. The stops he made were simply marvelous. -Time after time he stretched himself on the ground -with his toe clinging to the sack and scooped the low -ones. Again and again he leaped into the air and -pulled down high ones which seemed far beyond his -reach. Hot grounders and whistling liners he took -whenever they came in his direction. Not only that, -but his throwing to second and third and to the plate -was little short of perfect.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There’s the man to cover that hassock,” some one -finally cried. “He’s needed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Jones, at work in the field, did not fail to notice -what was happening, and began to regret that Lynch -had been tried.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If we don’t give him a show, there’ll be a fuss,” -muttered Blessed. “Jerusalem! this old baseball team -is worrying me to death.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The report that Lynch had been tried on first -reached the campus ahead of the players that night. It -caused something of a sensation among the freshmen.</p> - -<p class='c007'>As soon as the news reached the ears of three fellows, -they made haste to Mike’s room, seeking confirmation. -Bern Wolfe came upon Ditson and Du Boise -upon the steps, and the trio sailed in upon Lynch without -announcement.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Say!” cried Ditson challengingly; “what’s this yarn -that’s come to our ears?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mike, with a towel bound round his head, rose from -his chair by the window.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What yarn?” he asked quietly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why, we understand you’ve been out practicing -with the Merriwell crowd.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span>“Yes, and we want to know about it!” snapped -Wolfe.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ve been out practicing with the team.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, you have?” snarled Ditson. “Now, what do -you mean by that?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I suppose he’s going to try to get onto the team,” -sneered Wolfe.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You couldn’t make a better guess if you had several -more tries,” said Lynch coolly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>This seemed to be a staggerer for Bern.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wh-what?” he gasped. “You don’t mean it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, yes, I do.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Lynch, you’re plumb daffy,” said Ditson. “Why, -you’re the last fellow in the world to strike his colors -and surrender to that bunch.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’re crazy!” shouted Wolfe furiously. “You -know what happened to me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, I know what happened,” remarked Mike.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“They kicked me off the team after giving me a -show.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“For excellent reasons.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And you were frothing mad with me because I -thought of getting onto the team in the first place. -You were furious with Kates, and now you’re going -to try for it. That’s too much, Lynch. I won’t -stand it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t see how you can help it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll—I’ll tell a few things.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You can’t tell anything that’ll hurt me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, can’t I?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not a thing. Do you remember I had you affix -your name to a document I had just completed Saturday. -Well, that’s a full confession, and it’s now in -Merriwell’s hands. In that I took all the blame for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>a certain affair in which you and I were concerned. -You ought to know what I mean.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The sig——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You can tell these fellows about it if you wish,” interrupted -Mike hastily.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you’ve told Merriwell, everybody’ll know it. -Lynch, you’re daffy. You’re crazy as a March hare.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t think so. You’ll observe that I was given -a chance to practice with the team to-day. I believe -I’ll have still further opportunities. Unless I’m mistaken, -I’ll be playing on the team before the end of -the season.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And where will I be?” cried Wolfe. “It was your -scheme that threw me off the team.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ve explained that, Bern. I’ve shouldered everything.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Duncan Ditson whistled wonderingly as he sank -upon a chair.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What the devil has happened to you, Lynch?” he -asked. “I swear I can’t comprehend it. I agree with -Wolfe that you’re bughouse. You’d better hold up -right where you are. You’d better not try to get in -with the Merriwell crowd. If you do, you’ll find -yourself in trouble.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wait a minute, Duncan,” urged Mike quietly. -“You’ve called yourself my friend, haven’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, but——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But now you threaten to quit me. Have you forgotten -what I did for you Saturday? Have you forgotten -how I saved you from the grip of Shylock -Dagett? I am still your friend, Ditson. You may -need me again. Wolfe may need me. If either of you -need assistance, don’t hesitate to come to me. I’ll do -what I can for you. But I can’t listen to your talk -now. I’ve got a headache. I wish you would both -get out.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span>Ditson sprang up.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll go,” he snapped. “By Jove! I don’t know what -the class of Umpty-ten is coming to. Every man in -it will be prostrating himself at Merriwell’s feet if this -thing keeps up. It’s simply disgusting.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s what it is!” cried Wolfe, as he followed -Ditson from the room, slamming the door behind him.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mike returned to his chair and sat down with a -weary expression, resting his head on his hand.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I think I’d better go, too,” murmured Du Boise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wait a minute,” said Lynch. “Were you ever troubled -with headaches, Hal?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I should say so.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Had them bad, did you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I certainly did.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Ever use any headache powders?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What kind would you recommend?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No kind,” answered Du Boise, at once. “They’re -good things to let alone.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Eh? Don’t they stop the headache?</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sure they do.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then why——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why let them alone? I’ll tell you. Almost all of -them contain cocaine. I acquired the drug habit by -using headache powders, to begin with, Lynch. Don’t -touch the things. The kind that seem to do you the -most good are the most dangerous, for they invariably -contain the most cocaine. Cure your headaches in -some other way.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Much obliged, Du Boise,” said Lynch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But ten minutes after Hal had left, Mike put on his -coat and hat and proceeded to the nearest drug store, -where he purchased some headache powders. And in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>twenty minutes after taking the first powder his headache -had vanished, and he was feeling like a fighting -cock.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The warning of Du Boise, himself a wreck from the -use of drugs, had fallen on barren ground.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span> - <h2 id='L' class='c005'>CHAPTER L.<br /> <span class='large'>WOLFE HAS AN IDEA.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Reaching the street after leaving Mike Lynch’s -room, Wolfe and Ditson paused and looked at each -other.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, what do you think of it?” asked Bern, in -a disgusted way.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It beats me,” declared Dunc. “There’s something -the matter with the fellow. There’s been something -the matter with him ever since the night we accidentally -ran down Merriwell and Buckhart as they were rowing -on the harbor.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Accidentally?” murmured Bern, with a crafty wink. -“Are you sure it was an accident, old chap?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, we didn’t take particular pains to avoid hitting -their boat. I don’t understand now how it was -Merriwell escaped. He disappeared, and we saw nothing -of him. Even Buckhart thought for a time that -he was drowned. You see, Lynch got a foolish idea -into his head that he was haunted by Merriwell’s ghost. -When the rest of us learned that Merriwell was still -alive, Mike persisted in fancying him dead. That was -the first indication of an unbalanced mind. He seems -to have thrown off that delusion, but with its disappearance -he has suddenly changed in a most astonishing -way. He was the bitterest and most persistent of -Merriwell’s enemies. Now he’s joined the ranks of -the Merriwell toadies. All of a sudden he’s got good. -Think of Mike Lynch doing anything like that!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“When the devil a saint would be, the devil a saint -was he,” quoted Wolfe. “I can’t believe he’s in earnest.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Somehow, I think he is. He’s not the sort of fellow -to try deception on us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>“Well, confound him!” snapped Bern. “If he’s -really in earnest, I’d like to punch him. Only for him -I might be playing on the baseball team now. I’d like -to tell you a few things, Ditson. Where can we go?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There’s my room,” suggested Dunc.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The very place,” said Bern eagerly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Among the anti-Merriwellites Ditson was something -of an aristocrat. He was a fellow who regarded himself -as very exclusive and well-bred. He roomed -alone, and his rooms were furnished with something -like luxury. There were fine rugs on the floors, plenty -of books, easy lounging chairs, athletic pictures on the -walls, and the usual Yale flags, crossed foils, boxing -gloves, Indian clubs, and so forth.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You’ve got slick rooms,” observed Bern, as he flung -himself on Duncan’s comfortable, cushion-piled couch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, they don’t satisfy me,” said Ditson. “I’m going -to have something decent next term. I’ve got the -rooms spotted now.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Of course, you’re going to leave this locality?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I should say so. You don’t suppose I’d hang -around Freshman Row in my sophomore year? I’ll -be glad when I get into a dormitory. Have a smoke, -Wolfe?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Bern accepted a cigarette, and lighted it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This is my only consolation for being dropped from -the baseball team,” he said. “I can smoke as much -as I choose.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You were going to tell me something,” reminded -Duncan, who had likewise fired up, and was now -standing with his elbow resting against the mantelpiece. -“Go ahead.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Wolfe sat up and eyed his companion askance.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know just how to begin,” he hesitated. -“You remember that Hudson A. A. business—the giving -away of our signals, don’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span>“As if I’d forget it!” exclaimed Ditson.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, you always thought Tommy Tucker betrayed -the team, didn’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I believe that was practically proven, although Merriwell -hired a cheap bum to shoulder the blame, and -Tucker is still on the team.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Tucker didn’t do it,” announced Wolfe.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Tucker didn’t?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“No, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then who did?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I did.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wha-a-at?” Duncan dragged forth the exclamation -with an intonation of great astonishment.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, I did it,” repeated Wolfe defiantly. “I was -forced into it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“By whom?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Mike Lynch.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How did he force you into it?