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 ^
 
 FRANK MERRIWELL'S COURAGE
 
 FRANK MERRIWELL'S 
 COURAGE 
 
 BURT L. STANDISH, 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 "Frank Merriwell's Schooldays," "Frank Merriwell's Trip West," 
 
 " Frank Merriwell's Chums," " Frank Merriwell's Foes," 
 
 "Frank Merriwell Down South," etc. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 DAVID MCKAY, PUBLISHER, 
 
 604-3 SOUTH WASHINGTON SQUARE.
 
 Copyright, 190* 
 By STREET & SMITH 
 
 Prank Men-well's Courage
 
 Look at this ! Now no 
 " (See page 52)
 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 I Tied to the Track 7 
 
 II The Tramp's Story .... 19 
 
 III Attacked by Ruffians .... 35 
 
 IV The Tramps' Camp .... 42 
 
 V Power of the Spotted Ball ... 50 
 
 VI The Runaway 60 
 
 VII The Tramps Appear Again ... 72 
 
 VIII A Mystery Solved 85 
 
 IX Frank's Close Call . . . . . 96 
 
 X A Thrilling Adventure . . . . m 
 
 XI An Old Foe 122 
 
 XII Taming an Elephant .... 135 
 
 XIII The Shell Game 151 
 
 XIV Little Lotta 165 
 
 XV Pearson Finds a Master . . . .178 
 
 XVI Events at the Circus . . . . 192 
 
 XVII Little Lotta's Last Appearance . . . 202 
 
 XVIII Tess 212 
 
 XIX An Encounter with Cowboys . . . 222
 
 ii CONTENTS 
 
 PAS: 
 
 XX A Harvard "Man" .... 232 
 
 XXI A Hard Blow 241 
 
 XXII Grogan's Revenge . . . . 251 
 XXIII Frank and the Wild Horse . . .261 
 
 XXIV At the End of a Rope . . . 272 
 
 XXV Fickle Fortune 293 
 
 XXVI The Metamorphosis of Tess . . 303 
 XXVII The Struggle in the Stage . . .314 
 
 XXVIII A War of Words .... 327 
 
 XXIX In Buzzardsville 342 
 
 XXX Browning's Move .... 356 
 
 XXXI The Landslide 37^ 
 
 XXXII Over the Precipice . . . . 3 Sl 
 
 XXXIII The Deadly Mountains . . . 389 
 
 XXXIV The Fall Down the Precipice . . 399 
 
 XXXV Out of the Depths . . . 47
 
 FRANK MERRIWELL'S COURAGE 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 TIED TO THE TRACK. 
 
 "Listen, boys!" 
 
 "What is it, Frank?" 
 
 "I thought I heard a cry. 5 ' 
 
 The speakers were Frank Merriwell, one of the most 
 popular youths that ever graduated at Yale, and his 
 chums, Harry Rattleton, Jack Diamond, Bruce Brown- 
 ing, and the colored boy, Toots. They were mounted 
 on bicycles and were making a tour across the conti- 
 nent. The night had fallen, and they were all pedal- 
 ing away when Frank's warning arrested them and 
 they slackened their speed and listened. 
 
 From far away came the wailing shriek of a loco- 
 motive, brought to their ears by the favorable wind. 
 
 "That's what you heard, Frank;" declared Jack Dia- 
 mond.
 
 8 Tied to the Track. 
 
 "I do not think so," said Frank Merriwell. "What 
 I seemed to hear had a human sound, and a sound of 
 distress, at that." 
 
 "Fo' de Lawd's sakes!" gurgled Toots, the colored 
 boy, whose eyes seemed almost to gleam in the gloom. 
 "Don' yo' pay no 'tenshun teh anyfing dat yo' heah 
 hollerin' in de dark. If yo' does, chilluns, dere ain't 
 no tellin' what will cotch yeh. De spookses am alwus 
 kerhootin' on dis kine ob a night" 
 
 "Oh, say!" exclaimed Harry Rattleton, who had a 
 strange habit of mixing his words; "you sake me 
 mick I mean you make me sick, Toots! You are 
 always thinking of 'spookses.' Some time you'll be 
 scared to death by your own shadow." 
 
 Bruce Browning, who was following along behind, 
 wearily working at the pedals of his bicycle, said noth- 
 ing. It would require some extra exertion for him 
 to say anything, for he was not only fat, but lazy, 
 though brimful of good-nature. 
 
 "Gwan !" cried the colored boy. "Don' yo frow no 
 swinuations dis way, Mistah Rattleton! I done don' 
 lek it, an' I's libul teh git mighty ma-ad. When I's
 
 Tied to the Track. 9 
 
 mad, I's ba-ad. I want yeh ter know I's no ordernary 
 nigger, but I's a cullud pussin ob " 
 
 "Be still!" 
 
 The command came from Frank, and it was plain 
 he was listening once more. 
 
 "I know I heard that cry again," he declared. "I 
 was not deceived this time. It was There it is !" 
 
 They all heard it plainly enough. Certainly it 
 seemed like a human cry of dire distress an appeal 
 for help. 
 
 "Golly sakes teh goodness!" panted Toots. "Dat's 
 a spook suah's yeh libbin', Marser Frank! I knows 
 de soun'." 
 
 "I believe the cry did come from the lips of a human 
 being !" exclaimed Diamond. "But I could not tell 
 the direction " 
 
 "Help!" 
 
 "There's no mistake this time!" cried Frank, as they 
 plainly heard the faint shout. "It comes from away 
 off this way somewhere!" 
 
 He waved his hand to the right, and again the wail- 
 ing whistle of the approaching locomotive was heard, 
 more distinct than before.
 
 io Tied to the Track. 
 
 A moment later the young bicyclists came to a rail- 
 road crossing, where the road ran through a small cut 
 
 Then it was that, for the fourth time, the wind 
 brought that appeal to Frank Merriwell's ears. 
 
 Immediately he vaulted from his bicycle, which he 
 ran out beside the road, depositing it upon the grass. 
 
 Not being aware of his intention, the other boys 
 passed on, and dismounted more slowly. By the time 
 they turned about Frank had left his wheel on the 
 grass and was bounding away up the railroad track, his 
 feet sounding on the cross-ties. 
 
 "Well, bress mah soul!" cried the darky. "If dat 
 ain't jes' lek dat dar chile, I dunno!" 
 
 "Follow him !" cried Jack. "He may get into some 
 sort of a scrape ! We must be on hand to stand with 
 him." 
 
 "That's rust jite I mean it's just right!" cried Rat- 
 tleton, as he gave his bicycle a run toward the ditch, 
 and let it go. "Come on, fellers !" 
 
 "Say," panted Bruce Browning, from a distance, 
 "what's all this mean, anyhow? I'm no acrobat, and 
 it'd take a circus chap to imitate Merry in his move- 
 ments."
 
 Tied to the Track. 1 1 
 
 Frank rar like a deer, hearing the locomotive whistle 
 sound yet nearer as he dashed along. 
 
 The cries became plainer, although they seemed 
 strangely weak, as if the person uttering them were in 
 great distress. 
 
 Merriwell realized that he might be running into 
 danger, but the thought did not cause him to hesitate 
 a moment. He held himself ready for anything that 
 might happen. 
 
 The person who uttered the cries was much farther 
 from the highway than Frank had supposed at first, 
 the sound being brought to the boy's ears by the aid 
 of the wind. 
 
 Into some dark woods the running boy sped, and 
 he knew he must be close upon the unfortunate who 
 was calling for aid. 
 
 Frank did not answer the cries, having a fancy that 
 it might be better to remain silent. 
 
 The train was coming nearer and nearer along the 
 road, as he could tell by the occasional blasts from its 
 whistle. 
 
 For a little time there were no cries, and then, almost 
 beneath the boys' feet, the appeal went forth once more.
 
 12 Tied to the Track. 
 
 "Help! help! Save me!" 
 
 Then it was that the running lad came to a sudden 
 halt, seeing a dark object that was stretched across 
 the track. 
 
 "Who's there?" he asked, approaching with greater 
 caution. "What is the matter with you?" 
 
 "Quick!" panted a voice that was husky and weak 
 from so much shouting. "The express is coming! 
 Help me!" 
 
 "Why don't you get up?" 
 
 "I can't! I am tied to the track!" 
 
 With a cry of horror, the boy leaped forward, bend- 
 ing over the prostrate man. The shrill whistle of the 
 approaching train cut the air, and the rails began to 
 hum under the sound of wheels. 
 
 It took Merriwell but a moment to ascertain that 
 the man told the truth that he was bound to the 
 track in such a manner that the wheels of the train 
 would cut him in two if he were not released. 
 
 Far down the track a "star gleamed redly, growing 
 larger and brighter with each passing moment. Again 
 the whistle of the locomotive came through the shud- 
 dering air.
 
 Tied to the Track. 13 
 
 "For the love of mercy, hurry!" shrieked the man. 
 "The express is less than a mile away, and will be here 
 inside of a minute! Don't try to untie the knots! 
 Take a knife and cut the rope ! It is the only way for 
 you to save my life!" 
 
 Frank thrust his hand into his pocket, but, to his 
 dismay, failed to find any knife there. With the ut- 
 most speed, he searched through other pockets, but 
 with no better success. 
 
 "I have no knife!" he cried, in distress, as he saw 
 that red star growing larger and larger, while 
 it threw a gleam on the two iron rails that made them 
 seem like threads of polished silver. 
 
 "Do something!" screamed the unfortunate wretch, 
 as he writhed and twisted in agony. "If you don't do 
 something in a moment, I am a dead man!" 
 
 Frank knew that well enough. The headlight of 
 the approaching locomotive seemed like the glaring 
 orb of some Cyclopean monster that was hastening 
 to claim its human prey. The rails were humming 
 louder and louder beneath the iron wheels. 
 
 Frank tore at the cords with his fingers, feeling sick 
 at heart. The knots were drawn tight, and he realized
 
 14 Tied to the Track. 
 
 that it would be impossible for his fingers to loosen 
 them in the few seconds that remained before the train 
 would go roaring over the spot. 
 
 In that moment the boy found himself wondering 
 how the man came to be bound to the track. Enemies 
 deadly enemies must have tied him there. 
 
 It was too dark there in the cut through the black 
 woods for the boy to see the man's face, but something 
 told Frank that the unfortunate was rough and un- 
 kempt Perhaps he discovered this by his sense of 
 touch. 
 
 Nearer and nearer came the train, like the jugger- 
 naut of destruction. It seemed to fascinate Frank, 
 who remained kneeling by the helpless man, staring at 
 the approaching light, and fumbling in a numb sort 
 of way with the knots. 
 
 The man shrieked again, and his struggles were 
 frightful in their intensity. His breast rose and fell 
 with mighty panting breaths, the sound of which, 
 whistling through his teeth, was like puffs of steam. 
 Those breaths struck upon the boy's face and hands, 
 seeming to scorch him like blasts from a furnace.
 
 Tied to the Track. 15 
 
 And yet, as the man twisted about, his flesh touched the 
 hands of the boy, and Frank shuddered as if he had 
 felt a corpse. 
 
 The situation was appalling to the lad, seeming to 
 rob him of strength and will power. He felt as 
 helpless as if hypnotized by the glaring eye of fire that 
 gleamed through the night. 
 
 A horrible thought came to him. He could not 
 arise, he could not escape from the track ! He would 
 remain there, and be crushed into a torn and shattered 
 mass of flesh and bones ! He was doomed to die with 
 the helpless wretch who was tied to the track! 
 
 It actually seemed that something had robbed Frank 
 Merriwell of his power to move, and he felt like one 
 paralyzed. Fear was racking his heart, and yet he 
 could not crawl off the track and escape death. 
 
 "What is the matter with you ?" screamed the man, 
 "Do something! Are you dreaming?" 
 
 "Yes," Frank fancied that he whispered, although, 
 in truth, no sound came from his lips "yes, I am 
 dreaming dreaming !" 
 
 It was a frightful dream a dream of death! It
 
 1 6 Tied to the Track. 
 
 was a thousand times more horrible than the worst 
 nightmare by which the boy had ever been assailed. 
 
 The humming rails gave forth a rhythmical sound, 
 which the boy fancied was the triumphant song of the 
 approaching monster. They quivered, as if they, too, 
 were terrified by the frightful peril of two human 
 beings. 
 
 And now the woods took up the roar, and it seemed 
 that the dark trees were grim monsters of the night, 
 exulting over the tragedy they were certain they should 
 witness. Those trees held out their crooked, mis- 
 shapen arms, and pointed in mockery at the man and 
 the boy who were helpless in the path of the rushing 
 iron demon with a soul of fire. 
 
 "In my pocket!" shrieked the man, "I believe I 
 have a knife there! Quick quick!" 
 
 "Eh?" said the boy, dully. 
 
 Again the man screamed forth trie words. 
 
 In a moment, Frank seemed to throw off the spell 
 that had fallen on him. His hand sought the man's 
 pocket found it 
 
 "That's the one!" cried the unknown.
 
 Tied to the Track. 17 
 
 Frank found the knife he had it out in a twin- 
 kling. 
 
 He paid no further attention to that redly-glaring 
 eye, but he worked with swiftness. The knife was 
 opened without the loss of a second, and then Frank 
 slashed at the cords. 
 
 The iron monster seemed to bound forward with 
 added speed, as if determined that its victims should 
 not escape. It was now so near that the glare of its 
 horrid eye fell upon them, and that light showed the 
 boy how to work without making any false moves. 
 
 The engineer of the express could not have been 
 attending to his duty just then, for no warning whistle 
 pealed forth. 
 
 It did not seem possible for the boy to escape from 
 the track of the train and save the man who had been 
 bound there. Yet he did not abandon that man to 
 his fate, but persisted in his effort to effect a rescue. 
 
 The glare of the headlight showed a determined 
 look on the set face of the lad showed a desperate 
 purpose gleaming in his eyes. 
 
 One more slash of the knife, which was none too 
 sharp, and the man was free. Then the boy caught
 
 1 8 Tied to the Track. 
 
 the helpless stranger by the shoulders and jerked him 
 from the track. 
 
 Together they tumbled down the low embankment, 
 rolled over and over, and lay panting and motionless 
 beyond reach of those deadly wheels as the express 
 thundered past.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 THE TRAMP'S STORY. 
 
 A wild scream from the engine, as if the creature 
 were enraged at being robbed of its prey. It was whis- 
 tling for the next crossing. 
 
 Frank sat up and looked after the express. 
 
 "Well," he coolly observed, "that was a rather close 
 shave. What do you think about it, stranger?" 
 
 The man made no reply. He lay panting and help- 
 less on the ground, seeming as yet unable to realize 
 that he was saved. 
 
 "Cheer up, my friend," said the boy. "A miss is 
 as good as a mile; but it is certain there would have 
 been no miss in this case if you hadn't told me where 
 to find the knife. I've lost my own knife, and I could 
 not start the knots." 
 
 "Boy," panted the man, "you do not seem to realize 
 what you have done!" 
 
 "Oh, yes I do," was the cheerful assurance. "I 
 realize that I yanked you off the track just in time to
 
 2o The Tramp's Story. 
 
 save you from being chopped into mince-meat by that 
 train." 
 
 "You saved my life!" 
 
 "I believe you are right about that." 
 
 "But you nearly lost your own in the attempt." 
 
 "Oh, I don't know." 
 
 "I do! I saw your face by the light of the engine 
 headlight, and the look there gave me hope, for there 
 was something about that face which said you would 
 not be frightened into deserting me. I saw a resolve 
 to save me, or perish in the effort." 
 
 "Oh, I didn't propose to run away and leave you 
 while there was a possible show for me to get you off. 
 After I got hold of that knife, I felt sure I'd be able 
 to clear you from the track." 
 
 "It was a remarkable thing for a boy to do." 
 
 "It rather strikes me that you regard it as too much 
 of a trick. And as for its being done by a boy, I 
 have found that some boys can do things the average 
 man would not dare attempt." 
 
 "Cut my hands free," directed the man. "They 
 still are tied behind my back." 
 
 Frank found the cord and severed it with the knife.
 
 The Tramp's Story. 21 
 
 While he was thus employed, he heard his com- 
 panions calling his name, making the woods ring with 
 their shouts. 
 
 Merriwell answered, and a moment later he heard 
 their feet on the cross-ties and their voices in excited 
 conversation as they approached. Then they loomed 
 up in the darkness close at hand. 
 
 "I tells yeh de sus-sus-spooks hab kerried him off 
 fo' suah!" Toots was declaring. "It am no use teh 
 look no furder fo' him. We'll nebber see dat boy no 
 mo'. Poor Marser Frank !" 
 
 "Oh ut shup I mean shut up!" cried Harry Rat- 
 tleton, in disgust. "You are making me tired with 
 your croaking about spooks!" 
 
 "I saw him near here," declared Jack Diamond 
 "I saw him as plain as I could by the glare of the head- 
 light." 
 
 "I saw him, and I am sure that I saw some other 
 person," said Jack. "You don't suppose they were 
 run down by the train?" 
 
 "No," asserted Harry; "I seemed to see them get 
 off the track just as the train was right upon them." 
 
 "Dat was a 'lucynashun !" asserted Toots. "Dat
 
 22 The Tramp's Story. 
 
 suah was spookses yo' saw! Dat was a spook what 
 kerried Marser Frank off!" 
 
 Just then Frank gave a most dismal groan, and, 
 with a wild yell of terror, Toots clasped both arm? 
 about Harry's neck, and held on, his teeth rattling to- 
 gether. 
 
 "What I tole yen?" he screamed. "Didn't I done 
 tole yeh so? Dat was a spook, suah's yeh bawn, chil- 
 luns! Don't let de critter tetch me! Good Mistah 
 Debbil, don' yeh tetch me please don' yeh tetch me! 
 I nebber wanted teh come heah an' bodder yeh nohow ! 
 It was all de doin's ob dese foolish white boys. Dey 
 done don' know no bettah, so, if yeh's got teh take 
 anybody, Mistah Debbil, jes' yo' tek dem white boys, 
 and let poah Toots go !" 
 
 "Let go, you black idiot!" he shouted. "Are you 
 trying to strangle me! Get off my back! Why, 
 you're trying to shin up my back the same as you would 
 climb a tree!" 
 
 Then Frank burst into hearty laughter, but the sound 
 echoed weirdly in the dark woods, the very trees seem- 
 ing to fling back a hundred fiendish mockeries of that 
 laugh.
 
 The Tramp's Story. 23 
 
 As a result, all the strength seemed to leave Toots' 
 arms, and he fell sprawling to the railroad track, 
 where he lay, alternately praying and imploring "good 
 Mistah Debbil" not to carry him off. 
 
 Both Jack and Harry had been startled at first by 
 that burst of laughter, but they quickly recognized it 
 as Merriwell's, and it gave them great relief. 
 
 "That's Merry, and he's all right," declared Bruce 
 Browning, as he came puffing to the spot. "What 
 sort of a trick has he been up to, anyway? If he 
 has been playing roots on us, and has run us up here 
 as a joke, I'll lift his scalp!" 
 
 "Just you try that little trick, Brownie," flung back 
 Frank. "I will confess that you did fight me to a 
 draw with hard gloves once on a time, but that was 
 before you acquired such a vast abundance of flesh. 
 You couldn't repeat the trick, my boy." 
 
 "If I whittle the flesh off during the rest of the trip 
 the way I have thus far, I'll be in condition to give you 
 a jolly good try by the time we reach San Fran- 
 cisco," retorted the big collegian, with a hearty laugh. 
 
 Frank arose to his feet, and assisted the rescued man
 
 24 The Tramp's Story. 
 
 to arise. The man got upon his feet with some diffi- 
 culty, as if his joints were rather stiff. 
 
 "Who is this with you, old fellow?" asked Jack, 
 as he hastened to Frank's side. "I thought I saw two 
 figures by the glare of the locomotive headlight." 
 
 "It is a man I found tied to the track," Merriwell 
 explained. 
 
 The boys uttered exclamations of horror and aston- 
 ishment 
 
 "Tied to the track?" burst from Jack's lips. "Who 
 tied him there?" 
 
 "That is what I have not had time to find out yet. 
 I presume he will explain later on." 
 
 "Why, that was an attempt at murder !" cried Harry, 
 excitedly. 
 
 "That's jest what it was, young gents," said the 
 stranger, in a whining tone, which seemed a great 
 change from his manner of speaking when he ad- 
 dressed Frank as the boy was trying to clear him 
 from the track. "An* why them coves should do such 
 a t'ing is what I don't understanV 
 
 Frank instantly noted the change in the man's voice 
 and language.
 
 The Tramp's Story. 25 
 
 "Whom do you mean?" he asked. "Who tied you 
 to the track?" 
 
 "Two gents by ther names o' Joyce an' Jones, sir." 
 
 "Then you know their names? That is good! 
 Where do they live?" 
 
 "Well, young feller, they are travelers." 
 
 "Travelers? How is that?" 
 
 "That is on ther level. They don't have no reg'lar 
 home nowhere, but they jest travel 'round ther coun- 
 try." 
 
 "How do they travel?" 
 
 "Oh, 'most any way that comes handy. Sometimes 
 afoot, sometimes by rail, an' sometimes by water." 
 
 "Then you must mean that they are tramps." 
 
 "Some folks call 'em that," confessed the man. 
 "Some folks says they're hobos. You kin take yer 
 choice of names." 
 
 "And are you a tramp?" 
 
 "I am a pedestrian o' pleasure, gents. To be free 
 wid yer, I don't much like ther name o' tramp or hobo, 
 I started out ter see ther world some years ago, an* I've 
 been lookin' it over ever sence. That's all, gents."
 
 26 The Tramp's Story. 
 
 "And is this the man you found tied to the track ?" 
 cried Harry Rattleton, in astonishment. 
 
 "Were these men Joyce and Jones comrades of 
 yours?" asked Frank. 
 
 "Well, they are travelers, like meself. I happened 
 ter fall in wid 'em, an' then was travelin' westward, 
 so we sailed along togedder. Joyce was a right jolly 
 duck, what could tell stories, and Jones he could sing. 
 They had a great way o' jollyin' ther ladies for a back- 
 door feed, an' that made me warm ter 'em, gents." 
 
 "Did you have a falling out with them ?" 
 
 "Not exactly," was the whimsical reply. "You 
 see we was all kicked out back here about five mile 
 at a water tank." 
 
 "Kicked out of what?" 
 
 "A box car, gents. As we didn't feel able ter travel 
 in a Pullman sleeper, we was satisfied ter git inter an 
 empty box on a freight, an' sail erlong that way. 
 But ther brakemen tumbled ter our little game an' 
 they come in on us. They stood us up an' went t'rough 
 our pockets, but they didn't git only 'leven cents in 
 change an' a old jackknife. That r'iled them, s<F 
 they shot ther three o' us off ther car at ther first stop
 
 The Tramp's Story. 27 
 
 Then we took ter hoofin' it along ter ther nex' town. 
 I never t'ought there was anyt'ing in ther wind, an' I 
 didn't suspect my companions o' any crooked game; 
 but, jest as we was passin' t'rough these woods, gents, 
 Joyce and Jones jumped on me. They had me onter 
 me back in a wink, an' they tied me up afore I could 
 make a squeal. It seemed like they was all ready for 
 ther job, as they had ther t'ings ter do it wid. 
 
 "'Gents,' says I, in surprise, 'w'at's der racket? I 
 don't seem ter understand this game. What have I 
 done that yer jumps onter me this way an' ties me han's 
 behind me back? If it's me wealth ye're arter, pals/ 
 I continners, somewhat sourcastically, 'ye're welcome 
 ter all der trainmen left me. In case that don't satisfy 
 ye, I give ye a check on me own sand bank/ 
 
 "But this sourcasm o' mine don't seem ter have any 
 effect on them ducks. They don't pay no 'tenshun 
 ter me, but next I heard them kinder talkin' over how 
 they was ter finish me off. Jones, w'at could sing 
 such beautiful songs, he was fer knockin' me on der 
 coco, an' nnishin' me off widout delay ; but Joyce, w'at 
 tole ther funny stories, he didn't seem ter like ther idee 
 o' doin' ther job that way. Then they figgered out
 
 28 The Tramp's Story. 
 
 that it was time fer ther express ter come erlong, an 5 
 they decided ter tie me ter ther track, an' let ther train 
 do ther rest 
 
 "Gents," said the self-confessed tramp, soberly, "I 
 done my best ter reason wid dem duffers, but ther 
 more I talks ther less good it does. Then I opens my 
 face an' whoops a little, upon which they stops me 
 mouth wid a gag. Then they ties me ter ther track, 
 bids me farewell, and leaves me here." 
 
 The tramp paused in his narrative to wipe the cold 
 perspiration from his face with his coat sleeve. Then 
 he told how he tried to break his bonds, although he 
 was thinking all the while that it must be a, joke of 
 his late companions. Finally he succeeded in getting 
 the gag out of his mouth, and then he called for Joyce 
 and Jones to come back and set him free. 
 
 In answer to his appeal the dark woods flung back 
 dismal echoes, and an owl hooted derisively. 
 
 Then he began to think it possible there was no joke 
 about it, and he had been abandoned to his doom. 
 The thought made him frantic, for he knew the night 
 express was nearly due, and he fell to shouting for 
 help. He shouted till he was hoarse, but it seemed
 
 The Tramp's Story. 29 
 
 that his appeal had not reached human ears. The 
 distant whistle of the express filled his soul with un- 
 utterable terror, and he shrieked again and again. 
 
 After a time, he heard some one running toward 
 him on the track. He continued to call, and Frank 
 found him tied to the track. Then followed the thrill- 
 ing rescue, which has been described. 
 
 "Young gent," said the tramp, in conclusion, ad- 
 dressing Frank, "if you hadn't come jest when yer 
 did, them chaps would 'a done for me. You saved 
 me life, an' I don't fergit that kind o' a turn." 
 
 "That is all right," said Merry, lightly. 
 
 "I ain't able ter pay yer money," said the man, 
 slowly, "though I would be if I had what's me own 
 by right." 
 
 "I don't want pay of any sort." 
 
 "How did yer happen ter come erlong where ye 
 could hear me holler?" 
 
 Frank explained that, with his companions, he was 
 making a bicycle trip from New York to San Fran- 
 cisco, and they were riding late that day to make up 
 for lost time. Thus it came about that they were 
 pedaling along the highway near enough to hear the
 
 30 The Tramp's Story. 
 
 appeals for help which came from the lips of the help- 
 less tramp. 
 
 "Well," said the man, slowly, "I has seen ther time 
 w'en I said there warn't any God there couldn't be 
 a God ; but it kinder seem ter-night as if He might 'a' 
 hed somethin' ter do wid yer bein' near enough ter 
 hear me holler. My name's Baldy Briggs. Wat's 
 yourn ?" 
 
 Frank gave his name, and Briggs continued: 
 
 "You ain't no odernary duck; you has sand, Mr. 
 Merriwell. Any odder young fell wo'd got scat an' 
 let me gone w'en der train was right onter us. You 
 didn't. I ain't goin' ter fergit that no more'n I'm 
 goin' ter fergit ther blokes w'at tied me ter ther track. 
 Some time I'm goin' ter know why they done that, an* 
 I'm goin' ter have a settlement wid 'em." 
 
 "I don't blame you!" exclaimed Merriwell. "I 
 fancy I should feel like settling with the whelps." 
 
 "Oh, Messrs. Joyce an' Jones will hear o' Baldy 
 Briggs ag'in, an' that may be sooner than they expec'. 
 I'll make them mugs sorry they ever tried any such 
 game onter me, you bet yer! That ain't w'at I was
 
 The Tramp's Story. 31 
 
 comin' at. As I said, I ain't got money, an' so I 
 can't pay yer, but " 
 
 "Let it drop. You are thankful, and that is enough 
 to satisfy me, Mr. Briggs." 
 
 "Mr. Briggs!" gasped the tramp. "Well, that's 
 ther first time I've bin called that in so long I've fer- 
 got ther time! Mr. Briggs! Don't do it ag'in, pal, 
 fer I don't know who ye're speakin' ter! 
 
 "If I ain't got money, I may be able ter give yer a 
 lift some time. Ther country is full o' hobos. Take 
 this token. It might help yer wid der gang if yer gits 
 inter trouble." 
 
 He thrust a small round ball into the lad's hand, 
 quickly adding: 
 
 "Keep it, pal; don't t'row it ervvay, fer yer don't 
 know w'en it'll come handy. If yer should be held 
 up by hobos, all yer got ter do is ter show that, an* 
 they'll let yer go widout furder trouble." 
 
 "Well, I am sure I am much obliged," said Merri- 
 well, quietly. "I will keep it as a memento of this oc- 
 casion, at least." 
 
 "That's right," said Briggs, "an* keep it wid yer 
 w'en yer travels. Now, young gents, I won't bodder
 
 32 The Tramp's Story. 
 
 yer longer. You has bi suckles, an' I has me feet. 
 You'll travel by der road, an' I'll hoof it along ther 
 ties. Good-by." 
 
 He grasped Frank's hand, gave it a warm pressure, 
 and then, without further words, turned and hurried 
 away along the railroad, soon disappearing in the dark- 
 ness.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ATTACKED BY RUFFIANS. 
 
 Two days later Frank Merriwell was scorching 
 along a particularly fine piece of road in Southern Illi- 
 nois. He was far in advance of his companions, 
 who had not chosen to attempt to follow him when 
 he made the burst of speed. 
 
 It was a fine morning, and the sun was shining 
 brightly. The country through which the boys were 
 passing was beautiful and attractive in many ways. 
 
 Sometimes there were hills, or swells, and there 
 were picturesque groves, with houses set in the shel- 
 ter of the trees, while fields of corn and grain could 
 be seen in every direction. 
 
 Some of these cornfields were marvels to the boys, 
 for the corn stretched away in a vast green forest to 
 the crest of some distant swell, making it seem that corn 
 grew like grass there. 
 
 But a close examination showed the evidences of
 
 34 Attacked by Ruffians. 
 
 careful cultivation, and the rows stretched away as 
 straight as such long 1 lines could be drawn. 
 
 Men were at work in the fields, and, occasionally, 
 women were seen working side by side with the men. 
 They usually paused to stare at the boys who flashed 
 past on their shining wheels. 
 
 "Surely this is a fine farming country," thought 
 Frank; "and the roads are made for cycling when 
 they are not wet. A fellow's wheel seems almost to 
 run alone here." 
 
 The fresh air was like wine in his head, and it 
 seemed quite impossible for him to use the energy at 
 the pedals which he desired to put forth. 
 
 He looked back and laughed, for, far away, just 
 coming over the crest of a swell, were his friends, the 
 nickel work on their wheels glittering in the sunshine. 
 
 "It is sport to run away from them," cried Frank. 
 "Jack or Harry might give me a hot race, but they 
 are not inclined to try it. Jack says it uses up his en- 
 ergy to spurt in such a manner, and he generally needs 
 it all before the day's run is over. Well, I have to 
 work off a certain amount of superfluous energy in 
 order to settle down to a steady jog for the day."
 
 Attacked by Ruffians. 35 
 
 He was overflowing with animal spirits, was in 
 the best of health and the pink of condition. That was 
 why he felt so strong and buoyant, and it was why 
 everything his eyes saw about him looked good and 
 beautiful. 
 
 "It is a grand old world!" he laughed, as he sped 
 along. "The fellow who kicks about this world is a 
 chump. He should be kicked off of it." 
 
 Ahead lay a small grove, through which the road 
 iran. As he entered the grove, he saw two rough- 
 looking men standing in the road ahead. They were 
 watching him approach, and seemed to be waiting for 
 him. 
 
 "I don't like the looks of those fellows/' thought the 
 boy. "They seem like tramps, and one of them has a 
 short club in his hand. I'll keep up steam till I pass 
 them." 
 
 As he approached, one of the men, a fellow with a 
 short red beard, stepped into the middle of the road 
 and held up his hand. 
 
 "Hold on, young fellow," he cried. "We wants ter 
 talk ter ye."
 
 36 Attacked by Ruffians. 
 
 Frank bent yet a little farther over the handlebars, 
 and sent the wheel flying along. 
 
 "Get out of the way!" he shouted. "I can't stop 
 to talk." 
 
 "Hold on, I tell ye!" snarled the red-bearded man. 
 "If ye don't Bern yer pelt!" 
 
 He leaped aside with awkward nimbleness, for he 
 saw that the boy had no thought of stopping, and 
 barely was he in time to avoid being run down. 
 
 With a cry of rage, the man lifted the heavy cudgel 
 in his hand and sent it flying after the boy. 
 
 It struck Frank between the shoulders and sent him 
 pitching forward from the bicycle to the ground. 
 
 "Hang ye!" howled the big man, as he leaped for- 
 ward. "Try ter run me down, will yer!" 
 
 He pounced upon the boy like a beast of prey, pin- 
 ning Frank to the ground. His yellow teeth showed 
 through his coarse mustache, and there was an ugly 
 glare in his eyes. 
 
 The other man came running up, laughing as if it 
 were a great joke. 
 
 "Well, yer done that slick, Pink," he cried, in a
 
 Attacked by Ruffians. 37 
 
 complimentary manner. "They don't run away from 
 you none when ye tells 'em ter stop." 
 
 "Not much," grated the big man. "When they tries 
 ter monkey with me, they gits hurt that's w'at !" 
 
 "Well, I don't t'ink yer needs ter hold that kid 
 down, fer ther fall clean knocked ther wind outer 
 him." 
 
 "Eh? Guess ye're right, Bob. He ain't cuttin' up 
 none to make us nervous. Hope I didn't break his 
 back wid ther club." 
 
 "And I hope he didn't break his neck w'en he fell." 
 
 "That wouldn't be so bad, for we could leave him 
 here, an' it would seem that he'd got a dump off his 
 wheel, an' that hed fixed him." 
 
 "But, jest as hard, I don't keer ter be in no more kill- 
 in's. That job w'at we did ther odder night was 
 enough fer me." 
 
 "Ye're soft, Bob, that's what's ther matter wid yer. 
 We got a good bit o' stuff fer doin' that job." 
 
 "We ain't got all o' it yit." 
 
 "But we will w'en we gits ter der fine gent w'at 
 hired us, an' that won't be ther end o' it. We'll con- 
 tinner ter pull his leg at intervals jest as long as we
 
 38 Attacked by Ruffians. 
 
 wants ter. He won't darst ter refuse ter cough w'en 
 we says cough. In der meantime, however, we has 
 ter hustle for ourselves, an' I'm tired o' bein' kicked of? 
 railroad trains. W'en I sees dis young gent on dis 
 bisuckle, I kinder made up my mind that ridin' a wheel 
 was better'n walkin', an' so I decides ter borrer his 
 bisuckle. That's why I took ther trouble ter stop 
 ther cove." 
 
 At this moment, from far away, came the sound of 
 a clear voice singing some sort of bicycle song. 
 
 The two ruffians looked at each other in alarm, and 
 then the big man cried: 
 
 "Gimme a han' here, Bob! Some fool is comin'! 
 We've gotter git dis feller inter der bresh! Lively 
 now !" 
 
 They caught up the boy, and, with Frank in his 
 arms, the big fellow ran in a lumbering manner into 
 the bushes. The other man lifted the bicycle, and 
 hurried after his companion. 
 
 Barely had they disappeared into the thick bushes 
 when Jack Diamond came spinning along the road. 
 
 The men had dropped Frank to the ground, and 
 the big ruffian was crouching astride the lad's body,
 
 Attacked by Ruffians. 39 
 
 peering through the bushes. The other fellow hid 
 himself behind the butt of a tree. 
 
 Merriwell was dimly conscious of what was taking 
 place. He knew that his friends were passing, and 
 he sought to lift himself and call to them. 
 
 Instantly the heavy hands of the big man closed on 
 the neck of the unfortunate lad, and Frank was pressed 
 back to the ground, while a hoarse voice hissed in his 
 ear: 
 
 "Don't yer try ter cheep, young feller ! It won't be 
 good fer yer if ye do! Keep yer face closed!" 
 
 The pressure on Frank's throat would have pre- 
 vented his making an outcry, had he desired, and it is 
 doubtful if he could have made his friends hear him 
 had those hands been removed. 
 
 One by one the boys rode past till all four had gone 
 speeding through the woods, and the two ruffians drew 
 a deep breath of relief. 
 
 "Well, we was dead lucky ter hear them afore they 
 was right onter us, pal," said the big man. 
 
 "I dunno," chuckled the other. "Them was 
 mighty fine bisuckles w'at the youngsters was ridin* 
 of."
 
 4O Attacked by Ruffians. 
 
 "Yep; but there was too many of the kids." 
 
 "All ther same dey was kids, an' ther two o' us 
 could scared ther life outer 'em." 
 
 "In your mind," came faintly from Frank Merri- 
 well. 
 
 "Wat?" shouted the big man. "Why, this young 
 gent is gittin' real chipper. If he gits too spry, I'll 
 jes' t'ump him on ther head wid somet'ing hard, an* 
 dat will fix him." 
 
 The boy heard these words, and understood. He 
 had been robbed of his strength by the shock of the 
 fall, and he realized that he could not fight against 
 such odds, which led him to simulate a state of utter 
 helplessness. 
 
 All the while, however, Frank was taking in every 
 word uttered by his captors, and he was studying their 
 appearance through his half-closed eyelids. 
 
 "I'll know them when I meet them again," he 
 thought. 
 
 The men went through Frank's pockets and took 
 all the money and valuables they could find; but there 
 were two secret pockets under the lad's arms which 
 they did not discover. Had they found these pockets,
 
 Attacked by Ruffians. 41 
 
 Frank might have attempted to make a fight for it, for 
 each pocket carried a certain number of bank notes of 
 large denomination. 
 
 "I rudder t'ink yer have hurt der young gent pritty 
 hard, Pink," said Bob. "He don't seem ter have much 
 life in him." 
 
 "He'll come roun* all right w'en we're gone," de- 
 clared the big man. "I fought he was goin' ter be 
 all right too quick, so I'd hev ter give him anodder 
 t'ump, an' it was a good t'ing he hed sense enough ter 
 keep still till we was t'rough wid him." 
 
 Then, having relieved the boy of all his money and 
 valuables, as they supposed, the tramps for tramps 
 they were arose, took the bicycle between them, and 
 departed through the woods, leaving Frank wherq 
 they had dropped him.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 THE TRAMP'S CAMP. 
 
 The boy lifted his head and watched the ruffians de- 
 part with his wheel. 
 
 "Well, this is a jolly go!" he muttered, ruefully. 
 "The fall from that bicycle knocked the breath and 
 strength out of me. This is the result. But don't 
 think for a moment that I propose to lose my wheel 
 in such a manner." 
 