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, he knew something about me that I wouldn’t -have come out for the world, and he threatened to -expose me unless I went in with him on his plan to -throw down the team. You see, I had a good chance -to do that. Tommy Tucker had quit, and I was almost -the only man who could come anywhere near -filling his place at shortstop. They had to have as -good a man as they could get. I believe I can play -the position all around Tucker. I went out and -showed them what I could do. Merriwell advised -Jones to give me a chance on the team, and Jones decided -to do so.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, of course!” sneered Ditson, exhaling a blue -smoky breath while his lips curled with scorn. “Jones -is a mere figurehead. He agrees to everything Merriwell -proposes. Manager Robinson is another dummy. -Manager? Why, he couldn’t manage a chicken hatchery. -He’s about the biggest slob in the whole bunch.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span>Ditson’s doubled disgust for Robinson came principally -from the fact that big Rufe had at one time -seemed inclined to favor the anti-Merriwell crowd. -After becoming manager of the team Robinson had -flopped, cutting out Duncan and his associates.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I had my chance to make good and nail myself -fast to the team,” Wolfe hastily continued. “I -meant to do it. I was in earnest, for I love baseball -more than any other sport. Lynch became infuriated -with me. You know what he thinks of Sam Kates. -Kates got his chance on the team the same time I did. -He’s stuck there.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But he made a beautiful mess pitching that Highbridge -game,” smiled Duncan, filliping a bit of ash -from his cigarette.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, as a pitcher Sam is erratic. He’s a wizard one -day and a slob the next. That experience will teach -them better than to rely on him, even against the -weaker teams. As I was saying, Lynch put up that -Hudson job. He got me to make out a list of the -teamwork signals. He told me how we could make -money by handing the signals over to Newhouse, the -Hudson manager. But I didn’t propose to have those -signals turning up in my handwriting, and so we engaged -a bummer to get them typewritten for us. In -order to doubly cover our tracks, we actually fooled -Newhouse into believing that Tucker was the one who -gave him the signals.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Lynch made the bargain with Newhouse, and arranged -that I should meet the man on a certain dark -corner, and give him the typewritten document. I kept -the appointment, wearing an old ulster, with the collar -turned up, and a wide-brimmed hat pulled low down -over my eyes. When Newhouse inquired if my name -was Tucker I said yes. That’s the way the trick was -worked. It was a mighty rotten piece of business, but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span>Lynch was to blame for it all. He drove me into it. -I’m satisfied that Merriwell got at the truth, and that’s -why I was bounced from the team and Tucker taken -back. You can’t blame me, Ditson. You see the kind -of a fix I was in. I didn’t want to do it, but I had to.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Duncan tossed the butt of his cigarette into the open -grate.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I see,” he said, with a shrug of his shoulders; “and -I’ve been thinking all the time that Tucker did it. -I’ve been despising Merriwell because he kept Tucker -on the team. I must acknowledge that you and Lynch -fooled me, all right. I’m sorry to learn that Tucker -was not the traitor.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I didn’t want to be a traitor,” said Wolfe. “Do -you wonder I’m sore on Mike Lynch? I tell you I -love baseball. I’m not playing, and Lynch is to blame -for it. Now he suddenly has a spasm of virtue, and -it looks as if he might get a chance to play on the -team himself. Think I’m going to stand for that? -Not on your life! Say, I’m going to make a howl. -I’m going to rip up things generally.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Are you?” smiled Ditson, as he selected and lighted -a second cigarette. “I wonder how you’re going to -do it. It seems to me you’re in a tight corner, and -you haven’t much chance to make a disturbance. Didn’t -I understand Lynch to say he had written a full confession -of his errors and sent it to Merriwell?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s what he says.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, there you are. Merriwell has read that confession, -and yet this very day Lynch was given a -chance to practice with the team. What does that look -like to you, Wolfe? Doesn’t it strike you that Merriwell -has accepted Mike Lynch’s protestations of regret -and promises to reform as genuine? If Merriwell -didn’t believe Mike in earnest, the contents of -that confession would be public knowledge now. Merriwell -<span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span>is going to keep still until he can satisfy himself -whether Lynch means what he says or not. If -Mike proves that he’s sincere, that confession will be -destroyed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And Mr. Lynch will come out on top of the heap, -while you and I will remain in the soup,” snarled -Wolfe, leaping up and excitedly pacing the floor. -“You’d like to play baseball yourself, Ditson. Have -you had a chance to play this spring?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, I suppose I might have played if I had bowed -the suppliant knee to the great mogul, Merriwell.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But you wouldn’t do that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not much!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Nearly all the rest of the crowd have squealed and -given in to him.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll never squeal. The squealers make me sick! -Mike Lynch was the last one I’d ever thought would -lie down. I’m more disgusted with him than any one -else.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m glad you are—I’m glad of it!” said Bern exultantly. -“I hate him! I’d like to get a good twist -on him! I’d like to hold his nose to the grindstone! -It would do my soul good! And to think I witnessed -his signature to that confession! To think Merriwell -has that document with my name attached as a witness! -I’d give something to get hold of that paper.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It would be rather valuable,” murmured Duncan, -as if struck by a sudden thought.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You bet it would! With that document in his possession, -a fellow could just about make Mike Lynch do -as he pleased. Mike said that he had shouldered all -the blame for the betraying of those signals. If that’s -true, and I could get hold of that document, I’d have -the power to drive him out of college. Say, Ditson, -isn’t there any way we can get our hands on that -paper?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>Duncan meditated a moment, puffing softly at his -cigarette.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s not easy to get anything away from Merriwell,” -he said. “I presume Merriwell will carry that -paper in his pocket. If some fellow could find an -opportunity to go through his pockets——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“At the gymnasium, say?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Not so easy there, for he has a locker into which -he puts his valuables. Of course, a man might find -an opportunity to break open that locker, but it’s dangerous -trying such a thing.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He might be held up on the highway and robbed.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That gives me an idea,” muttered Dunc, scratching -his head. “Saw my sister this afternoon, and she told -me that Merriwell and Buckhart were going to call -on her this evening. Unless they’re taking the girls -out, those chaps usually walk when they call there. -The Midhursts live pretty well out toward the outskirts -of the city. I suppose a man might be held up -out that way. It would be much easier, though, if one -of those chaps was going out there alone.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t you suppose that we could do it?” asked -Wolfe. “We could wear masks and turn our coats, -and have a couple of pistols, and I’ll bet we could pull -off the job.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know,” murmured Dunc, rubbing his chin. -“It would be better to have two more fellows with -us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But we don’t want to let anybody else in on this. -Besides, I don’t know whom you’ll get. The most of -our crowd wouldn’t have nerve enough to tackle the -job. They got pretty well upset after that racket with -Tucker, when the old warehouse burned.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I wouldn’t try to get any of the old crowd,” said -Dunc. “I think I know one chap we might induce to -take a hand. He’s a tough customer, and I don’t suppose -<span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>it would be the first holdup he’s ever participated -in. More than that, he has a grudge against Merriwell. -It would be well enough to take him into the -game in case he’ll work for a reasonable sum. I think -he will, as he’s on his uppers at the present time. He’s -a big brute, and he might make some impression on -Buckhart and Merriwell. Unless we can get some one -like that, I hardly think we had better tackle the job.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If—if you can—get hold of this—this person,” -faltered Wolfe.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll try it,” said Duncan promptly. “Meet me at -Fred’s about eight this evening. I’ll let you know, -what success I’ve had and whether we’ll try this holdup -scheme or not.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All right,” said Bern, turning toward the door; -“I’ll be there.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span> - <h2 id='LI' class='c005'>CHAPTER LI.<br /> <span class='large'>THE HOLDUP.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Dick and Brad, in a jovial mood, were returning -from their evening call. It was about nine-thirty, and -the night was dark, with a raw wind from Long Island -Sound.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“This is a rather dark old corner,” observed Dick, -as they started to turn into another street. “Wonder -what’s the matter with the street light here? It doesn’t -seem to be attending to its duties this evening.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Gone on a strike, perhaps,” observed Brad, with a -chuckle. “This would be a good place to——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hold up your hands!” commanded a hoarse voice, -as two masked figures suddenly sprang out before -them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>One seemed to be a big man, while the other was a -rather undersized chap. Both held their arms outstretched, -and, despite the darkness, the boys fancied -they caught the gleam of nickel-plated revolvers held -in the hands of the masked men.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Be quick about it, youse fellers!” growled the one -who had ordered them to put up their hands. “H’ist -your paws if you don’t want to git the tops of yer -heads blew off! Put ’em up, I say!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes, put ’em up!” wheezed the little chap, shaking -his pistol. “Don’t try no funny business, fer dere’s two -udder fellers behind ye, see?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Great horn spoon!” exploded the Texan. “Partner, -it’s a holdup!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’re right here,” announced a voice behind them, -“We’re not going to hurt you unless you make a foolish -move. Better act sensible.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In spite of this warning, the Texan made a sudden -<span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span>duck and lunged at the small man who had confronted -him. With a sidelong sweep of his arm, Buckhart -struck the pistol aside. Evidently, this caused the -man’s finger to contract on the trigger, for there was -a sudden spurt of fire and a sharp report.</p> - -<p class='c007'>This astonished Brad, who had more than half -fancied the holdup was a practical joke. Realizing that -the masked men were carrying real pistols which were -loaded, the Texan gave a snarl and grappled with the -little fellow.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In the meantime, Dick Merriwell had sought to imitate -his chum’s example, but had been clutched from -behind and flung to the ground.</p> - -<p class='c007'>There were four of the assailants, two of whom -had come upon the unsuspecting boys from the rear. -These two sought to give their attention to Merriwell, -and the trio went flopping and twisting and writhing -into the gutter, striking against the electric-light pole -with such violence that the stick of carbon in the globe -far above their heads was loosened, a contact was -made, and, with a spluttering, hissing sound, the light -came on.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The big ruffian who had first commanded the boys -to put up their hands now turned his attention to -Buckhart, who had the smaller rascal pinned fast to -the ground.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Reversing the pistol in his hand, the man lifted it -and struck Brad a stunning blow upon the head. With -a faint, gasping groan, the Texan fell across the little -man.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Come on here, Cully!” said the thug who had dealt -the blow, as he kicked Brad one side with his foot, and -attempted to lift his comrade.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Evidently, Cully was also knocked out, for he made -no effort to rise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell had seen Buckhart struck down. With a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span>shout of fury, he smashed one of his antagonists a -staggering blow, torn free from the other, whirled, and -hurled himself upon the thug with the revolver.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“You whelp!” he said, seizing the fellow’s wrist -and giving it a twist which caused him to drop the -weapon.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Ditson and Wolfe were the two fellows who had -come upon the waylaid boys from the rear. Like the -thugs whom they had paid to assist them, they were -masked and otherwise disguised. But they carried no -weapons.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Duncan had made a bargain with the big man, -Slugger Shea, who had proposed bringing along Cully -as a companion.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Shea had ridiculed the idea that the boys might put -up a fight. It was his belief that he could scare any -two Yale men blue, and relieve them of their valuables -without assistance. Still, he acknowledged that Cully -would come in handy to go through the pockets of the -victims. Besides that, Slugger had a friendly feeling -for Cully, and he wanted his friend to share in the -profits of the job. It was understood, however, that, -under any circumstances, the two ruffians should be -paid five dollars apiece, and they agreed to give up to -their employers whatever papers, letters, or other documents -they might secure.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dunc and Bern had decided that it would be well -enough for them to take a hand in the business, as -they could then make certain of getting possession of -such plunder as they desired. Besides that, they -fancied Merriwell and Buckhart would be doubly -frightened on finding themselves trapped between two -fires. But the boys had upset the calculations of these -rascals by unexpectedly showing resistance.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Good gracious!” gasped Wolfe, in dismay. “Hadn’t -<span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span>we better hit the high places, Dunc? The police—that -shot is liable to——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Buckhart is down and out!” hissed Ditson. “Give -a hand here! We’ll have Merriwell down in a jiffy!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Again he hurled himself on Dick’s back. He did -this just as Merriwell, having secured a Japanese wrestling -hold on Slugger Shea, sent the big ruffian -sprawling.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick was nearly upset by Ditson’s weight, but he -managed to keep his feet, squirm around, and get a -hold on Duncan. Wolfe rushed in, seeking to render -such assistance as possible. By this time Merriwell’s -fighting blood was thoroughly aroused.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“The more the merrier!” he cried, with a strange, -reckless laugh. “Call up your friends! Get them -into it!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In some manner he succeeded in slamming his elbow -against Wolfe’s jaw, and Bern staggered backward, -nearly knocked out.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Shea was a man with a violent temper, and without -an oversupply of brains. By this time his fury was -thoroughly aroused. Snarling like a madman, he rose -to his feet, drawing from beneath his coat a long, -keen knife, on which the cold white light of the street -lamp glinted and gleamed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hold him, cuss him!” cried the slugger, rushing -at Dick. “I’ll cut him open!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But, with a cry of horror, Ditson gave Dick a sidelong -thrust, at the same time releasing his hold on -the boy.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell tripped over Buckhart, tried to recover -his balance, and went down heavily on his right shoulder. -Shea followed the boy like a bloodthirsty panther, -and pounced upon him as he struck the ground.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“For Heaven’s sake, let’s get out of this!” gasped -Bern Wolfe, as he wheeled and took to his heels.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>“I think we’d better,” muttered Ditson, imitating -Wolfe’s example.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But, having fled a short distance, something caused -Duncan to stop and cast a fearsome glance over his -shoulder.</p> - -<p class='c007'>What he saw chilled him to the core. With Dick -Merriwell still pinned to the ground, Shea had lifted -that gleaming knife to plunge it into the boy’s breast.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Murder!” thought Duncan, turning again to run -as if his life depended on it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Behind him a pistol shot ruptured the night, followed -by a scream of pain.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span> - <h2 id='LII' class='c005'>CHAPTER LII.<br /> <span class='large'>ROUTING THE RUFFIANS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Buckhart’s senses had been sent wool-gathering, but -he recovered in time to see the ruffian with the knife -pinning Dick to the ground a short distance away. -Merriwell was fighting for his life, but the injury to -his shoulder had seemed to benumb his entire body -and rob him of his strength. Snarling, spluttering, -swearing, the ruffian lifted the deadly knife.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Within reach of his hand, Buckhart saw the pistol -that Dick had wrenched from the man’s grasp. Quick -as thought, the Texan seized the weapon. The double -click of a hammer was followed an instant later by -a sharp report and a cry of pain.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Brad had fired at the uplifted hand of the thug. -The bullet struck and shattered two of the man’s fingers. -The knife dropped harmlessly. Holding up -his injured hand, the slugger sprang to his feet.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Stop—stop right where you are!” commanded -Buckhart, leveling the pistol. “If you don’t, I’ll sure -run a tunnel through you! I’ll ventilate you good and -proper!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Shea turned and fled.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t want to kill him,” said the Texan, who was -sitting up, “but I think I’ll try for his legs.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Crack! crack! crack! crack!</p> - -<p class='c007'>The weapon was emptied, but the fleeing wretch -kept on and disappeared into the darkness.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I sure am a rotten bad shot,” observed the -Texan, in disgust. “Reckon that’s because I got a -bump on the head that made me see a few stars and -comets. I say, partner, how are you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Alive, thanks to you,” answered Dick. “You -<span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>chipped into the game at the right moment. I believe -that brute meant to knife me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It certain seemed that he had some such intentions. -Where are the rest of the gents?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“They’ve skipped—all but one. One of them should -be here.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But the little man Cully, who had been knocked -down, had crawled off into the darkness and could not -be found.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Evidently they’re all gone,” said Dick, rubbing his -right shoulder with his left hand. “I’m afraid that -shoulder is hurt pretty bad.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“And I’m a whole lot unsteady on my pins,” muttered -the Texan. “That was a joyous old scrimmage, -but it didn’t seem to wake up the neighborhood much.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Some one is coming now,” said Dick. “I can see -a row of brass buttons dancing this way.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, it’s about time!” said Brad, as a policeman -came up panting. “You’re rather late, officer.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s the matter here?” demanded the officer. -“What are you doing with that pistol? What do you -mean by firing a pistol? You’re both drunk! I think -I’ll take you in.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick gave his chum a whimsical look of disgust.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What do you think of that, Brad?” he said. “He’s -going to take us in. We get held up and nearly murdered, -and after it’s all over a gallant policeman appears -and arrests us.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What’s that you’re saying?” snapped the officer. -“What kind of a fairy-story have you invented? -You’re a couple of students, and I’m onto your game. -You fellows are forever making trouble. Give me -that pistol.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sure,” growled Brad, handing over the weapon. -“You’re welcome to it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Perhaps you’d better take this knife, also, officer,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span>said Dick, picking up the knife and holding it out to -the policeman. “You may find a little blood on the -handle, and it strikes me that there’s a man’s finger -lying there on the ground. Perhaps you’ll want that.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The cop bent over and stared in amazement at the -bloody human digit which lay on the ground.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“So help me, it’s a finger!” he gasped, as if unable -to believe his eyes. “What’s it mean? How—why—when——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“As long as you’re determined to arrest us,” said -Dick, “we’ll explain to the sergeant at the station -house. Of course, you won’t believe our fairy-story -about a holdup.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“By Jupiter! I’ll believe anything now!” cried the -policeman. “Tell me about it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>While they were telling him, several citizens from -the neighboring houses come out and surrounded them. -One, a timid, nervous man, substantiated their statements, -shamefacedly acknowledging that he had -rushed out immediately after the first shot, and had -witnessed the encounter between the lads and their -assailants.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I didn’t feel like dipping in,” he said, “so I jest -stood back and looked on. It was the hottest fight -I ever witnessed. By Jove, these young fellers did put -up a fearful scrap! There was four against them, -and I don’t know but more than that. I saw four -myself. I tried to holler ‘murder’ when one of the -masked men got this young feller down and lifted a -knife to stab him. Couldn’t seem to make a sound. -Then I saw the other chap grab up a pistol and shoot. -The fellow with the knife gave a howl and then jumped -to his feet. I could see blood running off his hand -when he held it up in the light. When he took to his -heels, the fellow with the pistol banged away at him, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span>but he kept on running. I’m ready to swear to every -word of this statement.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The policeman now sought to obtain a description -of the holdup men from the boys. Of course, this -description was vague and unsatisfactory, as the masks -of the ruffians had prevented Dick and Brad from -seeing their faces.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The citizens crowded around the two lads and insisted -on shaking hands with them and congratulating -them over their nerve and success in beating off the -holdup men.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you don’t mind, young gentlemen,” said the -policeman, now addressing them with the greatest respect, -“I’d like to have you come to the station and -tell the sergeant all about it. This is my beat, but I -was down at the other end when I heard the shooting. -I came as soon as I could. I think we’ll take this -along as a bit of evidence.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He displayed the human finger, which he now held -partly wrapped in a handkerchief. The timid citizen -who had witnessed the encounter gave his name and -address, stating that he was willing to tell what he -knew of the affair at any time.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It happened that there was a police reporter at the -station house, and the morning papers contained a -complete account of the attempted holdup, the courage -of the boys being lavishly praised.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But, with the Manhattan College baseball game only -one day away, Dick found himself with a very lame -shoulder and an almost useless right arm.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span> - <h2 id='LIII' class='c005'>CHAPTER LIII.<br /> <span class='large'>THE ODDS AGAINST YALE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>“No use, Kates,” said Dick soberly. “You’ve got -to pitch this game. I can’t.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The time for the game with Manhattan to begin had -arrived. Yale Umpty-ten was ready to take the field. -The sturdy, bronzed, healthy-looking visitors were on -their bench and ready for the fray. O’Mora, the first -batter, was swinging two heavy clubs, in order to -make one seem lighter when he stepped up to the -plate.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick had been vainly trying to work the lameness -out of his shoulder. His comrades of the team had -watched him anxiously, for on him they relied. Unless -Dick could pitch, they could not believe there was -any chance of defeating the visitors.