 As soon as the men were far enough away, he arose 
 to his feet, although it cost him an effort, and began 
 to follow them, exercising the greatest caution. 
 
 Frank had studied the ways of Western hunters 
 and Indian trailers, and had acquired in an astonish- 
 ing manner the ability to slip silently through a piece 
 of timber, taking advantage of every available cover 
 to protect him from the eyes of his enemies, in case 
 they should turn and look back. 
 
 "I wonder where those fine fellows are taking my 
 wheel?" he speculated, as he crept along. "They are
 
 The Tramp's Camp. 43 
 
 striking directly away from the road. Well, I'll have 
 to find out." 
 
 Beyond the wood was a strip of corn, and through 
 this the men made their way to another piece of tim- 
 ber. 
 
 Frank followed as closely as possible. 
 
 For no more than a few seconds at a time were the 
 men out of the boy's sight. At last, he saw them ap- 
 proach a spot where a small fire smoldered in the cen- 
 ter of a thick grove. 
 
 Seated and lying about the fire were several men, 
 and their ragged clothes, unkempt beards and general 
 air of disregard as to their personal appearance pro- 
 claimed them to be tramps. 
 
 As the two ruffians approached they whistled in a 
 peculiar manner. This whistle was answered by one 
 of the men near the fire. 
 
 As Bob and Pink came up, bearing the bicycle be- 
 tween them, some of the tramps who were not asleep 
 stared at the wheel with curiosity, and one fellow 
 stopped gnawing at a chicken bone long enough to ask : 
 
 "Where did ye purchase that article, pals?" 
 
 "Oh, we traded wid a gent w'at was out takin' his
 
 44 The Tramp's Camp. 
 
 mornin' constertooshernal on it," grinned Bob. "He 
 didn't seem to care for it much, an' we got it at a bar- 
 gain." 
 
 A man who was smoking a black pipe removed the 
 stem from his mouth long enough to observe : 
 
 "It's plain ye've got stuck with an inferior grade of 
 wheel. That make is no good. You'd better ketch 
 ther feller, an' see if he won't take it back." 
 
 "What d'yer want of it anyhow?" asked a third 
 man, who was stretched on his back, with his head 
 resting on a small log, which served as a pillow. "It 
 won't go without pushin', an' that's too much work." 
 
 "It's better than walkin'," said Bob, good-naturedly. 
 
 "Walkin'!" contemptuously cried the man with his 
 head on the log. "Who walks? When I go any 
 distance, I have me special car, as you all know. For 
 shorter trips, why, I call ther coachman and have me 
 rig brought round. What is walkin', anyhow?" 
 
 "Well, if ther thing runs too hard, why, we kin sell 
 it," said Pink. 
 
 "In yer mind!" derisively cried the man with the 
 pipe. "Who'd pay yer anyt'ing fer it? If you was
 
 The Tramp's Camp. 45 
 
 co offer it for sale, ye'd be nabbed by an officer, an' 
 locked up fer stealin'." 
 
 "Well, then/' laughed Bob, "we'll t'row it in der 
 river w'en we gits tired o' ther blooming t'ing." 
 
 "Ye may git inter trouble by havin' it at all," said 
 the man with the chicken bone. "What you want to 
 bother with that sort of thing for is more than I can 
 understand." 
 
 Very little curiosity was displayed as to the manner 
 in which the bicycle came into the possession of the 
 two ruffians. It was plain that the others believed they 
 had stolen it. 
 
 With their hats over their faces, two rough-looking 
 fellows slept on, regardless of the arrival of Bob and 
 Pink and the conversation that was taking place. 
 
 The new arrivals looked around, and then, leaning 
 the bicycle against a tree, threw themselves on the 
 ground. 
 
 "That's right," said the man with the pipe; "make 
 yerselves to home at the Hotel de Bum. I believe ye 
 registered last night. Which way are you gentle- 
 men from?"
 
 46 The Tramp's Camp. 
 
 "The South," answered Pink, quickly, winking at 
 Bob, who grinned and remained silent. 
 
 "You're gittin' up late," commented the smoker. 
 "What part of ther South did ye winter in? I was 
 down in Floridy a part of the winter, takin' in St. 
 Augustine, Lake Worth, Palm Beach, an' all ther fash- 
 ionable places. I spent a very pleasant winter meetin' 
 my sassiety friends frum the North down that way." 
 
 "I don't care much fer Floridy," declared Bob, with 
 his usual chuckle. "St. Augustine ain't so bad, an' 
 I allus stops at ther Ponce De Leon w'en I'm there ; but 
 furder south ther feed gits so bad it makes me tired. 
 Then there's fleas down that way. Fleas don't bodder 
 some folks, but they are very disagreeable fer me. I 
 was down in New Orleans this winter. Great place 
 that." 
 
 "It's all right at Mardi Gras," said the man with the 
 pipe, loftily; "but it's dead slow at other times. Too 
 many niggers down there, an' too poor cooks. Then 
 a feller gits malary down that way if he don't take ex- 
 ercise, an' exercise is work. Chills an' fever is sure 
 to tackle us Northerners if we hang around New 
 Orleans too long."
 
 The Tramp's Camp. 47 
 
 "Whiskey is good for that," observed the man by 
 the log. 
 
 "Yep," nodded the smoker. "I met Walker, an old 
 friend of mine, at Jacksonville this winter. He had 
 'em, an' ther way he was rattlin' his bones made me 
 think he'd struck old SL Vitus. "Hello, Walk,' says 
 I. 'What's ther matter with' yer?' 'Nuthin's ther 
 matter with me, Bill/ says he, just this way. Tm 
 shakin' fer ther drinks, that's all,' says he. An' neither 
 of us had ther price in our clothes ter git 'em," con- 
 cluded the tramp, with a sigh. 
 
 This made Bob think of a funny story, and he told 
 it. Then the man who had been gnawing at the chick- 
 en-bone flung it into the bushes, wiped his mouth with 
 the back of his hand, begged a chew of tobacco from 
 the smoker, and urged Pink to sing a song. 
 
 Pink didn't seem to care to sing, saying that he did 
 not feel like it, but he consented at last, and these are 
 the words of the song he sang, his voice being a tenor 
 of good range, although it was not clear, by any 
 means: 
 
 Oh! jolly and free is the life of the tramp, 
 
 As he roams over valley and hill; 
 The sun is his fire, and the moon is his lamp, 
 
 And 'tis nature that settles the bill.
 
 48 The Tramp's Camp. 
 
 The singing had awakened the sleepers, and they 
 grunted their lazy appreciation when the song was 
 finished. 
 
 "There's nuttin' like it," nodded one. "I'd rudder 
 be a tramp than a millionaire. If I was a million- 
 aire, I'd be worried sick takin' care of my wealth, an' 
 then just think of ther work I'd have ter do cuttin' 
 coupons off government bonds! Them millionaires 
 lead a dog's life. They'd oughter give away their 
 money, an' turn tramps, so they'd enjoy life." 
 
 "If you hears about any o' them as contemplates 
 doin' anything o' ther kind, jest let me know," grinned 
 Bob. "I'll tackle him for a whack at his dust. Meb- 
 be outer sympathy fer ther poor devil, I'll change places 
 wid him." 
 
 Near at hand Frank Merriwell was watching this 
 singular scene, and listening to the conversation. He 
 had heard the song, and the manner in which it was 
 rendered convinced him that Pink had not always been 
 a tramp, for his language and his pronunciation were 
 good when he sang, for all that he used such a de- 
 cidedly illiterate dialect in conversation. 
 
 Frank's eyes gleamed as they rested on his wheel,
 
 The Tramp's Camp. 49 
 
 which he was determined to recover. His strength had 
 returned, and with it a feeling of anger and desperate 
 resolve. 
 
 He slipped his fingers into a secret pocket, and felt 
 the tiny ball which had been given him by the man 
 he had rescued from the railroad track. 
 
 "The tramp's token," he thought. "I'll try and see 
 if it will do all the fellow claimed. If not, I'll make 
 a break to get away with the wheel somehow." 
 
 Then he stepped from his place of concealment, and 
 boldly walked into the tramps' camp.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 POWER OF THE SPOTTED BALL. 
 
 The tramps looked up in amazement as the boy 
 coolly walked into the camp. Bob and Pink uttered 
 exclamations of astonishment and anger, and leaped to 
 their feet 
 
 "How do you do, gentlemen?" said Frank, smiling 
 serenely. "I thought I'd come round and call for 
 my wheel and other things. Don't disturb yourselves, 
 I beg of you." 
 
 This nonchalance seemed to take the men aback, 
 and they stood staring stupidly at the boy. 
 
 "Eh?" said the man with the pipe, which he poised 
 in the air. "Who be you?" 
 
 "I am the owner of this bicycle, sir." 
 
 "Derned if he ain't follered us!" growled Pink, 
 fiercely. 
 
 Bob nodded. 
 
 "That's w'at he has, pal ; but he'd better kept away." 
 
 By this time all the tramps were on their feet, and
 
 Power of the Spotted Ball. 5 1 
 
 they were regarding the boy in a manner that was any- 
 thing but reassuring. They were ugly-appearing fel- 
 lows, and the faces of the most of them told that they 
 would not hesitate at any sort of crime. 
 
 Still, if Frank felt at all alarmed, he easily con- 
 cealed his feelings, seeming utterly unmoved by their 
 threatening manner. He saw they were edging about 
 to surround him, and he moved close to the bicycle. 
 
 The man with the pipe snarled at Bob and Pink, tell- 
 ing them they were fine chaps to get the gang into that 
 sort of a scrape. To this the ruffians made no an- 
 swer, but their manner showed they were angered and 
 aroused. 
 
 The boy caught enough of the conversation that 
 was going on around him to realize that he was in 
 danger, as the tramps believed he intended to make 
 trouble for them. 
 
 "I trust the gentlemen who borrowed my wheel 
 have used it as much as they desire," said the boy, "for 
 I am now in need of it myself." 
 
 "Jump him, Bob!" grated Pink. "We'll have ter 
 settle ther chap this time for good an' all."
 
 52 Power of the Spotted Ball. 
 
 Frank saw they were on the point of making a rush 
 for him. 
 
 "Stand back!" he suddenly cried, in a commanding 
 manner, making a spring, and placing his back against 
 a tree. "Don't try to touch me!" 
 
 Bob laughed, but it was not a mirthful sound. 
 
 "Ready, pals!" cried Pink. "We'll go at him all to- 
 gedder." 
 
 Then Frank suddenly flung up one hand, holding 
 something between the forefinger and thumb. That 
 something was a small black ball, covered with reddish 
 spots and queer heiroglyphics drawn in white lines. 
 
 "Stand back!" he cried again. "Look at this! 
 Now now touch me, if you dare !" 
 
 The rough men stared at the peculiar token, and the 
 boy saw a change come over them. They paused in 
 their tracks, and then they suddenly grew very re- 
 spectful. 
 
 "It is ther spotted ball!" exclaimed the man witK 
 the pipe. "That lets him out all right, all right." 
 
 Pink cursed savagely beneath his breath, and 
 forgot to laugh.
 
 Power of the Spotted Ball. 53 
 
 "Where did ye git it, young feller?" asked one of 
 the tramps. 
 
 "That is nothing to you," returned Frank, boldly, 
 seeing that the queer little ball had been recognized as 
 a token by the men. "I have it, and that is quite 
 enough." 
 
 "No!" snarled Pink; "it ain't enough! You must 
 have stole it. Give it up !" 
 
 He rushed forward, and tried to snatch the ball from 
 Frank's hand. 
 
 Then it was that, with a swinging blow, into which 
 the young athlete put all his strength, Merriwell caught 
 the ruffian a blow on the chin, lifting him off his feet 
 and hurling him backward. 
 
 Pink struck on his head and shoulders, the wind 
 going out of his body with a great puff, and lay 
 stretched on the ground, without offering to get up. 
 
 It was a genuine prize-fighter's blow, and the tramps 
 gasped with unspeakable amazement when they saw 
 the big ruffian hurled through the air in such a man- 
 ner. 
 
 Merriwell was young in years, but, youth though he 
 was, it immediately became plain that he was not a
 
 54 Power of the Spotted Ball. 
 
 harmless lad with whom to fool. He could strike 
 a terrible blow, as he had readily demonstrated. 
 
 "It served him right," said the man with the pipe, 
 giving the fallen tramp a kick. "He had no business 
 ter try ter snatch ther spotted ball." 
 
 With this the other tramps agreed, with the excep- 
 tion of Bob, who hastened to lift his friend's head, 
 saying: 
 
 "Git up, Pink! Be yer hurted much?" 
 
 Pink opened his eyes and stared around in a blank 
 manner. 
 
 "Hurted!" he mumbled, as if his tongue were be- 
 numbed. "I feels like I had been blowed up by dyner- 
 mite! Wat did he strike me wid?" 
 
 "His fist." 
 
 "Well, w'at did he have hid in his fist?" 
 
 "Nuttin'." 
 
 "Now, don't go fer ter tell me that ! No youngster 
 like him could knock me silly wid one belt o' his bare 
 fist. He must uf hed knuckles on." 
 
 It was quite impossible to convince Pink that he had 
 not been struck with anything heavier than a boy's fist.
 
 Power of the Spotted Ball. 55 
 
 At the same time, he did not seem to care about getting 
 within reach of Merriwell's hand again. 
 
 The appearance of the spotted ball and the boy's 
 readiness to defend himself caused the tramps to re- 
 gard the visitor with the greatest respect. 
 
 The man with the pipe took off his wretched old 
 hat, and bowed with exaggerated politeness, as he 
 said: 
 
 "Welcome, partner welcome to ther Hotel de Bum. 
 If yer care ter stay, ye shall have ther best room on 
 ther ground floor, with all ther modern conveniences 
 that ther house affords." 
 
 "Thank you," laughed Frank, in an easy manner. 
 "I don't think I'll stop, as I happen to be in a hurry; 
 but, if you do not mind, I'll take my valuables, which 
 happen to be in the possession of the clerk there." 
 
 He pointed at Pink, who was standing aloof, feeling 
 of his chin in a doubtful way, as if he feared his jaw 
 had been broken. 
 
 "Mr. Jones," said the man with the pipe, "will you 
 hand over the young gent's valuables? An' you, Mr. 
 Joyce, if you have any of them, yer want ter cough 
 'em up."
 
 56 Power of the Spotted Ball. 
 
 This was said in a manner that made it a command. 
 The two tramps who had assaulted and robbed Frank 
 hesitated and muttered ; as if they were inclined to re- 
 fuse to obey. 
 
 The man with the pipe made a lazy sort of signal, 
 and the other tramps began to gather around Bob and 
 Pink, their manner showing they were ready to do as 
 they should be directed. 
 
 The cornered ruffians saw things had turned against 
 them, and they reluctantly began to disgorge. Ev- 
 erything they gave up was immediately handed over to 
 the owner, and he was politely asked to make sure 
 nothing had been retained. 
 
 Frank would have been well satisfied to recover his 
 wheel, and he was far better satisfied to regain pos- 
 session of everything that had been taken from him. 
 
 "Well, I didn't do such a bad turn for myself when 
 I saved the tramp from being killed by the railroad 
 train," was his mental decision. 
 
 When everything had been returned to the boy, the 
 leader of the tramps politely expressed his regret if 
 he had been put to any trouble, and hoped that he 
 would not see fit to cause any unpleasantness by re-
 
 Power of the Spotted Ball. 57 
 
 porting- the affair to the authorities. More than that, 
 he was informed that he need not fear being molested 
 by tramps if he retained the spotted ball and promptly 
 showed it on the proper occasions. 
 
 Frank was rather doubtful of the sincerity of the 
 tramps up to the moment when he was permitted to 
 take his wheel and leave the grove. 
 
 "This was a queer adventure, to say the least," he 
 muttered, as he trundled the bicycle through the field 
 of corn. "I wouldn't mind it much but for the fact 
 that I am sore between the shoulders, where that ruf- 
 fian's club struck me when I was knocked from the 
 wheel, and the shock of falling was rather severe." 
 
 He reached the road, mounted his wheel and rode 
 away. 
 
 As he rode along he thought over his late adventure. 
 He felt that he would remember the two men who had 
 attacked him, and he was confident he had heard their 
 names before. Joyce and Jones. He repeated the 
 names over and over, and then, of a sudden, he re- 
 membered. 
 
 The tramp who had been tied to the track had said 
 that the names of the men who tied him there were
 
 58 Power of the Spotted Ball. 
 
 Joyce and Jones. He had said that Joyce was a jolly 
 chap who told funny stories, and Jones was a beautiful 
 singer. As Frank was peering into the tramps' camp^ 
 he had heard Joyce tell one of his funny stories, and 
 Jones had been induced to sing a song. 
 
 "They are the very ruffians !" he cried. "There isn't 
 a doubt of it ! They must have traveled by rail to get 
 here ahead of me, but here they are. If Briggs were 
 here, I'd spend time enough to put him after them." 
 
 But Briggs was not there, and he rode on, little 
 thinking he would ever see Joyce and Jones again. 
 
 But he had not seen them for the last time. 
 
 When Frank regained the highway, he hastened to 
 mount and pedal after his ( friends, and he found them 
 returning to look for him. 
 
 "Well, hay I be banged I mean may I be hanged !" 
 cried Rattleton. "I'd like to know how we missed 
 you!" 
 
 Frank laughed, and then, as the boys turned about 
 and rode along with him, he told them of his recent 
 adventure. 
 
 Diamond was highly indignant, and wished to have
 
 Power of the Spotted Ball. 59 
 
 the tramps punished, but Merriwell declared they could 
 not afford to waste time to bother with the ruffians. 
 
 "How in the world did you get out of the scrape, 
 Merry?" asked Jack. 
 
 "By aid of the tramp's token the spotted ball." 
 
 "How did that aid you?" 
 
 "I showed it, and that was all that was necessary 
 I was treated with the greatest consideration imme- 
 diately." 
 
 "Well, how do you explain that?" asked Harry. 
 
 "The only explanation I can give is that there must 
 be some sort of secret order or organization among 
 the tramps, and that whoever carries one of those 
 spotted balls is guaranteed from injury by any of the 
 order. I have heard of such an organization." 
 
 "Well, if dat am a fac'," cried Toots, "dis chile am 
 gwine teh make spotted balls by de cord. Dey am 
 mighty goot things teh have 'roun' yeh close, chilluns."
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE RUN AWAY. 
 
 A day later Frank and -his friends were riding 
 toward a town not more than twelve miles from St. 
 Louis. 
 
 The boys were in the best of spirits, and they joked 
 and laughed as they pedaled along. 
 
 Frank was rather lame between his shoulders, but he 
 did not mind that, and his jolly sallies kept the others 
 laughing. 
 
 Along the road came a carriage, drawn by two 
 handsome horses. In the carriage sat a man and a 
 little girl. The girl was very pretty, but there was a 
 haughty, overbearing air about the man, who was 
 portly and flashily dressed. 
 
 The horses were high-spirited, and the road not very 
 wide at the point where the bicyclists and the carriage 
 must meet and pass. 
 
 "Get out of the road there!" cried the man, in an 
 arrogant manner, scowling at the boys.
 
 The Runaway. 61 
 
 And then, as Bruce Browning turned cut somewhat 
 slowly, the man reined the horses toward him, and 
 Bruce escaped with some difficulty by leaping from his 
 wheel and running out by the roadside. One of the 
 carriage wheels grazed the tire of the rear wheel of 
 Browning's bicycle. 
 
 "Well, confound that big hog!" angrily exploded 
 Bruce, as he turned and started after the team. "Why, 
 he tried to run over me! I'd like to punch his fat 
 head!" 
 
 "And I wouldn't mind helping you do it," said 
 Frank, who was indignant at the action of the unknown 
 man. 
 
 "Some persons seem to get an idea that a bicycle 
 rider doesn't have any rights at all," said Harry. 
 "They crowd him every fance they chind no, every 
 chance they find." 
 
 Bruce brought his wheel back to the road, and ex- 
 amined it to make sure it had sustained no damage. 
 It was all right, and he mounted, after repeatedly ex- 
 pressing a desire to follow the man and "have an ar- 
 gument" with him. 
 
 The boys were taking their time, and, before they
 
 62 The Runaway. 
 
 entered the village, they heard horses' hoofs and wheels 
 behind them. Then, once more came the shout for 
 them to get out of the road. 
 
 Looking back, they saw the same span approaching, 
 driven by the same stout man, to whose arm the little 
 girl was clinging. 
 
 The hot blood flushed Jack Diamond's face, and the 
 spirit of the young Virginian was aroused. 
 
 "If you run over me, it will cost you something!" 
 he flung back. 
 
 An angry retort leaped from the man's lips. He said 
 something about "insolence," and then reined the 
 horses toward Jack, although the road was wide 
 enough at that point for him to pass with ease. 
 
 Jack's hand went into his pocket and came out in a 
 twinkling. In his grasp was a big torpedo, one of a 
 number that he carried for the purpose of scaring off 
 dogs that might become troublesome. His hand was 
 lifted, and he flung the torpedo directly beneath the 
 feet of the horses. 
 
 There was a flash of fire, a sharp report, snorts of 
 alarm, a scream of terror from the child and an ex- 
 clamation of alarm and anger from the man. Then
 
 The Runaway. 63 
 
 the frightened horses leaped away, nearly upsetting the 
 carriage. In another moment they were running 
 madly down the road, dragging the rocking carriage 
 along at alarming speed. 
 
 Frank Merriwell instantly saw that the man had 
 lost control of the spirited animals. The scream of 
 terror from the pretty child and the look of fear on her 
 innocent face appealed to him, and away he darted in 
 hot pursuit of the runaways. 
 
 The child continued to shriek, while the man made 
 desperate efforts to check the frightened horses, but 
 they seemed to run faster and faster with each passing 
 moment. 
 
 The other lads started in pursuit, but they were not 
 so quick in getting away, and Frank had a long lead. 
 
 The hoofs of the horses tore up the dirt, and Merri- 
 well's nostrils and eyes were filled with dust. This 
 did not retard him in the least, for, with firm-set mouth 
 and resolute face, he bent over the handlebars and made 
 the wheel fly over the road. 
 
 Frank was determined to overtake the runaways 
 and do what he could to check the frightened animals. 
 If harm came to the little girl Frank felt that Jack
 
 64 The Runaway. 
 
 would be to blame, and he knew the young Virginian 
 would never forgive himself for throwing that tor- 
 pedo. 
 
 Fortunately the road was clear, and the horses dashed 
 straight ahead after that first wild swerve. But they 
 added to each other's terror by their companionship, 
 and it seemed that a hand of iron could not check 
 them. 
 
 Frank made wonderful speed, and the outskirts of 
 the village were reached when the boy ran the for- 
 ward wheel of his bicycle under the back of the car- 
 riage. 
 
 Then he nerved himself for an almost superhuman 
 effort, knowing that the slightest mistake would hurl 
 him into the dust of the road. 
 
 Like a flash, he lifted himself on his machine and 
 leaped! 
 
 It was a most amazing spring, and it carried the 
 boy from the wheel into the back of the carriage, 
 where he clung. 
 
 A moment later Frank went over the child's head and 
 clutched the reins, snatching them from the nerveless 
 hands of the frightened man.
 
 The Runaway. 65 
 
 Along the main street of the village galloped the 
 horses, and the villagers saw a spectacle that filled them 
 with excitement and astonishment. 
 
 Frank knew how to handle those horses, and he real- 
 ized that they could not be subdued in a moment. He 
 gathered in the reins, winding them about his hands, 
 and then he brought all his superb young strength 
 into play. 
 
 The frightened animals had grasped the bits with 
 their teeth, and skill as well as strength was required 
 to get control of them. 
 
 Frank talked to them soothingly, his voice like liquid 
 music. He endeavored to show the creatures that he 
 was their master, and, at the same time, he did every- 
 thing to allay their fears. He did not yank them, 
 and yet he checked their speed with strong surges. 
 
 Fortunately they had not begun kicking, and the 
 boy labored to check them without leading them to use 
 their heels, as that was what he feared most. 
 
 The man had been amazed by the appearance of the 
 boy, as he had not dreamed that one of the bicyclists 
 could overtake the carriage and get into it. It seemed
 
 66 The Runaway. 
 
 a marvel that Frank Merriwell should come vaulting 
 over the head of the child and clutch the reins. 
 
 Luckily the little girl became too frightened to 
 scream, and so her shrill voice ceased to add to the 
 terror of the horses. 
 
 Frank held the animals to the straight street, pray- 
 ing that the way might remain clear before them. 
 
 An old farmer was slow about getting his team and 
 himself out of the road, and a collision was averted 
 by scarcely more than a hair's breadth. 
 
 Jack Diamond, riding like the wind, flashed along 
 beside the carriage, and cried : 
 
 "Is there anything I can do, Merry?" 
 
 "Keep away!" 
 
 That was all the answer Frank made, but Jack un- 
 derstood and obeyed. 
 
 Through the village lunged the runaways, but the 
 boy was beginning to get them under control. 
 
 "Whoa, my beauties," sounded his clear, musical 
 voice. "Steady, boys! There is nothing to be afraid 
 of, ponies. Whoa, now whoa, boys ! You are kick- 
 ing up a dust, but it's time to calm down. Easy, there 
 easy, now. So that's better. Whoa, who-o-oa!"
 
 The Runaway. 67 
 
 It is impossible to describe the soothing sweetness 
 of his voice. The horses heard, and they began to 
 show less terror. Little by little they calmed down, 
 reassured and quieted by the lad's voice, rather than 
 conquered by his strength. 
 
 And the big man in the carriage, the owner of those 
 horses, clung to the seat and the little girl, filled with 
 wonder by what had occurred and what was taking 
 place. 
 
 And so, in a short time, Frank brought them to a 
 walk, finally stopping them entirely. Then he placed 
 the reins in the hands of the big man, and, with a light 
 laugh, as if the incident had been most enjoyable, 
 leaped to the ground, where he removed his cap and 
 bowed to the little girl, who was sobbing and clinging 
 to the man. 
 
 "There is nothing to be afraid of now, dear Little 
 Blue Eyes," he said. "The danger is all over, and the 
 horses will not run away again." 
 
 There was a gurgle in the fat throat of the man, and 
 he glared at the boy. His face, which had been blood- 
 less and lead-colored, began to flush and grow purple, 
 in an angry, unhealthy manner.
 
 68 The Runaway. 
 
 "A nice piece of business, this !" he grated, his rage 
 showing in his eyes. "They would not have run away 
 in the first place but for you and your gang of hood- 
 lums." 
 
 Now Frank did not like the man's manner, his tone, 
 or his words. The laughing look fled from his face, 
 and his lips closed over his white teeth. For a mo- 
 ment he looked the big man straight in the eyes, and 
 then he coldly said : 
 
 "We are not hoodlums, sir, and you are the one who 
 is to blame for this entire affair, as you very well 
 know." 
 
 "What's that?" huskily cried the man. "Why, you 
 
 insolent young scoundrel ! do you dare It's too 
 
 much!" 
 
 Words seemed to fail him, and he stopped, gurgling 
 and choking. 
 
 "Yes, I dare," said the boy from Yale, and it was 
 plain that he was not in the least awed by the big man. 
 "I dare tell you that you are one of those offensive 
 human beings who seem to think they own the earth. 
 You will impose on any one who has not the nerve or 
 the strength to resent it, and you made two outrageous
 
 The Runaway. 69 
 
 attempts to run over members of my party a short time 
 ago; but this time you stacked up against the wrong 
 people, for we do not propose to be run over by the 
 President of the United States, or the Czar of Russia 
 much less by such a person as you. We are boys, it 
 is true, but we can look out for ourselves." 
 
 By this time Jack Diamond was on hand, and the 
 other boys were approaching. Jack was angry. 
 
 "It would have served you right if your horses had 
 thrown you out and broken your neck!" burst from 
 the hot-blooded Virginian. 
 
 "And but for this little girl, whose pretty face filled 
 me with a desire to save her from harm, I should have 
 left you to take care of your own runaway horses," 
 declared Frank. 
 
 "I could have taken care of them all right," rasped 
 the big man, in great fury. "It would have been bet- 
 ter if you had minded your own business and let me 
 alone." 
 
 "Why, you thick-headed old chump!" exploded 
 Harry Rattleton, who had come up in time to hear the 
 man's final words, "if Merry had let you alone, those 
 horses would have smashed the carriage and thrown
 
 7o The Runaway. 
 
 out yourself and the little girl. It's four to one that 
 Merry saved your life, flasted bool I mean blasted 
 fool that you don't know it !" 
 
 That was more than the man could endure, and he 
 uttered words that would not look well in print. 
 
 "You insolent young whelps you do not know who I 
 am!" he shouted. 
 
 "And we don't care a rap, don't you know," drawled 
 Bruce Browning, who had arrived. 
 
 "Dat's right," nodded Toots. "Yo* ain't de only 
 one, ma-an dere am odders. Yo' ain't de only pea- 
 nut in shop yo' kin be roasted." 
 
 "My name is Lyman Lawrence, and I am a justice 
 of the peace," declared the big man. "If you do not 
 get out of this town in short order, I'll have you all 
 arrested and fined." 
 
 "Dat is, if yo' kin find us," grinned the colored boy. 
 
 "Be quiet, Toots/' ordered Frank. "For what 
 would you fine us, sir?" 
 
 "For carrying concealed weapons." 
 
 "But we do not carry concealed weapons." 
 
 "I know better ! That chap there fired a pistol and 
 scared my horses."
 
 The Runaway. 71 
 
 "That's where you are mistaken," contradicted Jack. 
 "I simply threw a torpedo, which I carry for the pur- 
 pose of frightening away ugly dogs." 
 
 "Well, you frightened my horses, anyway," grum- 
 bled the man, "and I'll have you all arrested if you 
 dare show your heads back in the village. That set- 
 tles it." 
 
 Then, finding a wide place in the road, he turned his 
 team about, and drove back toward the village.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE TRAMPS APPEAR AGAIN. 
 
 "Well, he is a nice sort of old duffer nit!" ex- 
 claimed Rattleton, in supreme disgust, as the boys 
 watched the departing carriage. 
 
 "He's a gin'wine gemmans I don' think!" ob- 
 served Toots, in ludicrous scorn. 
 
 "It would do him good to have his head punched," 
 drawled Browning, in his lazy way; "and it would do 
 me good to punch it." 
 
 "Such creatures make me sick!" exclaimed Dia- 
 mond, hotly. 
 
 Frank's face relaxed, and he smiled, as if the whole 
 thing were a most amusing joke, which he alone ap- 
 preciated. 
 
 "It's no use to be hot over it," he said. "The world 
 is made up of all sorts and conditions of men. We 
 are sure to run up against unpleasant persons on our 
 sojourn through life." 
 
 "Well, you have a way of looking at such things
 
 The Tramps Appear Again. 73 
 
 that I cannot understand," declared Jack. "I never 
 know whether you are going to laugh over anything 
 as a joke, or let yourself out and knock the stuffing 
 out of somebody. I have known you for some time, 
 Merry, but I am free to confess that I do not compre- 
 hend you yet. I don't believe you are built like other 
 fellows." 
 
 "Why should we all be built after the same pattern ?" 
 was the laughing question. "It takes all kinds of 
 men to make up a world, and variety among human 
 beings is as interesting as variety in other things." 
 
 "Dat am a fac'," nodded Toots, with a sage ex- 
 pression. 
 
 "I believe in every person being himself," Frank 
 went on. "If there is anything on earth that makes 
 me weary it is the chap who tries to imitate some other 
 fellow. Such a chap lacks originality, lacks distinct- 
 iveness, lacks force, and is pretty sure to be an imitator 
 in everything he does all his life. You may be sure 
 he'll never startle the world by doing anything novel 
 or original." 
 
 "Well, we are not thinking about startling the world
 
 74 The Tramps Appear Again. 
 
 just now," said Bruce. "What we are thinking about 
 is the way that old chap has treated us." 
 
 "I do not propose to think about that any more," said 
 Frank. "It is all over now, and it's not likely we'll 
 have any further dealings with him." 
 
 "I don't know about that," Jack declared. "Your 
 wheel is beside the road beyond this town, where I told 
 Toots to put it, and we must go back through the town, 
 in order to recover it." 
 
 "That is all right." 
 
 "It's all right; but you will remember that Mr. Ly- 
 man Lawrence has threatened to have us arrested if we 
 dare show ourselves in the place." 
 
 "And it struck me that Mr. Lawrence was putting 
 up a big bluff w-hen he made that remark." 
 
 "You do not believe he will make good his threat?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "I don't know about that," Rattleton hastily put in. 
 "He is a vindictive old wretch, and it might be just 
 like him to do so." 
 
 "I am willing to take chances on it," said Frank. 
 
 "An' dis chile am wid yo'," declared Toots, swag- 
 geringly.
 
 The Tramps Appear Again. 75 
 
 "Old Lawrence seemed to think that he tuns the 
 rown I mean runs the town," hastily said Rattleton. 
 
 "And, as police justice, he may be able to make it 
 unpleasant for us there," said Bruce. 
 
 "All this makes me feel all the more like going back 
 to see what he will do," smiled Frank. 
 
 "An' it jes' meks me feel dat way, too," grinned 
 Toots, who was determined to stand in with Frank. 
 
 "I think we'd better go back boldly," said Jack. "It 
 will not be good policy to let the man think he has in- 
 timidated us in the least." 
 
 So the boys decided to return to the town. Jack 
 had a step on his bicycle, and on this step Frank stood 
 with one foot, while the Virginian worked the pedals. 
 In that manner they rode back to town, passed through, 
 and found the bicycle where it had been left beside 
 the road. 
 
 "Now I feel like myself again," cried Frank, when 
 he was mounted on his wheel. "This affair has been 
 a little diversion, the same as my encounter with 
 tramps." 
 
 "We must pass tfirougH the town again," said 
 Bruce.
 
 76 The Tramps Appear Again. 
 
 "That is true, and I have a fancy to stop a while 
 in the town." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "Oh, just because I feel like it, that is all. It can't 
 be far from midday, and we might get something to 
 eat there." 
 
 "By golly!" cried the colored lad; "dat strikes dis 
 chile jes' where he libs ! I's so holler dat I kin feel de 
 notches in mail backbone ebery time I put mah han' on 
 mah stomach." 
 
 "You carry around an appetite like an alligator," 
 said Harry. 
 
 "Dunno nuffin' 'bout yeh allumgator, but I knows 
 dis ridin' a bisuckle makes me feel lek I could eat ah 
 fried bootleg sometimes. Dis am one of de times." 
 
 "And I am aweary and aweary," sighed Bruce. "I 
 am aweary, and I wish I were in bed. I feel like stop- 
 ping in yonder hamlet and resting these weary bones 
 of mine." 
 
 "Beary wones I mean weary bones !" cried Harry, 
 in derision. "I'd like to know where you keep 'em. 
 I don't believe you have any more bones than a jelly- 
 fish."
 
 The Tramps Appear Again. 77 
 
 "You'd think I had a few bones if I should take a 
 fancy to push my fist up under your ear once," growled 
 the big fellow. 
 
 "What do you say about stopping, Jack?" asked 
 Frank. 
 
 "I am willing to stop a while and see what Mr. Law- 
 rence will do," said the young Virginian, rather sav- 
 agely. 
 
 "All right; stop it is," cried Frank. 
 
 They rode into town, stared at by the citizens who 
 had witnessed the runaway and the pursuit of the bi- 
 cycle boys. Straight to the hotel they went, followed 
 by a number of curious persons. 
 
 At the hotel the boys put up, and ordered dinner 
 for five. 
 
 Later, they came out upon the veranda, where they 
 sat about in the shade, Browning smoking cigarettes 
 and half dozing. 
 
 Several village loafers had stopped at the hotel, and 
 a number of boys stood about and stared at the hand- 
 some uniforms of the young tourists. 
 
 Frank sat down beside an old man, to whom he 
 spoke pleasantly, observing:
 
 78 The Tramps Appear Again. 
 
 "You seem to have a rather pretty little village 
 here." 
 
 "Ya-as," was the moderate reply, "it's a purty good 
 town. All the fault there is to find with it is that too 
 many rich men live here. Where are you fellers 
 from?" 
 
 Frank answered the question, explaining that they 
 were on their way across the continent, which caused 
 the eyes of the old man to open with wonder and 
 incredulity. The other curious townsmen had gath- 
 ered around, and their faces showed doubt. Some of 
 them grinned at each other knowingly, and the old 
 man, who gave his name as Rufus Sap, said : 
 
 "Now, don't try to fool with us. You don't want 
 us to believe you boys are try in' to ride them bi suckles 
 from New York to San Francisco?" 
 
 "Well," laughed Frank, "you may not believe it, 
 but it is quite true, just the same." 
 
 "You'll never do it!" 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 "Too far," grunted Mr. Sap. 
 
 "We have ridden from New York to this place !" 
 
 "How is the ridin' on the railroads nowadays?"
 
 The Tramps Appear Again. 79 
 
 whimsically asked the old man. "I ain't rid much 
 for a long time." 
 
 "The jamed old blay I mean the blamed old jay !" 
 muttered Harry, in mingled amusement and anger. 
 "He thinks Frank is stringing him." 
 
 "Keep still," ordered Jack. "It is not so very 
 strange that some old men who do not know much 
 absmt bicycles should think such a feat impossible.'* 
 
 Frank was amused. 
 
 "We have not found it necessary to ride on the rail- 
 roads since leaving New York," he declared. 
 
 "Well, yer must have been an awful long time 
 comin'," said Mr. Sap. "S'pose you started as soon 
 as the snow was off the ground?" 
 
 "Well, not quite so soon as that," smiled Frank. 
 
 "You'll be lucky if you ever git to 'Frisco. You 
 can't ride over the Rocky Mount'ins, and I'll bet a good 
 fat hog you don't get out to 'Frisco before the first 
 of next year." 
 
 "Did you observe that I was in the carriage of the 
 man whose horses ran away and took him through 
 town a short time ago ?" 
 
 "Yes, I saw ye."
 
 8o The Tramps Appear Again. 
 
 "And did you see my friends following at a speed 
 equal to that of the runaway horses ?" 
 
 "They was goin' at a great stick," confessed the old 
 settler; "but they couldn't keep that up long," he 
 added, as if that settled the matter. 
 
 "Well, let me tell you that I started on my bicycle 
 in pursuit of that team after the horses were running 
 away, overtook it, got into the carriage, and finally 
 stopped the horses." 
 
 Mr. Sap fairly gasped for breath. 
 
 "Do you want me to b'lieve you could do that ?" he 
 rather angrily demanded. "Well, I aint' no fool, if I 
 am an old man, and I won't be imposed on by any 
 young upstart like you ! You can tell your fish stories 
 to them that will swaller 'em !" 
 