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Dick could not pitch. He realized it, and at -the last moment he told Kates to go in. Blessed Jones, -captain of the team, heard Merriwell’s words, and his -long, doleful face suddenly looked longer and more -doleful than ever.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All right, Dick,” he said soberly. “If you can’t, -you can’t, and that settles it. Go ahead, Sam, and do -your best.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now, that’s encouraging!” muttered Kates, with a -touch of bitterness, as he turned to Dick. “What show -have I, Merriwell? There is not a man on the team -who has any confidence in me.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick seized Sam’s hand, held it with a firm grip, and -looked straight into his eyes as he said:</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I haven’t lost confidence in you, Kates. Do your -level best, old fellow. Do it for my sake—and for -Yale.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span>“I will!” exclaimed Sam, in a low tone, as he strode -out to the pitcher’s position.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Of the teams dreaded by the Yale freshmen, the -one they now faced had been regarded as among the -most dangerous. The Manhattan College lads always -played the game for all there was in it, and fought it -out to the last gasp. There were no quitters among -them, and therefore they were always dangerous.</p> - -<p class='c007'>On the scorers’ books the two teams were recorded -as follows:</p> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='57%' /> -<col width='42%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <th class='c012'>MANHATTAN FRESHMEN.</th> - <th class='c013'>YALE FRESHMEN.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>O’Mora, 2d b.</td> - <td class='c015'>Tucker, ss.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>Bestock, cf.</td> - <td class='c015'>Lynch, 1st b.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>Hanley, rf.</td> - <td class='c015'>Buckhart, c.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>Marone, ss.</td> - <td class='c015'>Claxton, 2d b.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>Snaith, 1st b.</td> - <td class='c015'>Jones, lf.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>Carney, lf.</td> - <td class='c015'>Spratt, cf.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>Halloran, 3d b.</td> - <td class='c015'>Bigelow, rf.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>McDougal, c.</td> - <td class='c015'>Fitch, 3d b.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>Hogan, p.</td> - <td class='c015'>Kates, p.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p class='c007'>Dead silence fell on the assembled spectators as -Kates walked into the box. Sam’s keen ears fancied -this silence was broken by a number of repressed -groans. Involuntarily, he flashed a look of resentment -toward his classmates on the seats. Then he threw a -few to Mike Lynch, just to give his wing a last limbering, -whirling and facing O’Mora as the umpire -called: “Play.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Sam’s first ball was far too high. O’Mora grinned -and held his bat above his head in a derisive manner -after the ball had passed.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The next one was straight over, and the Manhattan -headliner met it with a sharp, snappy swing. It was -a pretty line drive, which whistled past Kates ere Sam -could thrust out a hand for it. With anxiety in his -heart, the pitcher whirled like a flash, making the relieving -<span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>discovery that Rob Claxton had seized the ball -and clung to it like grim death.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Clever work, Clax—clever work!” cried Buckhart -heartily. “That’s the way to do it.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Kates grinned approvingly, and received the ball -tossed to him by the Virginian. O’Mora had started -for first, but he turned back, shaking his head in a -disgusted manner.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Never mind,” called Captain Mike Marone, of the -visitors. “That was a case of horseshoe. Get after -him, Bestock! Start us off now!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Bestock, one of the clever hitters of the visitors, -waited until Kates bent one over, and then nailed it -with terrific force.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was a scorching hot grounder, but, with an electrified -sidelong leap, Tommy Tucker forked the sizzling -ball with his bare right hand. Tucker was -whirled round in his tracks with a toplike motion, but -managed to keep his feet, recovered, and sent the ball -across to Lynch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was a bad throw, and Mike was compelled to leap -high into the air to get the ball. He got it, however, -and down upon the sack he dropped, just in time to -secure a put-out.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“More horseshoes!” yelled Marone. “Whose hunch -did you rub, old man?” This question was directed at -Lynch, who retorted with a satisfied grin, but made -no answer in words.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hanley looked dangerous as he squared himself at -the plate, poising his bat over his shoulder. He was -a big fellow, and he wielded a heavy club. He had a -reputation as a hard hitter.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Kates was afraid of this man, and, in working desperately -to prevent Hanley from hitting, Sam got himself -into a bad hole. One strike and three balls were -called.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span>“Make ’em be good!” cried Marone. “He can’t put -it over!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>After glancing toward the bench, on which sat Merriwell, -Kates steadied himself, and carefully sent over -a swift, straight ball. Hanley let it pass, and the -second strike was called.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s the talk, Sammy,” chirped Tucker encouragingly. -“Now he’s got to hit. Make him do it. Don’t -let him walk.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Sam wisely decided to depend on his backing, and -quickly whistled over another straight one.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hanley smashed it far into the field, but, after an -astonishing run, Captain Jones smothered the ball and -held it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, what do you think of that?” asked Mel -Dagett, who was sitting on the bleachers, between Toleman -and Poland. “That’s a good start for us, isn’t it? -We ought to be cheering with the rest of the bunch.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It was luck—nothing more,” said Poland. “I don’t -wonder Marone is howling ‘horseshoes.’”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“With that kind of backing, Kates may be able to -hold the score down, don’t you think?” questioned -Bern Wolfe, at Toleman’s elbow.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Never,” answered Bill promptly. “Those Manhattan -fellows are not going to bat the ball right at -somebody every time they hit it. Notice every man -did hit it. Kates never can win this game in the -world.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Between us four,” said Poland, in a low tone, “I -don’t believe Merriwell’s shoulder is as lame as he -pretends it is. He’s afraid of Manhattan, that’s what’s -the matter. That was quite a fine and fancy story -about the holdup, but it sounded too fancy for me -to believe.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Oh, but the police say the story is all right,” snickered -Dagett. “Have you forgotten that Officer Jordan, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>who arrived on the scene after the holdup men -had escaped, picked up a human finger that had been -shot from one of the ruffians’ hands by the wonderful -cowboy, Bradley Buckhart? Say, I wonder how much -those two fellows paid the cops and the reporters to -get such a yarn into the papers?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Then you don’t take any stock in that holdup -story?” questioned Wolfe quickly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t,” answered Dagett. “Do you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I don’t know,” said Bern. “It doesn’t seem -to me that the yarn can be wholly a fake.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why not?” questioned Poland.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I should fancy some one would expose the deception.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know whether it’s a fake or not,” said Toleman, -“but I agree with Jim in thinking Merriwell has -a case of cold feet, and is getting out of pitching this -game by pretending his shoulder is lame. It’s an outrage -to shove Kates in there to-day. Manhattan has -Hogan, their very best pitcher, against us. He’s on -the slab now. Watch him. Note what he does to our -boys.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Our boys! He! he! he!” scoffed Dagett. “Do -you mean Mike Lynch? I suppose you’re dead stuck -on Mike now that he’s become a Merriwellite? Yah! -He makes me sick! What do you think of a fellow -like him posing as the soul of generosity and paying -other fellows’ debts? I don’t blame Ditson for taking -advantage of his attempt to fool people, but I guess -we all know the kind of a fellow Lynch is.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“By the way, Wolfe,” questioned Toleman, “where -is Ditson? Is he here?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know,” answered Bern. “I haven’t seen -him to-day.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Wolfe lied. He had seen Duncan, and he believed -he knew what the fellow was doing that very -<span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>hour. Both Ditson and Wolfe felt that they were -hovering over a volcano that might burst forth any -moment. They were frightened, and had agreed that -they must take certain precautions to protect themselves.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Hogan now opened up on Tommy Tucker, who was -the first batter for Yale. The visiting pitcher had a -great assortment of shoots and benders which seemed -too much for Tommy to fathom. As a result, Tucker -slashed the air twice, fouled a couple of times, and -then lifted a little pop-fly which Halloran gathered in.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mike Lynch looked grim enough as he strode forth -to the plate. He had been placed second on the batting -order because of his ability as a hitter. Realizing, -however, that he was not a popular man in his own -class, Mike now seemed distressingly self-conscious, -and, as a result, he fell an easy victim to the wiles -of Hogan, who struck him out.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Brad Buckhart did little better than the two who -had preceded him. He hit the ball, and, for a moment, -it seemed that he had popped out a “Texas -Leaguer.” But the infielders of the visiting team could -cover lots of territory, and cover it in a hurry. Both -Marone and O’Mora went after Brad’s ball.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’ll take it!” yelled O’Mora. And he caught it -beautifully while running at full speed, with his face -toward the outfield.</p> - -<p class='c007'>While the little crowd of visiting rooters were -cheering this play, Wolfe espied Duncan Ditson, who -was looking over the crowd in search of Bern. Immediately -Wolfe waved his cap at Duncan, who clambered -up over the seats and found room at the side of -his fellow conspirator.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, how did you succeed?” whispered Bern, -under cover of the noise.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I succeeded,” answered Duncan grimly. “I had to.”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span>“You raised the money?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I pawned my sister’s watch and rings.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Did she let you have them?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I took them. Couldn’t wait to ask her in an emergency -like this. Shea had to get out of New Haven. -The police were looking for a man who had lost a -finger, and they were bound to nab Slugger sooner or -later if he remained in town. He knew it as well as -I did. He was willing to go, but he had to have the -money to get away. I put the money in his hands myself, -and he says he’ll be out of the city before midnight.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Do you think he can get away? Won’t they nab -him? The cops are on the watch, you know.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If they don’t corner him before dark, I think he’ll -get away. He’s been a hobo, and he knows how to -bum his passage on freight trains. As soon as it’s -dark he’ll stow himself away aboard some freight -bound for New York or Boston. If he’s not caught -to-day, there’s every prospect that he’ll not be caught -at all. I’m not going to worry about it any more. -How’s the game going?”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span> - <h2 id='LIV' class='c005'>CHAPTER LIV.<br /> <span class='large'>MANHATTAN IN THE LEAD.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>A most astonishing thing was the manner in which -the team backed up Kates this day, while on the previous -Saturday it had gone to pieces behind him in an -exasperating manner the moment the Highbridge -School boys began to hit him. As inning after inning -progressed, with the infielders making the most astonishing -stops and throws, and the outfielders pulling -down hard-batted flies which seemed good for two -or three bases, Kates got a hold on himself, and gradually -improved in his box work. In the fifth inning -Yale made her first runs, two scores, secured through -a clean hit by Buckhart, a sacrifice by Claxton, a base -on balls handed out to Jones, and Manhattan’s first -error, the fielder dropping Spratt’s hit to right and -losing the ball, while Brad and Blessed tore over the -plate.