 With that, he got up from his chair, rather stiffly, 
 and, assisted by his cane, hobbled slowly and painfully 
 away. 
 
 Frank could not hold back his merry laughter, and 
 the other boys joined him in his mirth. Some of the 
 townsfolk laughed, and some looked angry, as if they 
 thought they were being guyed. 
 
 A young man took the chair vacated by Mr. Sap.
 
 The Tramps Appear Again. 81 
 
 "You mustn't mind him," said the young man, wav- 
 ing his hand toward the retreating figure of the old 
 settler. "He can't understand that a bicycle is capable 
 of such speed. He is one of the old-timers, and he is 
 not willing to believe that modern progress is capable 
 of producing things so vastly superior to anything 
 they had in his day." 
 
 Frank sized up the young man at a glance, deciding 
 that here was a person who wished to display his up- 
 to-dateness. At the same time, Merriwell believed that 
 he could question the fellow, and so he immediately 
 said: 
 
 "I do not mind any old person who is set in his 
 peculiar beliefs and convictions. By the way, I believe 
 the name of the man whose horses ran away is Lyman 
 Lawrence ?" 
 
 "That is right Judge Lyman Lawrence, one of the 
 wealthiest men in the State, it is said. That small 
 building over there is his office, and that fine house 
 on the corner down there is his residence." 
 
 "He must have some business besides that of police 
 justice?"
 
 82 The Tramps Appear Again. 
 
 "Oh, he is the owner of a valuable mine in Colo- 
 rado. His mine brings him in an immense income." 
 
 "Is he a popular man in town?" 
 
 "Well," was the confidential reply, "he is not exactly 
 what you might call popular, but he has influence, and 
 he is feared. Folks around here don't care to get him 
 down on 'em." 
 
 "I suppose the child I saw in the carriage with him 
 is his daughter, is it not ?" 
 
 "Yes, sir his only child. His wife is an invalid, 
 and" the young man lowered his voice "it is said 
 she does not lead the happiest life imaginable with 
 him. She has few friends, and she is seldom seen in 
 his company. I have seen her, and I should say she 
 was handsome when she was a young woman, but she 
 has a very sad face now." 
 
 "Does Judge Lawrence live here the year around? 55 
 
 "Except when he goes to see about his mine." 
 
 "Does he go often?" 
 
 "Two or three times a year." 
 
 "Why doesn't he live out there?" 
 
 "I don't know. He does a number of strange things,
 
 The Tramps Appear Again. 83 
 
 as you would discover if you were to know him bet- 
 ter." 
 
 "I do not care to know him better," said Frank, as 
 
 i 
 
 he arose. "I thank you for answering my questions. 
 Come on, fellows, let's take a stroll about town." 
 
 And then, before the young man could satisfy his 
 curiosity by propounding questions in return, Frank 
 descended the steps, followed by Rattleton, Diamond 
 and Toots. 
 
 Browning was seated in a comfortable position, and 
 he yawned. 
 
 "Go ahead, if you want to hoof it around. I think 
 too much of my shoes to wear them out that way." 
 
 So the boys left the hotel without him. They had 
 drawn on their blue sweaters, with a big "Y" on the 
 breast of each, and they caused the townspeople to stare 
 as they sauntered about. 
 
 There was not much of interest about the village to 
 ! e seen, and they finally found themselves in the vicin- 
 ity of the railroad station, as a train of freight cars 
 came in from the East. 
 
 As the train slackened speed in the vicinity of the 
 station, the door of a car was thrust open, and two
 
 84 The Tramps Appear Again. 
 
 men came flying out, propelled by the boots of some 
 trainmen who were in the car. The men struck the 
 ground and fell sprawling, rolled over, and then got 
 upon their feet, where they stood, fierce language pour- 
 ing from their lips, while they shook their fists furi- 
 ously in the air. 
 
 Frank Merriwell saw the two men, and started. 
 Then he looked closer, exclaiming: "So help me, I 
 believe I know those fine fellows! I am sure of it! 
 They are Joyce and Jones, the tramps!"
 
 CHAPTER V III. 
 
 A MYSTERY SOLVED. 
 
 Frank was astonished by the appearance of the 
 tramps. 
 
 "Hanged if it doesn't seem as if they are chasing 
 me around !" he exclaimed. "I'd like to lodge them in 
 the workhouse, or State prison, where they belong." 
 
 "Come, fellows," said Merriwell, "let's follow them. 
 I'd like to give them a drubbing for the little trick 
 they played on me." 
 
 "We can do it in great shape," said Rattleton, en- 
 thusiastically. "I'd like to punch them a few times 
 to pay them for making us ride back to find you." 
 
 The tramps looked over their shoulders, and, seeing 
 the boys coming after them, increased their speed, 
 turning down a side street, running amid some sheds, 
 and quickly disappearing from view. 
 
 "Well, I scarcely think it is any use to attempt to 
 follow them." said Frank. "We'll go back to the 
 hotel."
 
 86 A Mystery Solved. 
 
 A good dinner made the entire party feel better, but 
 none of them felt like hurrying away, for the day was 
 hot and uncomfortable. After a consultation, it was 
 resolved to remain there till the afternoon became 
 cooler. 
 
 Frank was restless, and he went out alone, leaving 
 the others to remain around the hotel. 
 
 Frank walked down toward the place where he had 
 last seen the two tramps. Something seemed to tell 
 him that the ruffians had not arrived in that place by 
 chance. 
 
 There were some sidetracks about the station, ?/id 
 those tracks were well filled with empty cars. In the 
 doorway of one of the cars the boy saw a colored man 
 sitting, and he was talking to a white man, who was 
 standing on the ground. That white man was Pink 
 Jones, the tramp. 
 
 For some reason Frank felt a curiosity to hear what 
 the two men were saying, and he slipped up behind the 
 car till he could catch some of their words. 
 
 Almost the very first thing the boy could under- 
 stand made him hold his breath with surprise and in- 
 terest.
 
 A Mystery Solved. 87 
 
 Jones was asking the colored man about Judge 
 Lawrence. 
 
 How did it happen that the tramp knew Judge Law- 
 rence? and why should he be seeking information con- 
 cerning the judge? 
 
 Frank hoped to overhear enough to explain this, but 
 he was disappointed, for Jones seemed to have learned 
 all he desired to know, and he slouched away shortly 
 after the boy had obtained a position to hear what was 
 being said. 
 
 Frank did not attempt to interfere with the tramp, 
 but let him go, returning leisurely to the hotel. 
 
 Less than an hour later, happening to look down 
 the street, he saw the two tramps pause in front of 
 Lawrence's handsome house. Then, as they stood 
 there, Jones pointed out the house and the judge's 
 office to Joyce. 
 
 "Hanged if this isn't getting more and more inter- 
 esting!" muttered Merriwell. "Something is in the 
 wind. I wonder if those fellows contemplate robbing 
 the judge?" 
 
 He decided that they were not planning anything of
 
 88 A Mystery Solved. 
 
 the sort, for they were much too bold about their move- 
 ments. 
 
 Then Frank took a notion to follow the tramps, and 
 he shadowed them to the house of a woman who kept 
 boarders. From a distance, he saw them call the 
 woman to the door and talk with her some time. They 
 offered her money, and, at last, she admitted them to 
 the house. 
 
 It was by making inquiries that the boy found the 
 woman sometimes kept transient boarders. 
 
 "They induced her to keep them by paying their 
 money in advance," decided Frank. "She did not like 
 their appearance at first, and did not want to have them 
 in the house, but the sight of the money brought her 
 round." 
 
 Later in the day, when the boys expressed their 
 readiness to resume their journey, they were not a lit- 
 tle surprised to hear Frank express a determination to 
 remain in that place until the following morning. 
 
 "All right," sighed Browning, in a contented way; 
 "that satisfies me. You need not hurry on my ac- 
 count."
 
 A Mystery Solved. 89 
 
 Then he straightway sought a room, and, ten min- 
 utes after being shown to it, was snoring on the bed. 
 
 Immediately after supper, without saying anything 
 to the others, Frank left the hotel. 
 
 He hastened to the vicinity of the house where the 
 tramps had sought and found lodging. 
 
 Nearly an hour elapsed before any one came out, 
 and then, as the door opened, the light of the hall lamp 
 showed the boy that it was the two tramps. 
 
 Frank followed them, and he saw them make their 
 way directly to the little office of Judge Lawrence. 
 
 The inside shutters of the little building were closed, 
 and there seemed to be no one within ; but one of the 
 tramps knocked on the door in a peculiar manner, and, 
 a moment later, the door was opened. 
 
 Then the two men quickly entered the office. 
 
 As may be imagined, Frank's curiosity was thor- 
 oughly aroused by this time, for he realized that the 
 door had been opened in response to a secret signal, 
 and that meant that the tramps had been expected. 
 Plainly, some person was waiting in that office to see 
 them, and who could that person be, unless it were 
 Judge Lawrence?
 
 90 A Mystery Solved. 
 
 "Here is a mystery !" muttered the boy. "If it was 
 Judge Lawrence, why did he admit the tramps ? Why 
 is he having dealings with such creatures ? I'd give a 
 few dollars to get the real facts of this affair." 
 
 He slipped up to the office, climbed the little fence 
 at the corner, and crept noiselessly around behind the 
 building. There, beneath a window, he paused. No 
 light shone from that window, but he distinctly heard 
 the sound of excited voices. 
 
 The window was higher than Frank's head, as the 
 little building was set on a high foundation. 
 
 "Oh, for something to climb on something that 
 will bring me up where I can hear!" thought the in- 
 terested lad. 
 
 He searched around and found a board, which he 
 leaned in a slanting position against the building, di- 
 rectly beneath the window. With the aid of this, he 
 lifted himself till his head was on a level with the. lower 
 sash. 
 
 Once there, Frank discovered how it was that he 
 could hear the men within so plainly. A bit of glass 
 was broken from the corner of one of the window 

 
 A Mystery Solved. 91 
 
 panes, and that permitted the sounds to reach his ears, 
 although the inner shutters were tightly closed. 
 
 Frank heard a man speaking excitedly and angrily, 
 and he instantly recognized the voice as that of Judge 
 Lawrence. The words chained Merriwell's entire at- 
 tention. 
 
 "I tell you that you have bungled this job!" Law- 
 rence was saying, in an excited and angry growl. "You 
 have made a miserable mess of the whole matter." 
 
 "That's where ye're away off, jedge," said Pink 
 Jones, his tone showing he was exasperated. "We 
 knows our biz, does Bob an' I, an' we cooked ther 
 duck fer yez all right, all right. Eh, Bob?" 
 
 "Yer bet we did," asseverated Bob. "He'll never 
 bodder you no more, jedge, an' we wants our dough." 
 
 "That's what we does," from Jones. "Yer prom- 
 ised a hundred apiece if we'd cook his goose, an' gave 
 us fifty each in advance. Now, we wants ther rest of 
 it, an' we means ter have it. Yer can't play funny 
 wid us, jedge." 
 
 A fierce exclamation broke from Lawrence's lips. 
 
 "I tell you that you are bungling fools !" he snarled. 
 "How did you do the job?"
 
 92 A Mystery Solved. 
 
 "Well, we jes' tied ther duck ter ther railroad track, 
 an' let him stay there an' be chopped inter mince-meat 
 by the night express. I don't t'ink he'll ever bodder 
 yez much arter bein' chawed up by ther wheels of an 
 express train." 
 
 "Not a great deal," agreed Bob. 
 
 "Did you stay and see the express train run over 
 him ?" 
 
 "Wat was ther use ? He was tied fast, an' gagged. 
 We didn't want ter be found round them parts in ther 
 mornin', an' so we hoofed it in this direction." 
 
 There was another snarl from Lawrence. 
 
 "That was where you made fools of yourselves !" he 
 declared. "I hired you to make sure of the job, as 
 Clinton had located me, and was threatening to be- 
 come troublesome. You did it in a sloppy way, and 
 it was a fizzle. Here here is a note I received this 
 very day. I will read it, and then you may examine 
 it yourself." 
 
 "LYMAN LAWRENCE : Your dastardly scheme to de- 
 stroy me and thus save yourself from my vengeance 
 failed, and I still live live to square the account with 
 you. Your murderous hired tools did tie me to a
 
 A Mystery Solved. 93 
 
 railroad track and leave me to my fate, but I was saved 
 from death in a marvelous manner. This makes me 
 feel that fate is watching over me till I shall avenge 
 myself on you for the misery you have caused me. 
 By a lie you robbed me of the woman I loved, and 
 then, in fear of me, by a lie you caused me to be 
 thrown into a prison cell, where I remained for years. 
 When I became free, I started to hunt for you. You 
 had vanished, but I located you at last. Foolishly, I 
 warned you of my coming, and you sent your mur- 
 derers out to put me out of the way. They failed. 
 And now we shall meet face to face very soon. When 
 we do, you shall not escape me. With deepest hatred, 
 "WALLACE CLINTON/' 
 
 "There," cried Lawrence, hoarsely "there it is! 
 Look at it read it ! You can see it is no forgery, for 
 how should I know that you tied him to the track, so 
 that I could put it into writing to show you? Besides 
 that, I would give two hundred dollars yes, five hun- 
 dred this minute to know Wallace Clinton were 
 dead ! I would not resort to this sort of a ruse to save 
 a paltry hundred dollars." 
 
 There followed some moments of silence, and then 
 Bob was heard to slowly say : "Phil, it begins to look 
 like we had made a slip."
 
 94 A Mystery Solved. 
 
 Pink began to rave, using the most shocking lan- 
 guage. 
 
 "It warn't our fault!" he cried. "We done our 
 part of it all right. How could the critter have got 
 away?" 
 
 "That I do not know," said Lawrence ; "but you can 
 see that he did get away, and he is coming here. As 
 soon as possible, I shall start for another part of the 
 country. Now, I am going to give you chaps one more 
 chance to make a pull. To-night I will pay you twen- 
 ty-five dollars each, providing you agree to do your 
 best to finally dispose of Wallace Clinton." 
 
 "That ain't enough," broke in Pink. 
 
 "Hold on," sharply commanded Lawrence. "I am 
 not done. When you bring me positive proof that 
 Clinton is dead, I will pay you two hundred dollars 
 each. You can't ask for more. I want you to agree 
 to lose no time in completing the work." 
 
 "We'll do it!" cried both tramps together. "You 
 won't have to worry about that. We'll make sure 
 next time, an' ther duck'll be dead when we calls on 
 yer." 
 
 Frank put his mouth close to the broken square of
 
 A Mystery Solved. 95 
 
 glass, and distinctly cried : "And you will both hang for 
 the job, together with Lyman Lawrence." 
 
 Then he dropped down lightly and slipped away 
 into the dense darkness, satisfied that he had created 
 a sensation and filled the hearts of the three villair r 
 with terror.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 FRANK'S CLOSE CALL. 
 
 Early the following morning the young tourists 
 mounted their wheels and sped away to the westward. 
 
 They crossed the Mississippi into St. Louis, but did 
 not spend more time there than was required for Frank 
 to visit the various newspaper offices, at each of which 
 he left the following notice, to be inserted as a paid 
 advertisement : 
 
 "WALLACE CLINTON, BEWARE! 
 
 "Your enemy, the man who hired tramps to tie you 
 to the railroad track, has again bargained with those 
 ruffians to put you out of the way. They are to make 
 sure of their work next time. 
 
 "THE ONE WHO SAVED You/' 
 
 "There," muttered the boy, when this was done, "I 
 trust that will reach the eyes of the man it is intended 
 for. I know of no other way of warning him. Be- 
 sides this, I have written an unsigned warning to 
 Lyman Lawrence, telling him his murderous scheme
 
 Frank's Close Call. 97 
 
 is known, and that he had better drop it. That may 
 scare him so he will call his dogs off." 
 
 Frank felt that he could do nothing more. He had 
 found how influential Lyman Lawrence really was, and 
 he knew well enough that it would be impossible to 
 make the general public believe such a man could hire 
 tramps to murder a tramp. 
 
 None of the boys expected again to see the tramps 
 or Judge Lawrence, with whom they had had such an 
 unpleasant adventure. For two days they pushed on- 
 ward through Missouri. At last, late one afternoon, 
 they found themselves making a desperate run to reach 
 a certain town before nightfall. 
 
 They paused to inquire the shortest route of a man 
 who was calmly smoking a corncob pipe in front of a 
 miserable hut. 
 
 "Wa-al," drawled the native, "raound by ther road 
 it is a right smart distance, but the railroad over yon 
 makes it straight. It ain't nigh so fur by ther railroad. 
 Wagon road ain't none too good, either. I reckon it'd 
 been a heap sight better fer ye ef ye'd took ther train 
 back at Sagg's Station, 'stead of tryin' ter ride it on 
 them there things."
 
 98 Frank's Close Call. 
 
 He accompanied his concluding words with a look 
 if scorn toward the bicycles. 
 
 "Think we can make it before night?" asked Frank. 
 
 "Not on them there things, I judge." 
 
 The boys thanked him, and rode on. 
 
 "It is plain he has a very poor opinion of bicycles," 
 said Jack. 
 
 Frank said nothing, but it was plain by the expres- 
 sion on his face that he was thinking. Soon they came 
 to the railroad of which the man had spoken. 
 
 Frank stopped, dismounted, and took a look at the 
 track. To his satisfaction, he saw that the cross-ties 
 were buried almost on a level with the. roadbed. 
 
 "I say, fellows," smiled Merriwell, "I'll wager you 
 that I take the railroad and beat you into town." 
 
 "Oh, come off!" yawned Bruce. "You are always 
 trying some such thing as that. Come along with the 
 rest of us. The road is good enough, and you will 
 bump the stuffing out of your wheel riding over the 
 ties." 
 
 "I'll take my chances on the wheel, and I'll get in 
 ahead of you." 
 
 "The trouble with you is that you have the swelled
 
 Frank's Close Call. 99 
 
 head because you have beaten us once or twice by tak- 
 ing some unused road/' declared Rattleton. "Go 
 ahead and rail the ride road I mean ride the railroad ! 
 I am sticking to the highway." 
 
 "That is what I want you to do/' laughed Frank; 
 "and I will beat you into town." 
 
 "This time is where you slip up, Merry," asserted 
 Jack Diamond. "We'll beat you into town, for you'll 
 soon get tired of bumping over the rails, and will take 
 to footing it." 
 
 "All right, if you think so. I'll try it, anyway." 
 
 They found he was determined to make the attempt 
 Then Toots -wanted to accompany him, but Frank 
 would not agree to that, saying he might cut out a 
 pace that would be too hot for the colored boy. 
 
 They parted, Frank mounting and riding along the 
 track leading toward a range of hills close at hand, 
 while the others sped along the road. 
 
 Frank soon found that the railroad was indeed rough 
 in places. Then he got out and took to riding along 
 the shoulder of the road, close to the ends of the ties. 
 This was better, and he made good speed. 
 
 The sun was low in the west when Frank reached
 
 loo Frank's Close Call. 
 
 the hills. He was surprised to see that the range rose 
 like a barrier in advance, but still the railroad ran on as 
 straight as a die. 
 
 In a short time he came to the black mouth of a 
 tunnel. 
 
 "Well, say ! this is nice !" he cried, dismounting. "I 
 do not mind riding in the night without a lantern I 
 prefer it but this is different. It will be pocket 
 dark in there." 
 
 However, there seemed to be no other way, and 
 Frank did not feel like turning back. 
 
 "This can't be a long tunnel," he decided ; "so here 
 goes." 
 
 He mounted and rode on slowly, but the darkness of 
 the tunnel seemed intensified by the change from the 
 outer air. He crept along with the utmost caution, 
 like a blind man, and then, after a little, he dismounted, 
 preferring to trundle his wheel. 
 
 He had not gone far before he realized that he would 
 be caught in an awkward place if a train should happen 
 along. Still he would not turn back. 
 
 Frank felt like a blind man as he crept through the 
 tunnel. Several times he fancied he heard a train ap-
 
 Frank's Close Call. 101 
 
 preaching, but, pausing to listen, his heart in his 
 mouth, he concluded he was deceived. 
 
 Finally Frank paused, suddenly stooped, found the 
 rail, and placed his ear close to it. What he heard sent 
 the blood in an icy flood to his heart. 
 
 "A train is coming!" he gasped, as he lea-ped to his 
 feet. "Which way?" 
 
 For a moment he stood there like one turned to 
 stone, seeming unable to move. Then he realized that 
 every moment was precious. He had -come far in the 
 tunnel, and it seemed that he would stand a better 
 chance by going ahead. Besides, it seemed that the 
 train must be behind him. 
 
 Frank steadied his wheel, set the pedals right by 
 touch and made ready to mount. 
 
 "Now be cool, old man," he whispered. "It is use- 
 less to get frightened." 
 
 With deliberation, yet without loss of time, he 
 mounted his wheel. Then he increased his speed stead- 
 ily and surely, seeming to find his way along in the in- 
 tense darkness by instinct. 
 
 His ears were strained and his senses acute. Should 
 he find the train was in advance, he must turn about,
 
 102 Frank's Close Call. 
 
 although there was scarce a chance that he could do so 
 and escape with his life. 
 
 Then, with startling suddenness, a roaring sound 
 filled the place, and he knew the train had entered the 
 tunnel ! 
 
 This knowledge caused the boy to send the wheel 
 spinning along at great speed, taking desperate chances. 
 If he should be thrown, it was almost certain that he 
 would be stunned, and he must remain on the track to 
 be crushed by the train. 
 
 The roaring grew more and more distinct, and Frank 
 felt beyond a doubt that it was behind him. 
 
 It was a wild race for life through the darkness. 
 Would the boy win ? or would he meet a horrible death 
 there in the tunnel ? 
 
 He strained his eyes for a glimpse of light in ad- 
 vance. 
 
 All dark! 
 
 A feeling of horror and despair threatened to seize 
 upon Frank, but he fought it with all his wonderful 
 will. 
 
 He was astonished by his fortune in keeping to the
 
 Frank's Close Call. 103 
 
 track in such intense darkness, and it almost seemed 
 that an unseen hand was guiding him. 
 
 Within the tunnel the track was remarkably smooth, 
 which was a fortunate thing indeed. 
 
 The roaring increased, and Frank began to feel 
 that the train was overtaking him with appalling swift- 
 ness. He was deafened by the volume of sound, and 
 it seemed that the train must strike him in another in- 
 stant. 
 
 Still the desperate, panting lad exerted all his 
 strength in sending the bicycle flying along. He 
 would not think of giving up until the fatal crash came. 
 
 It seemed that he rode hours in the darkness of the 
 tunnel, with that frightful roar sounding in his ears. 
 In truth, it was but a few moments, yet it was not 
 strange that, in such frightful peril, every moment 
 should seem an hour. 
 
 Wild fancies flitted through the boy's brain, and he 
 seemed to see strange visions. He fancied he saw his 
 own mangled and lifeless body lying in the tunnel after 
 the train had passed. 
 
 A sudden gleam ahead! It was the opening of the 
 tunnel.
 
 104 Frank's Close Call. 
 
 With a prayer on his lips, Frank Merriwell used all 
 his remaining strength to send the bicycle flying like 
 the very wind toward that welcome patch of light. 
 Hope was in his heart once more, but still the demon 
 of destruction roared behind him. 
 
 And then then Frank shot out into the open air, 
 with the train close upon him. 
 
 Frank turned from the track as quickly as possible, 
 bumped over the rail, shot down the bank, and fell ex- 
 hausted from his wheel, the train whizzing past. 
 
 For a long time the boy lay there beside the track. 
 A prayer of thankfulness escaped his lips. He watched 
 the day turned to dusky night, the red light dying out 
 of the west with remarkable swiftness. 
 
 "Come!" he muttered, at last; "this will not do." 
 
 He arose, but his knees were still weak. After a 
 little, he picked up the bicycle, brought it back to the 
 track, and mounted. 
 
 Then he rode onward, wondering how far it could 
 be to the town where he was to meet his friends. 
 
 "They will be there ahead of me, but I do not care," 
 he said. "I may consider myself fortunate to get there 
 at all."
 
 Frank's Close Call. 105 
 
 He rode slowly. The track ran through a valley, 
 where it soon became very dark. 
 
 As Frank was riding along he saw a gleam of light 
 ahead, and heard the ring of iron upon iron. Then 
 he saw some dark forms in the gleam of a lantern, and 
 they seemed to be at work on the track. 
 
 "Repairing," muttered Frank. "There must be 
 something the matter with the track that causes them 
 to work so late." 
 
 Then he saw that a rail was loose close by him. 
 
 Groaning, the boy fell back. 
 
 "It is too late ! I cannot stop the train !" 
 
 There was a frightful sound of splintering, crashing 
 wood and iron, and then an awful silence, followed by 
 shrieks and groans. 
 
 The train was wrecked ! 
 
 Staggering forward, he looked down on a scene of 
 destruction, where, in the darkness, the engine and 
 cars were piled in a shapeless mass beside the track. 
 
 Men had crept out of the ruins. A few had found 
 lanterns and were moving about, calling wildly to each 
 other. 
 
 Frank ran to the mass of wrecked cars, resolved to
 
 106 Frank's Close Call. 
 
 Ho what he could to save human life. Soon he was 
 working with others amid the ruins of the train. 
 
 As he worked, with the aid of a lantern which one 
 of the trainmen had secured from the wreck, he was 
 astounded to feel himself clutched by strong hands 
 and see a blood-spattered face held close to his, while 
 a hoarse voice shouted: 
 
 "Where is he? You know him! Where is he? 
 Have you seen him ?" 
 
 At first the boy thought it must be some passenger, 
 crazed by his injuries, and seeking a friend who had 
 been on the train. 
 
 "Be calm," he said. "We will find him." 
 
 "I must find him!" almost shrieked the man. "I 
 knew he was on this train, and I clung beneath the car 
 on which he rode that he might not escape me. He 
 knew I was near, and that is why he took to flight. 
 He feared me he feared my vengeance !" 
 
 Frank grasped the light from the hand of the man 
 at his side, and held it close to the blood-stained face. 
 
 "Wallace Clinton!" he shouted, amazed. "Baldy 
 Briggs, the tramp! You here?" 
 
 "Yes, I am here," was the hoarse response. "I fol-
 
 Frank's Close Call. 107 
 
 lowed him! He is here somewhere amid the wreck. 
 I saw your notice in the papers, and I learned that you 
 knew him." 
 
 "Lyman Lawrence?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "And he was on this train ?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Then he may be a dead man now." 
 
 They searched amid the ruins, and it was not long 
 before they came upon the man for whom Wallace 
 Clinton was looking. Judge Lawrence was there, pin- 
 ned down by a great weight, his face ghastly pale, 
 dying from his frightful injuries. 
 
 Clinton caught the lantern, held it close to his own 
 face, and dropped on his knees beside his foe. 
 
 "Look, Lyman Lawrence!" he shouted, wildly 
 "look into my face ! Open your eyes ! Do you know 
 me?" 
 
 With a moan of pain, the wretched man looked. 
 What he saw did not seem to fill him with fear, but he 
 faintly said: 
 
 "Yes, I know you ; you are the man I wronged the 
 friend I betrayed. Laura still lives,, but she has de-
 
 io8 Frank's Close Call. 
 
 spised me ever since she learned how I won her for 
 my wife by making her believe you were false to her. 
 I believe she loves you still. I feared you, for I knew 
 you were mad for vengeance when you learned of my 
 treachery. Then it was that I plotted and caused you 
 to be thrown into prison. But now my punishment 
 has come!" 
 
 He ceased from pure exhaustion. Clinton was si- 
 lent, his wildness having passed away with the sight 
 of his enemy. After a brief pause, Lawrence went on : 
 
 "I did hire men to destroy you, Clinton. They 
 failed. I am glad of that now. This this is my just 
 reward! I am dying dying far from my wife who 
 never truly loved me, and the child who has ever feared 
 me! All my property will fall to that wife and child. 
 Go to her, Clinton; she will be happy to see you once 
 again. Promise me that you will go to her." 
 
 "If I can if I can!" whispered Clinton, huskily. 
 
 "That's all that's all !" whispered the unfortunate 
 wretch. "You will not be molested now. When I am 
 dead there will be no reason why any one should harm 
 you. This this is retribution!" 
 
 His face showed how much he suffered mentally.
 
 Frank's Close Call. 109 
 
 A strange change had come over Wallace Clinton. 
 No longer was he fierce for vengeance. Something 
 like compassion came into his eyes as he watched his 
 dying enemy. 
 
 Suddenly the dying man turned and clutched Clin- 
 ton's hand, almost shrieking: 
 
 "I am lost lost ! I know it I feel it ! Yet I shall 
 die easier if I hear you say you forgive me! For the 
 love of Heaven say it !" 
 
 Clinton was silent, but it seemed that a great battle 
 was taking place within his soul. 
 
 "For the love of Laura say it!" huskily 
 pleaded the dying man. 
 
 "Lyman Lawrence," said Wallace Clinton, solemnly, 
 "I forgive you !" 
 
 A thankful sigh, a murmured prayer, a gasp, and the 
 end had come. All was over. 
 
 It was not until early morning that Frank rejoined 
 his chums at the nearby town. 
 
 When they heard of his adventure they were more 
 than astonished. 
 
 "It beats the Dutch!" said Diamond. "I can't see 
 how you got out of the tunnel alive."
 
 no Frank's Close Call. 
 
 Long afterward the boys heard that Wallace Clin- 
 ton had married Lyman Lawrence's widow and both 
 were truly happy. 
 
 What became of the two tramps, Pink and Bob, the 
 boys never knew. 
 
 After this the days went by swiftly, and soon the 
 bicycle boys found themselves crossing the mighty 
 Mississippi and pedaling their way across the State of 
 Missouri. 
 
 "I hope we have no more adventures," said Harry. 
 "I've had wall I ant no, all I want." 
 
 "Dun yo' say a word," came from Toots. "We 
 ain't out ob de woods yet, not by a long shot, no, sah !" 
 
 And Toots' words proved true, as the very next 
 chapter will show.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 A THRILLING ADVENTURE. 
 
 Crash! crash! crash! 
 
 "Fo* de Lawd's sakes, what am dat?" cried Toots, 
 nearly falling from his bicycle in sudden alarm, as the 
 crashing sounds came from amid the thick bushes of 
 the woods through which the party was riding. 
 
 Crash ! crash ! crash ! 
 
 The bushes shook, and small trees bent and swayed. 
 
 "Great Scott!" spluttered Harry. "It must be a 
 cy smallcone I mean a small cyclone!" 
 
 "Thank fortune I'm fat!" murmured Bruce. "It 
 won't be able to pick me up and carry me off with ease." 
 
 "It is some kind of a creature an animal, and a 
 huge one, at that!" exclaimed Jack. "Look out for 
 it!" 
 
 "It's an elephant !" rang out tne voice of Frank, who 
 was leisurely riding along behind the others. "See 
 here he comes !" 
 
 Sure enough out of the timber rushed a huge ele-
 
 H2 A Thrilling Adventure. 
 
 phant, its small eyes glaring wickedly, its trunk tossing 
 convulsively, and its whole aspect denoting wild ex- 
 citement and rage. 
 
 The moment the monster saw the boys, who were 
 slowly riding past, he elevated his trunk and trumpeted 
 shrilly. 
 
 "Horn ob Gabrul !" howled Toots, as he leaned for- 
 ward over the handlebars and literally caused his wheel 
 to jump forward. "If dat dar elumfunt done cotch 
 me, Fs a daid nigger!" 
 
 "An elephant an elephant running wild out here 
 in Missouri !" palpitated Diamond. "Is this an opti- 
 cal illusion?" 
 
 "An elephant!" exclaimed Merriwell. "Are we in 
 the United States, or India?" 
 
 "I wouldn't mind being in the next county about 
 now!" confessed Browning, as he increased his speed. 
 
 The boys flew past the great beast, which came lum- 
 bering into the road in an awkward manner, continu- 
 ing its shrill cries. 
 
 "We can run away from him easy enough," said 
 Rattleton. 
 
 "We can run away from him on our wheels, but you
 
 A Thrilling Adventure. 113 
 
 will find he can make pretty good speed, in case he 
 comes after us," Frank declared. 
 
 "He's coming !" cried Jack, who had looked back. 
 
 This was true. As soon as the elephant reached the 
 road, he turned in pursuit of the boys, the sight of 
 whom had seemed to arouse the creature to a perfect 
 frenzy. 
 
 "Well, this is a most remarkable adventure!" mut- 
 tered Frank. "I anticipated that nearly all sorts of 
 things would take place during our trip, but this is 
 something I did not dream of at all." 
 
 "How does it happen that elephants are running wild 
 in the forests of Missouri?" gurgled Bruce, as he 
 puffed along heavily. 
 
 "Don't ask me!" cried Harry, who was at the big 
 college lad's side. "I'll never tell!" 
 
 "I don't believe dat am no elumfunt," flung back 
 the colored boy. "Dat am one ob dem dar mastydoons 
 I hear Prof. Scotch tell ob one time." 
 
 "A mastodon wouldn't have surprised me more than 
 this elephant," confessed Browning. 
 
 "And this elephant is on the rampage," said Jack. 
 "He is out for trouble, that is sure enough."
 
 U4 A Thrilling Adventure. 
 
 The boys were not hurrying, with the exception of 
 Toots, who had scooted ahead swiftly, but, of a sud- 
 den, Frank cried: 
 
 "Scoot, fellows scoot! He is running us down!" 
 
 It was true that the huge beast was close upon them, 
 and he was coming along the road at wonderful speed, 
 which seemed to increase with each moment. The 
 ground really seemed to tremble beneath his ponderous 
 tread. 
 
 "Wheejiz!" gasped Rattleton. "I didn't suppose 
 one of those creatures could run like that !" 
 
 "They can cover ground in great shape when they 
 have open territory, my boy," said Frank. 
 
 "What if one of us should puncture a tire now?" 
 gasped Browning, perspiration suddenly starting out 
 in great beads on his face. 
 
 "It would be rather unfortunate," said Frank, 
 gravely. 
 
 "That's right," nodded Diamond. "The elephant 
 would trample him flat in less than three seconds." 
 
 "I propose to get out of this," said Rattleton. 
 "Toots is the only one who has sense enough to hustle." 
 
 Still filled with wonder by the astonishing appearance
 
 A Thrilling Adventure. 115 
 
 of the elephant, the boys wheeled onward at greater 
 speed, and soon rode out of the strip of timber. 
 
 The great beast continued to follow. 
 
 Toots, in advance, came to a place where the road 
 forked. Without hesitation, he took the right-hand 
 road. 
 
 Frank still kept his place behind his companions, 
 which was a point of some peril; but that peril was 
 swiftly growing less and less, for the party was draw- 
 ing away from the pursuing animal. 
 
 Rattleton was next to Toots, and just as he reached 
 the point where the road divided, the very accident the 
 boys had feared took place. 
 
 Pop swish! Then his rear tire collapsed. 
 
 "A puncture!" he shouted, as he leaped from his 
 wheel, and let it fall beside the road. What a scrape !" 
 
 Browning and Diamond flew past Rattleton before 
 they could slacken the speed of their wheels. 
 
 The pursuing elephant trumpeted loudly in a trium- 
 phant manner, as if aware of the nature of the acci- 
 dent and confident of securing a victim on which to 
 vent his wrath. 
 
 Harry turned pale as he cast a look backward and
 
 n6 A Thrilling Adventure. 
 
 saw the dirty-brown body of the enraged beast that 
 was lumbering along the road in pursuit of the party. 
 
 "I'm in for it!" he gasped, and his knees felt weak 
 beneath him. 
 
 But Merriwell had not passed. He seemed to be on 
 the watch for the accident that had taken place, and, 
 with wonderful agility, he leaped to the ground, bring- 
 ing his wheel to a stop. 
 
 "Ready, Harry!" he cried, clearly. "This wheel 
 must carry us both !" 
 
 "How'll we trick the do er, do the trick ?" excitedly 
 asked Rattleton. 
 
 "You must run along beside me, as I get a fresh 
 start, and then leap to my back when I give the word. 
 It is the only way." 
 
 "All right." 
 
 "Ready?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 Frank started his wheel at a run, vaulted to the 
 saddle, his feet catching the pedals in a moment. 
 
 Harry ran along at the same moment, and a glance 
 backward caused his heart to leap in a convulsive 
 manner.
 
 A Thrilling Adventure. 117 
 
 "The elephant is right upon us, Frank!" he cried. 
 
 "Ready to jump!" called Merriwell, steadily, as 
 once more the ground seemed to quiver beneath the 
 feet of the pursuing beast. 
 
 "All ready !" Harry flung back. 
 
 "Now jump !" 
 
 Following directly behind Merriwell, Harry made a 
 spring into the air. 
 
 Frank had stooped forward and braced himself for 
 the shock, but, despite the fact that he knew what was 
 coming, he was nearly thrown from the wheel as Rat- 
 tleton alighted like a monkey on his back. 
 
 Another wild blast came from the elephant, and it 
 told that the great creature was close behind. 
 
 "Can you do it, Merry?" asked Harry, his voice 
 shaking somewhat. "If you can't, say so, and I will 
 drop off. It is better that one of us should be killed 
 than that I should cause the death of both." 
 
 "Cling fast !" came over Merriwell's shoulder. "We 
 are all right now. He can't overtake us!" 
 
 At first, however, it seemed that the monster would 
 do so, and Rattleton expected to be torn from Mer- 
 riwell's back at any moment. It was not long before
 
 n8 A Thrilling Adventure. 
 
 they were spinning along at a speed that was sure tc 
 keep them beyond the animal's reach. 
 
 "We have taken the wrong road," said Harry. 
 "The boys went the other way." 
 
 "That's right," said Frank. "I did not notice it till 
 it was too late to take the other road." 
 
 "I don't mind that if we can get away from the old 
 rogue behind us, and it begins to look as if we might." 
 
 "We'll get away, although this does not seem to be 
 a very good strip of road. He can't overtake " 
 
 "Look there!" 
 
 Harry interrupted with the cry, and, looking ahead, 
 Frank saw something that seemed to turn the blood 
 cold in his veins. 
 
 A short distance in advance there had been a plank 
 bridge across a small stream, but now the planks were 
 all torn up by three men, who, it was plain, were at 
 work constructing a new bridge. 
 
 Of the new bridge the stringers had been placed on 
 the supports, but not a plank was in place! 
 
 The stream was not very wide, but it was wide 
 enough to cause the boys to feel intense alarm, for
 
 A Thrilling Adventure. 119 
 
 they knew the elephant must overtake them if they dis- 
 mounted to cross. 
 
 A clear, ringing shout broke from Merriwell's lips, 
 attracting the attention of the laborers at the bridge. 
 
 The elephant seemed to answer that shout with a 
 shrill note. 
 
 The laborers looked up and stared stupidly, as if 
 they doubted the evidence of their eyes. 
 
 "Look out!" cried Frank. "The elephant is mad! 
 Run for your lives! Run, or he will kill you!" 
 
 One of the men awoke from his lethargy, and im- 
 mediately took to his heels, shouting some words to his 
 companions. 
 
 Frank did not abate his speed in the least, but, if 
 anything, sent the wheel flying faster than ever. 
 
 "Frank, Frank, are you crazy?" gasped Harry. 
 
 "No." 
 
 "What are you going to do? The bridge is down!" 
 
 "I see it is." 
 
 "Stop ! We will have to dismount to get across." 
 
 "If we dismount, we'll not get across." 
 
 "Then how "
 
 120 A Thrilling Adventure. 
 
 "Cling fast ! It is our only show for getting across 
 at all." 
 
 Straight at the bridge flew the bicycle, carrying its 
 double burden. Harry gasped for breath, beginning 
 to think Frank had lost his senses entirely. 
 
 By this time the remaining laborers realized their 
 peril, and they were running from the spot as fast as 
 their legs would take them. 
 
 In a moment the stream was reached. Out on one 
 of the stringers darted the bicycle, where to swerve 
 two or three inches at most must mean a disastrous 
 plunge a terrible catastrophe. 
 
 Straight as an arrow the bicycle sped along the nar- 
 row stringer, and the farthermost bank of the stream 
 was reached almost before Harry Rattleton could un- 
 derstand what had taken place. 
 
 "Hurrah!" cried Frank, with relief. "We did the 
 trick, old man!" 
 
 Again Rattleton gasped for breath. 
 
 "Gand of loodness I mean land of goodness!" he 
 palpitated. "How did you do it, Merry how could 
 you?" 
 
 "Had to do it," was the cheerful answer. "A fel-
 
 A Thrilling Adventure. 121 
 
 low can do almost anything when he has to, you. 
 know." 
 
 "But how did you dare to try it, Frank?" 
 "Dare! What was there to dare? It was far more 
 dangerous not to try it. This was a case of must." 
 "I'd never thought of trying such a thing never!" 
 Frank laughed. It was his old reckless laugh the; 
 laugh that escaped his lips in times of peril. 
 
 "Well, we are over the stream all right," he said; 
 "but those workmen may have to suffer when the ele- 
 phant arrives."
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 AN OLD FOE. 
 
 No longer could the boys hear the shrill trumpet- 
 ings of the pursuing monster, and, looking to the left, 
 they saw one of the laborers had halted and was star- 
 ing back toward the stream. 
 
 "What's up?" asked Frank, curiously. "What has 
 happened back there? Is the elephant still in pur- 
 suit?" 
 
 Harry managed to turn his head about till he could 
 look over his shoulder, and then he said : 
 
 "No; the elephant has stopped at the stream. He 
 is drinking. Hold on, Frank. Let's stop and see 
 what he will do. We have a good start, and we can 
 mount and get away before he can reach us, in case he 
 starts after us again." 
 
 Frank was ready to stop, and so Harry dropped 
 'down, and the two lads soon were on their feet. They 
 looked back, and saw that the elephant had stopped at
 
 An Old Foe. 123 
 
 the stream, where he was now drawing up water with 
 his trunk, and squirting it over his back. 
 
 "The water seems to have cooled his fury," observed 
 Frank. "He acts as if he has quite forgotten us." 
 
 "I hope he continues to remain forgetful," said 
 Harry, producing a handkerchief and mopping his 
 face. "Goodness! but this has been something aw- 
 ful!" 
 
 "It has been rather invigorating," smiled Merriwell. 
 "I wonder what sort of a racket we will run up against 
 next." 
 
 "I am ready for anything after this," declared 
 Harry. "Whose pet do you suppose that is, Frank?" 
 
 "Haven't an idea. I don't see any ribbon around 
 its neck." 
 
 "No, not so much as a string." 
 
 The boys now devoted themselves to watching the 
 elephant. The huge beast seemed to have forgotten 
 them entirely. After squirting water over its back 
 for a time, it contented itself with pulling down the 
 stringers of the bridge, which caused the laborers at 
 a distance to utter some violent language. 
 
 After a short time several horsemen were seen com-
 
 124 An Old Foe. 
 
 ing rapidly along the road, their appearance indicating 
 that they might be in pursuit of the elephant. 
 
 As soon as the horsemen saw the old fellow they 
 drew up and approached with caution. There were at 
 least a dozen of them, and, within five minutes, a cart 
 came tearing along the road, drawn by two foaming, 
 'dust-covered horses. The horses were driven by a 
 man who was standing erect and swinging a long whip, 
 which he cracked about the animals' ears, every crack 
 Sounding like the report of a pistol. 
 
 "They are after the elephant, sure enough," said 
 Frank. "It must be that the old fellow escaped from 
 some circus. Let's join them, and see how they go 
 to work to capture the beast." 
 
 "All right," agreed Harry, who was ready to follow 
 Frank anywhere. "But we'll have to be careful." 
 
 "Oh, we'll not go up and twist the elephant's tail," 
 laughed Merry. 
 
 "Not that kind of an elephant, although we have 
 tailed the elephant's twist I mean we have twisted the 
 elephant's tail in New Haven more than once." 
 
 The men were surrounding the great beast, which 
 paid not the slightest attention to them. The work-
 
 An Old Foe. 125 
 
 men came down and joined the others, excitedly an- 
 swering a hundred questions, a few of which were an- 
 swered. 
 
 These answers were enough to let the boys know 
 they were right in supposing the elephant had escaped 
 from a circus company, which was to perform that day 
 in a nearby town. 
 
 One of the pursuers was the elephant's trainer, and 
 his name was Tom Pearson. He was giving orders to 
 the others, and he harshly told the three laborers to 
 keep out of the way, as they might get hurt if they 
 took too much interest in things. The boys he did not 
 seem to notice. 
 
 The wagon had brought great ropes and irons for 
 binding the elephant, and these were in charge of three 
 men, who awaited orders from Pearson. 
 
 The elephant quitted the bed of the stream, lum- 
 bered up the bank, and made his way to a tree, against 
 which he lazily rubbed his body. The water had 
 seemed to pacify the old fellow in a most remarkable 
 manner, and yet Tom Pearson continued to caution 
 his assistants not to be too careless in approaching the 
 beast.
 
 126 An Old Foe. 
 
 A little furnace had been brought along in the 
 wagon. This was taken out and set up as soon as pos- 
 sible. Then a fire was lighted in it, and some wicked- 
 looking irons were being heated in the fire. 
 
 "I wonder what they are going to do with them?" 
 speculated Harry. 
 
 "The trainer means to use them to subdue the ele- 
 phant," explained Frank. "Sometimes it is the only 
 way old rogues can be conquered." 
 
 "Use hot irons? Goodness! Such a thing is far- 
 barously biendish I mean barbarously fiendish !" 
 
 "It does seem rather tough, but old trainers say many 
 elephants require a good dose of hot irons at least once 
 a year." 
 
 From the talk of the men, the boys learned that the 
 name of the elephant was Napoleon, and that he had 
 killed one trainer a year before. On this occasion, 
 he had broken the back of a horse, and then torn down 
 one of the smaller tents before escaping. 
 
 That the country roundabout knew of the escape was 
 apparent, for men and boys were arriving constantly, 
 the most of them eager to assist in capturing Na- 
 poleon.
 
 An Old Foe. 127 
 
 The younger boys kept at a distance as far as pos- 
 sible, while the older lads and the men were warned of 
 the danger of the undertaking, and informed that they 
 were taking their own risk in approaching. 
 
 Napoleon seemed docile now, and it was difficult to 
 believe that he was really dangerous. 
 
 The tree was surrounded, and the circle drew in 
 upon the huge animal, moving slowly. 
 
 "Which o' you fellers is Frank Merriwell?" asked 
 a boy, as he approached the two Yale lads. 
 
 "That is my name," assured Frank. 
 
 "Then you are the feller this is for." 
 
 The boy held out a slip of paper, which Frank toolc 
 with some surprise. 
 
 "Who gave you this?" he asked. 
 
 "Oh, a feller over yander," was the answer, as the 
 boy jerked his thumb toward the wagon. "He asked 
 me to take it to one of you fellers that wuz named 
 Frank Merriwell, an' he give me a quarter." 
 
 The boy displayed the money, with great satisfac- 
 tion, as he added: 
 
 "This will take me to the circus." 
 
 Frank unfolded the slip of paper, on which were a
 
 128 An Old Foe. 
 
 few penciled words written in a hasty scrawl with a lead 
 pecil. This is what he read : 
 
 "Look out for yourself, Frank Merriwell. You 
 have enemies near at hand, and they will not hesi- 
 , tate to injure you. A FRIEND." 
 
 Prank whistled. 
 
 ""Hello ! hello !" he muttered. "I wonder what this 
 means ?" 
 
 "What is it?" asked Harry. 
 
 Frank handed over the note, which Harry proceeded 
 to read. When he had done so, he cried : 
 
 "What sort of bunny fizriess I mean what sort of 
 funny business is this?" 
 
 "That is what I'd like to know/' admitted Merri- 
 well. 
 I "Is it a jolly?" 
 
 "You tell." 
 
 "Why should you have enemies near at hand?" 
 
 "Give it up, but I seem to have them everywhere." 
 
 Frank took the note and studied it a few seconds. 
 Then he said : 
 
 "I believe I know this writing, for it looks natural,
 
 An Old Foe. 129 
 
 but I can't tell when and where I've seen writing like 
 it." 
 
 "Bah !" exclaimed Rattleton. "Don't take any stock 
 in it. It is some sort of a game ; but how any one out 
 here should know your name is what sticks me." 
 
 "It is a mystery." 
 
 "Find out who sent this." 
 
 "I will. Where is the boy that brought it?" 
 
 But they looked around in vain for the youngster, 
 who had vanished while they were talking. 
 
 "He's gone." 
 
 "That's what he has," nodded Harry; "and that 
 makes me think all the more that it is some sort of a 
 game." 
 
 "Well, I will keep this note to look over when I get 
 a chance to do so. Just now I am interested to see how 
 they are going to recapture the elephant." 
 
 Frank thrust the note into his pocket, and, within a 
 minute, had quite forgotten about the mysterious warn- 
 ing. 
 
 The elephant was surrounded, and Fearson was 
 working to get the old fellow snared with one of the 
 stout cables. The cable was attached to the tree, near
 
 130 An Old Foe. 
 
 which the elephant had been a short time before, and 
 then, with a long, sharp-pointed iron, the trainer 
 charged in on the great beast. 
 
 The elephant saw Pearson coming, and turned pon- 
 derously. As he turned, Pearson darted nimbly past, 
 and a loop of the great rope was cast about the crea- 
 ture's leg. 
 
 Then the trainer drove the sharp iron into the beast's 
 thick hide, and fled for his life. 
 
 With a hoarse note of fury, Napoleon started in pur- 
 suit of the man. In a moment he reached the end of 
 the cable, and then came a shock, for the elephant was 
 flung to the ground with a jarring thud. 
 
 Again Pearson rushed forward, but he had been 
 drinking, as Frank had observed, and, making a mis- 
 step, he stumbled and fell. 
 
 The elephant was scrambling up, and the trainer lay 
 as if stunned. Not one of the circus men offered to go 
 to his aid. 
 
 Instantly Frank Merriwell broke through the line, 
 leaped forward, lifted the man to his feet, and sent 
 him spinning out of the reach of danger. 
 
 Then it was that Frank found another person at his
 
 An Old Foe. 131 
 
 shoulder; then it was that he saw and recognized one 
 of his bitterest enemies of Yale ; then it was that he re- 
 ceived a thrust that was half a blow, and that thrust 
 sent him reeling to fall within a few yards of the once 
 more infuriated old rogue. 
 
 The elephant was getting up, and its ugly little eyes 
 were fastened on the fallen boy. He had decided that 
 Frank should become a victim, and it seemed that Mer- 
 riwell would not find it easy to escape. 
 
 But Harry Rattleton had seen Frank rush forward 
 to the trainer's rescue, and he had not been slow to fol- 
 low. He had seen another person rush forward, and 
 he had seen that other person give Frank a savage 
 thrust. 
 
 A cry of rage broke from Rattleton's lips, and then 
 he leaped toward his fallen comrade. 
 
 Frank was trying to rise quickly, but he felt himself 
 lifted with a snap, swung about, and literally carried 
 from the spot. 
 
 Napoleon, wildly venting his rage, rushed after the 
 boys, but again he brought up at the end of the cable, 
 and again he was thrown heavily to the ground.
 
 132 An Old Foe. 
 
 Frank had saved the trainer, and he had been res- 
 cued by Rattleton. 
 
 "Close call, old man !" panted Harry, as he dropped 
 [Frank. 
 
 Frank whirled about, hoarsely demanding : 
 
 "Where is he?" 
 
 "Whom?" 
 
 "Evan Hartwick." 
 
 "Was it Hartwick who struck you?*' 
 
 "Yes, Hartwick, my old enemy the man who was 
 forced to leave Yale in order to avoid disgrace ! I saw 
 him at my shoulder, and he gave me the thrust that 
 hurled me to the ground. My old foe is here ! There 
 was something in the warning." 
 
 There was an excited crowd around the elephant, but 
 Frank saw a suit of a loud pattern in the midst of the 
 crowd, and toward that suit he sprang. 
 
 Merriwell soon had Evan Hartwick by the collar. 
 
 "I knew I was not mistaken !" he cried, triumphantly. 
 "So you are here, you scoundrel !" 
 
 "Yes, I am here!" grated Evan, his face livid with 
 rage.
 
 An Old Foe. 133 
 
 Then, with all his force, he struck straight at Frank's 
 face. 
 
 Merriwell dodged, and avoided the blow. In the 
 twinkling of an eye, he struck back, and Evan Hart- 
 wick measured his length upon the ground. 
 
 "That's right!" burst from Rattleton. "Stuff the 
 hammering out of him I mean hammer the stuffing 
 out of him ! It's what he needs !" 
 
 But Frank was not the sort of fellow to hit an en- 
 emy when that enemy was down, and so he waited for 
 Hartwick to arise. 
 
 One of the circus men caught Frank by the collar, 
 and pulled him away, saying, hoarsely: 
 
 "Here! here! quit yer fightin', youngkers! This 
 ain't no time for that kind of business." 
 
 Hartwick improved the opportunity to scramble to 
 his feet and get out of the way, showing he did not 
 care to again encounter Merriwell face to face. 
 
 "Follow him, and give him fits! Mark him, old 
 man!" 
 
 "What's the use?" cried Frank. "I knocked him 
 down all right, but I am ashamed to do anything more. 
 I feel that I have soiled my hands already."
 
 134 An Old Foe. 
 
 "If you don't, I will !" 
 
 Harry would have rushed after Hartwick, but Frank 
 caught him by the arm, and held him fast, saying, 
 swiftly : 
 
 "It is my affair, chum, and I will attend to it with- 
 out aid. I say let him go. I rather think one of his 
 eyes will be in mourning to-morrow." 
 
 "He ought to be thumped till he couldn't see for a 
 month! Do you did what he know I mean do you 
 know what he did ? Why, the miserable whelp knocked 
 you down hoping the elephant would kill you ! It was 
 a rank attempt at murder !" 
 
 "And it failed, as all of his attempts to harm me have 
 failed. In return he received a beautiful punch in the 
 eye. He may have deserved more, but I think we'll 
 have to let him off with that." 
 
 Harry was not satisfied, but he was forced to yield, 
 and thus Hartwick escaped with light punishment 
 for his dastardly attempt.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 TAMING AN ELEPHANT. 
 
 The snared elephant was raging about the tree in 
 the greatest fury, and, in this way, the beast soon en- 
 tangled itself most helplessly with the stout cable. 
 
 Then Tom Pearson's assistants brought up the small 
 furnace, and, with a wicked look in his eyes, the half- 
 drunken trainer examined the heating irons. 
 
 "Not enough yit," he growled. "Make 'em white 
 hot. Napoleon won't give up easy ter-day." 
 
 The irons were thrust back into the fire, and the 
 heating continued. 
 
 In the meantime the old rogue had again thrown 
 himself to the ground, and two of the men slipped loops 
 over two of the creature's other legs, the ends in 
 nearly opposite directions, placing them in the hands 
 of the men and boys who stood ready to do anything to 
 assist in the subjugation of the great beast. 
 
 Now the elephant was helplessly thrown, but he con-
 
 136 Taming an Elephant. 
 
 tinued to send shrill blasts of rage from his trunk, 
 which waved in the air like a signal of defiance. 
 
 Already that trunk was scarred in a frightful man- 
 ner, every scar telling of the torture which had been 
 inflicted on the rebellious old rogue at some former 
 time. 
 
 Again Pearson examined the irons. This time they 
 were hot enough to suit him, and he selected one of 
 them, with which he quickly approached the captive ele- 
 phant. 
 
 Napoleon saw Pearson coming, and saw the iron in 
 his hand. Then the great beast struggled with fierce 
 despair, screaming forth its fear and rage. 
 
 "Oh, I'll fix yer!" grated Pearson, as he flourished 
 the iron. "I'll fix yer so yer won't trouble me ag'in 
 fer a year !" 
 
 Taking care not to get near enough for the elephant 
 to strike him with its trunk, Pearson suddenly thrust 
 forth the long iron, and there was a hissing sound, as 
 of frying meat, while a whiff of smoke arose in the air. 
 
 Napoleon had been burned on the trunk. 
 
 The anger of the monster was something frightful 
 to witness, and it seemed that he would break the great
 
 Taming an Elephant. 137 
 
 cables that held him. It took the united strength of 
 the crowd to keep him from getting on his feet. 
 
 Fearson laughed in a brutal manner. 
 
 "I'll tame yer!" he said, with satisfaction. "I'll 
 make yer beg before I let up, you old devil !" 
 
 Again and again he burned the elephant's trunk, 
 which is the tenderest part of the creature, being the 
 most sensitive to pain. 
 
 Napoleon was stubborn, and the great beast refused 
 to give up for a time. Fearson changed irons, and 
 resumed the burning of the animal, snarling : 
 
 "I'll cook yer whole trunk if yer don't beg, dern yer ! 
 Beg, I tells yer beg ! beg ! beg !" 
 
 "It makes me sick, Frank!" muttered Harry, as he 
 turned away. "It is something awful to see !" 
 
 "It is not a pleasant spectacle," admitted Merriwell; 
 "but I have been told that it is the only way to conquer 
 some of the creatures. An ugly elephant is not easily 
 subdued." 
 
 "I should say not !" 
 
 For nearly ten minutes the trainer continued to ap- 
 ply the hot irons to the elephant. At last the creature 
 lifted its trunk, and uttered a plaintive sound.
 
 1 38 Taming an Elephant. 
 
 Pearson laughed triumphantly. 
 
 "That's right!" he cried; "beg, you old villain 
 beg! beg! I knew I could bring you to it!" 
 
 Then he cast aside the irons, saying to his assistants : 
 
 "It's all right now; Napoleon has given up, and 
 there will be no further trouble with him." 
 
 Without the least hesitation, he advanced upon the 
 elephant, and the creature made no attempt to do him 
 harm. 
 
 "That man has been drinking too much," said 
 Frank; "but he seemed to know how to bring the old 
 rogue to time." 
 
 "He is built for that sort of a job," said Harry, in 
 disgust. "His face shows he likes it." 
 
 "Every man to his calling. I presume elephant 
 trainers are necessary in order to handle the elephants 
 in the menageries." 
 
 "But it does seem that there must be some more hu- 
 mane manner of subduing them when they get ugly." 
 
 Pearson now proceeded to release Napoleon from his 
 bonds in the most fearless manner. 
 
 "Is it possible he is going to set the creature free ?" 
 gasped Harry.
 
 Taming an Elephant. 139 
 
 "It looks that way," nodded Frank. 
 
 "Hadn't we better be getting out of this ? Napoleon 
 may take a fancy to wreak vengeance on us as soon as 
 he is at liberty." 
 
 "I hardly think so. The elephant seldom is a tricky 
 animal, and when it promises to behave, it does so in 
 good faith. Napoleon has promised to behave." 
 
 In a short time the beast was able to arise. It got up 
 slowly, and stood with its trunk dangling straight 
 down. 
 
 As Frank and Harry were watching Diamond, 
 Browning and Toots appeared. 
 
 "Well, this beats the band!" drawled Bruce, in his 
 lazy way. "We saw you running away from the ele- 
 phant, Merry, with Rattleton on your back, and so we 
 kept right on, thinking the roads must come together 
 somewhere." 
 
 "But we found they did not," said Diamond. 
 
 "Dot war after we had done rode many as fo'teen 
 mile," declared the colored boy. "Den we had teh 
 turn roun' an' ride all dat way back." 
 
 "Toots didn't want to come back," said Jack. 
 
 "Now, don't yeh go teh slanderin' me, boy!" cried
 
 140 Taming an Elephant. 
 
 the colored lad. "I war jes' habin' mah liT joke, dat 
 am all." 
 
 "He was afraid of the elephant," explained Bruce. 
 
 "Horn ob Josh'way! mebbe yo' don' been 'fraid ob 
 de elumfunt at all, boy! Why, yeh was so' fraid it 
 am a plumb wondah yo' ain't runnin' erway on yeh 
 bisuckle now !" 
 
 "We found your wheel at the forks of the road, and 
 brought it along, Harry," said Jack. 
 
 "For which I am much obliged," said Rattleton. 
 "It saved me the trouble of going after it." 
 
 Then Jack and Bruce questioned Frank and Harry, 
 and the boys described the whole of their adventure 
 with the elephant, ending with telling of the mysterious 
 warning and the dastardly assault of Evan Hartwick. 
 
 "Hartwick here?" cried Diamond, a flush of anger 
 coming to his face. "How does that happen, Merry ?" 
 
 "I do not know," admitted Frank. "All I do know 
 is that he is here, and he tried to finish me." 
 
 "For which little trick he got off with one black 
 eye," put in Rattleton. "That was cheap." 
 
 "So it was," agreed Diamond. "I'd like to see hirrt 
 long enough to make the other eye a mate !"
 
 Taming an Elephant. 141 
 
 "If you are going to ride along with us, Harry," said 
 Frank, "you'd better mend the puncture in your tire." 
 
 "That's right," nodded Rattleton; "and I can use 
 the elephant trainer's fire to heat my wire, for burning 
 out the hole." 
 
 All the boys carried repair kits, so that they could 
 mend an ordinary puncture anywhere. Harry got his 
 out, and obtained liberty to heat the wire in the little 
 furnace. Then, surrounded by an interested and won- 
 dering crowd of Missouri country folk, who discovered 
 in the mending of the tire an attraction that rivaled 
 the sight of the elephant, Harry went to work. 
 
 In less than ten minutes the puncture was mended 
 and the tire blown up. 
 
 Some time later, when the procession started for 
 town, with Tom Pearson leading the now docile and 
 quiet Napoleon, the bicycle boys mounted their wheels 
 and pedaled along with the crowd, getting into town 
 near ten o'clock. 
 
 The place was in great excitement. The "Grand 
 and Gorgeous Street Parade and Pageant" of Springer 
 & Spofford's "Unequaled and Unrivaled Consolidated 
 Shows and Menagerie" was billed to take place at II
 
 142 Taming an Elephant. 
 
 o'clock A. M., and already the roads leading into town 
 were thronged with country people on their way to 
 witness the free exhibition and balloon ascension. 
 
 They were flocking into the place in all sorts of con- 
 veyances, and not a few were coming on foot. 
 
 Without delay, the boys hastened to a hotel and or- 
 dered dinner, which, fortunately, they were able to 
 have served in short order. By the time the hour of 
 the parade arrived the young tourists had satisfied their 
 hunger, and were ready to "see the sights." 
 
 By this time the principal street of the town was 
 lined with people, all of whom seemed eager for the 
 appearance of the procession. 
 
 "I have an idea, fellows," said Frank, as they stood 
 in front of the hotel. 
 
 "Give it to us," invited Diamond. 
 
 "I'll bet a cigarette it is something to cause us labor 
 and trouble," drawled Browning, languidly. "That is 
 the trouble with all of Merry's schemes. If he'd think 
 of some restful sort of scheme some time, it would be a 
 great relief." 
 
 "You are a regular Weary Willie," said Rattleton.
 
 Taming an Elephant. 143 
 
 "If you keep on resting and eating, you'll make a first- 
 class fat man in the side show of some circus." 
 
 "That would be an easy way to make a living," mur- 
 mured Bruce. 
 
 "It wouldn't be long before you'd not have energy 
 enough to draw your salary, to say nothing about your 
 breath." 
 
 "You are very frivolous, young man," reproached 
 Bruce. "You may not be aware that I traveled with a 
 show once on a time." 
 
 "What sort of a show?" 
 
 A theatrical company, playing at nothing but first- 
 class houses." 
 
 "How did you obtain your engagement? Was the 
 manager crazy?" 
 
 "No ; but the audience was after watching me act a 
 while." 
 
 This was said in Browning's dryest manner, and it 
 produced a burst of laughter from the others. 
 
 "Hdlo!" exclaimed Jack, pointing to a genuine 
 tramp who was loafing along the street; "that fellow 
 needs clothes bad."
 
 144 Taming an Elephant. 
 
 "He has them that way," smiled Frank. "I don't 
 see how they could be worse." 
 
 The tramp noticed the boys, and immediately ap- 
 proached them. 
 
 "Excuse me, young gents," he said, touching the 
 brim of his tattered hat with an attempt at a military 
 gesture; "yer sees in me a sample o' hard luck der 
 hardest kind o' luck. Wot I needs is a lift. I tole a 
 man dat back here, an' he give me one wid his boot. 
 It's not dat sort I'm lookin' fer, young gents. You 
 looks well fed an' prosperous, an' I t'ought yer might 
 cough up a quarter for a poor devil wid a t'irst bigger'n 
 a house." 
 
 "I am shocked!" exclaimed Rattleton, with mock 
 seriousness. "It can't be that you drink?" 
 
 "Not warter, young gent excuse me. Wen I was 
 a young feller a doctor tole me I had an iron consti- 
 tution. Ever since den I've shunned warter, fer I 
 don't wish ter rust me constitution." 
 
 This was said in a whimsical manner, and brought 
 another laugh from the boys. 
 
 "Seriously," said Diamond, "what drove you to 
 drink in the first place ?"
 
 Taming an Elephant. 145 
 
 "A hackman. I had money ter burn in dem days, 
 pal" 
 
 "That's one on you, Jack," smiled Frank. Then he 
 turned to the tramp, and asked: "Are you ever sober?" 
 
 "Not on purpose," instantly answered the hobo. 
 
 "Sir," said Browning, languidly, "what is the great 
 drink question?" 
 
 "Wot'll yer take?" 
 
 "That is right; but, if I were in your place, I'd take 
 a hammer to my voice." 
 
 "T'anks. A hammer wouldn't be no good, pal, arter 
 some o' der t'ings I have taken to it." 
 
 "What is your name?" inquired Frank. 
 
 "Well, yer sees, I was named Henry ; but me mudder 
 uster call me Hen. Dat was because I was alwus layin' 
 'round." 
 
 By this time the boys were in such good humor that 
 Frank said : 
 
 "That is worth a quarter, and here you have it." 
 
 He flipped the tramp a quarter, which was caught 
 in the most skillful manner. Then the hobo touched 
 his hat again, expressed his thanks in a fluent flow of 
 language, and hastened away.
 
 146 Taming an Elephant. 
 
 A short time later the sound of a blatant band was 
 heard in the distance, indicating that the parade was 
 approaching. 
 
 "By Jove !" cried Frank ; "I nearly forgot my idea, 
 of which I was speaking." 
 
 "Is it too late to give it to us now ?" 
 
 "No. It is this : Why not take out wheels and fall 
 in behind the procession ? Our uniforms would attract 
 attention, and it might be an advertisement for old 
 Yale." 
 
 To this the lads immediately agreed, and they has- 
 tened to don their sweaters and bring out their bi- 
 cycles. 
 
 Down the street came the parade, headed by the 
 band in a battered wagon that had once been gaudy 
 with paint and gilt. Following the band were men 
 and women in soiled finery, mounted on tired-looking 
 horses, cages of "wild" animals, ponies, broncos, 
 "real" cowboys, clowns, and, "last but not least," Na- 
 poleon, "the Wonderful Trained Elephant, Intelligent 
 as a Human Being, Harmless as a Child." 
 
 Next to the band wagon rode "Mile. Fatima, Queen 
 of the Air;" and "Little Lotta, the Child Wonder."
 
 Taming an Elephant. 147 
 
 The woman was painted and powdered and scrawny; 
 . the child was blue-eyed, golden-haired and flowerlike. 
 
 "Look at them!" exclaimed Frank, with sudden in- 
 terest. "You can see what that woman has become. 
 Is it possible that innocent-looking child will ever be 
 like her?" 
 
 "It is probable that she will if she follows the same 
 sort of life the woman has led," said Jack. 
 
 "It's a shooming blame I mean a blooming shame !" 
 spluttered Rattleton, excitedly. "The Society for the 
 Prevention of Cruelty to Children should take hold of 
 the case." 
 
 "Dat am a fac'," nodded Toots, wisely. 
 
 Browning did not make a remark ; it was too much 
 of an effort for him to do so. 
 
 The crowd stared in open-mouthed wonder at the 
 parade. They gasped when the cage of "Untamed 
 African Lions" came along, with "Prof. Wallace, the 
 Greatest Animal Trainer in the World," seated between 
 the two toothless old beasts, occasionally flourishing a 
 heavy whip. 
 
 The children were convulsed by the clowns, who 
 made funny faces and did other idiotic things. They
 
 .48 Taming an Elephant. 
 
 were delighted by the sight of the ponies, and filled 
 with wonder at the size of the miserable elephant, fail- 
 ing to note the terrible scars and burns on the trunk of 
 the unfortunate animal. 
 
 "Look at that man Pearson !" urged Diamond, point- 
 ing at Napoleon's master. "I believe he is drunker 
 than he was when we first saw him." 
 
 "That's what he is," nodded Frank. "Why, he can 
 scarcely stagger along. He is a healthy sort of ele- 
 phant trainer !" 
 
 "If Napoleon should take a fancy to obtain revenge, 
 he'd not have much trouble to do up Fear son," ob- 
 served Rattleton. 
 
 Then came a surprise for them all. The last car- 
 riage of the procession was a light buggy, driven by a 
 Hack boy. On an elevated seat in the buggy was a 
 youth in a suit adorned with an abundance of gold 
 lace. In a loud voice the youth was announcing a 
 free open-air exhibition and balloon ascension imme- 
 diately on the arrival of the procession at the circus 
 grounds.
 
 Taming an Elephant. 149 
 
 "May I be hanged!" cried Rattleton. "So that's 
 the jink of a kob I mean the kind of a job Hartwick 
 has with this circus !" 
 
 "He has to do something, you know, after his old 
 man turned him out to shift for himself," murmured 
 Browning. 
 
 It was, indeed, Hartwick. He saw the boys on the 
 steps of the hotel, and the words suddenly died on his 
 tongue. He glared at Frank, and his face was con- 
 vulsed with a look of the most intense hatred. 
 
 "See him smile on you, Merry!" chuckled Harry, 
 giving Frank a nudge. 
 
 Merriwell returned Hartwick's look with one of 
 mingled scorn and pity, causing the lad in the carriage 
 to turn away, muttering a savage exclamation. 
 
 "Really I am sorry for him," declared Frank. "He 
 had ungovernable passions, and they have worked his 
 downfall. He was born with a temperament that will 
 be his final ruin. He was not considered such a bad 
 fellow at Yale till he became jealous of me and tried to 
 injure me."
 
 150 Taming an Elephant. 
 
 "He was not considered bad, but he was bad at heart, 
 just the same," stiffly declared Diamond. 
 
 "Well, we'll not argue about that point," said Frank. 
 "Come on ; we'll fall in behind, and follow to the circu? 
 grounds."
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE SHELL GAME. 
 
 At the circus grounds a great crowd assembled. 
 There were several kinds of side shows in small tents, 
 lemonade and peanut stands, fakirs who were selling 
 "solid cold watches" for fifty cents each, and scores of 
 other schemes to snare and swindle the unwary and 
 unsophisticated. 
 
 The principal side show, which was connected with 
 the circus, was in full blast beneath a small tent, in 
 front of which was strung a long series of weird and 
 astounding oil paintings on huge squares of canvas, 
 representing 1 all sorts of impossible things, from the 
 "Wonderful Wild Man of New Zealand" to a "Real 
 Mermaid, Captured Alive in the South Sea." 
 
 In front of the entrance to this tent, standing on an 
 elevated platform, and shouting his alluring descrip- 
 tions of the marvels to be seen within, was the an- 
 nouncer for the side show, a decidedly tough-looking 
 young man.
 
 152 The Shell Game. 
 
 From the peak of the center pole of the great tent 
 to the ground ran a wire, down which it was announced 
 Little Lotta would "coast with the speed of the wind, 
 suspended by the hair of her head." 
 
 Not far from the large tent was an inflated balloon, 
 secured to the ground by strong ropes, and in this bal- 
 loon "Prof. Andre" was to make his "breathless, brain- 
 bewildering ascension into the dim remoteness of dis- 
 tant space." 
 
 The announcer in front of the side show continued to 
 tell the crowd that the big show would not begin for 
 more than an hour, and the box office in the ticket 
 wagon would not be opened for more than half an 
 hour, giving every one a chance to witness all the won- 
 ders of the free exhibition and side show. 
 
 Arriving at the ground, the young tourists left their 
 bicycles in charge of Toots, and wandered around. 
 
 "This is a great and glorious day for red lemonade 
 and peanuts," laughed Harry. "It is just hot enough 
 to make the lemonade look cool and inviting, and the 
 peanuts are bound to add to the thirst of whoever in- 
 dulges in them." 
 
 "Look at the crowd of jays around that fellow over
 
 The Shell Game. 153 
 
 there," said Jack. "Let's see what sort of a game he 
 is running." 
 
 The boys pushed into the crowd, soon obtaining a 
 position where they could see what was taking place. 
 
 Then it was that Rattleton came near shouting out 
 an exclamation of wonder. 
 
 "Smoly hoke no, holy smoke!" he gasped. "Do 
 you see him, Frank? do you see the bird who is run- 
 ning this skin business?" 
 
 "Yes, I see him," said Merriwell, calmly. 
 
 "It's it's Rolf Harlow, from New Haven!" came 
 from Diamond's lips. 
 
 Bruce said nothing, but there was a grunting sound 
 in his throat, and that sound was very expressive. 
 
 "Harlow Harlow, the shard carp I mean the card 
 sharp!" palpitated Rattleton. "Harlow, the crooked 
 gambler! And he is at his old tricks." 
 
 "That's what he is," said Frank. "He seems de- 
 termined to get his living in a dishonest manner." 
 
 In front of Harlow was a stand, on which were 
 three ordinary half-shells of walnuts. Besides those 
 shells there was a small black ball, about as large as a 
 pea. Harlow was rolling the ball about, now and then
 
 154 The Shell Game. 
 
 covering it with a, shell, while a perfect stream of 
 smooth, suave language flowed from his mouth. 
 
 "Here, gentlemen," said Rolf, "you see an honest 
 game of chance a game at which any man of average 
 intelligence and clear eyes may win a small fortune. 
 Watch the little joker, gentlemen see it roll. Now it 
 is hidden from view. * The shells are all down, and I'll 
 go you something there is not a man here who can pick 
 out the shell that covers the little fellow." 
 
 "Oh, shucks!" cried a lank man, with long, to- 
 bacco-stained whiskers. "That's easy. Whir be you 
 frum that you think yer can fool fo'kes with that trick, 
 mister?" 
 
 "I am from the East the raw and unsophisticated 
 East," answered Harlow, with a smile. "It is pos- 
 sible that the people of the East are more easily de- 
 ceived that you smart, snappy, up-to-date Westerners. 
 Living in crowded cities, as the Eastern people do, 
 their eyes become weakened and their sight shortened, 
 till it is not such a difficult thing to deceive them. Out 
 here, where you have wide tracts of Nature's most glo- 
 rious domain to gaze upon, it is but natural that your
 
 The Shell Game. 155 
 
 eyes should be keener and sharper than the eyes of the 
 men who are shut in between the dark walls that crowd 
 and shadow the streets of an Eastern city. In the 
 East I made a great deal of money. Here is some of 
 it." 
 
 He displayed a huge roll of bills, bright and crisp 
 and new. The bill on the outside of the roll was worth 
 a hundred dollars, and the sight of all that money 
 caused the country people to gasp and stare greedily. 
 
 "I am willing to lose all this money in trying to fool 
 some of you people out here," Harlow continued. "I 
 have lost some of it already, and you may break me 
 here. If you do, I'm going to quit trying to fool 
 Westerners, and go back East, where the graft is easy. 
 So walk right up, gentlemen, and relieve me of my du- 
 cats. You will be welcome to them if you win them. 
 And you will win them if you find the shell beneath 
 which the little joker is hidden. Now watch it again. 
 Here it goes. Hickro, domino, presto I'll bet there 
 isn't a person present who can tell which shell it is 
 under." 
 
 "The middle one/' called a voice. 
 
 "What's that?" cried Harlow, in pretended surprise.
 
 156 The Shell Game. 
 
 "How can it be there? Aren't you mistaken, sir? It 
 must be under one of the end ones." 
 
 "No, sir," persisted the voice; "it is under the mid- 
 dle one." 
 
 "Shall I lift the middle shell?" asked Rolf. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "All right." 
 
 The shell was lifted, and the pea was shown be- 
 neath it. 
 
 "Say, that's what I told you !" cried Harlow, in pre- 
 tended anger and disgust. "Your eyes are too sharp 
 for me. I think I will close up now, and quit business 
 before I begin." 
 
 He made a pretense of gathering up his outfit, and 
 then seemed to change his mind, saying: 
 
 "No, gentlemen, I'll not be frightened away in this 
 manner. I see some of you are laughing. I do not 
 like to be laughed at. I am willing to lose five hun- 
 dred dollars before I quit. Somebody will get that five 
 hundred. Who is the lucky man? Here goes the lit- 
 tle joker again, gentlemen. Watch him. Ha! you 
 think he is under the end now I know you do."
 
 The Shell Game. 157 
 
 "Not much," called the same voice. "He is under 
 the other end." 
 
 Harlow lifted the shell indicated, and there lay the 
 tiny black ball. 
 