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But in the sixth the visitors retaliated with a vengeance. -Three men hit safely in succession. Then, -for the first time, Yale showed symptoms of going -to pieces, for a couple of errors followed, and the -Manhattanites had tallied three times when the smoke -cleared away.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I told you what would happen!” exclaimed Bill -Toleman. “It’s all off now. Kates is useless from -this time on. Look at him! See him crawling in to -the bench like a yellow dog with its tail between its -legs.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Evidently you love Kates,” snickered Dagett.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, if I can’t pitch better than he can, I’ll eat -my boots. Has any one seen me asking Merriwell or -Jones or Robinson for a chance to pitch on their great -<span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>team? I fought against them at the outset, and I’ve -taken my medicine. I haven’t squealed. I hate a -squealer. That’s why I’m disgusted with Mike Lynch. -I’m not saying that he isn’t sincere now, but I do say -that he has squealed. After blowing and bleating -around about Merriwell, and making so much talk, he -suddenly threw up the sponge. I swear I didn’t know -he was a quitter, but I know it now. He has disgusted -me more than any chap I know of. I’d like -to see him kicked out of college.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>At this Wolfe gave Ditson a nudge.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There are others,” whispered Bern. “Oh, if I could -only get hold of that confession! If I knew how to put -my hands on it! Do you suppose Merriwell carries -it round in his pocket all the time?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I don’t know,” muttered Dunc, absent-mindedly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, I’ve got an idea that he may keep it somewhere -in his room,” said Wolfe. “I’d like to get into -his room and make a search. I’d dig it out if it was -there.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Better forget it,” said Duncan. “That blamed old -confession got us into a nasty scrape. I’m worried.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But I thought you said Shea would get out of -town all right.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’m in hopes he will, but you never can tell what -will happen.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Think he’d squeal if he was nabbed?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Of course he would. That would be the easiest -way for him to get a light sentence. He’d say he -was paid to do the job by a couple of Yale men. He’d -ring us in as sure as fate.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“How about the other man?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Cully? Oh, he’s sneaked already. He’s gone. He -didn’t wait until morning.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Having obtained the lead, Manhattan seemed determined -to hold the home team down. Hogan pitched -<span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>as if everything he held dear depended on the result. -Nevertheless, Yale was warmed up, and the visiting -twirler had his troubles. But the Blue could not push -a runner past third. Fast fielding behind Hogan terminated -the sixth inning, with the score three to two, in -favor of Manhattan College.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Now get after that pitcher and pound him to -death!” fiercely urged Marone, as the visitors trotted -in to the bench. “This ought to be our inning. We -ought to pile up some more runs right here.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell had talked encouragingly to Kates, and, -to the surprise of every one, Sam opened the seventh -by striking out a man. Even though the next fellow -hit safely, Kates did not seem disturbed, and he forced -the following chap to put up an easy infield fly.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All right, Katesy—all right!” piped Tucker. -“They thought they had you going, eh? Well, they’ve -got another think coming!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But the next man hit, and the fellow on first made -third by fast running.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ll do it right here,” announced Marone, from -the coaching line. “Everybody run on a hit.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell smiled at Kates and nodded. Sam toed -the slab without a tremor, and quickly put the batter -in a hole, two strikes and one ball being called.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s all right! that’s all right!” yapped Marone. -“You can hit him just the same! He’s easy!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>The batter did hit, but it proved to be an easy fly -to right field, and Bouncer Bigelow did his duty nobly -by gathering it in.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Well, if that wasn’t crawling out of a small hole!” -exclaimed Bill Toleman. “Kates certainly is lucky -to-day.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But the boys can’t seem to hit Hogan,” said Wolfe. -“Do you think they have a chance to win, Bill?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span>“Not much of a chance, I imagine,” was the answer. -“Still the score is mighty close.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I’d like to leave,” whispered Wolfe, in Ditson’s -ear, “but I hate to quit this game. I want to see it -out.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Why do you want to leave?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I have a scheme.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What sort of a scheme?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Think I know how I could get a chance to rustle -round in Merriwell’s room. I’d just rush up to the -house, ring the bell, and tell the girl that Merriwell had -sent me after something he’d left in his room. If she -let me upstairs, I’d come pretty near finding that confession -if it’s stowed away there. What do you think -of that plan?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“If you want to take the chances——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t talk about that after the chances we took -trying to hold those fellows up. I wouldn’t touch anything -else but the old confession. What could Merriwell -do about it if he did prove I got that? What -value could he put on such a paper? Besides, I’d give -the girl at the house a fictitious name. I’d like to try -the trick.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I advise you against it. Better be careful until the -clouds roll by.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>In spite of this advice, Wolfe grew restless every -minute, and when the seventh inning ended, with the -score three to two, Bern whispered a good-by to Duncan, -told the others he would be back in a short time, -and left the stand.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span> - <h2 id='LV' class='c005'>CHAPTER LV.<br /> <span class='large'>A BEAUTIFUL BINGLE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>In the eighth inning Manhattan betrayed dangerous -symptoms, for she made a run and filled the bases, -with two men out. Kates then struck out the last -batter.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But the score was now four to two. Jones urged his -men to get after Hogan without delay, and they responded -in a promising manner. In a sharp batting -rally, they drove in a score, but a fancy double play cut -short their chances of tying or taking the lead.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Manhattan abated none of its fierceness when the -ninth opened. The first batter landed on Kates for a -safe single. Following this, came a fierce drive that -got away from Tucker, and two men were on bases.</p> - -<p class='c007'>A moment later Sam hit a batter on the hip, and the -sacks were filled.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Marone coached jubilantly, announcing his belief -that something like a dozen runs would be chalked -down to Manhattan’s credit in the ninth.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was the critical point of the game, and Kates got -the rattles at last. Try as he might, he could not find -the plate, and, as a result, he walked the next batter, -forcing in a run.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“It’s all off,” announced Bill Toleman, to his companions -in the stand. “He couldn’t find the rubber -now to save his life.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dagett seized Toleman’s wrist.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Look!” he said. “What’s that mean?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Merriwell——”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“By Jove! Kates is going to the bench!” exclaimed -Ditson. “Who’ll pitch?”</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>“Merriwell,” said Poland. “He’s going into the box -as sure as fate.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“But he has a lame shoulder,” snickered Dagett.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“He’s let Kates lose the game,” said Toleman, “and -now he’s going to show off. It’s too late for him to -do anything.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s right,” nodded Ditson. “The game is over. -Merriwell ought to be batted after sitting on the bench -and letting those fellows have their own way.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Mike Marone stood, hands on his hips, and laughed -as Dick walked out to pitch.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Like to limber up a little, Merriwell?” he inquired. -“Give you all the time you want.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Thanks for your generosity,” said Dick. “I don’t -believe I’ll bother to limber up.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wow! wow! wow!” barked O’Mora. “He don’t -have to limber up! He thinks we’re easy.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick received the ball, and toed the slab in a position -to pitch with his left hand. He could not use his -right, but he hoped to check the enemy, just the same. -The first ball delivered was so wild that it came near -getting past Buckhart, who stopped it by a marvelous -sidelong leap.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wow! wow! wow!” came again from O’Mora. -“What do you think of that? Better use your other -hand, Merriwell. You can’t find the pan with your -left.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Everybody run!” shouted Marone. “Score on the -first passed ball!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There won’t be any,” muttered Buckhart, as he -resumed his position behind the bat and gave Dick a -signal.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The next ball pitched by Dick came over the plate. -It looked good to the batter, but he simply popped up -an easy fly that was taken by Otis Fitch.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span>“Don’t try to kill the ball!” shouted Marone. “Don’t -try to knock the cover off! You can all hit it!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Sure you can hit it,” said Buckhart, in a low tone; -“but hitting it safe is what counts.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>When Dick had fooled the next batter with two -elusive benders, it began to look as if hitting the ball -was not such an easy thing, after all. Forced into a -corner, the batter finally lifted a high foul, which -Buckhart got under and gathered in.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“That’s two, partner,” laughed the Texan, as he -tossed the ball to Dick. “Why, they couldn’t hit you -safely if you pitched with your feet.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Get in there, now,” urged Marone, as O’Mora -trotted to the plate. “A little single is all we want. -A little safety is the goods. You know where to put -it, Mat.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But suddenly Dick bored over a fast one, and -O’Mora literally threw himself off his feet in the effort -to get against it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Wow! wow! wow!” he yapped, as he picked himself -up. “Where’d you get that speed, Merriwell? -How can you do it with your little left? Be gentle! -be gentle! Give me a chance to look at the ball when -it comes over.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“All right,” said Dick. “How’s this?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He lobbed up a slow one, and O’Mora nearly broke -his back reaching out to hit the ball before it was anywhere -near the plate.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Marone snapped at the batter, and O’Mora shook -his head with a comical look of dismay.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“I won’t strike out!” he muttered to himself. But -that was precisely what he did do. Dick worked with -all the craft at his command, and finally led O’Mora -into reaching for a nasty curve which he could not -touch.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span>Yale came to bat in the last of the ninth, with the -score four to two against them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“We’ve got to have two to tie and three to win,” -said Dick cheerfully. “Here’s where we get them.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>But the wrong end of the batting list was up. Jones -was to be followed by Spratt, Bigelow, and Fitch, the -three weakest hitters on the team.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Get to first, Blessed,” urged Merriwell. “Get there -somehow.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Although the captain felt that it might not do any -good, he stalked forth and smote the ball a terrific -crack that landed him on the initial sack.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hit and run, Spratt—that’s the game,” murmured -Merriwell, as Jack walked out to the pan.</p> - -<p class='c007'>But Spratt simply lifted a high infield fly that was -captured by Marone.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Looks bad, partner,” whispered Buckhart, in Dick’s -ear.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Merriwell made no reply. Claxton and Tucker were -coaching. Bouncer Bigelow, looking pale and shaking -like a jellyfish, walked out and swung with all his -might at the first ball pitched by Hogan. The ball -struck on the under side of the bat, shot down to the -ground, and twisted off to one side with a queer, toplike -motion.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Without the remotest idea as to what he had done, -Bigelow hurled the bat straight up into the air and -let himself out for first, while Jones went to second. -It was a lucky stab, for the ball, after threatening to -roll foul, stopped inside the base line, and Bouncer -got a safe hit in this manner.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Two to tie and three to win, Fitch,” said Dick, as -the next batter left the bench.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Fitch had not touched the ball for the day. Hogan -regarded the fellow as an easy mark. Otis surprised -<span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span>every one by smashing a hot grounder toward Marone, -who made a startling stop, but juggled the ball and permitted -the bases to fill. It was Merriwell’s turn to -strike.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Two to tie and three to win, partner,” said Buckhart, -as Dick picked out a bat. “You’ve got to do it -for us! You’ve got to save this game! Give us a -bingle.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Dick forgot his lame shoulder. He forgot everything -except the necessity of getting a clean hit. After -missing one of Hogan’s curves, he found the ball with -a sharp, snapping swing, and lined it far into right -field.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The Yale stand rose with a roar as it was seen that -Hanley could not touch that long line drive. The ball -struck the ground and went bounding away, away to -the far extremity of the field, while man after man -romped joyously over the plate. Dick had won the -game by this beautiful bingle.</p> - -<hr class='c011' /> - -<p class='c007'>When Merriwell entered his room, followed by -Jones and Buckhart, he discovered that everything was -in disorder. The drawers of his desk had been pulled -out and their contents emptied on the floor. This was -likewise the case with his dresser.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hello!” he cried. “What’s this mean? Some one -has been here while I was gone.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>A moment later he had reached the private drawer -which he always kept locked. One glance showed him -that it had been pried open and the lock broken. The -contents of this drawer, however, had not been scattered -upon the floor. Everything was there—everything -save one thing.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The confession of Mike Lynch was gone.</p> - -<p class='c007'>It was about the time when Merriwell made this discovery -<span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span>that Duncan Ditson entered his own room and -found Bern Wolfe waiting for him there.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Hello!” exclaimed Dunc, in surprise. “Forgot -about you in the excitement. Say, do you know what -happened? Well, Merriwell went into that game and -won it with a corking hit in the ninth inning. Isn’t -that just his luck?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Don’t talk to me about luck!” snarled Wolfe. “I’m -sore! I’m disgusted!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Eh? What’s happened? Did you try to get hold -of that confession?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Try?” rasped Bern, producing an envelope and -flinging it on the study table. “I should say I did! -There it is!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There it is? Then what’s the matter? What ails -you?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Wolfe caught up the envelope, and drew forth the -sheets of paper it contained.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“What ails me?” he hissed. “Just take a look at -this! Here’s that valuable confession!”</p> - -<p class='c007'>He spread out the sheets of paper, and Ditson gazed -at them in surprise, for apparently there was not a -line of writing upon them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Confession?” muttered Duncan. “What are you -talking about? There’s nothing there.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“There was once. Look here—look close. Here, -you can see the faintest tracing of a word. There, you -can see part of another word. There was writing on -this paper once. Why, I can even see a bit of my -own signature down in this corner, but it’s gone. It’s -faded. It’s no good to any one now.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>Looking intently at the paper, Ditson was able to -make out the faint tracing of a few detached words -upon it.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Suddenly Duncan smote his clenched right fist into -his left palm.</p> - -<p class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>“Well, if that wasn’t a slick trick on the part of -Lynch!” he cried. “He wrote his confession with sympathetic -ink.”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“With what? Sympathetic ink?”</p> - -<p class='c007'>“Yes. That’s ink that will fade and vanish entirely, -a few days after it is used. I was with him when he -bought it. He told me he had a girl to whom he was -writing letters, and, as he feared she might not destroy -his letters, he was taking care to use the kind of ink -that would prevent those epistles from ever rising like -ghosts to haunt and confuse him. Wolfe, we’re a couple -of blamed fools!”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='small'>THE END.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c004' /> -</div> - -<p class='c007'>No. 150 of the <span class='sc'>Merriwell Series</span> is entitled “Dick -Merriwell’s Best Work,” by Burt L. Standish. Admirers -of Mr. Standish will find this story up to his usual high -standard—and this is the highest praise we can give it.</p> - -<div class='section ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><span class='large'>BOOKS FOR YOUNG MEN<a id='booklist'></a></span></div> - <div class='c004'>MERRIWELL SERIES</div> - <div class='c004'><span class='large'>ALL BY BURT L. STANDISH</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='large'>Stories of Frank and Dick Merriwell</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='large'>Fascinating Stories of Athletics</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c006'>A half million enthusiastic followers of the Merriwell brothers will -attest the unfailing interest and wholesomeness of these adventures -of two lads of high ideals, who play fair with themselves, as well as -with the rest of the world.</p> - -<p class='c007'>These stories are rich in fun and thrills in all branches of sports -and athletics. They are extremely high in moral tone, and cannot -fail to be of immense benefit to every boy who reads them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>They have the splendid quality of firing a boy’s ambition to become -a good athlete, in order that he may develop into a strong, vigorous, -right-thinking man.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><i>ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in2'>1—Frank Merriwell’s School Days</div> - <div class='line in2'>2—Frank Merriwell’s Chums</div> - <div class='line in2'>3—Frank Merriwell’s Foes</div> - <div class='line in2'>4—Frank Merriwell’s Trip West</div> - <div class='line in2'>5—Frank Merriwell Down South</div> - <div class='line in2'>6—Frank Merriwell’s Bravery</div> - <div class='line in2'>7—Frank Merriwell’s Hunting Tour</div> - <div class='line in2'>8—Frank Merriwell in Europe</div> - <div class='line in2'>9—Frank Merriwell at Yale</div> - <div class='line in1'>10—Frank Merriwell’s Sports Afield</div> - <div class='line in1'>11—Frank Merriwell’s Races</div> - <div class='line in1'>12—Frank Merriwell’s Party</div> - <div class='line in1'>13—Frank Merriwell’s Bicycle Tour</div> - <div class='line in1'>14—Frank Merriwell’s Courage</div> - <div class='line in1'>15—Frank Merriwell’s Daring</div> - <div class='line in1'>16—Frank Merriwell’s Alarm</div> - <div class='line in1'>17—Frank Merriwell’s Athletes</div> - <div class='line in1'>18—Frank Merriwell’s Skill</div> - <div class='line in1'>19—Frank Merriwell’s Champions</div> - <div class='line in1'>20—Frank Merriwell’s Return to Yale</div> - <div class='line in1'>21—Frank Merriwell’s Secret</div> - <div class='line in1'>22—Frank Merriwell’s Danger</div> - <div class='line in1'>23—Frank Merriwell’s Loyalty</div> - <div class='line in1'>24—Frank Merriwell in Camp</div> - <div class='line in1'>25—Frank Merriwell’s Vacation</div> - <div class='line in1'>26—Frank Merriwell’s Cruise</div> - <div class='line in1'>27—Frank Merriwell’s Chase</div> - <div class='line in1'>28—Frank Merriwell in Maine</div> - <div class='line in1'>29—Frank Merriwell’s Struggle</div> - <div class='line in1'>30—Frank Merriwell’s First Job</div> - <div class='line in1'>31—Frank Merriwell’s Opportunity</div> - <div class='line in1'>32—Frank Merriwell’s Hard Luck</div> - <div class='line in1'>33—Frank Merriwell’s Protégé</div> - <div class='line in1'>34—Frank Merriwell on the Road</div> - <div class='line in1'>35—Frank Merriwell’s Own Company</div> - <div class='line in1'>36—Frank Merriwell’s Fame</div> - <div class='line in1'>37—Frank Merriwell’s College Chums</div> - <div class='line in1'>38—Frank Merriwell’s Problem</div> - <div class='line in1'>39—Frank Merriwell’s Fortune</div> - <div class='line in1'>40—Frank Merriwell’s New Comedian</div> - <div class='line in1'>41—Frank Merriwell’s Prosperity</div> - <div class='line in1'>42—Frank Merriwell’s Stage Hit</div> - <div class='line in1'>43—Frank Merriwell’s Great Scheme</div> - <div class='line in1'>44—Frank Merriwell in England</div> - <div class='line in1'>45—Frank Merriwell on the Boulevards</div> - <div class='line in1'>46—Frank Merriwell’s Duel</div> - <div class='line in1'>47—Frank Merriwell’s Double Shot</div> - <div class='line in1'>48—Frank Merriwell’s Baseball Victories</div> - <div class='line in1'>49—Frank Merriwell’s Confidence</div> - <div class='line in1'>50—Frank Merriwell’s Auto</div> - <div class='line in1'>51—Frank Merriwell’s Fun</div> - <div class='line in1'>52—Frank Merriwell’s Generosity</div> - <div class='line in1'>53—Frank Merriwell’s Tricks</div> - <div class='line in1'>54—Frank Merriwell’s Temptation</div> - <div class='line in1'>55—Frank Merriwell on Top</div> - <div class='line in1'>56—Frank Merriwell’s Luck</div> - <div class='line in1'>57—Frank Merriwell’s Mascot</div> - <div class='line in1'>58—Frank Merriwell’s Reward</div> - <div class='line in1'>59—Frank Merriwell’s Phantom</div> - <div class='line in1'>60—Frank Merriwell’s Faith</div> - <div class='line in1'>61—Frank Merriwell’s Victories</div> - <div class='line in1'>62—Frank Merriwell’s Iron Nerve</div> - <div class='line in1'>63—Frank Merriwell in Kentucky</div> - <div class='line in1'>64—Frank Merriwell’s Power</div> - <div class='line in1'>65—Frank Merriwell’s Shrewdness</div> - <div class='line in1'>66—Frank Merriwell’s Setback</div> - <div class='line in1'>67—Frank Merriwell’s Search</div> - <div class='line in1'>68—Frank Merriwell’s Club</div> - <div class='line in1'>69—Frank Merriwell’s Trust</div> - <div class='line in1'>70—Frank Merriwell’s False Friend</div> - <div class='line in1'>71—Frank Merriwell’s Strong Arm</div> - <div class='line in1'>72—Frank Merriwell as Coach</div> - <div class='line in1'>73—Frank Merriwell’s Brother</div> - <div class='line in1'>74—Frank Merriwell’s Marvel</div> - <div class='line in1'>75—Frank Merriwell’s Support</div> - <div class='line in1'>76—Dick Merriwell at Fardale</div> - <div class='line in1'>77—Dick Merriwell’s Glory</div> - <div class='line in1'>78—Dick Merriwell’s Promise</div> - <div class='line in1'>79—Dick Merriwell’s Rescue</div> - <div class='line in1'>80—Dick Merriwell’s Narrow Escape</div> - <div class='line in1'>81—Dick Merriwell’s Racket</div> - <div class='line in1'>82—Dick Merriwell’s Revenge</div> - <div class='line in1'>83—Dick Merriwell’s Ruse</div> - <div class='line in1'>84—Dick Merriwell’s Delivery</div> - <div class='line in1'>85—Dick Merriwell’s Wonders</div> - <div class='line in1'>86—Frank Merriwell’s Honor</div> - <div class='line in1'>87—Dick Merriwell’s Diamond</div> - <div class='line in1'>88—Frank Merriwell’s Winners</div> - <div class='line in1'>89—Dick Merriwell’s Dash</div> - <div class='line in1'>90—Dick Merriwell’s Ability</div> - <div class='line in1'>91—Dick Merriwell’s Trap</div> - <div class='line in1'>92—Dick Merriwell’s Defense</div> - <div class='line in1'>93—Dick Merriwell’s Model</div> - <div class='line in1'>94—Dick Merriwell’s Mystery</div> - <div class='line in1'>95—Frank Merriwell’s Backers</div> - <div class='line in1'>96—Dick Merriwell’s Backstop</div> - <div class='line in1'>97—Dick Merriwell’s Western Mission</div> - <div class='line in1'>98—Frank Merriwell’s Rescue</div> - <div class='line in1'>99—Frank Merriwell’s Encounter</div> - <div class='line'>100—Dick Merriwell’s Marked Money</div> - <div class='line'>101—Frank Merriwell’s Nomads</div> - <div class='line'>102—Dick Merriwell on the Gridiron</div> - <div class='line'>103—Dick Merriwell’s Disguise</div> - <div class='line'>104—Dick Merriwell’s Test</div> - <div class='line'>105—Frank Merriwell’s Trump Card</div> - <div