 "This is what I call very provoking!" he exclaimed. 
 "Still, you are losing money, sir. If you had been bet- 
 ting, you would have a slice of my roll now. Ten dol- 
 lars for one, remember. If you put up five dollars and 
 name the shell that covers the pea, you get fifty dollars 
 in return. Ten dollars wins a hundred, and so on in 
 the same proportion. Now, who makes the first trial ? 
 Here goes the little fellow again. Watch him! watch 
 him! I am going to do my best to deceive you this 
 time. Ah! now he is settled, and who will name the 
 shell that covers him?" 
 
 A young man, roughly dressed, pushed to the front 
 and lay down a five-dollar bill, saying: 
 
 "I'll go yer that much. If I win, I get fifty?" 
 
 "Sure, my friend. Name the shell, and you receive 
 the fifty flat. Which is it now?" 
 
 "That one thar." 
 
 The shell was lifted, and there lay the pea.
 
 158 The Shell Game 
 
 "Here you get your money," said Harlow, as he 
 counted out fifty dollars. "Try it again?" 
 
 "Yes. I'll go yer ten this time." 
 
 "All right. Watch the little joker. See the jolly 
 little fellow roll. Here he goes, and there he goes. 
 Now he is gone. Where is he ? Locate him, and you 
 receive a cold hundred for your ten." 
 
 "Middle one." 
 
 "Be careful ! You want to be sure this time." 
 
 "Middle one." 
 
 Harlow scowled. 
 
 "Shall I lift the middle one?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "All right." 
 
 The shell was lifted, and the pea was there. 
 
 "A hundred you win, sir," said Harlow, as he 
 counted out the money. "That's what I call getting 
 good money easy. But you are too much for me I 
 can see that. This is your last chance. You must 
 give others an opportunity to get some of this wealth, 
 for I see they are anxious. No person can have more 
 than three shots at me in succession, win or lose. Here
 
 The Shell Game. 159 
 
 goes the joker again. Your last chance. Where is 
 he?" 
 
 "I'll bet a hundred dollars I can pick out the shell I" 
 cried the one who had won twice. 
 
 "All right. You get a thousand if you win, and 
 that is a small fortune for any man. Are you ready? 
 Choose." 
 
 "Middle one, ag'in." 
 
 With an exclamation of apparent fury, Harlow lifted 
 the middle shell, and the black pea was exposed once 
 more. 
 
 "Now, that is what I call wretched luck for me !" 
 he growled, as he counted out the money. "I said I 
 would lose five hundred, and I have lost more than a 
 thousand. Well, I am glad you can't choose again, 
 sir! Take your money and leave. I am so deep in 
 the hole that I shall try to see if I can't recover some of 
 it. If every man who tries this game has your luck, 
 I shall be busted in a short time." 
 
 The winner took his money, and, laughing trium- 
 phantly, turned away. 
 
 He was Evan Hartwick. 
 
 "Well, that is what I call rather slick !" smiled Frank
 
 160 The Shell Game. 
 
 Merriwell. "Hartwick and Harlow are working the 
 snap together. Hartwick is Harlow's capper, and they 
 do the thing very well. Now we'll see a rush of hay- 
 seeds, who will be eager to get some of Harlow's 
 money before it is all gone." 
 
 "But where did he get so much money?" asked Dia- 
 mond, in wonder. "He must be loaded with it. 5> 
 
 "He must be. It is plain that they have been catch- 
 ing any amount of suckers out this way, or that stuff 
 is counterfeit." 
 
 "Hartwick gets his clothes changed pretty soon after 
 the procession reaches the grounds," said Rattleton. 
 "He was flashily dressed while making his announce- 
 ments with the parade." 
 
 "It is plain that he makes a great rush to get around 
 and give Harlow a lift. But look at the jays now 
 who are thirsting to lose their money." 
 
 Around Harlow's table was an eager crowd of men 
 who were fairly trembling with excitement and eager 
 greed. They pushed and shoved each other, fearing 
 they would be too late to secure a portion of the money 
 remaining in Rolf Harlow's possession. 
 
 "Don't get ^xcited, gentlemen," said the slick young
 
 The Shell Game. 161 
 
 sharp, with a calm smile. "I shall endeavor to accom- 
 modate you all. When you have cleaned me out, I'll 
 shut up shop, but I'm bound to last quite a while. This 
 is not all the money I have. There is more where this 
 roll came from. Now be quiet, and watch the little 
 joker. Here you see him, a common black ball. He 
 is a lively fellow. See him roll. Now he is gone, 
 and I defy you to tell where he is. This is business. 
 Ten dollars for every one you stake, if you find the 
 little joker." 
 
 "Gosh!" gurgled Harry Rattleton. "He'll make a 
 big haul, if he catches every fellow who wants to put 
 up something." 
 
 "But he shall not catch them !" exclaimed Frank. 
 
 Then, with surprising strength, Frank tore the 
 crowd apart, and forced himself to the front, his clear 
 voice ringing out : 
 
 "Hold on, gentlemen ! Wait a moment before you 
 put up any money. I have something to tell you." 
 
 The crowd was not pleased by this interruption. 
 Some growled and muttered, while others tried to push 
 Frank back.
 
 1 62 The Shell Game. 
 
 But the young Yale man was not to be stopped. He 
 reached the front, and there he distinctly cried : 
 
 "I know this fellow who is running the game." 
 
 Harlow turned pale and shook with rage. 
 
 "Merriwell!" he gasped. 
 
 "I know him well," Frank went on; "and I assure 
 you that he is a thoroughbred crook. There is not an 
 honest bone in his body, and he will beat you out of 
 your money, if you put your money up." 
 
 "Liar!" grated Harlow, choking with intense pas- 
 sion. 
 
 "How do you know so much?" asked one of the 
 would-be gamblers. 
 
 "I know it because this is not the first time I have 
 seen him work his crooked game," declared Frank. 
 "This is not the first time I have exposed him in his 
 swindling operations." 
 
 "How about the young feller that won a thousand 
 dollars?" asked another. 
 
 "He is this chap's friend and capper. They stand 
 in together. He is the one who made the announce- 
 ments from the rear end of the parade as it passed 
 through town. He has changed his clothes, and does
 
 The Shell Game. 163 
 
 not look the same, that is all. It was arranged that he 
 should win, so that others might be induced to play. 
 That is the whole trick, and you will lose everything, 
 if you try to beat this young swindler at his own 
 game." 
 
 "It is a lie, gentlemen !" cried Harlow, his voice 
 trembling. "This fellow has a grudge against me, and 
 he is trying to injure me. That is the truth. Do not 
 believe a word he says." 
 
 "It is straight goods, gentlemen," asserted Jack, as 
 he reached Merriwell's side. "I can swear that the fel- 
 low over there is a swindler, for I have been beaten by 
 him myself." 
 
 "And I am in the same boat," confessed Harry, join- 
 ing his friends. "He difed me kneep I mean he 
 knifed me deep; and he will knife you, if you play his 
 game. That is what he intends to do." 
 
 "Which is correct," murmured Bruce, who was the 
 last to come forward. "The slick rascal's name is 
 Harlow, and he was run out of an Eastern town for 
 playing poker with marked cards." 
 
 A murmur arose on the air, growing louder and 
 louder. Harlow found himself surrounded by scowl-
 
 1 64 The Shell Game. 
 
 ing faces, and he suddenly realized that he was in dan- 
 ger. He grew pale, looking around in a manner that 
 showed he contemplated flight. 
 
 The murmur swelled to a sullen roar. 
 
 "Grab him !" shouted a hoarse voice. 
 
 Then Rolf Harlow realized that he was in peril, and 
 he made a desperate break to get away. Thrusting 
 those near him aside, and abandoning his outfit for 
 swindling, he dashed through the crowd and took to 
 his heels.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 LITTLE LOTTA. 
 
 "Well," languidly drawled Bruce, as he watched the 
 shouting pursuers disappear around the big tent, "Mr. 
 Harlow had better hurry right along, or he may be 
 rumpled." 
 
 Then the boys turned and found Frank reading some 
 writing on a slip of paper. 
 
 "What have you there, old man?" asked Diamond. 
 
 "Another warning." 
 
 "When did you get it?" 
 
 "At the moment when the crowd started after Har- 
 low. It was thrust into my hand by some person." 
 
 "You did not see who thrust it into your hand?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "What does it say?" 
 
 Then Frank read as follows : 
 
 "Beware, Frank Merriwell; heed my warning. If 
 you remain here, your enemies are bound to do you 
 some great injury. Go on your way. If you do not, 
 you will be sorry. A FRIEND/'
 
 1 66 Little Lotta. 
 
 "Who is this friend who is taking so much trouble 
 to warn you in such a mysterious manner ?" said Jack, 
 perplexed. 
 
 "You can answer the question as well as I can," con- 
 fessed Frank. 
 
 "I do not believe it is a friend/' broke out Harry. 
 "I believe it is Hartwick, who is trying to frighten 
 you away." 
 
 "You are wrong in that." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "Hartwick knows me better than to think for a mo- 
 ment that I could be frightened away in such a man- 
 ner." 
 
 "That is true/' nodded Rattleton. "Hartwick would 
 not try that kind of a game on Merry, you bet !" 
 
 "Then who " 
 
 "That is the question," said Frank. "If it is not an 
 enemy trying to frighten me away, it must be a friend ; 
 but why any one should take so much interest in me is 
 more than I can understand." 
 
 The more the boys studied over the matter, the more 
 puzzled they became. Why any one should take so
 
 Little Lotta. 167 
 
 much trouble to warn Merriwell, and keep in the back- 
 ground all the while, was a mystery not easy to solve. 
 
 There was a movement of the crowd toward the 
 largest tent, and then it was seen that Little Lotta was 
 preparing for her trip down the taut wire. 
 
 Sitting on a seat like that of a swing, the seat being 
 attached to a block that ran on the wire, the child was 
 drawn to the very peak of the center pole of the great 
 tent. 
 
 She was dressed all in white, and laughed and kissed 
 her hands to the crowd during the ascent, but Frank, 
 who had been near at the start, fancied there was a 
 frightened look in her eyes. Merriwell had heard her 
 talking to Tom Fearson, who was at the lower end of 
 the wire, and she had tremblingly said : 
 
 "You'll be sure to catch me and save me from com- 
 ing down hard and being hurt, Mr. Fearson you 
 won't fail?" 
 
 "Of course not hie! you little fool!" Fearson 
 coarsely answered. "What's ther matter with yer! 
 Go 'long, before I box yer ears !" 
 
 "Please don't strike me!" pleaded the child, as she 
 cowed like a dog that fears its master.
 
 368 Little Lotta. 
 
 "The brute !" muttered Frank. 
 
 Then two men pulled away at the line that drew the 
 child to her perilous position above the loftiest part of 
 the great tent, where she hovered like a little white 
 angel, seeming to hesitate about taking that frightful 
 plunge down the wire. 
 
 Some arrangement had been made so the child was 
 able to attach her hair to the small block that ran on 
 the wire. 
 
 This Lotta did, while the crowd of spectators 
 watched her with breathless interest. 
 
 The swinging seat, which had been removed from 
 the block, was left attached to the line by which the 
 child had been drawn up. Then the little girl poised 
 herself for the descent. 
 
 A moment later she unfolded a pair of snowy white 
 wings, and then she came shooting down the wire, 
 looking like an angel descending to earth. 
 
 Frank had been watching Tom Fearson, and he saw 
 the drunken elephant trainer was paying very little at- 
 tention to the girl. Fearson was heedless, and he 
 turned to look away, after giving the signal for Lotta 
 to descend.
 
 Little Lotta. 169 
 
 "Confound him!" muttured Frank, springing for- 
 ward. 
 
 Then Pearson turned, and, as the child came rushing 
 into his arms, caught her in a bungling fashion. 
 
 Lotta uttered a cry of pain, and the last bit of color 
 fled from her pretty face, as if she were about to faint. 
 
 "What d'yer want to squawk fer?" snarled Pearson, 
 as, staggering from the shock, not having been well bal- 
 anced on his feet when she struck his arms, he barely 
 succeeded in keeping from falling. 
 
 The girl did not reply, but Frank saw she was gasp- 
 ing for breath. 
 
 Pearson gave her a savage shake, hissing in her ear : 
 
 "Why don't yer answer w'en I speak ter yer? 
 Wat's the matter with yer? Don't play none of yer 
 flip-flap business on me!" 
 
 "Don't !" gasped the child. "You are hurting me !" 
 
 "Rot!" growled the brute, repeating the shake. 
 "You want me hie ! ter think ye' re soft and delicate, 
 but " 
 
 The man was suddenly astonished to feel the little 
 girl snatched from his arms, while a hand fastened on 
 his collar, and a voice cried in his ear :
 
 ijo Little Lotto. 
 
 "You big brute!" 
 
 A second later Fearson was sent whirling from the 
 spot, spinning round and round, like a top, till he lost 
 his balance and fell heavily to the ground. 
 
 It was Frank who had dared thus to lay hands on 
 the elephant trainer, and, as he held the little girl gen- 
 tly in his arms, he softly said : 
 
 "Don't be afraid ; I'll not harm you. Where is your 
 dressing-tent ?" 
 
 She looked up at him, wonderingly. 
 
 "Why!" she exclaimed; "you are not one of the 
 men !" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "If you had been, you would not have dared touch 
 him." 
 
 "Perhaps not." 
 
 "Oh, they all fear him everybody fears him! He 
 has such an awful temper! He'd as lief kill any one 
 as not!" 
 
 "I don't doubt it. A man who can take delight in 
 torturing an elephant must be a murderous brute." 
 
 "He is sure to hurt you. Aren't you afraid now ?" 
 
 "No, dear, I am not afraid of him. I rather fancy
 
 Little Lotta. 171 
 
 he is a coward at heart, although he likes to play the 
 bully." 
 
 "If you knew him, you'd be afraid I know you 
 would." 
 
 Then Frank again asked the child the way to the 
 dressing-tent, and, when she had shown him, still hold- 
 ing her in his arms, he hurried in that direction, 
 watched by the wondering spectators. 
 
 Fearson sat up, and looked around in a drunken way, 
 but he was so bewildered that it took him some time to 
 get his eyes on Frank. At last, he saw the young col- 
 lege lad, just as Merriwell bore Little Lotta into the 
 dressing-tent. 
 
 "Hey!" roared Fearson; "drop her!" 
 
 But Merriwell did not seem to hear him. 
 
 Then the elephant trainer began to curse, and he 
 tried to scramble to his feet, but fell over in a helpless 
 heap. 
 
 "Let me give you a hand," said a voice, and, look- 
 ing up, Fearson saw Evan Hartwick bending over 
 him. 
 
 "So shyou?" came thickly from Fearson' lips.
 
 172 Little Lotta. 
 
 "Well, w'at d'yer think I want help fer ? I'm all right 
 Lemme 'lone!" 
 
 Despite his protests, Hartwick helped him to his 
 feet. 
 
 As soon as he was upright, Fearson seemed to re- 
 cover in a measure, and the language that fell from his 
 lips would not look well here. A look of satisfaction 
 came to Hartwick's face, as he heard the man cursing 
 the lad who had thrown him down. 
 
 "I know that fellow," declared Hartwick, in a man- 
 ner that attracted the trainer's attention and caused 
 him to stop cursing for a moment. 
 
 "Well, I don't care if yer do!" snarled Fearson. 
 "He may be a friend o' yours, but I'm goin' ter punch 
 his head jes' ther same !" 
 
 "He is no friend of mine," declared Evan, in a 
 guarded voice. "He is an enemy, and I hate him more 
 than I hate any other person on the face of the earth !" 
 
 "Well, I'm goin' ter kick ther stuffin' outer him! 
 Come erlong, an' you'll see some fun." 
 
 "Wait a minute, Fearson ; I want to tell you some- 
 thing. You are in no condition to tackle him now." 
 
 "Why not?"
 
 Little Lotta. 173 
 
 "You're half shot." 
 
 "No such thing hie ! I'm all right. He's nothing 
 but a kid. I could lick him 'fi had twict ther load." 
 
 "That's where you make a mistake. He's a scrap- 
 per." 
 
 "Don't care; he's a boy. I can lick a boy." 
 
 "He is more of a man than you think. And I tell 
 you that you had better go slow. Take my warning." 
 
 Pearson flung Hartwick off in a savage manner. 
 
 "Git out!" he snarled. "I know my business!" 
 
 "All right," said Evan; "go ahead. You will know 
 more after you are through with Frank Merriwell. 
 Then you may come to me, and I'll have a talk with 
 you." 
 
 Pearson rolled away toward the dressing-tent. 
 
 In the meantime, Frank had boldly carried Little 
 Lotta into the tent, paying no attention to the per- 
 formers who were dressing for the show. Lotta 
 guided him to a corner, where a shabby curtain was 
 hung, making a little alcove, in which there could 
 be a pretense of secrecy. 
 
 "This is where I dress," she explained, as she sat 
 down on a box just outside the curtain, and leaned
 
 174 Little Lotta. 
 
 against a pile of trappings, still looking pale, but 
 with a suggestion of color returning slowly to her 
 cheeks. "Mile. Fatima dresses here, too." 
 
 "Who is Mile. Fatima?" asked Frank, by way of 
 saying something. 
 
 "She says she is my mother," answered the girl, 
 slowly. 
 
 "And your father?" 
 
 "He's dead." 
 
 "How about Fearson ? What is he to you ?" 
 
 "Fatima says he is my uncle." 
 
 "How long have you been with a circus?" 
 
 "Ever since I can remember." 
 
 "Do you like it?" 
 
 "Sometimes I do. I like to hear the applause and 
 see the people waving their hands and handkerchiefs; 
 but I have to work so hard all the time, and it never 
 seems that I am rested. Oh, I'd give so much to go 
 away off somewhere where there are no circuses and 
 just do nothing but rest, rest, rest !" 
 
 Frank's heart was touched, and his heart went out 
 to the pretty child whose life was so hard, and who 
 longed so much for rest.
 
 Little Lotta. 175 
 
 "Don't you get rest in the winter time?" 
 
 "Oh, no!" 
 
 "But the circus does not run right along through 
 the winter ?" 
 
 "Sometimes it does. One winter we traveled all 
 the time in the South, but down there, in some of the 
 States, circuses have to pay such big licenses that 
 they stay away." 
 
 "What do you do when the circus is not traveling?" 
 
 "Work practice every day learning new feats. 
 And then I get scolded and hit and whipped and kept 
 hungry when I fail. Oh, I tell you it is not easy!" 
 
 Frank flushed. 
 
 "Whipped and kept hungry!" he muttered. "Who 
 dares treat you in such an inhuman manner?" 
 
 "Fatima." 
 
 "Your mother?" 
 
 "The one who says she is my mother." 
 
 "Who says so! Then then you think she is not 
 your mother?" 
 
 "It doesn't seem that she can be my really and truly 
 mother," said the child, in a low tone. "Sometimes
 
 176 Little Lotta. 
 
 I dream of a really and truly mother, and she is not 
 at all like Fatima her face is so different. The 
 mother I see in my dreams has such a sweet, good 
 face, and she smiles on me so tenderly! I know that 
 face so well, and I love it so much! It is white and 
 beautiful, but there is something sad about it, as if 
 she were sorry for me. That face bends over me, 
 and the lips touch my hair and my cheek, and, oh! 
 that touch is so much like heaven ! Sometimes I dream 
 that I put my arms about her neck, and that her arms 
 are about me, and I beg her not to let me go, but to 
 keep me with her forever and ever and ever. Then 
 she kisses me again, and she tells me I shall come to 
 her some time. And that that makes me know she is 
 my really and truly mother. It does not seem that it 
 is all a dream, but sometimes I think that I have really 
 known that face, and then it is like a memory of one 
 who has lived and held her arms about me and touched 
 my hair and my eyes with her kisses." 
 
 The child stopped speaking, her chin all a-quiver, 
 her eyes filled with tears, and a deep look of longing 
 on her face. 
 
 Frank Merriwell felt his heart swelling within him,
 
 Little Lotta. 177 
 
 and he longed to rescue the girl from the wretched life 
 she was leading. 
 
 "Lotta," he softly said, as he dropped on one knee 
 beside her, "I believe you are right. I do not think 
 Fatima is your truly mother, and I " 
 
 "What's that?" cried a harsh voice. "What are 
 you telling the child ? What business have you in here, 
 artyhow ? Git out, before some of the men break your 
 neck!" 
 
 Frank leaped to his feet and turned to find Mile. 
 Fatima at hand. She was glaring at him in a furious 
 manner, her painted lips drawn back from her teeth, 
 and her hands clinched. At that moment she looked 
 like a crouching panther that was about to spring.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PEARSON FINDS A MASTER. 
 
 Little Lotta uttered a cry of alarm, and her face 
 became pale with fear, while she shrank away. 
 
 Frank arose quickly, and turned to face the woman. 
 He was about to speak, when Tom Fearson came rush- 
 ing into the tent. 
 
 "Here, Tom here!" cried Fatima, pointing to 
 Frank. "Throw this meddling young wretch out !" 
 
 "That's w'at I will!" snarled the elephant trainer; 
 "an' I'll break his face before I throw him out!" 
 
 Frank immediately realized that he was in for 
 trouble, and he prepared to meet Fearson. 
 
 For the first time the other men in the tent began 
 to pay some attention to the young fellow who had 
 entered with Lotta. Had he come in alone, he would 
 have been run out in a hurry, but the child was his 
 passport, and nothing had been said to him. 
 
 Fearson tore off his coat and thrust back the sleeves
 
 Pearson Finds a Master. 179 
 
 of his red shirt, as he advanced upon Frank. His face 
 was flushed, but his step was not unsteady. 
 
 "Git out ther way, Mag!" he growled, as he caught 
 the woman by the arm, and whirled her aside. "I 
 want plenty o' room ter scatter that young fool all 
 over ther tent" 
 
 "Run !" cried Little Lotta, getting hold of Frank's 
 hand "run, or he will kill you!" 
 
 But the youth did not seem at all afraid of Tom 
 Fearson. Instead of running, he faced the elephant 
 trainer coolly, and said: 
 
 "If you know when you are well off, you will let 
 me alone. As sure as you try to lay a hand on me, 
 I'll close both of your eyes !" 
 
 "Wats that?" howled the man, in astonishment. 
 "Do I hear straight? You you close my eyes?" 
 
 "That is what I said." 
 
 Fearson laughed hoarsely. 
 
 "Ho ! ho ! ho ! Why, you won't have time ter ketch 
 yer breath arter I git my paws enter yer !" 
 
 "Oh, he will kill you !" again exclaimed the child. 
 
 "Don't be afraid," said Frank, quietly. "That will 
 not be such an easy task as he thinks."
 
 i8o Pearson Finds a Master. 
 
 "Go for him, Tom!" shrilly cried the woman, eager 
 to witness the punishment of the youth. 
 
 Then Fearson rushed at Frank, trying to grasp him. 
 
 With the utmost ease, the young athlete avoided the 
 awkward man, slipped under his arm, at the same time 
 giving Fearson a dig in the ribs that brought a grunt 
 of pain and astonishment from the elephant trainer's 
 lips. 
 
 Fearson snarled as he turned awkwardly, and then, 
 without delay, made another rush at Frank. 
 
 Pud crack! One was a body blow, and the other 
 landed on the man's left eye, nearly knocking him 
 down, and completely dazing him for a moment 
 
 As Fearson stood there, with a hand pressed over his 
 eye, Frank could have finished him; but, feeling that 
 the man had been drinking, Merriwell was ashamed to 
 strike him again. 
 
 The performers and tentmen gathered about, amaze- 
 ment expressed on their faces. 
 
 "He's only a boy!" exclaimed one. "How did he 
 do it?" 
 
 "If he'd known Fearson, he'd never dared," declared 
 another.
 
 Pearson Finds a Master. 181 
 
 "Pearson will beat the breath of life out of the strip- 
 ling's body before the affair is over," said a third. 
 
 "We'll have to look out that he doesn't kill the boy," 
 another put in. 
 
 This caused Frank to smile. 
 
 "Gentlemen," he said, "you need not be alarmed. 
 Mr. Pearson will not harm me in the least." 
 
 "Hey !" roared the trainer, dropping his hand. "I'll 
 tear yer heart out, that's what I will !" 
 
 Then he again made a charge for Merriwell. 
 
 The very fact that he had met such a reception at the 
 hands of the youth was enough to make the man wild 
 with rage. He gnashed his teeth, and his eyes glared, 
 while he tried to beat down the lad with his heavy fists. 
 
 Frank parried the blows, and stopped the rush with 
 a terrible jolt that landed on Pearson's chin. Then the 
 boy nailed the trainer in the right eye, sending him 
 reeling backward. Pxclamations of astonishment 
 broke from the witnesses. 
 
 "He's a scrapper !" cried one. "I'll bet my dough on 
 the youngster! A 'V even that he licks Pearson! 
 Who takes it?" 
 
 There was no taker.
 
 1 82 Pearson Finds a Master. 
 
 The trainer heard the words, and they stung him like 
 the cut of a whip. He had been the bully of the cir- 
 cus. Was it possible he was to be overthrown and 
 humiliated by a mere boy? 
 
 Almost frothing at the mouth, he made a third at- 
 tempt to get at Frank Merriwell, who was calmly 
 waiting to receive him. 
 
 This time Fearson was more cautious. He brushed 
 his hand across his eyes, realizing that they were be- 
 ginning to swell already, and remembered Frank's 
 promise to close them. 
 
 "I'll finish him before they go out on me," mut- 
 tered the man, as he tried to force the fighting. 
 
 But he was unable to force it much, for Frank was 
 nimble on his feet, and he would come in and give his 
 foe two or three cracks, and then get away without re- 
 ceiving a blow in return. 
 
 The witnesses began to realize that the youth, for 
 all of his years, was a thoroughly scientific fighter, and 
 was getting the best of Fearson, who employed noth- 
 ing but brute force. 
 
 At last, Frank determined to end the fight as quickly 
 as possible, realizing Fearson would not give up till he
 
 Pearson Finds a Master. 183 
 
 was quite knocked out. Then he went after the ele- 
 phant trainer in a manner that quite took away the 
 man's breath. 
 
 Frank gave Pearson a genuine prize-fighter's thump 
 under the heart, and cracked him on the jaw with the 
 other fist, sending the man to the ground in a quiver- 
 ing heap. 
 
 With a scream of fury, Fatima rushed at the youth, 
 trying to clutch him with her fingers, an expression of 
 the most malignant hatred on her face. 
 
 Fortunately, that scream warned the lad, and he man- 
 aged to avoid her. She was grasped by several of the 
 circus men, one of whom said to Frank : 
 
 "Take my advice and skip out. You have licked 
 Fearson, and licked him fairly; but he is revengeful, 
 and he will not let the matter drop. He will be furious 
 enough to shoot you, when he comes around and finds 
 out what has happened." 
 
 Frank stooped beside Little Lotta, and softly said : 
 
 "I am going now, but I'll try to see you again. Do 
 not forget me, dear. Remember me as your friend." 
 
 "I'll never forget you," she whispered. "Oh, you 
 are so handsome so brave so good ! Never never
 
 184 Pearson Finds a Master. 
 
 before have I seen one like you! No, no! I'll not 
 forget you! But look out for Fearson. Good-by." 
 
 "Good-by!" 
 
 Then Frank left the tent. 
 
 Merriwell felt very well satisfied over what he had 
 done, for he believed Tom Fearson was a brutal fellow 
 who deserved the thrashing he had received. 
 
 Fearson had seemed to take delight in torturing Na- 
 poleon, the elephant, and this had opened Merriwell's 
 eyes to the man's true nature. 
 
 Frank had heard that, at times, it was an absolute 
 necessity to use hot iron on "rogue" elephants in or- 
 der to conquer them; but it was because Fearson 
 seemed to rejoice in an opportunity to burn Napoleon 
 that the boy had been so disgusted with him. 
 
 When the man displayed his drunken brutality 
 toward Little Lotta it was more than Merriwell could 
 endure and remain inactive. 
 
 The words of the child as she told him of her dreams 
 of a mother she could not remember had awakened in 
 'Frank's heart a feeling of intense pity and a desire to 
 take her far away from the soul-dwarfing life she had 
 been compelled to lead.
 
 Pearson Finds a Master. 185 
 
 "If I could do that," thought the boy, "it would give 
 me the greatest satisfaction. Is there no way?" 
 
 He pondered over the question. 
 
 The crowd about the tents had grown denser, and 
 the voice of the man in front of the side-show was 
 louder and more blatant than ever, as he temptingly 
 described the attractions to be seen within. 
 
 The crowd was densely packed about the balloon, 
 which seemed to be straining and struggling with the 
 ropes that held it to the ground, as if eager to soar 
 away. 
 
 As Frank looked, he saw a man in tights and span- 
 gled trunks entering the basket of the balloon. 
 
 "The ascension is about to take place," muttered 
 Merriwell, as he hastened toward the spot. 
 
 Of a sudden, his attention was attracted by the 
 sounds of blows, and then came shrill cries in Toots' 
 familiar voice. 
 
 "G'way, dar, yo' mean white raskel!" screamed the 
 colored lad. "What yo' doun', boy? Marser Frank 
 will bre'k ebry bone in yo' body when he hear ob dis 1" 
 
 Frank hurried forward, and, in a moment, came
 
 1 86 Pearson Finds a Master. 
 
 upon a sight that filled him with astonishment and un- 
 utterable anger. 
 
 On the ground lay two battered and broken bicycles, 
 and beside them was a sledge-hammer, which had been 
 dropped from the hands of the one who had ruined the 
 machines with a few fierce blows. 
 
 The person who -had worked this ruin was Rolf Har- 
 low, who had turned to hurry from the locality. 
 
 In this manner Harlow had sought to get square with 
 Merriwell for exposing his crooked shell game. 
 
 Snap! Frank's teeth came together. Then, with 
 his eyes flaming, he made a rush for Harlow. 
 
 It happened that Rolf saw Frank coming, and the 
 look on Merriwell's face turned the cowardly fellow's 
 blood cold in his veins. He realized that he would be 
 severely handled if Merriwell succeeded in getting hold 
 of him. 
 
 Wildly Rolf looked around for some means of es- 
 cape. 
 
 At that very moment men were casting off the last 
 rope that held the balloon to the ground. 
 
 Like a flash Harlow made up his mind, and he rushed 
 for the balloon, with Frank in hot pursuit.
 
 Pearson Finds a Master. 187 
 
 Rolf grasped the edge of the basket to clamber into 
 it, and then the rope was cast off. 
 
 Like a bird, the released balloon shot into the air, 
 carrying the clinging lad beyond Frank's grasp. 
 
 Frank barely missed Rolf's feet, but he realized that 
 his enemy had escaped, and he saw the man in the car 
 get hold of the boy's hands and drag him over the 
 side. 
 
 The crowd sent up a roar that was half a cheer, and 
 the aeronaut gracefully waved his hand, as the balloon 
 bore man and boy away. 
 
 Harlow bent over the side of the basket, his face 
 white but triumphant, and shook his fist in Merriwell's 
 direction. 
 
 Frank was disgusted. 
 
 "It's lucky for you that you found such a means of 
 escaping !" he muttered, as he turned to see how much 
 damage had been done to the bicycles. 
 
 Toots was standing beside the broken wheels, in an 
 attitude of grief and despair. He wrung his hands as 
 he saw Frank approach. 
 
 "Oh, Marser Frank!" sobbed the colored boy; "I 
 lebber step no mo' dan ten foot erway! I jes' step
 
 1 88 Pearson Finds a Master. 
 
 off a liT bit to see de balloon go up, an' den dat low- 
 Idown, no 'count white trash come an' bre'k de bi- 
 suckles!" 
 
 With his hands on his hips, Frank surveyed the 
 broken wheels. He saw that they were ruined. 
 
 "Well, this means that we'll have to purchase two 
 more wheels," he said, paying very little heed to Toots. 
 
 "I'll wo'k teh pay fo' um, Marser Frank," said the 
 colored boy, quickly. "It wur all mah fault. I neb- 
 ber dream anybody would do a t'ing teh dem bisuckles 
 while de balloon was goin' up." 
 
 "Well, Harlow didn't do a thing to them!" ex- 
 claimed Frank, grimly. "But he had better have a 
 care that he doesn't get battered up like these wheels." 
 
 At this moment Browning, Diamond and Rattleton, 
 who had been "taking in the sights," approached. 
 When they saw what had happened and heard Frank's 
 story, they were wild with rage. 
 
 But Harlow was far beyond their reach, and all they 
 could do was stand and watch the balloon till it drifted 
 far away, becoming a mere speck in the distance. 
 
 "What'll we do, Frank?" asked Rattleton. "Is this
 
 Pearson Finds a Master. 189 
 
 going to knock us out and trip our spoil I mean spoil 
 our trip?" 
 
 "Not much," came from Merriwell's lips. "This 
 town should have a bicycle agency ; it is large enough. 
 We may be able to obtain wheels here. If not, I am 
 sure we can find anything we want in Kansas City. 
 Two of our wheels are ruined, but the others are all 
 right. Without a doubt, Harlow intended to smash 
 them all, but he was not given time to finish the dirty 
 job. He chose a fine time for the job, just when ev- 
 erybody's attention was attracted by the balloon ascen- 
 sion that was to take place in a moment." 
 
 "If we are not able to procure wheels here, two of 
 us will have to travel by rail to Kansas City," said Dia- 
 mond. 
 
 "That is right/' 
 
 "Then I suppose Browning is one who will be sure 
 to make the trip by rail," Harry observed. 
 
 Then, to the surprise of all, Bruce said : 
 
 "Not on your life, children ! I set out to ride across 
 the continent on a wheel, and 'I propose to ride it. 
 When I get back to Yale, the fellows will be trying to 
 jolly me about making a bicycle trip in a passenger
 
 190 Pearson Finds a Master. 
 
 coach, and I want to tell them I did not ride that way, 
 and tell the truth. If one of those broken wheels be- 
 longs to me, I am going to camp right here in this 
 town till I get fitted out with another. That's what's 
 the matter with little Brucie." 
 
 "Good boy!" cried Frank, with satisfaction. "You 
 have the right sort of stuff in you, old man ! They call 
 you the laziest man at Yale, but there are others." 
 
 "Thanks," drawled the big fellow. "I haven't any 
 small change." 
 
 Frank proposed that they take the uninjured wheels 
 back to the hotel, where they could be locked up till 
 they were needed. 
 
 This was done, and the bicycles were stored in a 
 room where the landlord declared they would be safe 
 from harm. 
 
 Then Frank told the boys of his adventure in the 
 dressing-tent, and of his encounter with Fearson. 
 
 "By jingoes!" cried Rattleton. "We tried to get 
 into the tent, but they would not admit us. We'd 
 come in anyway, if we'd known you were in that kind 
 of a scrape." 
 
 "You bet we would !" nodded the young Virginian.
 
 Pearson Finds a Master. 191 
 
 "Jes' yo' stay wif us, Marser Frank," advised Toots. 
 "If yo' don't yo' enemies am gwine teh cotch yeh suah." 
 
 "One of them is not likely to trouble me again for 
 some hours," smiled Merriwell. "Harlow is far away 
 by this time. And I rather fancy Hartwick will keep 
 away. As for Pearson, I do not fancy his eyes are in 
 condition to see me very well." 
 
 "Isn't it rather remarkable that Hartwick and Har- 
 low should be together out here?" asked Browning. 
 
 "Oh, I don't know. Harlow is a gambler, and this 
 circus must have enabled him to snare a great many 
 suckers. As for Hartwick well, he's out of college, 
 and he must do something for a living, so he has cast 
 his fortunes in with those of Harlow. It is plain that 
 they are standing together, and whacking up on the 
 boodle." 
 
 The boys left the hotel and returned to the circus 
 ground, where they found the ticket wagon was open, 
 and the ticket-seller was making change, as he sold 
 tickets, with marvelous rapidity. Inside the tent the 
 band was banging away, and a great crowd was pour- 
 ing in at the entrance. 
 
 The boys purchased tickets, and entered the tent
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 EVENTS AT THE CIRCUS. 
 
 "The Monster Menagerie of Wild and Savage 
 Beasts from All Parts of the Globe" was to be seen in 
 the first tent entered by the boys. As they walked 
 in, they each were handed a small bill by a boy who 
 was stationed near the entrance. The small bills an- 
 nounced a "Grand Performance" to be given in the 
 main tent after the regular programme. 
 
 As they were looking at the animals, Frank sud- 
 denly uttered a sharp exclamation, and then said : 
 
 "Well, this thing is getting rather monotonous, to 
 say the least 1" 
 
 "What is it ?" asked Diamond, with immediate inter- 
 est. 
 
 "Take a look at this," invited Merriwell, handing 
 him the bill. 
 
 On the margin was some writing, and Jack read : 
 
 "This is the third warning, Frank Merriwell, and 
 you had better heed it. You have made a desperate
 
 Events at the Circus. 193 
 
 enemy of Pearson, and Hartwick has made a compact 
 with the elephant trainer to do you up. You may not 
 escape with your life from this tent unless you go at 
 once. A FRIEND/' 
 
 "Well, say !" said Jack, "certainly this is getting tire- 
 some ! What are you going to do about it ?" 
 
 "See the boy who gave me this bill." 
 
 Back to the boy at the entrance went Frank, followed 
 by the others, but not the least satisfaction could he get 
 out of the youth, who positively declared that he knew 
 nothing of the writing on the margin of the small bill, 
 and could not explain how it came there. He said he 
 simply had given Frank a bill, the same as the others 
 who came in, and had seen no writing upon it." 
 
 "It is plain that he won't tell," said Frank, in dis- 
 gust, as he turned away, "and that settles it." 
 
 "What are you going to do ?" asked Jack. 
 
 "Nothing." 
 
 "You will pay no attention to the warning?" 
 
 "Certainly not." 
 
 "You had better peep your eyes keeled I mean keep 
 your eyes peeled," said Rattleton, hurriedly. "It is 
 pretty certain that your enemies are active, and it would
 
 194 Events at the Circus. 
 
 not surprise me to learn that it is true that Hartwick 
 has hired Pearson to kill you. I do not believe Evan 
 Hartwick would hesitate at that, though he might not 
 -have the nerve to try the job himself." 
 
 "You do not seem to have a very good opinion of 
 Hartwick," smiled Frank. 
 
 "Good opinion of him !" snorted Harry. "Why, he 
 is the biggest scoundrel I ever knew in all my life !" 
 
 "He is quite a ruffian," acknowledged Merriwell. 
 "I have had other enemies, but I think Hartwick the 
 meanest of them all. Beside him, Roland Ditson, who 
 was almost the first to try to do me dirt when I entered 
 Yale, seems like a puppy dog." 
 
 "Did you ever notice that Evan Hartwick and Fred 
 Flemming, who became your enemy after you were 
 rivals for a position on the Varsity eight, are very 
 much alike in looks and disposition?" asked Diamond. 
 
 "Yes, I have noticed it," nodded Frank ; "but I do 
 not think Flemming would carry his hatred quite as 
 far as Hartwick." 
 
 "I don't know about that. He is a reckless fellow." 
 
 "That is true, but it seems to me that Hartwick, in 
 an intense fit of fury, might not hesitate at the greatest
 
 Events at the Circus. 195 
 
 of crimes, while Flemming would not go beyond a cer- 
 tain limit." 
 
 "You may be right, but I fancy Flemming sets that 
 limit pretty high. It is almost a dead sure thing that 
 he hired the ruffians to kidnap you, in order to keep you 
 from running at the Madison Square Garden tourna- 
 ment, Frank." 
 
 "Yes, I believe Flemming was at the bottom of that 
 job, but he made a fizzle of it; and it may be that he 
 will drop the fight when I get back to college." 
 
 "Don't fool yourself in that way," drawled Brown- 
 ing. "Mr. Flemming will be on hand, and he'll con- 
 tinue to be your enemy." 
 
 "He should take warning by what befell Hartwick. 
 If he wishes to remain at Yale, he'd better go slow." 
 
 At last, they came to the elephant. Poor Napoleon 
 was standing behind his rope, slowly and monotonously 
 swinging his trunk, while he swayed from side to side 
 in a manner that indicated he was still in great pain 
 from the burns he had received some hours before. 
 
 "It seems a shame to treat any sort of a beast in such 
 a manner," said Harry. "I wonder that he should be- 
 come so docile after being burned that way."
 
 196 Events at the Circus. 
 
 "It is rather singular," said Jack. 
 
 "Dat elumfunt ain't so docile as he might be, chil- 
 luns," declared Toots, as he remained at a distance. 
 "Jes' yo' tek a look at -his odder eye. Land ob water- 
 millions ! but de berry ole debbil am in dat eye, suah's 
 yeh bawn !" 
 
 "He has a bad look in his eyes," nodded Frank. 
 "They say elephants never forget, and I do not believe 
 he will forget the treatment he has received this day." 
 
 "Don* yeh get too neah dat elumfunt, Marser 
 Frank," warned Toots. "He's gwan teh use somebody 
 rough befo' long, an' he might tek eh noshun teh swat 
 yo' with dat tail he kerries on der front end ob him." 
 
 At this moment, having seen the boys near the ropes, 
 Tom Fearson came forward. His face showed that he 
 had "been up against something hard," for both his 
 eyes were nearly "buttoned up." Seeing Frank, he 
 caught up a bar of iron, such as had been used to burn 
 the elephant, and started for the lad he hated. 
 
 Napoleon saw Fearson catch up that iron, and it is 
 certain that the great beast fancied it was to be tortured 
 once more. Quick as a flash, the elephant sent '* 
 trunk coiling around Fearson.
 
 Events at the Circus. 197 
 
 Then came a shout of terror from the trainer's lips 
 a shout that electrified those who heard it. The 
 man dropped the iron bar, as he was swung aloft by 
 the elephant's trunk. 
 
 Then Fearson was dashed to the ground with terrific 
 force, and he lay there stunned, unable to get away. 
 
 Slowly, and with murderous intent, the elephant 
 reared its great form, lifting its forward feet from the 
 ground. 
 
 Frank realized that the creature intended to bring 
 those feet down upon the helpless man, which would 
 crush the life out of Pearson's body in an instant. 
 
 It seemed that Frank moved with the quickness of 
 thought itself. Under the rope he plunged, caught 
 the trainer by the collar, and dragged him away. 
 
 Just in time. Down came the elephant's feet, miss- 
 ing the intended victim by a narrow margin. 
 
 Then men rushed forward and forced Napoleon 
 back, while Frank carried the trainer still farther from 
 the dangerous point, taking him beyond the elephant's 
 sight. 
 
 Some of the circus hands aided Merriwell to take
 
 198 Events at the Circus. 
 
 Pearson into the dressing-tent, and there the man was 
 stretched on a blanket that was spread on the ground. 
 
 The trainer was conscious, and his half-closed eyes 
 seemed to be turned toward the boy who had saved his 
 life. His lips moved, but nothing save an inarticulate 
 mumbling sound came from them. That mumbling 
 sounded like a curse. 
 
 "He is not grateful because you saved his life, 
 Merry," said Diamond, who, with the other boys, had 
 followed Frank into the tent. 
 
 "It makes no difference," said Merriwell, quietly. 
 "He is a human being, and I would do it again, under 
 the same circumstances." 
 
 It seemed that a queer look passed over Pearson's 
 bruised face, but this time he did not mumble. 
 
 Not a few of the men about showed a sort of satis- 
 faction over the fate that had befallen the trainer. They 
 had disliked him, some had hated him, nearly all had 
 feared him. 
 
 A doctor was sent for, and Pearson was left lying 
 on his blanket alone. 
 
 Having seen the trainer carried into the dressing- 
 tent, the boys returned to the big tent. There the ex-
 
 Events at the Circus. 199 
 
 citement caused by the catastrophe had calmed down 
 somewhat. 
 
 It was announced that the performance in the "great 
 ring" was about to begin, and they hastened to secure 
 seats. 
 
 Then came the grand parade of all the performers. 
 It was "grand" in name only, andjvas similar to nearly 
 all such parades, with which most traveling circuses 
 open their performances. 
 
 After the parade there was some bareback riding of 
 a decidedly inferior order, but it seemed to satisfy the 
 audience. 
 
 Two clowns came out and perpetrated the same 
 moldy gags that clowns have persisted in inflicting on 
 a long-suffering and inoffensive public for the last fifty 
 years or more. 
 
 Men and women jumped through paper-covered 
 hoops, horses jumped five-barred gates, which were 
 held at such a slant that a tired tortoise might have 
 made a bluff at jumping them, and everybody cried 
 hoop-la! and pretended it was very marvelous and as- 
 tonishing.
 
 2oo Events at the Circus. 
 
 The same little jackass came out and capered around 
 the ring, and the ringmaster offered the same old hun- 
 dred dollars to any man who would ride the jackass, 
 and the same fake countryman came lumbering over 
 the circle of dirt and fell onto the sawdust, after which 
 he went through the same chestnutty business of trying 
 to ride and being thrown off, till he lay down on the 
 little animal's back, locking his legs about its neck and 
 his arms about its body, with his head toward its tail, 
 in which manner he rode around the ring with the same 
 success as usual. 
 
 "Well, say!" laughed Frank, "it is the old game 
 from start to finish. Toots seems to find it funny." 
 
 The colored boy was roaring with laughter, clinging 
 to his sides, and rocking forward and backward. 
 
 "Gracious sakes to goodness!" gasped Toots. "I 
 nebber seen nuffm' lek dat ! Shoo fly, chilluns ! Wha's 
 de matter wid yo' ? Yo' don' seem happy at all." 
 
 After a time, Prof. Wallace, Fatima and Little Lotta 
 were announced, in their marvelous an'd astounding 
 aerial feats on the flying trapeze. 
 
 "^rank caught his breath.
 
 Events at the Circus. 201 
 
 "I don't feel like staying to see this," he declared. 
 "I am afraid it will be too much for my nerves." 
 
 But he remained, although his face was very pale 
 when the man and woman, dressed in fleshings, came 
 running into the ring, with the little girl between them.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 LITTLE LOTTA'S LAST APPEARANCE. 
 
 The trapeze performers received a round of ap- 
 plause, which caused them to bow and kiss their 
 hands, Little Lotta doing so in a manner that made 
 Frank think her heart was filled with pain, although she 
 had forced a smile to her face. 
 
 "It's a shame!" muttered Merriwell, clinching his 
 hands. "Such a thing should not be allowed!" 
 
 "Right," nodded Diamond. "She should be attend- 
 ing school, instead of doing such business as this." 
 
 "I do not believe she is in condition to perform to- 
 day," said Frank. "I think she still feels the injury 
 she received when she slid down the wire, and I'll wager 
 anything she has been forced into this against her 
 will." 
 
 "Dat am what I call a scand'lus shame," put in 
 Toots. 
 
 Mile. Fatima was first drawn up to the swinging bar,
 
 Little Lotta's Last Appearance. 203 
 
 and then the child followed, while "the professor" 
 came last. 
 
 Then they began to give their part of the exhibition, 
 .which was far superior in merit to that which had pre- 
 ceded. Some of their feats were first class, and Frank 
 held his breath as he saw Little Lotta tossed about in 
 the air as if the distance to the ground were but a few 
 inches. 
 
 "Some time she'll fall, and that will finish her," 
 whispered Harry Rattleton. "Why don't they have a 
 net below them?" 
 
 "They should have," said Frank. "It is rank care- 
 lessness to do their act in this manner. There are 
 some men down there, but the chances are they would 
 not break the child's fall if she came down. She'd 
 strike the ground before Oh !" 
 
 There was a shriek, a small body shooting through 
 the air, and a shuddering gasp of horror from the spell- 
 bound spectators. It was all over in a moment. 
 
 Little Lotta had fallen. 
 
 She had been partly caught by one of the men below, 
 but he had not caught her fairly, and she lay in a quiet 
 heap of pink upon the ground.
 
 204 Little Lotta's Last Appearance. 
 
 Women shrieked and covered their eyes, while men 
 groaned and cursed. The great crowd was horror- 
 stricken. 
 
 Frank seemed to move quicker than the circus hands 
 themselves. Down from his seat he leaped, and over 
 into the ring he went. He stooped and gathered the 
 child in his arms, his face even whiter than the face 
 that was framed by those yellow curls. Her eyes were 
 open, and she saw him recognized him. 
 
 "It's come at last !" she whispered. "I am going to 
 meet her now the dear, dear mother of whom I 
 dreamed so often ! I saw her face as I fell, and I heard 
 her call me ! I'll not be tired any more, for I shall rest 
 in her arms." 
 
 Tears blinded Frank's eyes, and his heart arose in 
 his throat and choked him. 
 
 "No, no, Little Lotta!" he panted. "You shall not 
 die, if doctors can save you! You shall have the best 
 of attendance, no matter what it costs!" 
 
 "I don't want to live, dear friend," she faintly re- 
 turned. "I do not care to live and continue the old life. 
 It is too hard and cruel. I'd rather die, and go to my 
 dear mother who loves me so."
 
 Little Lotta's Last Appearance. 205 
 
 "If you live, you shall not continue the old life! I 
 swear it ! I will find a way to take you from it !" 
 
 Then a rough man grasped him by the shoulder, and 
 other men tried to take the little girl from him; but 
 she let her arms slip around his neck, and entreated :. 
 
 "Do not let me go, dear friend ! Hold me tight !" 
 
 "Lead the way," said Frank to the men. "I will 
 follow." 
 
 And, rather than produce a scene, they permitted him 
 to bear her from the great tent into the dressing-tent. 
 
 Fortunately, the doctor who had attended Tom Fear- 
 son was still on hand, and he made a hasty examination 
 of the child's injuries. 
 
 "Left leg and two ribs broken," he said. "She may 
 be injured internally. Doubtful if she'll ever perform 
 again." 
 
 Prof. Wallace and Fatima heard the words. The . 
 man cursed like a pirate, while the woman snarled : 
 
 "The little fool ! Why should she fall like that, and 
 take the bread and butter out of our mouths !" 
 
 "Brutes!" muttered Frank Merriwell. 
 
 Then he gave directions that the girl be taken to the 
 best hotel in town, and given the very best room.
 
 206 Little Lotta's Last Appearance. 
 
 "You'll have to pay the bills," sneered Prof. Wal- 
 lace. "You needn't think we're going to foot the bills 
 for any such luxuries for the little brat !" 
 
 Frank's anger flamed forth. 
 
 "Don't you worry about that, sir !" he cried.' "I will 
 pay the bills. As for you and this woman with you, 
 you should be in the penitentiary for causing the child's 
 injuries and possible death !" 
 
 Lotta was removed to the hotel, and Frank soon had 
 all three of the physicians in the place at work over her. 
 While he was waiting outside the room to learn of their 
 success, he was astonished to see a lad whom he knew 
 suddenly appear before him. 
 
 It was Tom Thornton, a Yale student who had been 
 Frank's enemy in other days, although he had given 
 his promise to trouble Merriwell no more. 
 
 "Hello !" cried Merry, showing his surprise. "You, 
 too? Then three of my old enemies are here, instead 
 of two." 
 
 "I acknowledge that I was your enemy once," said 
 Thornton ; "but I have tried to befriend you of late. I 
 warned you of a plot against you in New York, al-
 
 Little Lotta's Last Appearance. 207 
 
 though you took no stock in it, and I have warned you 
 several times since you struck this place." 
 
 "Then you are the unknown 'Friend' who has been 
 sending me warnings? Well, this is a surprise!" 
 
 "Yes, I have sent you the warnings, and I rathei 
 fancy you found they were true." 
 
 "But why did you keep out of sight in such a man- 
 ner?" 
 
 "Because you did not believe me when you heard 
 my warning in New York, and you said you would not 
 trust me. I thought you would not trust me now, if 
 you knew I sent the warnings." 
 
 "But how do you happen to be out here, anyway?" 
 
 "I am traveling with the circus during vacation, the 
 same as Hartwick and Harlow." 
 
 "Well, what do you want of me now?" 
 
 "Tom Fearson begged me to come and tell you he 
 wanted to see you. Fearson thinks he is going to die." 
 
 Frank hesitated. The thought came to him that it 
 might be a trick, but that simply spurred him to go. 
 
 "Lead on," he said. "If this is some sort of crooked 
 game, look out for yourself, that is all !" 
 
 Thornton was evidently hurt.
 
 2o8 Little Lotta's Last Appearance. 
 
 "That shows you do not trust me even now!" he 
 cried. "Well, I have done everything in my power to 
 prove to you that I am your friend." 
 
 Frank followed Tom back to the dressing-tent of the 
 circus. On the way, Thornton told Merriwell that the 
 balloonist and Rolf Harlow had been heard from by tel- 
 egraph, having reached a nearby town. In descend- 
 ing, they had met with some thrilling experiences, and 
 Harlow had been so severely injured that he would be 
 confined to a bed for two weeks, at least. 
 
 On hearing this Merriwell displayed not a sign of 
 triumph. He did not gloat over the misfortunes of an 
 enemy. 
 
 Reaching the dressing-tent, Frank found Fearson 
 stretched on the blanket, and it was plain that he was in 
 great pain. Frank stooped beside the blanket, and 
 spoke to the trainer. 
 
 "Is it you?" muttered Fearson, thickly, as he opened 
 his eyes. "I didn't know as ye'd come, but I wanted 
 ter see yer. They say I'm liable ter die, an' I want ter 
 ask yer forgiveness. I was drunk, an' I've got a bad 
 temper anyway. Will yer fergive me, youngster?" 
 
 "I will, my poor fellow!" said Merriwell. "I am
 
 Little Lotta's Last Appearance. 209 
 
 sure that you have been punished more than you de- 
 serve." 
 
 "I dunno 'bout that. I was mad enough ter kill ye, 
 and that chap Hartwick said he'd give me five hundred 
 dollars if I'd do it. I wanted ter tell ye ter look out fer 
 him." 
 
 "Oh, I'll do that!" 
 
 "I've seen him sence I was hurt, an' I tole him I'd 
 lick ther stuffin' out of him if I ever got well. I ruther 
 think he's left the circus a' ready. An' ye're sure ye 
 fergive me, boy?" 
 
 "Yes, I forgive you freely." 
 
 "Then let me touch yer hand. You're white, an* 
 you're all right. I feel better now. Dunno but I'll 
 try ter git well." 
 
 Little Lotta did not die, although she was injured so 
 severely that she was confined to a bed of pain for a 
 long time, and the circus went on without her. 
 
 Frank saw that the child should have the very best 
 of care, having obtained as nurse for her a widow, who 
 had lost a little girl of her own. 
 
 During Lotta's illness the widow became so attached 
 to the child that she wished to adopt her, and legal ar-
 
 210 Little Lotta's Last Appearance. 
 
 rangements to that effect were finally completed. The 
 little waif had at last found a good home. 
 
 Lotta clung to Frank, when he was bidding her good- 
 by, the time having come for him to resume his journey 
 across the continent. 
 
 "I'm going to try to get well because you want me 
 to, dear friend," she said. "Only I don't want to go 
 back to the old life again." 
 
 "You shall not go back, Little Lotta," promised Mer- 
 riwell. "They have abandoned you here, and I'll take 
 care that they do not trouble you again." 
 
 "And must you leave me so soon ?" 
 
 "Yes, dear, I must go now; but I promise that I'll 
 stop and see you on my way back East. After that 
 well, who knows ? we may see more of each other than 
 you think possible now." 
 
 "You are so good!" sobbed the child, drawing him 
 down and kissing him, while she smiled through her 
 tears. "You are the goodest fellow I ever knew. I 
 didn't suppose there could be anybody so good in all 
 the world ! And I am happy !" 
 
 "I am glad you are happy/' said Frank; and then 
 he and the little girl parted.
 
 Little Lotta's Last Appearance. 211 
 
 A day later the bicycle boys left that town and con- 
 tinued their journey westward. 
 
 Harry was anxious to see some of the prairie lands 
 of Kansas, and so they turned from Missouri into the 
 State mentioned. 
 
 For several days nothing out of the ordinary hap- 
 pened and they made good progress toward the end of 
 the tour. 
 
 At a village called Melton they heard of some cattle 
 thieves, but gave the matter no attention. The "rus- 
 tlers," as they were called, had been in that neighbor- 
 hood, but were now gone. 
 
 On the day after leaving Melton they struck fairly 
 and squarely across the rich prairies. 
 
 Frank was soon in advance, and a spurt of speed 
 took him out of sight of his chums. 
 
 And it was then that he ran up against an adventure 
 as odd as any that had gone before.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 TESS. 
 
 "Look out thar, tenderfoot!" 
 
 The cry was uttered in a clear, strong girlish voice. 
 
 Frank did not need the warning, for already was he 
 aware of his danger, having seen the "long-horn" break 
 from the herd of cattle and come charging toward him. 
 
 Quickly Frank turned his wheel and started to pedal 
 away, but, rapid though his movements were, the en- 
 raged steer was right upon him before he was fairly 
 started in flight. 
 
 Besides the sound of the steer's hoofs, there came an- 
 other sound, as of a galloping horse, and the boy's side- 
 long backward glance showed him a girl, mounted on a 
 chunky, ewe-necked bronco, riding straight at the 
 steer, and swinging a lasso about her head. 
 
 It did not seem possible to Frank Merriwell that the 
 girl could succeed in stopping the steer, and then it was 
 that he longed for some weapon with which he could 
 bring the animal down.
 
 Tess. 2 1 3 
 
 There was fire in the glaring eyes of the maddened 
 "long-horn," and the creature seemed coming with the 
 speed of the wind. 
 
 Frank caught his breath, expecting to be sent flying 
 from the saddle of his bicycle, tossed in the air, dropped 
 in a senseless heap to the ground, perhaps trodden and 
 cut by those cleft hoofs. 
 
 The clear eye of the girl on the bronco were fas- 
 tened on the steer, and there was a look of resolution 
 on her sun-tanned, wind-kissed face. 
 
 With the skill of a veteran cowboy, the girl sent the 
 noose flying through the air, and it dropped over the 
 horns of the steer. 
 
 In a moment the bronco, well trained to its work, 
 wheeled and braced itself for the shock. 
 
 Not a moment too soon was the steer roped, for its 
 horns almost touched Frank's sleeve before the lariat 
 came taut with a twang like a bowstring. 
 
 In a twinkling the steer was flung to the ground, 
 and the shock of its fall told the flying boy that his peril 
 was over for the moment. 
 
 He turned to the left, and swung around so he could 
 see what was taking place.
 
 214 Tess. 
 
 He saw the girl leap from the saddle with a swish 
 of short skirts, bound like a fawn to the side of the 
 steer, and throw off the noose with a deft movement. 
 
 And then, before the partly-stunned and wholly-be- 
 wildered animal could regain its feet, she was back in 
 the saddle, which she regained with a quickness and 
 ease that fairly took away the breath of the watching 
 boy. 
 
 "What are yer doin', tenderfoot?" she cried, as she 
 saw Frank had turned his wheel about. "If yer knows 
 when yer head's level, ye'll shove that bike o' yourn 
 fer tall timber about as fast as your legs kin make ther 
 old machine travel! It's mighty dangerous fer any 
 galoot who don't know better than to come rarin' 
 round a herd of cattle on one o' them things." 
 
 She was decidedly pretty in a wild sort of way, being 
 dressed in a suit of buckskin, with fringe trimmings, 
 and wearing a short skirt and jacket, while on her head 
 was a wide-brimmed Mexican hat. A leather holster, 
 containing a revolver, was strapped to her waist. Her 
 hair and eyes were dark, while her lips were red, and 
 there was a chic, piquant, saucy look about her face. 
 
 Frank was attracted by the girl's rather bewitching
 
 Tess. 215 
 
 appearance, and was surprised by the dexterity she had 
 displayed in casting the lariat and throwing the steer. 
 
 In a moment the girl reined her bronco toward the 
 young bicyclist, having drawn in and coiled the rope 
 with a swiftness and skill that was little short of aston- 
 ishing. 
 
 She dashed to Frank's side, giving him a strange 
 look, in which he fancied there was something of pity 
 and contempt. 
 
 "However did yer come ter be chasin' round a herd 
 o' long-horns on that bike?" she asked. "It 'pears ter 
 me as how you oughter knowed better'n ter come 
 foolin' round a bunch o' Kansas steers in such a way. 
 Whar's yer sense?" 
 
 Frank laughed. 
 
 "From your very plain words an'd manner, it is evi- 
 dent that you fancy I have no sense," he said. 
 
 "Wa-al, I won't allow ye've got any ter give erway, 
 You'll need it all, ef yer travels round this yar coun- 
 try on a bike much, an' that's a fact." 
 
 "Thank you, miss. But I assure you I am not afraid 
 of being tossed by a long-horn if I have a fair start and 
 a clear field. The steer would have done the trick but
 
 216 less. 
 
 for you, I freely confess ; but it was because I was taken 
 by surprise, as it broke away from the herd and came at 
 me without warning." 
 
 The girl's red lips curled in a smile of derision. 
 
 "Go on!" she cried. "It's plain you don't know 
 much about long-horns. They're blamed cantankerous 
 critters when they git started, an' they kin run like a 
 streak o' greased wind." 
 
 "And you think I could not ride fast enough to keep 
 out of the way of one of them ?" 
 
 "That's whatever." 
 
 "Well," smiled the boy, "you may be right, but I am 
 able to push this wheel at a comfortable rate of speed." 
 
 "I rather reckon you think a Kansas steer runs about 
 as fast as an Eastern cow. Wa-al, they kin cover 
 ground a little faster just a little!" 
 
 Then Frank laughed outright. 
 
 "Really," he said, "it is plain that you take me for 
 the tenderest sort of a tenderfoot. All right ; I'm not 
 kicking. Let it go at that. You saved my life, I 
 think, and I want to thank you for it." 
 
 "Oh, that wuz nothin'." 
 
 "I don't know as I consider that complimentary, but
 
 Tess. 217 
 
 never mind. I suppose the life of a tenderfoot isn't 
 considered of much value out here." 
 
 "Wa-al, it depends. Thar's Blake, he wuz a tender- 
 foot when he struck ther ranch, an' now he's about as 
 good a puncher as paw has." 
 
 "Who's Blake?" 
 
 "Oh, he's an Eastern galoot, an' all he seemed ter 
 know at first wuz Greek an' Latin, an' that sort o' stuff. 
 He had a right smart education, but education o' that 
 sort don't count in a round-up, none whatever." 
 
 "It is barely possible that I might become as good a 
 man as Blake, if I chose to settle down on a ranch and 
 become a cowboy, eh ?" 
 
 "Ter be honest with yer, tenderfoot, it's a heap 
 doubtful. Ye're too young. Wait till yer kin raise 
 a whisker before ye try ter turn cow-puncher." 
 
 Frank laughed again. 
 
 "All right," he said; "I will take your advice. I 
 trust you will pardon me if I introduce myself. I am 
 Frank Merriwell, from the East, as you know." 
 
 "An' I'm Tess Morgan, o' ther 'MM' Ranch. My 
 paw owns ther 'MM,' an' these cattle hyar belong ter 
 him. Them are his punchers over yander thar," with
 
 2i8 less. 
 
 a sweep of her hand toward some ranchmen who were 
 patroling the outskirts of the herd. 
 
 "I am very glad to know you, Miss Morgan," said 
 Merriwell, gracefully lifting his cap. "But why are so 
 many cowboys watching this herd?" 
 
 "Mebbe it's a round-up." 
 
 "This is not the right season for that." 
 
 Tess opened her eyes. 
 
 "How do you know that ?" she asked. 
 
 "Well, it is one of the things I happen to know, that's 
 all." 
 
 This did not seem to satisfy the girl, and she scowled 
 a bit. 
 
 "Ye' re right," she admitted. "I dunno's I mind tell- 
 in' yer. It's this way : Paw has been troubled by rus- 
 tlers of late. They've been runnin' off his stock, an* 
 he's been gittin' his critters tergether o' late, ter find out 
 jest how hard he's been hit. That's all." 
 
 "That explains it. We are heading for your father's 
 ranch, hoping to find accommodations there for the 
 night." 
 
 "We? Who's we?" 
 
 "My friends and myself."
 
 less. 219 
 
 "Whar are yer friends?" 
 
 "Coming back there. I scorched on ahead of them, 
 having seen the herd and the cowboys, intending to ask 
 the way to the ranch." 
 
 The girl looked in the direction indicated by Frank's 
 gesture and far away she saw Frank's friends, the sun- 
 light glinting brightly on the nickel plating of their 
 wheels. 
 
 "So thar are five o' yer?" said Tess. "Wa-al, I 
 dunno. Paw never turns anybody erway, an' I reckon 
 he'll keep yer somehow ; but yer won't have all ther lux- 
 uries o' feather beds an' them things, not by a heap." 
 
 "Oh, I think we'll manage to get along, for all of 
 that," said Frank, pleasantly. "We are used to rough- 
 ing it." 
 
 "How fur have yer rid on them bikes?" 
 
 "From New York." 
 
 "Wh-h-h-at?" 
 
 Tess was astonished, as she plainly showed. 
 
 "Say!" she cried, her eyes flashing, "whatever d'yer 
 take me f er ? Don't try that sort of a bluff on me, Mr. 
 Merriwell !" 
 
 "But," said Frank, gravely, "I assure you it is no
 
 220 Tess. 
 
 bluff. I speak the truth. We are college students, 
 from Yale, and we started from City Hall, New York, 
 to ride to City Hall, San Francisco. We have pro- 
 gressed thus far." 
 
 "Wa-al, may Ibederned!" 
 
 It was a rather rough expression, but Frank was 
 willing to make allowances for this girl, who seemed 
 to be a wild flower of the plains. He felt that she had 
 been raised amid rough men, from whose lips she had 
 heard such language, and thus she had fallen into the 
 habit of expressing herself forcibly, without being 
 aware that it was rude and unladylike. 
 
 "How fur have yer rid on them bikes?" she asked, 
 "an' how fur have yer rid on ther cars?" 
 
 "We have not ridden on the cars at all yet," declared 
 Frank. 
 
 She shook her head in a doubtful way, but did not 
 say outright that she did not believe him. She might 
 as well, however, and she saw a flush of color mount to 
 his cheeks, although he said nothing. 
 
 At this moment something like a wild yell came to 
 their ears, and, looking up, he saw three cowboys ra-
 
 less. 221 
 
 cing toward the approaching bicyclists as fast as their 
 broncos would carry them. 
 
 Tess saw it, and she cried : 
 
 "Your friends will be in trouble directly, you bet! 
 Come on, tenderfoot !" 
 
 And away she sped in the direction of the cowboys, 
 with Frank flying along behind her.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 AN ENCOUNTER WITH COWBOYS. 
 
 It was a short, wild race, and it brought a revelation 
 to the cattleman's daughter, for she did not run away 
 from Frank Merriwell, as she expected. 
 
 Instead of that, Frank forged along at her side, and 
 then took the lead, although he was forced to strain 
 every muscle to do so. 
 
 "I'm blamed if that don't beat me!" exclaimed the 
 girl. 
 
 Whooping loudly, the three cowboys charged down 
 upon the young cyclists. One of the three, a tall, lank 
 fellow, known as "Hannah," although his real name 
 was Hannibal Jones, took the lead. 
 
 The boys saw the cowboys coming, and for some time 
 they hesitated about the move they should make. At 
 last it was plain they grew alarmed and they turned to 
 ride away. 
 
 But the punchers were near at hand, and Hannah un-
 
 An Encounter with Cowboys. 223 
 
 slung his lasso, whirling it round and round his head, 
 with the plain intention of making a cast. 
 
 Toots, the colored boy, was behind the others, and he 
 cast a frightened look over his shoulder, gasping : 
 
 "Goodness sakes teh gracious! I's a daid nigger, 
 suah's yeh bawn !" 
 
 Then the writhing lariat flew through the air, and 
 the noose fell over the colored boy's shoulders. 
 
 In a moment Toots had been snatched from the bi- 
 cycle, and he struck the ground with a heavy thump 
 that knocked the breath from his body. 
 
 HannaH laughed hoarsely, and the other cowboys 
 shouted with wild delight, as if this sort of sport suited 
 them very well. 
 
 Then it was that, flying along at full speed, Frank 
 Merriwell dashed straight at the taut lariat, made a 
 slash at it, and cut it in twain with a keen knife held in 
 his hand. 
 
 Tess was close behind Frank, and she shouted at the 
 
 cowboys, who were on the point of attempting to lasso 
 
 , 
 others of the bicyclists, her voice ringing out clear and 
 
 distinct : 
 
 "Hold hard thar, you critters ! Don't ye git so free
 
 224 An Encounter with Cowboys. 
 
 with yer ropes! I'll shoot ther corners off ther next 
 galoot as tries it! You hear me warble!" 
 
 She whirled in front of them, her eyes flashing, her 
 cheeks flushed, and her dark hair streaming unbound 
 in the wind. 
 
 They knew her, and they heard her command. 
 There was no hesitation about obeying, although Han- 
 nah muttered something like a curse beneath his breath, 
 as he surveyed his ruined rope. 
 
 Toots sat up and looked around, his black face hav- 
 ing a sort of ashen color that plainly denoted terror, 
 and his eyes rolling, while his white teeth chattered 
 together. 
 
 "Bress mah soul!" he gasped. "Wha' wha's dis 
 dat's done got me 'roun' de body? Some ol' thing 
 cotch me fo' suah !" 
 
 Then he saw Frank was on hand, and it gave him a 
 feeling of relief. 
 
 "If dey fool wif dat boy, dey's gwan teh git hurt fo' 
 certun," he said, with the utmost confidence in Merri- 
 well's prowess. "He ain't gwan teh stan' no foolin'." 
 
 The cowboys touched their hats to Tess, but Hannah 
 growled :
 
 An Encounter with Cowboys. 225 
 
 "Look yar, Miss Morgan; see how that galoot has 
 cut my rope. He's spoiled it, an' I propose ter shoot 
 ther tires o' his old machine full o' holes." 
 
 He whipped out a revolver, but, quick as were his 
 movements, Tess was swifter, and the revolver left the 
 holster at her side for her gloved hand. 
 
 "Hold hard, I tell yer!" came clear as the note of a 
 bell from her lips, and the muzzle of the weapon fell to 
 a level with the angry cowboy's heart. "I have ther 
 drop on yer, Hannah, an' I'll ventilate yer sure if yer 
 pulls trigger once !" 
 
 The cowboy let his hand fall, a shade of pallor corn- 
 ing to his weather-tanned face. 
 
 "All right, ef yer says so, miss," he said, sulkily. "I 
 wouldn't hurt ther tenderfoot ; but he's spoiled my rope, 
 an' I wuz goin' ter git squar'." 
 
 "He did right in cuttin' ther rope," declared the girl. 
 "He done it before me because he reached it first. Ye 
 had no business ter use ther rope ther way yer did." 
 
 "But I didn't want ter use my gun, miss," said Han- 
 nah, apologetically, "an* looker ther thing I saw a 
 nigger ridin' a bisuckle ! I reckon I hed a right ter rope 
 ther critter!"
 
 226 An Encounter with Cowboys. 
 
 "Ther nigger belongs to Mr. Merriwell's party, an' 
 that wuz why Mr. Merriwell cut ther rope, which he 
 had a perfect right ter do. You wuz ter blame, Han- 
 nah, an' so ye'll have ter stan' ther loss o' yer rope. 
 That's all." 
 
 The cowboy's eyes fell, and it seemed that he longed 
 to mutter something, but did not dare do so before her. 
 Then he looked up, and gave Frank a glance that dis- 
 tinctly said : 
 
 "Never mind, tenderfoot, there's another time com- 
 ing, and I'll get square with you then." 
 
 Tess saw that look, and she understood, for she 
 flashed forth: 
 
 "Be careful, Hannah ! Ef yer touch him any other 
 time, I shall know of it." 
 
 Frank had stopped as soon as possible after cutting 
 the lariat, turned about, and ridden back fearlessly. 
 He heard all that passed between the girl and the angry 
 cowboy. 
 
 "Thank you, Miss Morgan," he said ; "but if Han- 
 nah will give me a fair show, I rather think I am able 
 to take care of myself. I am not armed with a gun,
 
 Aii Encounter with Cowboys. 227 
 
 and so he has the advantage of me, but I shall not run 
 away if he will put aside the weapon." 
 
 Hannah gasped for breath, and the other cowboys 
 laughed hoarsely and derisively. 
 
 "Why, dern your hide ! beggin' your pardon, Miss 
 Morgan," said Hannah. "I'd break yer clean in two 
 with one hand tied behind me, ef I took a noshun, ten- 
 derfoot." 
 
 "You think you would," smiled Frank, easily; "but 
 you might fool yourself. The job might not be as easy 
 as it looks." 
 
 Browning, Diamond and Rattleton had turned about 
 and come back. They dismounted and stood beside 
 Frank. 
 
 "Why, I could lick ther hull gang o' yer, an' not hafe 
 try," declared Hannah. "It w'u'dn't bother me ter do 
 it none whatever." 
 
 "Let him try it!" palpitated Diamond, whose dark 
 face bore a flush of anger. "Just ask him to get down 
 and wade in ! We will knock the wind out of him in 
 about three seconds." 
 
 "You sing loud, Hannah," said Frank; "but your 
 voice is cracked. If you ever should tackle the job
 
 228 An Encounter with Cowboys. 
 
 you have just mentioned, there wouldn't be enough of 
 you left to wipe out a Winchester with when we were 
 through with you. As far as that goes, I do not need 
 any assistance in dealing with such as you on even 
 terms." 
 
 Something like a scornful laugh broke from the 
 ranchman's daughter, and she cried: 
 
 "I don't reckon you know much about Hannah, Mr. 
 Merriwell. He has a record as a bad man. Yer 
 wouldn't be a flea-bite fer him." 
 
 "Now, don' yeh mek no mistake 'bout dat, miss!" 
 cried Toots. "Yo' is talkin' dat way beca'se yo' don* 
 know Frank Merriwell." 
 
 "Shet up, nigger!" ordered one of the men, sav- 
 agely. "If you dare speak to Miss Morgan again, I'll 
 start a lead mine in yer carcass !" 
 
 A shining weapon was pointed in Toots' direction, 
 and the colored boy dropped on his knees, again filled 
 with terror. 
 
 "Don' yo' shoot!" he squealed, imploringly. "Don' 
 yo' waste po'dah an' lead on a po' wufless nigger ! If 
 yo' does, yo'll be sorry fo' it suah !" 
 
 Tess uttered a sharp command, and the cowboy re-
 
 An Encounter with Cowboys. 229 
 
 luctantly put up his "gun," giving the colored boy a 
 black scowl. 
 
 "Bress mah soul !" mumbled Toots, again getting to 
 his feet. "Fs suah teh git damaged if dis keep up! 
 Nebber see no sech white men as dere am out in dis 
 country nebber! I's gwan teh git out ob dis Ian' 
 jes' ez quick ez de Law'd let me. Dis ain't no place 
 for a brack gemman ob colah." 
 
 Hannah seemed reluctant to go away without having 
 further words with Frank, but Tess gave him an order 
 that he did not care to disobey, and so, with apparent 
 dissatisfaction, he turned his pony and rode off, fol- 
 lowed by the others. 
 
 "The big ruffian !" said Jack, boldly. "He should be 
 taught a lesson! He needs to be taken down a bit.' 
 
 "But you bet yer boots thar ain't no man as cares 
 ter try ter take Hannah down," declared the girl. 
 
 "Well, I pity the nerve of the men out this way!" 
 cried Diamond. 
 
 "That's because ye're a tenderfoot, an' yer don't 
 know what ye're talkin' about," said Tess, sharply, 
 plainly not pleased with the young Virginian's words 
 or manner.
 
 230 An Encounter with Cowboys. 
 
 "Perhaps not," admitted Diamond; "but I know that 
 such a fellow as Mr. Hannah would last about three 
 seconds anywhere in the East. He'd get the wind 
 taken out of him so quick that he would be liable to 
 show some respect for a tenderfoot after that." 
 
 Frank smiled, for he saw the Virginian was aroused, 
 and he well knew Jack's impulsive disposition. 
 
 "Oh, all right!" smiled the cattleman's daughter, 
 rather scornfully. "You are welcome to think that 
 way. Tenderfeet have some queer ideas." 
 
 Frank then proceeded to introduce his friends to the 
 girl. They lifted their caps, bowing low to her, and 
 she said: 
 
 "If you are on the way to the 'MM/ I rather reckon 
 I'd better go 'long with yer, fer ther punchers might 
 take a noshun ter have some more fun with yer, ef ye 
 wuz alone." 
 
 "We shall be delighted with your company, Miss 
 Morgan," bowed Frank. "It is not often we find such 
 a charming guide out this way." 
 
 "Waugh !" cried Tess. "That's slosh ! Don't give 
 us any o' that, if yer please ! I don't like it."
 
 An Encouuter with Cowboys. 231 
 
 "But I assure you that I am in earnest. Miss Mor- 
 gan." 
 
 Frank was very grave now, and his eyes spoke far 
 more than his lips. Something about him seemed to 
 fascinate her, and she regarded him with far greater 
 interest than at any previous time. After a bit, she 
 turned, with a toss of her saucy head, muttering: 
 
 "Blamed ef it ain't too bad he's only a tenderfoot !"
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 A HARVARD "MAN/' 
 
 The "MM" Ranch was so situated that it was not 
 seen till the boys were within a mile of it, as the coun- 
 try was rolling, and the ranch had been built between 
 two swells. 
 