class='line'>106—Frank Merriwell’s Strategy</div> - <div class='line'>107—Frank Merriwell’s Triumph</div> - <div class='line'>108—Dick Merriwell’s Grit</div> - <div class='line'>109—Dick Merriwell’s Assurance</div> - <div class='line'>110—Dick Merriwell’s Long Slide</div> - <div class='line'>111—Frank Merriwell’s Rough Deal</div> - <div class='line'>112—Dick Merriwell’s Threat</div> - <div class='line'>113—Dick Merriwell’s Persistence</div> - <div class='line'>114—Dick Merriwell’s Day</div> - <div class='line'>115—Frank Merriwell’s Peril</div> - <div class='line'>116—Dick Merriwell’s Downfall</div> - <div class='line'>117—Frank Merriwell’s Pursuit</div> - <div class='line'>118—Dick Merriwell Abroad</div> - <div class='line'>119—Frank Merriwell in the Rockies</div> - <div class='line'>120—Dick Merriwell’s Pranks</div> - <div class='line'>121—Frank Merriwell’s Pride</div> - <div class='line'>122—Frank Merriwell’s Challengers</div> - <div class='line'>123—Frank Merriwell’s Endurance</div> - <div class='line'>124—Dick Merriwell’s Cleverness</div> - <div class='line'>125—Frank Merriwell’s Marriage</div> - <div class='line'>126—Dick Merriwell, the Wizard</div> - <div class='line'>127—Dick Merriwell’s Stroke</div> - <div class='line'>128—Dick Merriwell’s Return</div> - <div class='line'>129—Dick Merriwell’s Resource</div> - <div class='line'>130—Dick Merriwell’s Five</div> - <div class='line'>131—Frank Merriwell’s Tigers</div> - <div class='line'>132—Dick Merriwell’s Polo Team</div> - <div class='line'>133—Frank Merriwell’s Pupils</div> - <div class='line'>134—Frank Merriwell’s New Boy</div> - <div class='line'>135—Dick Merriwell’s Home Run</div> - <div class='line'>136—Dick Merriwell’s Dare</div> - <div class='line'>137—Frank Merriwell’s Son</div> - <div class='line'>138—Dick Merriwell’s Team Mate</div> - <div class='line'>139—Frank Merriwell’s Leaguers</div> - <div class='line'>140—Frank Merriwell’s Happy Camp</div> - <div class='line'>141—Dick Merriwell’s Influence</div> - <div class='line'>142—Dick Merriwell, Freshman</div> - <div class='line'>143—Dick Merriwell’s Staying Power</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'>In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the -books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New -York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance -promptly, on account of delays in transportation.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in July, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>144—Dick Merriwell’s Joke</div> - <div class='line'>145—Frank Merriwell’s Talisman</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in August, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>146—Frank Merriwell’s Horse</div> - <div class='line'>147—Dick Merriwell’s Regret</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in September, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>148—Dick Merriwell’s Magnetism</div> - <div class='line'>149—Dick Merriwell’s Backers</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in October, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>150—Dick Merriwell’s Best Work</div> - <div class='line'>151—Dick Merriwell’s Distrust</div> - <div class='line'>152—Dick Merriwell’s Debt</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in November, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>153—Dick Merriwell’s Mastery</div> - <div class='line'>154—Dick Merriwell Adrift</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in December, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>155—Frank Merriwell’s Worst Boy</div> - <div class='line'>156—Dick Merriwell’s Close Call</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='section ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>Round the World Library</div> - <div class='c004'><span class='large'>Stories of Jack Harkaway and His Comrades</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Every reader, young and old, has heard of Jack Harkaway. His -remarkable adventures in out-of-the-way corners of the globe are really -classics, and every one should read them.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Jack is a splendid, manly character, full of life and strength and -curiosity. He has a number of very interesting companions—Professor -Mole, for instance, who is very funny. He also has some very -strange enemies, who are anything but funny.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Get interested in Jack. It will pay you.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><i>ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>By BRACEBRIDGE HEMYNG</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in1'>1—Jack Harkaway’s School Days</div> - <div class='line in1'>2—Jack Harkaway’s Friends</div> - <div class='line in1'>3—Jack Harkaway After School Days</div> - <div class='line in1'>4—Jack Harkaway Afloat and Ashore</div> - <div class='line in1'>5—Jack Harkaway Among the Pirates</div> - <div class='line in1'>6—Jack Harkaway at Oxford</div> - <div class='line in1'>7—Jack Harkaway’s Struggles</div> - <div class='line in1'>8—Jack Harkaway’s Triumphs</div> - <div class='line in1'>9—Jack Harkaway Among the Brigands</div> - <div class='line'>10—Jack Harkaway’s Return</div> - <div class='line'>11—Jack Harkaway Around the World</div> - <div class='line'>12—Jack Harkaway’s Perils</div> - <div class='line'>13—Jack Harkaway in China</div> - <div class='line'>14—Jack Harkaway and the Red Dragon</div> - <div class='line'>15—Jack Harkaway’s Pluck</div> - <div class='line'>16—Jack Harkaway in Australia</div> - <div class='line'>17—Jack Harkaway and the Bushrangers</div> - <div class='line'>18—Jack Harkaway’s Duel</div> - <div class='line'>19—Jack Harkaway and the Turks</div> - <div class='line'>20—Jack Harkaway in New York</div> - <div class='line'>21—Jack Harkaway Out West</div> - <div class='line'>22—Jack Harkaway Among the Indians</div> - <div class='line'>23—Jack Harkaway’s Cadet Days</div> - <div class='line'>24—Jack Harkaway in the Black Hills</div> - <div class='line'>25—Jack Harkaway in the Toils</div> - <div class='line'>26—Jack Harkaway’s Secret of Wealth</div> - <div class='line'>27—Jack Harkaway, Missing</div> - <div class='line'>28—Jack Harkaway and the Sacred Serpent</div> - <div class='line'>29—The Fool of the Family</div> - <div class='line'>30—Mischievous Matt</div> - <div class='line'>31—Mischievous Matt’s Pranks</div> - <div class='line'>32—Bob Fairplay Adrift</div> - <div class='line'>33—Bob Fairplay at Sea</div> - <div class='line'>34—The Boys of St. Aldates</div> - <div class='line'>35—Billy Barlow</div> - <div class='line'>36—Larry O’Keefe</div> - <div class='line'>37—Sam Sawbones</div> - <div class='line'>38—Too Fast to Last</div> - <div class='line'>39—Home Base</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'>In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that -the books listed below will be issued during the respective months in -New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a -distance promptly, on account of delays in transportation.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in July, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>40—Spider and Stump</td> - <td class='c016'>By Bracebridge Hemyng</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>41—Out for Fun</td> - <td class='c016'>By Bracebridge Hemyng</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in August, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>42—Rob Rollalong, Sailor</td> - <td class='c016'>By Bracebridge Hemyng</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>43—Rob Rollalong in the Wilds</td> - <td class='c016'>By Bracebridge Hemyng</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>44—Phil, the Showman</td> - <td class='c016'>By Stanley Norris</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in September, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>45—Phil’s Rivals</td> - <td class='c016'>By Stanley Norris</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>46—Phil’s Pluck</td> - <td class='c016'>By Stanley Norris</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in October, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>47—Phil’s Triumph</td> - <td class='c016'>By Stanley Norris</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>48—From Circus to Fortune</td> - <td class='c016'>By Stanley Norris</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in November, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>49—A Gentleman Born</td> - <td class='c016'>By Stanley Norris</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>50—For His Friend’s Honor</td> - <td class='c016'>By Stanley Norris</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in December, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>51—True to His Trust</td> - <td class='c016'>By Stanley Norris</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>52—Facing the Music</td> - <td class='c016'>By Stanley Norris</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='section ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><span class='large'>A CARNIVAL OF ACTION</span></div> - <div class='c004'>ADVENTURE LIBRARY</div> - <div class='c004'><span class='large'>Splendid, Interesting, Big Stories</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c006'>This line is devoted exclusively to a splendid type of adventure -story, in the big outdoors. There is really a breath of fresh air in -each of them, and the reader who pays fifteen cents for a copy of this -line feels that he has received his money’s worth and a little more.</p> - -<p class='c007'>The authors of these books are experienced in the art of writing, -and know just what the up-to-date American reader wants.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><i>ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>By WILLIAM WALLACE COOK</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in1'>1—The Desert Argonaut</div> - <div class='line in1'>2—A Quarter to Four</div> - <div class='line in1'>3—Thorndyke of the Bonita</div> - <div class='line in1'>4—A Round Trip to the Year 2000</div> - <div class='line in1'>5—The Gold Gleaners</div> - <div class='line in1'>6—The Spur of Necessity</div> - <div class='line in1'>7—The Mysterious Mission</div> - <div class='line in1'>8—The Goal of a Million</div> - <div class='line in1'>9—Marooned in 1492</div> - <div class='line'>10—Running the Signal</div> - <div class='line'>11—His Friend the Enemy</div> - <div class='line'>12—In the Web</div> - <div class='line'>13—A Deep Sea Game</div> - <div class='line'>14—The Paymaster’s Special</div> - <div class='line'>15—Adrift in the Unknown</div> - <div class='line'>16—Jim Dexter, Cattleman</div> - <div class='line'>17—Juggling with Liberty</div> - <div class='line'>18—Back from Bedlam</div> - <div class='line'>19—A River Tangle</div> - <div class='line'>20—Billionaire Pro Tem</div> - <div class='line'>21—In the Wake of the Scimitar</div> - <div class='line'>22—His Audacious Highness</div> - <div class='line'>23—At Daggers Drawn</div> - <div class='line'>24—The Eighth Wonder</div> - <div class='line'>25—The Cat’s-paw</div> - <div class='line'>26—The Cotton Bag</div> - <div class='line'>27—Little Miss Vassar</div> - <div class='line'>28—Cast Away at the Pole</div> - <div class='line'>29—The Testing of Noyes</div> - <div class='line'>30—The Fateful Seventh</div> - <div class='line'>31—Montana</div> - <div class='line'>32—The Deserter</div> - <div class='line'>33—The Sheriff of Broken Bow</div> - <div class='line'>34—Wanted: A Highwayman</div> - <div class='line'>35—Frisbie of San Antone</div> - <div class='line'>36—His Last Dollar</div> - <div class='line'>37—Fools for Luck</div> - <div class='line'>38—Dare of Darling & Co.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c007'>In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that -the books listed below will be issued during the respective months in -New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a -distance promptly, on account of delays in transportation.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in July, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>39—Trailing <i>The Josephine</i></td> - <td class='c016'>By William Wallace Cook</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>40—The Snapshot Chap</td> - <td class='c016'>By Bertram Lebhar</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in August, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>41—Brothers of the Thin Wire</td> - <td class='c016'>By Franklin Pitt</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>42—Jungle Intrigue</td> - <td class='c016'>By Edmond Lawrence</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>43—His Snapshot Lordship</td> - <td class='c016'>By Bertram Lebhar</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in September, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>44—Folly Lode</td> - <td class='c016'>By James F. Dorrance</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>45—The Forest Rogue</td> - <td class='c016'>By Julian G. Wharton</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published In October, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>46—Snapshot Artillery</td> - <td class='c016'>By Bertram Lebhar</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>47—Stanley Holt, Thoroughbred</td> - <td class='c016'>By Ralph Boston</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in November, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>48—The Riddle and the Ring</td> - <td class='c016'>By Gordon MacLaren</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>49—The Black Eye Snapshot</td> - <td class='c016'>By Bertram Lebhar</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in December, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>50—Bainbridge of Bangor</td> - <td class='c016'>By Julian G. Wharton</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>51—Amid Crashing Hills</td> - <td class='c016'>By Edmond Lawrence</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='section ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><span class='large'>BOOKS THAT NEVER GROW OLD</span></div> - <div class='c004'>Alger Series</div> - <div class='c004'><span class='large'>Clean Adventure Stories for Boys</span></div> - <div class='c004'><span class='large'>The Most Complete List Published</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The following list does not contain all the books that Horatio Alger -wrote, but it contains most of them, and certainly the best.