 It was a large, low building, with a broad veranda in 
 front. Behind it, a short distance away, were outbuild- 
 ings and corrals. 
 
 As the party approached a man rode out to meet 
 them 
 
 It was Miles Morgan, who, as the boys afterward 
 learned, was known throughout Western Kansas as a 
 "cattle king," being one of the most extensive cattle 
 raisers in the State. 
 
 He was a large man, plainly dressed, with long- 
 legged horse-hide boots, a wide-brimmed hat, and 
 serviceable, but ill-fitting, clothing. He was roughly 
 bearded, and his hair was long. 
 
 Indeed, Morgan looked little like a wealthy man, who
 
 A Harvard ''Man." 233 
 
 owned thousands of cattle and large numbers of fine 
 horses. 
 
 He regarded the young bicyclists searchingly but 
 not unkindly, and, when within comfortable speaking 
 distance, quietly addressed Tess : 
 
 "Whatever have you found, Brown Bird?" 
 
 The boys afterward learned that "Brown Bird" was 
 his pet name for her. 
 
 "A whole menagerie, paw," she laughed, in answer. 
 
 "Wheejiz!" gurgled Harry Rattleton. "She's the 
 most complimentary young lady I ever saw !" 
 
 "She is rather outspoken," murmured Browning. 
 
 "She jes' don* seem teh care a rap fo' a pusson's 
 feelings," put in Toots. "Saiz anything dat pops inteh 
 her haid." 
 
 "What are they doing out this way?" asked Miles 
 Morgan, still surveying the boys with curiosity. 
 
 "Tryin' ter git theirselves killed by cayvortin' roun' 
 ther range, an' mixin' with steers an' cow-punchers, 
 paw," laughed Tess. 
 
 "Well, they won't have much trouble, if that's what 
 they're looking for," returned the cattle raiser.
 
 234 A Harvard "Man." 
 
 "Land ob water-millions !" groaned the colored boy. 
 "What do dat mean, mo' trouble fo' us?" 
 
 Morgan swung alongside the little party, and Tess 
 introduced them in a general way, ending by explaining 
 that they were on their way to the "MM" Ranch, 
 where they hoped to find accommodations for the night. 
 
 "We are not in the habit of turnin' anybody away 
 from ther ranch," said the cattleman; "and their com- 
 pany will be very acceptable, if they can put up with our 
 accommodations. " 
 
 "It is plain that, like your daughter, you fancy we 
 are not accustomed to roughing it, simply because we 
 are tenderfeet, as you call us," said Frank. "I assure 
 you that we shall be very grateful for any kind of ac- 
 commodations." 
 
 "You shall have the best we can give you," bowed 
 Morgan; "but, as you must know, we do not put on 
 much style away out here, and we have very few lux- 
 uries." 
 
 "We are not looking for luxuries." 
 
 As they approached the ranch the owner blew a blast 
 on a silver whistle, and two men came running around 
 the corner.
 
 A Harvard "Man." 235 
 
 "Here, Grogan and Carter," said Morgan, "take 
 charge of these bicycles, and see that you handle them 
 like they were made of glass." 
 
 "The colored boy will go along with them to see that 
 the wheels are properly cared for," said Frank. 
 
 "Very well." 
 
 The party had dismounted, and the wheels were 
 turned over to the two men and Toots. As they started 
 around the building the negro lad paused to whisper to 
 Frank : 
 
 "Bar's no tellin' what de cowmen will do to me, 
 Marser Frank. If yo' nebber sees me no mo', hullo." 
 
 Then he went sadly and falteringly around the 
 corner. 
 
 There were a few comfortable chairs on the veranda, 
 and the rancher asked them to sit down there, which 
 they did. Tess had ridden around the house with the 
 horses. 
 
 In a short time the boys were chatting pleasantly with 
 Miles Morgan, whom they found a well-educated and 
 well-informed man, although he sometimes fell into the 
 vernacular of the cattle range.
 
 236 A Harvard "Man." 
 
 To Frank it seemed remarkable that such a man 
 should have a daughter as illiterate as Tess seemed to 
 . be. Certainly he must realize and understand the ad- 
 vantages of an education, which made it a wonder that 
 he had not attempted to have the girl educated. 
 
 He questioned them about their trip, and expressed 
 a hope that they reached San Francisco in safety, but 
 told them they were certain to meet with many perils in 
 the great West. 
 
 While they were talking, a young fellow in a blazer 
 and straw hat came loafing out by the front door. He 
 wore a white silk shirt, which was beautifully stitched 
 in colors, and a four-in-hand tie was knotted under the 
 collar. His trousers were snowy-white and beautifully 
 creased, while polished russet shoes were on his feet. 
 In his tie flashed a beautiful pin, and there were sev- 
 eral rings on his fingers. Clinging to his lips in a limp 
 way was a paper-covered cigarette. 
 
 "Sasust grakes I mean gracious sakes!" gasped 
 Rattleton, as he stared at the youth, who had paused to 
 stare in a languid way at the visitors. 
 
 "Young gentlemen," said Miles Morgan, "permit me 
 to introduce my son Elmer. Elmer has lately returned
 
 A Harvard "Man." 237 
 
 from the East, where he has been attending Harvard 
 College." 
 
 "A-a-aw!" drawled the youth with the cigarette. 
 "This is a weal surpwise, don't yer 'now. I didn't 'now 
 there was any one out heah." 
 
 The cattle king gave the names of the four lads on 
 the veranda, all of whom arose and bowed to Elmer, 
 who made a stiff-necked bow in return. 
 
 "Weally," said the young dude, staring at the large 
 white letter "Y" on the breasts of the young bicyclists' 
 sweaters. "I wondah what that stands faw?" 
 
 "Yale!" cried the boys in chorus. 
 
 Elmer elevated his eyebrows, and something like a 
 look of disdain settled on his haughty face. 
 
 "A-a-aw!" he drawled. "Yale nothin'." The Old 
 Ni " 
 
 "Hold on!" shouted Rattleton, leaping to his feet 
 "Stop right there! We have heard that from every 
 Harvard Willie we ever met, and it is getting monoto- 
 nous. It is stale, and we are sick of hearing you fel- 
 lows warble, 'Yale nothin' ! Take my advice, and riv 
 us a guest I mean give us a rest." 
 
 "Good gwacious!" came in languid astonishment
 
 2)8 A Harvard "Man." 
 
 from Elmer's lips. "How verwy violent in your lan- 
 guage and mannaws you awe, thir!" 
 
 "That is not nearly as violent as I am liable to be- 
 come if you make any disparaging remarks about Old 
 Eli," shot back Harry, who was fully aroused. "That 
 is something I can't stand." 
 
 "You Yale fellaws awe always verwy wude and im- 
 pulsive, don't yer 'now," said the cattleman's son, as 
 he took out a silver cigarette case and extracted another 
 roll, which he lighted from the half-smoked one that 
 had appeared with him. "You have not the weserve 
 and culchaw that is to be acquired in the classic shades 
 of Hawvard." 
 
 "A-a-aw !" drawled the four Yale lads, in chorus. 
 
 Frank laughed aloud, although he feared Miles Mor- 
 gan might be offended. There was something so ludi- 
 crous about it all that Frank could not repress his 
 merriment. 
 
 But it actually seemed that there was something like 
 a twinkle in the cattle king's eyes, although he kept his 
 face very grave and expressionless. 
 
 Elmer gave the "sons of Old Eli" a stare, and then 
 said:
 
 A Harvard "Man." 239 
 
 "That is pwoof of your wudeness and lack awve 
 mannahs, don't yer 'now. You awe to be pitied." 
 
 "That sounds fine," said Harry; "but I notice poor 
 old Harvard needs pity whenever she stacks up against 
 Yale." 
 
 "Oh, I don't know. Hawvard has the honah of 
 winning most awve the debates, my deah fellow." 
 
 "But that is all she ever does win, flashed Diamond. 
 
 "At baseball she is a back number, her eleven are a 
 lot of nerveless, flabby kids, and her crew has water 
 on the brain. I don't see where Harvard comes in, 
 anyway." 
 
 "Haw! She has the men awve bwains, don't yer 
 see, my poor fellaw ! A common hod-carrier can play 
 bawl, or pull an oah, but it takes bwains to win a de- 
 bate." 
 
 "I presume he considers himself a sample of the men 
 of brains to be found in Harvard," Diamond whispered 
 in Browning's ear. 
 
 Bruce grunted, and that grunt was very expressive. 
 
 "We are willing Harvard should keep on winning 
 debates, as long as we win at everything else," said 
 Frank.
 
 240 A Harvard "Man." 
 
 Elmer surveyed Merriwell in a supercilious manner. 
 
 "Let me see," he drawled, "I did not catch youah 
 name. I wondah what you hawve evah done?" 
 
 "My name is Frank Merriwell." 
 
 "A-a-a-aw ! By Jawve ! You don't say ! It cawn't 
 be you awe the Merriwell that pitches on the Yale 
 nine?" 
 
 "I believe I am the only Merriwell who has ever 
 pitched for Yale." 
 
 "Good gwacious! And you wow on the crew?" 
 
 "Yes, I rowed against Harvard when we beat her 
 this spring." 
 
 "Great Scawt ! And you awe the fellaw who made 
 the wonderful wun in the football game against Prince- 
 ton last fawl?" 
 
 "I am." 
 
 "A-a-a-aw! E-e-e-er! Is it pawsible?" 
 
 Elmer actually gasped for breath, much to Frank's 
 amusement. Then, turning to the cattleman, the young 
 man said : 
 
 "Fawther, give Mr. Merriwell the very best the 
 wanch affawds. It is the gweatest possible honar to 
 have him faw a visitor, don't yer 'now."
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 A HARD BLOW. 
 
 "Well, the fellow has a little sense, after all!" Harry 
 whispered to Browning. "I didn't suppose he knew 
 enough to appreciate Merry's fine points." 
 
 Bruce grunted again, but this time it was a satisfied 
 sound. 
 
 Mr. Morgan did not seem to be greatly impressed. 
 
 "It is all right to talk about playing ball, rowing, and 
 running in a football game," came with surprising 
 gruffness from his lips; "but I hardly think that kind 
 of business will make a man of a youngster. It takes 
 rough knocks in the battle of life to put real stamina 
 into a lad. Mr. Merriwell may be famous in East- 
 ern college circles, but I hardly think he would make 
 much of a showing out here on a ranch among the 
 rough men of this country." 
 
 Frank smiled in a quiet manner. 
 
 "You may be right, sir," he admitted. "The life 
 out here and the life of the East are vastly different."
 
 342 A Hard Blow. 
 
 Jack Diamond was about to say something when 
 there came a sudden sound of shots from the rear of 
 the ranch, mingled with wild yells of fear or pain. 
 
 The boys sprang to their feet. 
 
 "It's Toots!" cried Frank. 
 
 Then he leaped from the veranda, and dashed around 
 the corner, followed by the others. 
 
 As he came around behind the ranch, Frank saw a 
 red-headed cowboy, who was making Toots dance to 
 the tune of pistol shots. The cowboy held a long- 
 barreled revolver in either hand, and he was sending 
 bullets into the ground around the colored lad's feet. 
 
 At a little distance stood other cowboys, all of whom 
 were laughing heartily at the coon's wild leaps and 
 terrified yells. 
 
 "Dance, you onery black son of a gun !" roared the 
 cowboy with the revolvers. "Whoop 'er up, you 
 chunk o' darkness from ther bottomless pit! Git up 
 an' claw ther air, you coal-colored relic o' Darkest 
 Afriky!" 
 
 "Fo' de Lawd's sakes, don't you* shoot me no mo' !" 
 howled Toots. "I nebber meant nuffin', sar! Oh, 
 Lordy ! dis nigger am a goner dis time fo' suah !"
 
 A Hard Blow. 243 
 
 "I'll larn yer ter tell me that yer master'll break my 
 back ef anything happens ter yer old bisuckles !" shouted 
 the red-headed cowboy, as he shot off a piece of leather 
 from the heel of one of Toots' shoes. "Wat d'yer 
 s'pose I care fer yer tenderfoot master? Why, ef he 
 wuz hyar, I'd make him dance ther same as I'm makin' 
 you!" 
 
 By this time Frank had reached the cowboy, whom 
 he approached from behind. Reaching around the 
 man, the college lad grasped the revolvers and wrenched 
 them from the owner's hands in the twinkling of an 
 eye. Then he turned and flung them to the ground, 
 facing the astonished "puncher," as that worthy whirled 
 about. 
 
 "I rather think we've had quite enough of this kind 
 of business," said Frank, calmly and firmly, his eyes 
 meeting those of the bewildered cowboy. 
 
 The man seemed unable to believe the evidence of his 
 senses. Was it possible a boy, a tenderfoot, had dared 
 wrench his "guns" from his hands and speak to him 
 in such a manner? 
 
 "Hey?" cried the red-headed man, glaring and 
 showing his teeth. "Why, dern my gizzard !"
 
 244 A Hard Blow. 
 
 "Good gwacious!" gasped Elmer Morgan. "It's 
 Grogan, and he will hurt Mr. Merriwell. Fawther, 
 you must stop it !" 
 
 Miles Morgan was on the point of interfering, when, 
 with a snarl of rage, Grogan drew back his fist and 
 struck at Frank. 
 
 Then something intensely astounding happened. 
 
 Merriwell warded off the blow with ease, and, like 
 a flash of lightning, with the force of a miniature pile- 
 driver, he sent his fist into the ruffian's face. 
 
 The back of Grogan' s head struck the ground first 
 at a distance of at least twelve feet from where the 
 young college athlete stood. The cowboy lay at full 
 length on the ground, and made no immediate at- 
 tempt to arise. 
 
 Frank had fully realized that he was dealing with a 
 "very bad man," and he had used all the strength and 
 skill he could command in delivering that blow. 
 
 Merriwell's fist had fallen on Grogan's jaw with 
 frightful force, so that it seemed that the bones broke 
 beneath the clinched knuckles. 
 
 A gasp of wonder that seemed positive unbelief es- 
 caped the lips of the cowboys who were spectators.
 
 A Hard Blow. 245 
 
 Never had they seen a prettier knockout blow, and 
 they could not understand that a lad like this stripling 
 in a bicycle suit could hit Eli Grogan hard enough to 
 "put him to sleep" in a moment. 
 
 And no one present was more astonished than Miles 
 Morgan, who was on the point of interfering, with a 
 view of saving the rash and over-confident young man. 
 
 The cattle king fully expected to see the fallen cow- 
 boy spring up and make a dash for the college lad ; but 
 nothing of the kind occurred. 
 
 Toots' dance of terror suddenly changed to a wild 
 caper of joy. 
 
 "Dar!" he cried; "didn' I done tole yo', yo' low- 
 down, no-'count white trash ! Dat am Frank Merri- 
 well yeh run again' dat time, ma-an ! Guess yo'll know 
 'nuff teh look out fo' him de nex' time." 
 
 "Wa-al, may I be derned!" exploded one cowboy. 
 
 "Hang me fer a hoss thief ef I ever seen anything 
 like that !" came from another. 
 
 "However did ther tenderfoot do it?" blankly in- 
 quired a third. 
 
 "Bub-bub-by Jawve!" gasped Elmer Morgan, drop- 
 ping his cigarette, and standing with his mouth and
 
 246 \ Hard Blow. 
 
 eyes open to their widest. "I wuther weckon Mr. Mer- 
 riwell must be able to fight as well as he does anything 
 else, don't yer 'now." 
 
 "Oh, that's nothing for him," languidly declared 
 Bruce Browning, who had succeeded in getting around 
 the corner in time to witness the blow. "He only gave 
 the fellow a light jog on the jaw. If he'd hit him in 
 earnest, Mr. Cowboy'd never tossed another rope." 
 
 "You don't thay !" 
 
 "Young man," said the cattle king, soberly, "I advise 
 you to go into the house as soon as possible." 
 
 "Why, sir?" Frank quietly asked. 
 
 "Because Grogan will be like a madman when he 
 recovers, and he'll feel like shedding your gore." 
 
 "He weally will, don't yer 'now!" put in Elmer. 
 
 "Well, as I am unarmed, I do not care to stand up 
 and let Mr. Grogan shoot at me, but I am not going to 
 run away, and he'll be able to find me when he wants 
 to see me." 
 
 Morgan could not help admiring the boy's nerve, 
 but he was sure much of it came from the fact that Mer- 
 riwell did not understand the full extent of his peril. 
 He fancied that, being a tenderfoot, Frank could have
 
 A Hard Blow. 247 
 
 no true conception of the character of the cowboys, 
 many of whom held a human life as of scarcely more 
 value that that of a steer. 
 
 The little party returned around the corner to the 
 veranda, leaving the knocked-out cowboy to the care 
 of his comrades. 
 
 Elmer Morgan regarded Frank with admiration that 
 was little short of ludicrous. He followed at Merri- 
 well's heels and secured a seat on the veranda close be- 
 side him. 
 
 Merriwell treated the matter as if it were of little 
 consequence, assuring Mr. Morgan that he did not 
 mind such things, as they were to be expected in the 
 West. 
 
 "Land of watermillions !" murmured Toots. "I 
 dunno why dis nigger ebber come out yere, if dat am a 
 facV 
 
 In order to impress the boys, Mr. Morgan told them 
 stories of the reckless character of the cowboys, ending 
 with a description of an encounter with "rustlers," or 
 cattle thieves. 
 
 "I did not suppose there were any rustlers left in the
 
 248 A Hard Blow. 
 
 West, sir," said Frank. "I fancied they had been 
 wiped out long ago." 
 
 "They are not as thick as they used to be," confessed 
 the rancher. "Thar was a time when they cut inter 
 ther cattlemen pretty heavy, but Judge Lynch has made 
 that sort of business 'tarnal resky. All the same, just 
 now Kansas is bothered with a new gang that is stealin' 
 critters with a high hand. They're led by a galoot as 
 calls himself Black Jack, and he is right bad man, you 
 bet! They don't seem able ter rope the varmint no- 
 how." 
 
 "Slippery, is he?" 
 
 "That's whatever. Never can put your hand on 
 him, and nobody seems to know just what he looks 
 like" 
 
 "Where is he carrying on his operations ?" 
 
 "All along the Arkansas River bottoms." 
 
 "Has he hit you very hard ?" 
 
 "That's uncertain, but it begins to seem that he ain't 
 bothered me much of any, which is queer, I will allow." 
 
 "You are one of the most extensive cattle raisers of 
 this region, I believe?" 
 
 "I ruther think I air "
 
 A Hard Blow. 249 
 
 "And it looks as if you would be the first one Black 
 Jack would strike ? Is that the way of it ?" 
 
 "Yep." 
 
 "How do you account for the fact that you have re- 
 mained unmolested?" 
 
 "I don't 'count for it. I couldn't believe I had es- 
 caped, and I've had the boys lookin' over my cattle. 
 So far they report everything pretty near all right.'* 
 
 "Perhaps Black Jack is afraid to molest you." 
 
 Morgan shook his head. 
 
 "Not likely. He don't seem afraid of anything on 
 top of the earth, any more than is Grogan, the man you 
 had the nerve to knock down a short time ago." 
 
 "Black Jack may be knocked out as easy as was Gro- 
 gan," said Diamond. 
 
 "Grogan'd never been knocked out if Mr. Merriwell 
 hadn't took him by surprise," declared the rancher. 
 
 'That's where you fool yourself," hastily put in 
 Rattleton. "I say, Frank, just muss up and show your 
 stripple I mean strip up and show your muscle." 
 
 "It is not at all necessary," said Mr. Morgan, quietly. 
 "I fully understand that Mr. Merriwell has plenty o 
 muscle, else he'd never been able to strike a blow that
 
 250 A Hard Blow. 
 
 would have settled Grogan in a moment; but what I do 
 claim is that it was most fortunate for him that he 
 could strike such a blow, and that he used it quick 
 enough to take Grogan off his guard. Otherwise, I am 
 inclined to think he would not have been given a 
 chance to use it at all." 
 
 "Then is Grogan such a terrible fighter?" asked 
 Frank. 
 
 "He is a devil! You would have been torm limb 
 from limb, if you had not settled his case with one 
 blow." 
 
 "Perhaps you are right." 
 
 "Perhaps so. Why, I know it !" 
 
 "All right," smiled Merriwell. "We will let it go at 
 that."
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 GROGAN'S REVENGE. 
 
 Supper on the ranch took place at five o'clock in the 
 afternoon. It was a very plain meal, but there was 
 plenty of good hearty food, which satisfied the hungry 
 young bicyclists. 
 
 Tess was at the table. She had changed her dress, 
 and appeared in a garment that astonished the boys not 
 a little, for it was tasty and well made, as if it had been 
 created for her by an accomplished dressmaker. 
 
 But the girl had not changed her manners with her 
 dress. She clung to the vernacular of the cattle range, 
 and, although it was rather rough, somehow her words 
 and manner contrasted favorably with the drawl and 
 effeminate affectations of her college-bred brother. 
 
 "Wa-al, Mr. Merriwell," said Tess, "I ruther reckon 
 ye've looked round ther ranch enough to find out how 
 yer like it ? What have yer got ter say, anyway ?" 
 
 This manner of putting the question took Merriwell
 
 252 Grogan's Revenge. 
 
 aback for a moment, but he quickly recovered, and an- 
 swered : 
 
 "Surely, Miss Morgan, you can't think I have had 
 time enough to form an opinion that would be of any 
 value." 
 
 "I don't expect that yer'll do that nohow," she 
 frankly said. "Ther opinion o' a tenderfoot ain't no 
 good, but I thought I'd ask yer. Ef yer travels round 
 ther place much, ye'd better have paw with yer, fer 
 some o' ther punchers might take a notion ter step on 
 yer. They don't cotton ter tenderfeet none whatever." 
 
 "A-a-a-aw !" put in Elmer. "I say, sistaw." 
 
 "A-a-a-aw!" mimicked Tess. "What do yer say, 
 brothaw ?" 
 
 "Now, don't be wude!" implored the Harvard 
 "man." "I wuther think you don't know what Mr. 
 Merriwell has done at college." 
 
 "Naw," with great disdain. "What haws Mr. Mer- 
 riwell done at college?" 
 
 "Why, he is the gweatest pitchaw Yale evah had on 
 her bawl team." 
 
 "Wa-al, ball pitchers don't cut ice out this way." 
 
 "And he belongs to the Yale crew, don't yer 'now."
 
 Grogan's Revenge. 253 
 
 "Wonderful ! He should be decorated with a leather 
 medal!" 
 
 "An-an-and he plays footbawl, sistaw." 
 
 "Ye don't say ! Still more wonderful! Goon!" 
 
 "He is the man that made the famous wun in the 
 Yale and Princeton football game in New York last 
 fawl. He won the game faw Yale by that wun." 
 
 "Wa-al, I'd like ter know what all that amounts ter ! 
 Ef he should hump up agin' one of the cowboys on this 
 yar ranch, he'd git hisself broke in two in less than two 
 shakes. That's whatever." 
 
 "But he haws, don't yer 'now." 
 
 "Has what?" 
 
 "Had a wow with a cowboy." 
 
 "Had a row with a cowboy? Where? Here on 
 the ranch ? And he is still alive to tell of it ? Where's 
 the cowboy?" 
 
 "Weally I don't know, sistah ; he may be dead by this 
 time." 
 
 "Then I presume somebody had to shoot him to keep 
 him from killing one of our tenderfoot visitors ? That 
 was too bad, blamed ef it wuzn't !"
 
 254 Grogan's Revenge. 
 
 "You awe mistaken, don't yer 'now. Mr. Merri- 
 well stwuck him." 
 
 "Struck him? And is living yet? Wa-al, what did 
 Mr. Merriwell hit him with?" , 
 
 "Nawthing but his fist." 
 
 "Eh?" 
 
 "Thawt was quite sufficient, don't yer 'now. It 
 knocked the fellow down, and he lay there." 
 
 Tess put her hands on her hips and stared hard at 
 Frank. 
 
 "Wa-al," she finally said. "I reckon you must be a 
 fool fer luck ! Who was it ye hit ?" 
 
 "I believe his name is Grogan," answered the lad, 
 with a smile. 
 
 The girl came near fainting on her chair. 
 
 "Grogan? Why, he's a wuss man that Hannah! 
 An* yer knocked him down? Say, Grogan must be 
 roped and corraled while yer git out of Kansas ! Ef he 
 ain't, why, ye'll never git out with a whole skin !" 
 
 "I'll take my chances on that," laughed Frank. **I 
 have seen bad men before. This is not my first visit 
 West."
 
 Grogan's Revenge. 255 
 
 "And yer don't carry a gun ?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Wa-al, derned ef that don't beat me !" 
 
 "Tess !" said the cattle king, reprovingly, as yet witS 
 a smile hovering about his lips, "I wish you would be 
 a little more careful about your language." 
 
 "Careful !" cried the queer girl. "An' with this sort 
 o' provocation! Ask me somethin' easy, paw. Thar 
 ain't words enough in ther English language ter ex- 
 press my feelin's." 
 
 "We'll have to invent a few for your use," said 
 Frank, pleasantly. 
 
 The meal passed off cheerfully, but Tess did not re- 
 cover from her astonishment. It seemed difficult for 
 her to realize that a fellow like Frank could strike Gro- 
 gan and escape with his life. 
 
 After supper the girl disappeared once more, and the 
 boys were again invited to the coolness of the veranda. 
 Mr. Morgan offered them cigars, but Browning was 
 the only one to accept. Merriwell had impressed upon 
 them all the fact that coffee and cigars are wind-break- 
 ers for any long-distance bicycle rider. Bruce, how- 
 ever, persisted in smoking, saying it kept his flesK
 
 256 Grogan's Revenge. 
 
 clown, although no one but himself could see that it 
 had any effect in that direction. 
 
 Elmer continued to linger close to Frank, to whose 
 every word he listened with attentiveness that was 
 flattering, although somewhat annoying. He con- 
 sumed cigarettes in a most appalling manner. 
 
 Mr. Morgan again fell to speaking of the rustlers, 
 and said that he feared they might make an attempt 
 to run off some of his fine horses. 
 
 "Then you raise horses, as well as cattle?" ques- 
 tioned Frank. 
 
 "Yes, I have taken up horse-raising of late." 
 
 "And you are making a success of it?" 
 
 "I seldom make a failure of anything, young man. 
 If you wish to see some fine-blooded animals, come 
 out to the horse-barn with me." 
 
 Frank readily accepted the invitation, and the oth- 
 ers were asked to come along. They followed the cat- 
 tle king toward the barn. 
 
 On the way, several cowboys appeared, and all of 
 them stared at Frank, as if they saw a most extraor- 
 dinary creature. 
 
 The horse-barn was a large building, with a feed-
 
 Grogan's Revenge. 257 
 
 xoft. Within the barn were kept the very finest of Mr. 
 Morgan's blooded horses, and the boys enjoyed half 
 an hour looking the handsome creatures over and hear- 
 ing the man talk about them. 
 
 At last, the rancher said : ' 
 
 "If you care to climb the feed-loft, I will show you 
 the handsomest horse I own, young gentlemen." 
 
 "We are willing enough to climb," assured Frank; 
 "but you can't mean that you keep a horse in the loft." 
 
 "Not quite that, but the loft is the only real safe 
 position from which to take a look at the creature." 
 
 Bruce groaned, but finally decided to make the climb. 
 
 When the loft was reached, the cattleman led the 
 way to a door in the side of the barn, which he opened, 
 crying: 
 
 "There, young gentlemen, take a look at him ! There 
 is Demon, the handsomest and ugliest horse I own! 
 He has killed one man who was trying to break him, 
 and he will do his best to repeat the job with the next 
 chap who enters the corral." 
 
 They could look down from their elevated position 
 into the small breaking-corral, with a snubbing-post 
 in the centre. The fence of the corral was made of
 
 258 Grogan's Revenge. 
 
 heavy timbers, and was constructed in a manner in- 
 tended to withstand the assaults of any number of con- 
 fined horses that might attempt to break out. The 
 ground was worn smooth and denuded of grass by the 
 unshod feet of the many untamed horses the place had 
 held. 
 
 But now the breaking-corral held but one horse, a 
 young coal-black stallion, with glossy coat, proudly 
 arching neck, and a heavy tail that swept rearward like 
 a rainbow. 
 
 This creature was moving restlessly about the corral, 
 tossing its head and pawing the ground at intervals. 
 There was a deadly look in its wicked eyes, and it 
 gave a snort of anger and defiance when the door of the 
 loft was flung open and the human beings gathered 
 above were revealed to its eyes. 
 
 Exclamations of delight and admiration escaped the 
 boys. 
 
 "Surely he is a beauty !" cried Frank Merriwell. 
 
 "You let your bife I mean you bet your life!" burst 
 from Rattleton. "He is a pegular reach no, a regu- 
 lar peach!"
 
 Grogan's Revenge. 259 
 
 There was a flush on Jack Diamond's face, and he 
 slowly said : 
 
 "My father once owned many handsome horses, Mr. 
 Morgan, but I do not believe he ever had a creature 
 the equal of that." 
 
 "By gracious!" cried Toots, rolling his eyes. "I'd 
 jes' lek teh hab dat hawse, chilluns yas, indeedy ! sho* 
 I would!" 
 
 "I rather think you would find him an elephant on 
 your hands," said the rancher, who had noted that the 
 colored boy was treated with unusual respect by his 
 companions. 
 
 "Why, dat ain't no elemfunt, sar. Dat's a pony, fo* 
 suah. I'd lek teh take a ride on his back dis minute." 
 
 "No one has yet been able to get on his back, and 
 the last man to try it was taken out of the corral with 
 his brains kicked out." 
 
 "Land ob watermillions !" 
 
 "If the next man does not succeed, I'm afraid we'll 
 have to kill Demon." 
 
 "That would be a shame !" cried Diamond. 
 
 "I have sent for a professional horse-breaker, who 
 will be here to-morrow, I expect," Mr. Morgan went
 
 260 Grogan's Revenge. 
 
 on. "I shall have to pay him a fancy figure, if he suc- 
 ceeds in breaking Demon, but I rather think the animal 
 will be worth it." 
 
 There was a strange glitter in Frank's eyes. A* 
 last, he said : 
 
 "I don't know as I care to try it, but I feel an intense 
 desire to go down there and see what I can do with 
 that beauty." 
 
 There was a hoarse exclamation behind the boy, and 
 a voice cried : 
 
 "Then down yer goes, tenderfoot, an' ther hoss will 
 kill yer in less than a minute !" 
 
 It was Grogan's voice, and Grogan's hands sent 
 Frank flying from the door to fall into the breaking- 
 corral
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 FRANK AND THE WILD HORSE. 
 
 The black stallion started back, giving a snort, as it 
 saw that human form shoot out of the door above and 
 come sailing down into the corral. 
 
 Not a cry came from Frank's lips, but he caught 
 his breath as he felt himself launched from the door 
 and sent flying through space. 
 
 The other boys cried out, and Jack, quicker than 
 the rest, made an attempt to catch hold of Frank, but 
 missed. 
 
 With a hoarse laugh of evir triumph, Grogan turned 
 and fled from the door, satisfied that he had completed 
 the destruction of the boy he hated. 
 
 Mr. Morgan cried out with horror, and Elmer came 
 near fainting. 
 
 "He will be killed!" shouted the cattle king. "He 
 can't escape !" 
 
 Frank's friends uttered a series of exclamations, and 
 Jack Diamond would have leaped into the corral to
 
 262 Frank and the Wild Horse. 
 
 render such aid as possible to the unfortunate lad, but 
 he was held back by Browning's strong hands. 
 
 Frank struck on his feet, but did not fall. In a 
 moment, recovering from his astonishment, the black 
 stallion gave a wild squeal, and charged. 
 
 How the boy avoided that swift rush and those 
 twinkling heels he could not have told, but, like a leap- 
 ing cat, he was away as the horse whirled to kick. 
 
 Then it was that he saw something bright come 
 whirling down through the air, striking the ground at 
 his feet. 
 
 From above the voice of Miles Morgan cried : 
 
 "It's my revolver ! Take it, boy take it, and shoot 
 the infernal horse ! It will kill yer, if you don't !" 
 
 Frank caught up the weapon, leaping and dodging 
 before a second rush from the stallion. 
 
 Then, with that heavy, glistening "gun" in his 
 grasp, the boy actually laughed! It was the old-time 
 reckless laugh that his friends had sometimes heard 
 when he was in great peril. 
 
 Yet he did not use the revolver, but danced around 
 lightly, every movement showing wonderful agility 
 and grace.
 
 Frank and the Wild Horse. 263 
 
 Already Harry Rattleton had rushed from the loft, 
 leaped to the floor below, and was rushing around to 
 fling open the gate of the corral, panting, palpitating, 
 praying. 
 
 Miles Morgan leaned out of the door, waving his 
 arm, and shouted : 
 
 "Shoot the horse shoot him, boy!" 
 
 Frank did not seem to hear the cry. 
 
 "Shoot the horse!" came in a roar from the man's 
 lips. "He will kill you if you don't! Shoot him! 
 shoot him! shoot him!" 
 
 Once more the infuriated stallion charged at Frank, 
 and this time it seemed that the boy determined to fol- 
 low Morgan's directions, for he suddenly flung up the 
 hand that held the revolver. 
 
 Then, with the greatest rapidity, he seemed to fire 
 six shots point-blank at the stallion's head. 
 
 The horse did not fall, but it halted, seeming bewil- 
 dered for the moment. 
 
 In truth, Frank had not fired a single shot straight 
 at the beautiful black beast, but had sent the bullets 
 whistling past its ears. 
 
 Before the stallion could recover from its momentary
 
 264 Frank and the Wild Horse. 
 
 bewilderment, Frank flung aside the revolver, made a 
 run and a flying leap that carried him to the back of 
 the astonished animal. 
 
 "Hoop-la!" rang out his clear shout. "Open the 
 gate! open the gate! Give us room to circulate!" 
 
 Harry Rattleton had reached the gate, and his shak- 
 ing fingers were tugging at the iron pin that held it 
 fast. He heard Frank's shout, and, thinking his 
 friend must be in the most deadly peril, did his utmost 
 to get the gate open immediately. 
 
 Fortunately, Rattleton succeeded without delay. 
 
 Then, clinging like a leech to the back of the black 
 stallion, and yelling like a wild Indian in the creature's 
 ear, Frank was carried with a rush out through the 
 gate. 
 
 Frank had heard that wild horses often attempted 
 to "squeeze" riders when passing through the gate of 
 a corral, and he was ready for it should the stallion try 
 the trick. 
 
 But Demon seemed astonished by the sudden open- 
 ing of the gate seemed to fear that it would be closed 
 again with equal suddenness. He flung up his head,
 
 Frank and the Wild Horse. 265 
 
 with a wild squeal, and went tearing out of the corral, 
 like a mad creature. 
 
 "Hoop-la ! Here we go ! Clear the road !" 
 
 The cry came from Merriwell's lips, as the stallion 
 bore him away. 
 
 Like an arrow from the bow, Demon shot across the 
 prairie, seeming to think it possible to run away from 
 the human being that was clinging to his back. 
 
 "Well, earn my dyes I mean dern my eyes!" gur- 
 gled Harry, as he stared after his friend. "If that isn't 
 just like Frank Merriwell! Any other fellow'd never 
 tried to mount the infernal horse !" 
 
 The stallion did not pause to try the tricks of a buck- 
 ing bronco, and, very fortunately, it did not . seem to 
 think of attempting to tear the clinging lad from its 
 back with its teeth. Its one idea seemed to be to get 
 as far from that confining breaking-corral as possible 
 in a short time. 
 
 Away, away sped the horse, with the boy sitting 
 astride its bare back, and sticking there as if a part of 
 the animal. It was a splendid exhibition of horseman- 
 ship, and Rattleton was overcome with admiration. 
 
 ''If he had a halter on the creature, he'd bring it
 
 266 Frank and the Wild Horse. 
 
 back as quiet as a kitten. That would be just like him, 
 too. He is a corker, that's what he is !" 
 
 Then he leaned back against the corral gate, and 
 stood there, watching the receding boy and horse. 
 
 Some of the cowboys about the ranch had seen Rat? 
 tleton rush to the gate and fling it open, had seen the 
 untamed horse bear the boy out of the corral, and had 
 witnessed, with the most profound astonishment, the 
 Centaur-like manner in which the lad sat upon the un- 
 saddled back of the stallion as it sped away. 
 
 Grogan had reached the open air, and he was a wit- 
 ness of all this. He stared, as if unable to believe 
 what he saw. Then he rubbed his eyes and stared 
 again. 
 
 When he could comprehend what had happened, the 
 language that flowed from his lips was more violent 
 than polite. He finished by gasping: 
 
 "A tenderfoot a mere kid ! an' he rides like a 
 puncher ! Wa'al, may I be eternally burned !" 
 
 Then Miles Morgan and the boys came hurrying 
 from the stable, and stood watching Frank and the 
 black stallion, till both boy and horse had vanished in
 
 Frank and the Wild Horse. 267 
 
 the dusk of night, which was swiftly settling over the 
 plains. 
 
 "It's too bad !" exclaimed the cattle raiser. 
 
 "What is too bad?" asked Diamond. 
 
 "That the boy should allow Demon to carry him 
 away like that. I doubt if we ever see boy or horse 
 again." 
 
 "Well, now, don't fool yourself like that," returned 
 Jack, with the greatest confidence. "The chances are 
 about ten to one that you will see them both, and the 
 boy will bring back the horse quite tamed and broken." 
 
 "Now yo's jes' shoutin', Mistah Di'mon," nodded 
 Toots. "Nebber no hawse ebber fool dat chile." 
 
 "But but it is impossible!" cried Mr. Morgan. 
 "Why, he has no means of breaking the creature ! Such 
 a thing could not be done without the aid of a breaking 
 bit, and. even then, that boy would not know how to 
 accomplish it." 
 
 Browning grunted, while the young Virginian rather 
 warmly said: 
 
 "You would not have thought it possible for him 
 to ride the stallion in such a manner. It may occur to
 
 268 Frank and the Wild Horse. 
 
 you that he can do a few things you have fancied quite 
 beyond being accomplished by a 'tenderfoot/ " 
 
 "Don't get touchy, young man," said the rancher, 
 kindly. "It is plain enough to me that Mr. MerriweU 
 is quite remarkable in a number of ways; but that is 
 no reason why I should expect an impossibility of him. 
 Not even the best of horse-breakers could bring Demon 
 back without the aid of appliances with which to ac- 
 complish the trick." 
 
 "It is a wondah he was nawt killed, don't yer know," 
 put in Elmer. "I nevah saw anything so wemarkable 
 weally I nevah did." 
 