</p> - -<p class='c007'>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.</p> - -<p class='c007'>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.</p> - -<p class='c007'>In this list will be included certain books by Edward Stratemeyer, -Oliver Optic, and other authors who wrote the Alger type of stories, -which are equal in interest and wholesomeness with those written by -the famous author after which this great line of books for boys is -named.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><i>ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>By HORATIO ALGER, Jr.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in2'>1—Driven from Home</div> - <div class='line in2'>2—A Cousin’s Conspiracy</div> - <div class='line in2'>3—Ned Newton</div> - <div class='line in2'>4—Andy Gordon</div> - <div class='line in2'>5—Tony, the Tramp</div> - <div class='line in2'>6—The Five Hundred Dollar Check</div> - <div class='line in2'>7—Helping Himself</div> - <div class='line in2'>8—Making His Way</div> - <div class='line in2'>9—Try and Trust</div> - <div class='line in1'>10—Only an Irish Boy</div> - <div class='line in1'>11—Jed, the Poorhouse Boy</div> - <div class='line in1'>12—Chester Rand</div> - <div class='line in1'>13—Grit, the Young Boatman of Pine Point</div> - <div class='line in1'>14—Joe’s Luck</div> - <div class='line in1'>15—From Farm Boy to Senator</div> - <div class='line in1'>16—The Young Outlaw</div> - <div class='line in1'>17—Jack’s Ward</div> - <div class='line in1'>18—Dean Dunham</div> - <div class='line in1'>19—In a New World</div> - <div class='line in1'>20—Both Sides of the Continent</div> - <div class='line in1'>21—The Store Boy</div> - <div class='line in1'>22—Brave and Bold</div> - <div class='line in1'>23—A New York Boy</div> - <div class='line in1'>24—Bob Burton</div> - <div class='line in1'>25—The Young Adventurer</div> - <div class='line in1'>26—Julius, the Street Boy</div> - <div class='line in1'>27—Adrift in New York</div> - <div class='line in1'>28—Tom Brace</div> - <div class='line in1'>29—Struggling Upward</div> - <div class='line in1'>30—The Adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy</div> - <div class='line in1'>31—Tom Tracy</div> - <div class='line in1'>32—The Young Acrobat</div> - <div class='line in1'>33—Bound to Rise</div> - <div class='line in1'>34—Hector’s Inheritance</div> - <div class='line in1'>35—Do and Dare</div> - <div class='line in1'>36—The Tin Box</div> - <div class='line in1'>37—Tom, the Bootblack</div> - <div class='line in1'>38—Risen from the Ranks</div> - <div class='line in1'>39—Shifting for Himself</div> - <div class='line in1'>40—Wait and Hope</div> - <div class='line in1'>41—Sam’s Chance</div> - <div class='line in1'>42—Striving for Fortune</div> - <div class='line in1'>43—Phil, the Fiddler</div> - <div class='line in1'>44—Slow and Sure</div> - <div class='line in1'>45—Walter Sherwood’s Probation</div> - <div class='line in1'>46—The Trials and Triumphs of Mark Mason</div> - <div class='line in1'>47—The Young Salesman</div> - <div class='line in1'>48—Andy Grant’s Pluck</div> - <div class='line in1'>49—Facing the World</div> - <div class='line in1'>50—Luke Walton</div> - <div class='line in1'>51—Strive and Succeed</div> - <div class='line in1'>52—From Canal Boy to President</div> - <div class='line in1'>53—The Erie Train Boy</div> - <div class='line in1'>54—Paul, the Peddler</div> - <div class='line in1'>55—The Young Miner</div> - <div class='line in1'>56—Charlie Codman’s Cruise</div> - <div class='line in1'>57—A Debt of Honor</div> - <div class='line in1'>58—The Young Explorer</div> - <div class='line in1'>59—Ben’s Nugget</div> - <div class='line in1'>60—The Errand Boy</div> - <div class='line in1'>61—Frank and Fearless</div> - <div class='line in1'>62—Frank Hunter’s Peril</div> - <div class='line in1'>63—Adrift in the City</div> - <div class='line in1'>64—Tom Thatcher’s Fortune</div> - <div class='line in1'>65—Tom Turner’s Legacy</div> - <div class='line in1'>66—Dan, the Newsboy</div> - <div class='line in1'>67—Digging for Gold</div> - <div class='line in1'>68—Lester’s Luck</div> - <div class='line in1'>69—In Search of Treasure</div> - <div class='line in1'>70—Frank’s Campaign</div> - <div class='line in1'>71—Bernard Brook’s Adventures</div> - <div class='line in1'>72—Robert Coverdale’s Struggles</div> - <div class='line in1'>73—Paul Prescott’s Charge</div> - <div class='line in1'>74—Mark Manning’s Mission</div> - <div class='line in1'>75—Rupert’s Ambition</div> - <div class='line in1'>76—Sink or Swim</div> - <div class='line in1'>77—The Backwoods Boy</div> - <div class='line in1'>78—Tom Temple’s Career</div> - <div class='line in1'>79—Ben Bruce</div> - <div class='line in1'>80—The Young Musician</div> - <div class='line in1'>81—The Telegraph Boy</div> - <div class='line in1'>82—Work and Win</div> - <div class='line in1'>83—The Train Boy</div> - <div class='line in1'>84—The Cash Boy</div> - <div class='line in1'>85—Herbert Carter’s Legacy</div> - <div class='line in1'>86—Strong and Steady</div> - <div class='line in1'>87—Lost at Sea</div> - <div class='line in1'>88—From Farm to Fortune</div> - <div class='line in1'>89—Young Captain Jack</div> - <div class='line in1'>90—Joe, the Hotel Boy</div> - <div class='line in1'>91—Out for Business</div> - <div class='line in1'>92—Falling in with Fortune</div> - <div class='line in1'>93—Nelson, the Newsboy</div> - <div class='line in1'>94—Randy of the River</div> - <div class='line in1'>95—Jerry, the Backwoods Boy</div> - <div class='line in1'>96—Ben Logan’s Triumph</div> - <div class='line in1'>97—The Young Book Agent</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>By EDWARD STRATEMEYER</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in1'>98—The Last Cruise of <i>The Spitfire</i></div> - <div class='line in1'>99—Reuben Stone’s Discovery</div> - <div class='line'>100—True to Himself</div> - <div class='line'>101—Richard Dare’s Venture</div> - <div class='line'>102—Oliver Bright’s Search</div> - <div class='line'>103—To Alaska for Gold</div> - <div class='line'>104—The Young Auctioneer</div> - <div class='line'>105—Bound to Be an Electrician</div> - <div class='line'>106—Shorthand Tom</div> - <div class='line'>107—Fighting for His Own</div> - <div class='line'>108—Joe, the Surveyor</div> - <div class='line'>109—Larry, the Wanderer</div> - <div class='line'>110—The Young Ranchman</div> - <div class='line'>111—The Young Lumberman</div> - <div class='line'>112—The Young Explorers</div> - <div class='line'>113—Boys of the Wilderness</div> - <div class='line'>114—Boys of the Great Northwest</div> - <div class='line'>115—Boys of the Gold Field</div> - <div class='line'>116—For His Country</div> - <div class='line'>117—Comrades in Peril</div> - <div class='line'>118—The Young Pearl Hunters</div> - <div class='line'>119—The Young Bandmaster</div> - <div class='line'>120—Boys of the Fort</div> - <div class='line'>121—On Fortune’s Trail</div> - <div class='line'>122—Lost in the Land of Ice</div> - <div class='line'>123—Bob, the Photographer</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>By OLIVER OPTIC</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>124—Among the Missing</div> - <div class='line'>125—His Own Helper</div> - <div class='line'>126—Honest Kit Dunstable</div> - <div class='line'>127—Every Inch a Boy</div> - <div class='line'>128—The Young Pilot</div> - <div class='line'>129—Always in Luck</div> - <div class='line'>130—Rich and Humble</div> - <div class='line'>131—In School and Out</div> - <div class='line'>132—Watch and Wait</div> - <div class='line'>133—Work and Win</div> - <div class='line'>134—Hope and Have</div> - <div class='line'>135—Haste and Waste</div> - <div class='line'>136—Royal Tarr’s Pluck</div> - <div class='line'>137—The Prisoners of the Cave</div> - <div class='line'>138—Louis Chiswick’s Mission</div> - <div class='line'>139—The Professor’s Son</div> - <div class='line'>140—The Young Hermit</div> - <div class='line'>141—The Cruise of <i>The Dandy</i></div> - <div class='line'>142—Building Himself Up</div> - <div class='line'>143—Lyon Hart’s Heroism</div> - <div class='line'>144—Three Young Silver Kings</div> - <div class='line'>145—Making a Man of Himself</div> - <div class='line'>146—Striving for His Own</div> - <div class='line'>147—Through by Daylight</div> - <div class='line'>148—Lightning Express</div> - <div class='line'>149—On Time</div> - <div class='line'>150—Switch Off</div> - <div class='line'>151—Brake Up</div> - <div class='line'>152—Bear and Forbear</div> - <div class='line'>153—The “Starry Flag”</div> - <div class='line'>154—Breaking Away</div> - <div class='line'>155—Seek and Find</div> - <div class='line'>156—Freaks of Fortune</div> - <div class='line'>157—Make or Break</div> - <div class='line'>158—Down the River</div> - <div class='line'>159—The Boat Club</div> - <div class='line'>160—All Aboard</div> - <div class='line'>161—Now or Never</div> - <div class='line'>162—Try Again</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that -the books listed below will be issued during the respective months in -New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a -distance promptly, on account of delays in transportation.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in July, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>163—Poor and Proud</td> - <td class='c016'>By Oliver Optic</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>164—Little by Little</td> - <td class='c016'>By Oliver Optic</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>165—The Sailor Boy</td> - <td class='c016'>By Oliver Optic</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in August, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>166—The Yankee Middy</td> - <td class='c016'>By Oliver Optic</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>167—Brave Old Salt</td> - <td class='c016'>By Oliver Optic</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in September, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>168—Luck and Pluck</td> - <td class='c016'>By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>169—Ragged Dick</td> - <td class='c016'>By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in October, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>170—Fame and Fortune</td> - <td class='c016'>By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>171—Mark, the Match Boy</td> - <td class='c016'>By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in November, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>172—Rough and Ready</td> - <td class='c016'>By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>173—Ben, the Luggage Boy</td> - <td class='c016'>By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>To be published in December, 1926.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='50%' /> -<col width='50%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>174—Rufus and Rose</td> - <td class='c016'>By Horatio Alger, Jr.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>175—Fighting for Fortune</td> - <td class='c016'>By Roy Franklin</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c014'>176—The Young Steel Worker</td> - <td class='c016'>By Frank H. MacDougal</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='box'> - -<div class='section ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>VALUE</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Although literature is generally regarded as -more or less of a luxury, there is such a thing -as getting your money’s worth, and a little more, -in the way of literature.</p> - -<p class='c007'>For seventy years the firm of STREET & -SMITH has specialized in the publication of -fiction. During all this time everything bearing -our imprint represented good value for the -money.</p> - -<p class='c007'>When, about thirty years ago, we began the -publication of a series of paper bound books, -which has since become world famous by the -name of “The S & S Novel,” we did our best -to publish the right sort of fiction. The sales -of these books proved that we have succeeded in -interesting and pleasing the American reading -public.</p> - -<p class='c007'>There are over 1,800 different titles in our -catalogue, and every title above reproach from -every standpoint. The STREET & SMITH -NOVEL has been rightly called the fiction of -the masses.</p> - -<p class='c007'>Do not be deceived by books which look like -the STREET & SMITH NOVELS but which -are made like them only in looks. Insist upon -having paper covered books bearing the imprint -of STREET & SMITH, and so be sure of -securing full value for your money.</p> - -<hr class='c011' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>STREET & SMITH CORPORATION</div> - <div>79 Seventh Avenue :: New York City</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c004' /> -</div> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='section ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - - <ol class='ol_1 c002'> - <li><a href='#booklist'>Listing</a>, moved the first four pages book listings to the end of the novel - and before the listings at the end. - - </li> - <li><a href='#t70'>70</a>, supplied “fight” as unknown 5 letter word in “By this time the girl’s _____ - had been answered.” - - </li> - <li>Table of <a href='#CONTENTS'>Contents</a> added by transcriber. - - </li> - <li>Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - - </li> - <li>Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. - </li> - </ol> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Dick Merriwell's Backers, by Burt L. 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