 "Oh, that wasn't anything," drawled Browning. 
 
 "It came very near being his death !" cried Miles 
 Morgan. "And Grogan was responsible for it all! 
 He shall be properly punished !" 
 
 "That is wight, fawther," nodded Elmer. "I hope 
 you will tweat the wude wuffian as he deserves." 
 
 "I will," promised the cattle king, "and I will see 
 to that at once." 
 
 Then he proceeded to look for Eli Grogan. 
 
 When Grogan was found, however, he was mounted
 
 Frank and the Wild Horse. 269 
 
 on his own tough little bronco, and was riding away as 
 fast as the beast could carry him. 
 
 "He knew better than to remain here," said Mr. 
 Morgan. "He knew what to expect from me, and it 
 will not be a healthy thing for him if he ever shows 
 his head on this ranch again." 
 
 In the meantime, into the gathering darkness the 
 wild horse bore the young athlete from Yale. 
 
 Fierce and furious was that ride across the dusky 
 plain. The wind whistled past Frank's ears and 
 brought the blood leaping in a flush to his cheeks. His 
 heart leaped with a wild, exultant energy, and all his 
 body tingled with a feeling of boundless delight. 
 
 "Go it, old boy!" he cried, again laughing in that 
 reckless way. "I rather think I can stand it as long as 
 you can. This is the most sport I have struck on the 
 trip." 
 
 The horse answered with another wild scream, and 
 seemed to dart forward with a fresh burst of speed that 
 was little short of marvelous. 
 
 The short grass made a carpet upon which the feet
 
 270 Frank and the Wild Horse. 
 
 of the horse thudded softly. And night came down 
 as they raced away, away. 
 
 The undulations became more frequent and abrupt, 
 till they were something like hills, and then Frank 
 saw what, at first, he took for a herd of cattle. 
 
 In another moment there were shrill cries and hoarse 
 shouts, and Frank found himself in the midst of a party 
 of horsemen. With a suddenness that was bewilder- 
 ing, Demon was fighting with hoofs and feet, rearing, 
 kicking, biting, squealing and snorting. 
 
 Then Frank felt himself torn from the back of the 
 horse and hurled to the ground, where he was in 
 danger of being trodden upon, of having his brains 
 dashed out by those flying heels. 
 
 A very fiend seemed to possess the black stallion, for 
 it did not try to break away, but it continued to assault 
 men and horses as if it sought to destroy them all. 
 
 Frank found himself beneath a horse and managed 
 to leap aside with such swiftness that no harm came 
 to him, although something hard, like iron, brushed 
 his cheek. 
 
 As he tried to get upon his feet, he was struck and
 
 Frank and the Wild Horse. 271 
 
 hurled down once more, and it again seemed that he 
 must be fatally injured in that terrible tangle. 
 
 Then it was that something struck his head, and he 
 dropped limply, lying helpless and still beneath those 
 prancing hoofs, quite unconscious of the mad struggle 
 that was going on around and above him.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 AT THE END OF A ROPE. 
 
 Frank was not stunned for long, but when he recov- 
 ered he found his hands were securely bound and he 
 was a captive. 
 
 Near by two men were smoking vile-smelling pipes, 
 while they talked in guarded tones. 
 
 Further away were other men and horses, which 
 could be seen dimly through the darkness. 
 
 Even before Frank's senses fully returned, he heard 
 the hum of voices, and realized that human beings 
 were near. There was a mild roaring in his head, 
 which pained him somewhat, and he wondered if his 
 skull had been cracked by the hoofs of one of those 
 prancing horses. 
 
 When he was fully conscious he did not stir, but re- 
 mained quiet, listening to the talk of the men who were 
 smoking the rank-smelling pipes. 
 
 "It sure is ther black hoss from Morgan's ranch," 
 said one of them; "but how ther boy happened ter be
 
 At the End of a Rope. 273 
 
 ridin' ther critter is what I can't explain none what- 
 ever." 
 
 "No more kin I," admitted the other. "Hannah 
 says as how he knows ther tenderfoot, an' has a grudge 
 ag'in him, which he proposes ter settle w'en he comes 
 around." 
 
 "Ef he does come aroun' ; but I reckon he got a right 
 smart crack on the head, an' that may be a settler." 
 
 "Which will be lucky for him, as it'll be easier than 
 settlin' with Hannah." 
 
 "You bet! Hannah is a bad man 'most as bad as 
 ther cap'n." 
 
 Frank wondered who these men could be. Were 
 they cowboys? It seemed so, for Hannibal Jones was 
 one of Miles Morgan's men. 
 
 But what were they doing out here on the plains? 
 And where were the cattle? 
 
 Somehow it seemed to Frank that there was some- 
 thing wrong about these men, and he continued to 
 listen, hoping their words would give him a hint of 
 the truth. 
 
 "It's gittin' nigh time fer ther cap'n ter show up," 
 one of them mumbled. "He'll be here soon."
 
 274 At the End of a Rope. 
 
 "Yer can't count on that," declared the other. "He'll 
 hev ter snake erway from ther ranch, an' I reckon 
 they're keepin' watch around thar mighty close." 
 
 "Wa-al, let 'em watch. Old Morgan loses his best 
 hawses ter-night. We need ther critters in our busi- 
 ness." 
 
 "Ef we didn't ther cap'n never'd tetch 'em, fer he's 
 steered clear o' botherin' Morgan, knowin' Morgan 
 might make it hot fer us ef he wuz ter git aroused." 
 
 Frank caught his breath, overwhelmed with a sud- 
 den thought. He knew the kind of men into whose 
 power he had fallen. 
 
 "Rustlers!" 
 
 The boy came near uttering the word aloud, but 
 choked it back. 
 
 These men were planning to run off some of Miles 
 Morgan's horses, and that made it certain they were 
 rustlers. Hannah was one of the gang, and the cap- 
 tain was at some ranch near by. Miles Morgan owned 
 the only ranch within fifty miles, so it must be at Mor- 
 gan's ranch that the captain of the ruffians was stop- 
 ping. 
 
 "Well, I have tumbled onto a rather astonishing dis-
 
 At the End of a Rope. 275 
 
 covery," thought the captive lad; "but it may not do 
 me much good. I am in a tight box, and there is very 
 little prospect that I will escape in time to warn Mor- 
 gan." 
 
 A man approached through the darkness, and surlily 
 asked: 
 
 "Wa-al, how is ther tenderfoot ?" 
 
 "Ain't stirred yit, Hannah," answered one of the 
 two guards. 
 
 "Wa-al, it takes ther critter a right smart bit ter 
 come around. Mebbe he's playin' 'possum." 
 
 He stopped near Frank, struck a match, shielding it 
 from the wind in the hollow of his palms, and stooped 
 so he could throw the light on the captive lad's face. 
 
 Frank's eyes were closed, and he looked pale and 
 unconscious. 
 
 Taking the boy by the arm, the man gave him a 
 shake, roughly saying: 
 
 "Wake up, hyar! No funny business! I knows 
 ye're shammin'." 
 
 But Frank did not stir. 
 
 An angry exclamation broke from Hannah's lips, 
 and he dropped the match, straightening up.
 
 276 At the End of a Rope. 
 
 "Denied ef I fool with him longer!" exclaimed the 
 ruffian*. "I did want him ter come around, so he'd 
 know I wuz doin' ther job, but he may not come around 
 at all. More'n that, thar's no tellin' what sort of a row 
 ther cap'n might kick up, so I'll carve ther tenderfoot 
 now." 
 
 From his half-open eyes Frank fancied he saw the 
 man draw a knife. 
 
 "Wat are yer going ter do, Hannah?" quickly asked 
 one of the guards. "Better go slow, pard." 
 
 "Now, don't you try ter mix in none whatever, Bill," 
 hoarsely advised the ruffian, as he knelt beside the boy. 
 "It ain't none o' yer funeral, but it may be, if you git 
 cantankerous. Hannibal Jones don't keer ter be med- 
 dled with." 
 
 "Hold on, Hannah !" urged the other man. "Ye're 
 takin' a heap o' responsibility onter yer shoulders when 
 you knifes a critter 'thout havin' ther cap'n's permis- 
 sion." 
 
 "Wa-al, dern " 
 
 "Keerful ! Yer don't want ter dern ther cap'n." 
 
 "I wuzn't ; I wuz goin' ter dura you fer a meddler." 
 
 "My meddlin' may save your hide. You know
 
 At the End of a Rope. 277 
 
 Black Jack'd bore yer quicker then yer could spit, ef 
 he took ther notion." 
 
 There was no longer a doubt in Frank's mind; he 
 had fallen into the hands of Black Jack's band. He 
 scarcely realized his position, but he was helpless, which 
 forced him to make the most of it. 
 
 The words of the man who had been called Bill 
 seemed to have some influence on Hannah, for, after 
 a period of hesitation, he put up his knife, muttering: 
 
 "It ain't any use ter be in a hurry. I'll wait till ther 
 tenderfoot kid comes around, so he'll know who is 
 doin' him up." 
 
 Frank breathed easier. He had been prepared to 
 roll over and over to escape the knife in the ruffian's 
 hands in case Hannah tried to carry out his murderous 
 intention, but such a move was unnecessary, for the 
 desperado arose, gave the boy a kick, and wandered 
 away. 
 
 Barely had Hannah departed, when one of the two 
 guards detected a distant sound that filled him with in- 
 terest. He listened intently, and the bound lad was 
 likewise able to hear it
 
 278 At the End of a Rope. 
 
 "A horseman," thought Frank. "He is approach- 
 ing." 
 
 "It must be ther cap'n," said Bill, expressing the 
 conviction that had come upon Merriwell. 
 
 Then far out on the plain came a shrill, piercing 
 whistle. Immediately the signal was answered by a 
 similar whistle from the group of men near Frank, and 
 there was a general stir. 
 
 "It is ther cap'n !" said the two guards, as they has- 
 tily arose to their feet. "He's on hand early." 
 
 Unperceived, Frank strained with all his strength at 
 the cords which held his hands, hoping to break them 
 and make an effort to get away, while the rustlers were 
 intent on the approach of their leader. 
 
 In vain! 
 
 Frank's struggles simply served to cause the cords 
 to cut into his wrists, but did not loosen them in the 
 least. 
 
 "Well," he panted, "this looks as if I am in for it. 
 It is no use, I can't get away in this fashion." 
 
 Having decided that he could not escape, Frank gave 
 over his efforts, resolving to let matters take their 
 course.
 
 At the End of a Rope. 279 
 
 In a few moments the horseman was close at hand, 
 and then he came tearing up to the group of men, 
 throwing his animal on its haunches, and dismounting 
 at a bound. 
 
 Frank could hear the men talking, and the voice 
 seemed familiar to the boy. He was sure he had 
 heard it before. 
 
 A few minutes passed, and then the captain of the 
 rustlers approached the spot where the bound boy lay. 
 
 The guards showed the leader the greatest respect, 
 but he gave them no word or look. 
 
 "Strike a brimstone!" he hoarsely ordered. "Give 
 me a look at ther bird ye've captured." 
 
 The men hastened to obey, and a light soon revealed 
 Merriwell's face to the searching eyes of the rustler 
 chief. 
 
 A cry of satisfaction came from Black Jack. 
 
 "I reckoned as much!" he said, exultantly. "It's 
 ther ornery galoot as got away from me once ! But he 
 won't git erway ag'in, you bet !" 
 
 Frank's blood grew cold in his veins, for now he 
 recognized the voice, and he knew the full extent of 
 his peril. He could not hope that the leader of the
 
 280 At the End of a Rope. 
 
 rustlers would show him a grain of mercy. Better a 
 quick death at the hands of the ruffian Hannah than 
 the vengeance the chief of the cattle stealers would 
 wreak upon him. 
 
 For in Black Jack, the rustler, he recognized Eli 
 Grogan ! 
 
 Yes, it was the same man, although his red hair and 
 beard had disappeared. His hair was now clipped 
 short and was coal black. 
 
 As the match flickered and went out, through his 
 eyelashes Frank saw the look of malignant hatred and 
 triumph which contorted the features of the man who 
 stood over him. 
 
 Then came darkness, and Merriwell felt his heart 
 give a great shuddering leap in his bosom. 
 
 Frank knew not how quickly Black Jack might seek 
 to wreak vengeance on the rash tenderfoot who had 
 knocked him senseless with a single terrible blow. 
 In the darkness which followed the extinction of the 
 match the wretch might be drawing "gun" or "sticker" 
 with which to square the debt he felt he owed the boy. 
 
 Merriwell opened his eyes. 
 
 "If I must die, I will look my foe straight in the
 
 At the End of a Rope. 281 
 
 face," he thought. "Steady, old man ! Don't let him 
 have the satisfaction of seeing you quail or hearing 
 you squeal!" 
 
 He brought all his wonderful will-power into serv- 
 ice, and when another match flared up, Black Jack 
 was astonished to see the boy calmly looking up into 
 his face. 
 
 "So ye've come around, have yer?" muttered the 
 leader of the rustlers. "Wa-al, how d'yer like yer situ- 
 ation?" 
 
 "Well," was the calm and steady reply, "I must con- 
 fess that I do not like it as well as I might. I have 
 been trying to get my hands free so I could give you 
 another pat on the jaw, but the ropes are cutting into 
 my wrists. It is uncomfortable, but I am no kicker, 
 so I shall not make much fuss about it." 
 
 Black Jack gasped for breath. 
 
 "Dern me!" he growled. "Thet's what I call nerve." 
 
 "Thank you." 
 
 This did not seem to please the chief of the cattle 
 stealers. With a fierce exclamation he squatted beside 
 the captive, while the second match flickered and went
 
 282 At the End of a Rope. 
 
 out. One of the men lighted another match, but the 
 chief told him to throw it away. 
 
 "It ain't needed now," he said. "Just git out an' 
 leave us alone. I wants ter talk with yar fly tender- 
 foot." 
 
 The men withdrew a short distance, leaving their 
 leader alone with the captive, as this seemed to be 
 Jack's desire. 
 
 The man brought forth a pipe and whittled some 
 tobacco from a plug, seeming to peer like a hawk 
 through the darkness while he was thus occupied. 
 
 Frank could feel that the man was watching him as 
 closely as possible under the circumstances, but the boy 
 waited for Jack to speak. 
 
 After a time the ruffian had filled his pipe, which he 
 proceeded to light. He was deliberate in his move- 
 ments, and Frank wondered what was passing in the 
 fellow's mind. 
 
 Having succeeded in causing the pipe to draw in a 
 manner that was satisfactory, Black Jack continued to 
 smoke and stare through the darkness at the boy. He 
 seemed to be meditating. 
 
 "I'm kinder thinkin' what would be a right good way
 
 At the End of a Rope. 28} 
 
 ter give yer a send-off," the man finally said. "I don't 
 keer ter send yer off ther hooks too quick, as thar 
 wouldn't be no great satisfaction in that. To be 
 sure," he added, "I might use this yar sticker on yer." 
 
 He bent over, placing one hand on the boy's breast, 
 and Frank felt the keen point of the knife pricking his 
 throat. 
 
 "I should jedge yer joogler vein oughter be about 
 thar," observed the brute, grimly. "This sticker is 
 keen as a razor, an' it wouldn't take no more'n a gentle 
 push ter tap yer." 
 
 The situation was enough to shake the nerve of the 
 bravest, and it is not strange that Frank stiffened in 
 every limb, holding himself calm with a great effort. 
 
 "Mebbe that's be ther best way, arter all," said the 
 chief, as if considering the advisability of such an act. 
 
 "It'd settle ther matter quick like, an' I w'u'dn't hev 
 ter bother with yer no more. Mebbe I'd better open 
 up yer wizzend." 
 
 Then it was that Merriwell again brought all his re- 
 markable nerve into play, and the laugh that came from 
 his lips seemed genuine and unforced. 
 
 "You have got the call in this game," came smoothly
 
 284 At the End of a Rope. 
 
 from the lad's lips. "'It's not for me to advise you 
 concerning the best way of doing the little trick." 
 
 Frank felt the knife prick yet more keenly, and then 
 it was removed suddenly, and a string of violent ex- 
 clamations came from the lips of the rustler. 
 
 "Look hyar, boy!" snarled the man, when he had 
 exhausted himself in this manner, "yer don't want ter 
 git ther notion that this yar is foolin'. Black Jack 
 never fools." 
 
 "I trust not," said Frank, coolly. "I do not care 
 to be fooled with. It will prolong the agony, that is 
 all." 
 
 "I'm goin' ter wipe yer out !" 
 
 "I presumed that was your intention." 
 
 "Wa-al, yer don't seem ter realize w'at it means." 
 
 "Oh, yes, I do!" 
 
 "Derned ef yer acts that way! Hev yer got any 
 grudges ag'in yerself that makes ye tired o' livin' ?" 
 
 "No. In fact, I enjoy living very well, and I have 
 made the most of life, although you may consider me 
 rather young in years. I have had a jolly good time 
 while I have lived, and I can't kick if the game ends 
 now. I have had more fun during my life than most
 
 At the End of a Rope. 285 
 
 fellows could have if they lived to be a thousand. I've 
 always managed to squeeze a large amount of satisfac- 
 tion out of everything. Just think of the fun I had 
 with you at the ranch this afternoon ! Why, I thumped 
 you as if you were a punching bag!" 
 
 There was a hoarse gurgle in the man's throat, and 
 he seemed unable to speak for some moments. 
 
 "I have noticed," Merriwell serenely went on, "that 
 you seem to articulate with some difficulty. I trust I 
 did not injure your jaw permanently?" 
 
 Once more the man resorted to violent language. 
 Then he suddenly bent over and struck Frank savagely 
 in the face. 
 
 The boy saw the blow coming and he moved his 
 head so he did not receive the full shock of it, although 
 it was sufficient to daze him for some seconds. Bright 
 lights seemed to flash before Frank's eyes, and there 
 was a roaring and ringing sound in his head for several 
 minutes after the blow. 
 
 But not a sound came from Merriwell's lips, his teeth 
 being firmly set in the effort to hold back any cry that 
 might seek utterance.
 
 286 At the End of a Rope. 
 
 "Thar !" panted the rustler. "That makes us squar* 
 in one way !" 
 
 "Do you think so?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "That shows how much you know .about such mat- 
 ters," said the boy. "You may be a first-class cut- 
 throat and cattle steal er, but you don't know how to 
 strike a blow any more than a baby." 
 
 For a moment it appeared that the man would fling 
 himself on the cool and tantalizing lad and rain blows 
 upon that taunting mouth ; but he seemed to think bet- 
 ter of it, for he settled back, uttering a growl like a dog. 
 
 "Wa-al, may I be chawed !" he muttered. "I can't 
 understand yer, tenderfoot, none whatever." 
 
 "What do you mean, sir? Am I not speaking 
 straight United States?" 
 
 "Oh, yes; that's all right. What yer says is plain 
 enough, but what yer means is ther sticker." 
 
 "I mean what I say." 
 
 "Mebbe yer do." 
 
 "Certainly I do. To illustrate, if you will put your- 
 self in my place, and let me take your place, I'll agree 
 to show you how to strike a blow that amounts to
 
 At the End of a Rope. 287 
 
 something. I'll guarantee that you won't be able to 
 lift any cattle for a week after I hit you." 
 
 Black Jack remembered the blow he had received 
 earlier in the day, and it led him to believe there was 
 something more than idle boasting in the words of the 
 boy. 
 
 But what sort of a tenderfoot was this, who could 
 talk in such a nonchalant manner under such circum- 
 stances ? Surely he was not an ordinary sort of boy. 
 
 "Yer don't git no chance ter hit me ag'in," declared 
 the man. 
 
 "I'm sorry," assured Frank. "It would give me 
 great satisfaction to nail you just once. I believe I 
 could die easier after that. In fact, I am quite sure 
 of it." 
 
 The chief was silent. He seemed to be meditating 
 once more. 
 
 "I hev it !" he exclaimed, after some moments. 
 
 Then he rose to his feet, and ordered : 
 
 "Bring up ther black hoss. Put a cinch aroun' ther 
 critter." 
 
 "I wonder what game he is up to now?" speculated 
 Frank.
 
 288 At the End of a Rope. 
 
 The chief's order was soon obeyed and the horse was 
 brought forward with some difficulty, being handled 
 by several men, whom it resisted and struggled against. 
 
 Black Jack dropped beside Frank once more, saying, 
 swiftly : 
 
 "I ain't goin' ter cut yer throat, tenderfoot ; but I'm 
 goin' ter give yer a nice little ride at ther end of a 
 rope." 
 
 "You are very kind." 
 
 "Think so? Wa-al ho! ho! yer may change yer 
 tune. This hoss is Demon, ther critter w'at berlongs 
 ter Miles Morgan." 
 
 "Indeed! I did not suppose Demon could be cap- 
 tured." 
 
 "Wa-al, ther boys managed ter rope ther critter arter 
 it brought yer to 'em, an' they've held it sence. Now 
 we're goin' ter let it go." 
 
 "I should not think you'd wish to lose the horse." 
 
 "Wa-al, we can't waste time ter break it. We've got 
 business on our hands fer ter-night. Thet's why I'm 
 goin' ter dispose o' you right sudden." 
 
 Frank was silent.
 
 At the End of a Rope. 289 
 
 "Hitch a rope ter ther cinch," directed the rustler 
 chief. 
 
 This order was obeyed with some difficulty, but it 
 was accomplished at last. 
 
 "Tie ther rope around ther tenderfoot's ankles," 
 commanded Black Jack, "an' make it fast." 
 
 The men hastened to obey. 
 
 Now Frank understood what the chief's game was 
 to be. He would set the horse free to dash madly over 
 the night-shrouded plain, dragging the boy at the end 
 of the lariat. 
 
 Frank shuddered with horror as he comprehended 
 his doom. In fancy he felt himself yanked along at 
 the end of the rope, bounding, thumping, whirling 
 across the plain, the breath of life beaten from his lips. 
 
 And Frank was helpless to make a struggle. There 
 was nothing for it but to submit to his fate. 
 
 Believing that death could not be escaped, Frank 
 prayed. He did not utter the words aloud, but his 
 heart overflowed with a prayer in which he commended 
 his soul to its Maker. 
 
 He thought of the friends he would never again 
 see of Rattleton, Diamond, Browning, and of Toots,
 
 290 At the End of a Rope. 
 
 the faithful colored boy. Would they ever know what 
 fate had befallen him? Would his battered body be 
 found and buried? Or would his bones be picked by 
 vultures and coyotes? 
 
 Other thoughts flashed with wonderful swiftness 
 through his abnormally active brain. Never again 
 would he see dear old Yale, never stand under the great 
 elms beneath the shade of which he had laughed and 
 joyed and sang so many times. 
 
 He wondered if the fellows would miss him if 
 many of them would drop a tear to his memory. Their 
 faces seemed clustering around him Griswold, jolly 
 and full of life; Jones, solemn and sad; Pierson, tall 
 and handsome; Halliday, who had ever been a true 
 friend. 
 
 There were others, scores of them, his friends and 
 his foes. 
 
 His foes ! He thought of them, and in that moment 
 when it seemed that his life was soon to terminate, he 
 forgave them all. He even censured himself for being 
 so harsh with some of them. They were human, and 
 they had the failings of human beings. What if they
 
 At the End of a Rope. 291 
 
 had not liked him? What if some of them had tried 
 to injure him? 
 
 Yes, he forgave Ditson, Flemming, Harris, Harlow 
 all of them. 
 
 A hoarse whisper was hissing into his ear, arousing 
 him to a sense of what was actually taking place. He 
 heard the words : 
 
 "Don't think yer kin escape me this yar way, tender- 
 foot ! I hed ther fust rumpus with yer, an' I'll be ther 
 last ter settle with yer ! It wouldn't do ter step in ahead 
 o' ther chief, but I've fixed it so we'll meet ag'in." 
 
 The speaker was Hannah, the cowboy with whom 
 Frank had had the trouble before reaching Morgan's 
 Ranch. 
 
 Frank heard the words, but he did not comprehend 
 their meaning. A moment later Black Jack was at his 
 side. 
 
 "Everything is ready, tenderfoot," said the chief of 
 the rustlers. "In a moment you'll be scootin' over ther 
 grass at a lively rate. Is thar anything yer wants ter 
 say before yer scoots ?"
 
 292 At the End of a Rope. 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Then good-by. Let 'er go!" 
 
 There was a wild yell, and with a snort the freed 
 horse shot away into the darkness, like an arrow from 
 ,;he bow, dragging a human body at his heels !
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 FICKLE FORTUNE. 
 
 Frank felt a jerk at his feet, felt himself snatched 
 along, struck the ground with a thump that drove the 
 breath in a puff from his lips, bounded, fell again, and 
 then 
 
 It was all over in a moment, as it seemed. The boy 
 found himself lying gasping on the ground, feeling as 
 if his legs had been torn from his body at the hips and 
 he had been pounded in a score of places with heavy 
 sledge-hammers. 
 
 But he was no longer dragged along, although he 
 still remained bound and helpless. 
 
 What had happened? How was it that he was no 
 longer dragged across the plain at the heels of a fiery 
 wild horse that was mad with the exultation of new- 
 found freedom? 
 
 A trick it must be a trick! The rustler chief had 
 not intended that he should be dragged to death in 
 that manner, but had sought to terrify and torture him.
 
 294 Fickle Fortune. 
 
 That was the thought which rushed upon him. 
 
 He lay there waiting for the rustlers to gather around 
 him expecting to hear the hated voice of Black Jack 
 once more. 
 
 Then, far away, he could hear the galloping horse, as 
 the creature was still tearing madly through the dark- 
 ness. 
 
 It was some time before Frank's brain seemed to 
 work as it should. 
 
 Where were the rustlers? He listened, but could 
 hear nothing of them. 
 
 Then he tried to think how it came about that he 
 was not still attached to the flying horse. 
 
 The rope must have broken ! 
 
 But why the rope should have broken was a puzzle 
 to him, for he knew it was a lariat, such as cowboys 
 used to noose cattle, and such rope could stand a won- 
 derful strain. 
 
 "It did not break in a natural manner," decided the 
 boy. 
 
 At first, his sensation was one of unspeakable relief. 
 He had been spared from death, and he had escaped 
 from the rustlers.
 
 Fickle Fortune. 295 
 
 But another thought followed. He was still bound 
 and helpless, and he was alone on the plain. He could 
 not set himself at liberty, which meant that he must re- 
 main there and perish, unless some one appeared to re- 
 lease him. 
 
 The thought of all these horrors was enough to force 
 a groan from Frank's lips, despite his wonderful nerve. 
 
 Then came an overpowering temptation to shout-- 
 to call for help. It did not seem that he had been 
 dragged so far from the rustlers that his voice would 
 not reach their ears. 
 
 Better death at the hands of Black Jack than a linger- 
 ing death of thirst and starvation there on the plain. 
 
 His lips parted to utter the cry, and then came a 
 thought that kept him silent. 
 
 He had vowed that Black Jack should not have the 
 satisfaction of hearing him beg, or cry for help. If 
 the cry should reach the ears of the rustler chief it 
 would give the brutal wretch great satisfaction. 
 
 Possibly Black Jack was near at hand, waiting to 
 hear that appeal. 
 
 "No," he mused; "it will mean death' anyway, and
 
 296 Fickle Fortune. 
 
 I will keep silent. Perhaps some one may find me here 
 and set me free." 
 
 Then, as he lay there, thinking of all that had hap- 
 pened, he suddenly remembered the words the cowboy 
 Hannah had hissed into his ear just before the horse 
 started on its wild career across the plain. 
 
 Hannah had said that he dared not interfere with 
 the chief's work, but he had fixed it so he would meet 
 Frank again. 
 
 What had the ruffian meant by those words? 
 
 "Can it be?" muttered Frank. "Did he fix the rope 
 so it broke before I was dragged to death ?" 
 
 After a little the boy was firm in the belief that this 
 was how it came about that the rope attached to the 
 horse had parted. It had been cut by Hannah. 
 
 "Well, I don't know that I have much to thank him 
 for," said Frank, huskily. "I am here, but that is 
 nothing to feel elated over. And after a time Hannah 
 may come hunting for me all by his lonesome. If he 
 finds me well, I'd be better off still dragging at the 
 heels of the horse !" 
 
 During the time that Frank had been thinking of 
 these things his strength was slowly returning to his
 
 Fickle Fortune. 297 
 
 limbs and body. Although he remembered his failure 
 to free his hands when he had made the attempt before, 
 he resolved to try again and again as long as he was 
 able to do so. 
 
 And then, to his surprise, he seemed to find that the 
 rope about his wrists was loosened somewhat. In a 
 vague way, it seemed that he remembered having been 
 dragged through some sage brush, and of feeling a tug 
 at his wrists a tug that seemed to loosen his arms at 
 the shoulders. 
 
 With wildly fluttering heart, Frank gradually set 
 about trying to slip one of his hands out of the encir- 
 cling rope. He found it slow and difficult work, but 
 he proceeded carefully, fearing to tighten the rope and 
 frustrate his own design if he gave a desperate pull. 
 
 And so, bit by bit, he worked his hand free, his heart 
 bounding higher and higher as the prospect of success 
 became more and more assured. 
 
 At last, with a low cry of joy, he freed his hands 
 and sat up. 
 
 "Well, if this isn't a great deal better than being 
 dead, I don't want any sugar in mine!" he laughed.
 
 298 Fickle Fortune. 
 
 "That was a close call for you, Merriwell, and you are 
 not out of the woods yet, but you are getting along." 
 
 He immediately set about clearing his feet, to which 
 he found a long stretch of rope was still attached. 
 
 "Free!" he cried, at last. "Now, if I could get back 
 to Morgan's ranch in time to spoil Black Jack's little 
 plot to run off the horses to-night well, the laugh 
 would be on him." 
 
 But how was he to find his way to the ranch ? And, 
 even if he knew the proper direction to pursue, he was 
 miles from the house, and he could not walk the dis- 
 tance in time to be on hand before the rustlers appeared. 
 
 When he had cleared his feet of the rope, he arose 
 with no small difficulty, being stiff and sore in every 
 limb. Once on his feet, he found he could scarcely 
 stand. 
 
 "It's no use!" he cried. "I could not reach the 
 ranch, even if it were near here !" 
 
 Frank was in despair, and it was some minutes be- 
 fore he could decide on anything. At last he resolved 
 to keep moving, if he could do nothing more. 
 
 He reached down into the grass and mechanically 
 gathered up the rope, scarcely knowing why he did so.
 
 Fickle Fortune. 299 
 
 In the same mechanical manner he coiled it. Then, 
 slowly and painfully, he walked away. 
 
 Frank had not gone far before a thought came to 
 him. He knew he must still be on Morgan's ranch, 
 and as the cattle king raised horses as well as cattle, he 
 might come upon a herd of the animals. 
 
 "If I could capture one!" he exclaimed. 
 
 Then he stopped, and to the best of his ability, for all 
 of the darkness, hastened to make a running noose in 
 the rope in his hand. 
 
 Frank was fairly expert with a lariat, and he re- 
 solved to be ready for the emergency in case he was 
 fortunate enough to stumble upon a herd of horses. 
 
 When he had prepared the noose he moved onward 
 again. 
 
 Frank simply strayed in an aimless way across the 
 plain, not having any idea as to the direction in which 
 the ranch lay. 
 
 How long he wandered on in this manner he had no 
 means of knowing. His strength had returned to him 
 in a remarkable manner, and he felt that he would be 
 in condition to make a battle for life if he were to hap- 
 pen upon the rustlers.
 
 3oo Fickle Fortune. 
 
 Of a sudden, in the darkness close at hand, some- 
 thing black and uncanny tossed its head, and there 
 came a snort of alarm. 
 
 It was a horse! 
 
 Quick as thought, Frank swung the lariat about his 
 head and made a cast, trusting to fortune more than to 
 any skill he might possess, for the darkness was dense 
 enough to baffle the most skillful "roper." 
 
 The moment he made the cast the boy threw his 
 hands, holding the end of the rope to his hip, in the 
 manner that he had seen cowboys do when they lassoed 
 a horse or steer while on foot. 
 
 Barely was he in time for the shock that came. But 
 he was braced and he stood there like a thing of iron. 
 
 Had Frank held the end of the rope in any other 
 manner he would have been hurled to the ground in a 
 moment. As it was, he withstood the shock, and 
 the horse, which by the most wonderful luck he had 
 noosed, was thrown. 
 
 Uttering a cry of triumph, the boy darted forward, 
 flinging himself upon the horse, as the creature strug- 
 gled up.
 
 Fickle Fortune. 301 
 
 Frank was astride the animal's back when it gained 
 its feet. 
 
 The horse was frightened, and away it dashed across 
 the plain, bearing the boy through the dark night. 
 
 "Hurrah !" cried Merriwell, his delight bursting forth 
 in a cheer. "Who says this is not luck? Here I am 
 free and mounted on a swift horse, for the creature can 
 run like the wind. Quite a change from my condition 
 a short time ago!" 
 
 It was useless for him to try to guide or restrain the 
 horse, and so he let the creature bear him whither it 
 would, merely retaining his seat upon its back. 
 
 "Black Jack could not catch me now !" he laughed. 
 
 But one idea seemed to possess the frightened horse, 
 and that was to try to run away from the lad upon 
 its back. 
 
 It seemed that this wild ride continued for two 
 hours, at least, and then of a sudden, close at hand in 
 the darkness, loomed some buildings. 
 
 "A ranch !" thought Frank, with a throb of aston- 
 ishment and joy. 
 
 Already the horse was well spent. It dashed 
 straight up to a corral fence, and stopped suddenly.
 
 302 Fickle Fortune. 
 
 Frank was off the horse in a moment. Before him 
 he saw the gate of the corral standing wide open. He 
 struck the horse a sharp blow with his hand, and the 
 creature trotted into the corral, as if it were quite 
 willing to do so. 
 
 "Seems to know the place," muttered Frank. "Acts 
 as if it were glad to get back. It must be the horse 
 has been confined in this same corral, and escaped by 
 the open gate." 
 
 He closed the gate. 
 
 "Now," he muttered, "now to find out where I am." 
 
 As he turned about, dark forms appeared before 
 him, and he heard the stern command : 
 
 "Up with your hands, critter! Try ter slope, an* 
 we'll pump yer full o' lead !"
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE METAMORPHOSIS OF TESS. 
 
 "Up they go," said Frank, with a laugh, as he ele- 
 vated his hands above his head. "You need not bother 
 about shooting holes in me. I don't care for the lead 
 cure." 
 
 There was an exclamation of astonishment, and a 
 voice cried : 
 
 "Corn of Habriel I mean horn of Gabriel ! if it isn't 
 Frank Merriwell, I hope I may be butted to death by 
 gross-eyed coats no, cross-eyed goats !" 
 
 "You are right, Harry," said Frank, with satisfac- 
 tion. 
 
 "I am here, large as life, and just as natural." 
 
 In another moment he was clasped in Rattleton's 
 arms. 
 
 "I knew you would come back!" he declared, over 
 and over. "But I was beginning to get anxious about 
 you," he confessed. "That's how I happened to be out
 
 304 The Metamorphosis of Tess. 
 
 here with these men. Couldn't sleep. Got up and 
 came out." 
 
 "Where are the other fellows, Harry ?" Frank asked. 
 
 "All asleep. Diamond told them you would come 
 back all right, and was ready to turn in at the usual 
 hour. Toots was tired out, and you know nothing 
 causes Browning to lose his sleep." 
 
 "Well," said Merriwell, who found it difficult to 
 realize that fickle fortune had turned thus completely in 
 his favor, "I'll soon have them all out. I want to see 
 Mr. Morgan without delay." 
 
 A short time later Frank was telling the cattle king 
 of his remarkable adventures, and how he had learned 
 that there was a plan to raid his horse-barn that very 
 night. 
 
 "Well, we will give ther whelps a hot reception !" ex- 
 claimed Miles Morgan, as he hastily got into his 
 clothes. "So Eli Grogan is Black Jack? I'll allow I'd 
 never dreamed such a thing." 
 
 "Had Grogan a particular friend among the cow- 
 boys on the ranch?" 
 
 "Yes, two." 
 
 "Who?"
 
 The Metamorphosis of Tess. 305 
 
 "Hannibal Jones was one." 
 
 "The other?" 
 
 "A chap hyar at ther stable by ther name of Blake." 
 
 "Take my advice and tie up this man Blake before 
 he has time to learn that Black Jack's scheme is 
 known." 
 
 "You think just what?" 
 
 "He may be one of the rustlers. He may be the 
 one left here to warn the gang in case anything is 
 wrong at the ranch." 
 
 "Perhaps that's right. We'll look out for him, boy." 
 
 So it happened that Rod Blake suddenly found him- 
 self seized and bound, much to his astonishment and 
 pretended indignation. The men who tied him re- 
 fused to answer questions; he was placed where he 
 could not by any possible effort signal to the rustlers. 
 
 Then there was haste in gathering the men about 
 the ranch in the horse-barn, where they awaited the 
 approach of the rustlers, all of them fully armed. 
 
 Barely were these preparations made when a sound 
 from the darkness that hovered on the plain told the 
 cattle lifters were approaching. With a rush and a
 
 306 The Metamorphosis of Tess. 
 
 dash they swept up to the ranch, reached the barn, some 
 leaped from the horses, while others held the animals. 
 
 Before they could rush forward to break into the 
 barn, Morgan's cowboys poured a volley of bullets into 
 the ranks of the astonished wretches. 
 
 Many fell, and those who could made haste to mount 
 and ride madly away into the darkness, without return- 
 ing a single shot. With wild yells, the triumphant 
 cowboys rushed from the barn, seized the dead and 
 wounded bandits, and bore them in. 
 
 It was found that Black Jack was among the killed, 
 and Hannibal Jones was mortally wounded. 
 
 Jones stared as if he saw an apparition when his 
 eyes rested on Frank. 
 
 "You?" he gasped. "Hyar? Wa-al, this yar gits 
 me!" 
 
 "Yes, I am here," said Frank. "Thanks to your 
 kindness in partly cutting the rope that attached me 
 to the horse, I was able to reach the ranch in time to 
 warn Mr. Morgan of the intended raid." 
 
 Hannah groaned. 
 
 "Thet time I cooked my own goose !" he huskily said. 
 "I didn't want ther boss ter wipe yer out, fer I 'lowed
 
 The Metamorphosis of Tess. 307 
 
 I bed first claim onter yer. Ef I'd let him do ther job, 
 I wouldn't be hyar now with a bullet through my 
 lungs." 
 
 "That's right," agreed Frank. "It was through no 
 feeling of pity for me that you cut the rope. Instead 
 of that, it was because you wanted the murderous sat- 
 isfaction of killing me yourself. And this is your just 
 reward." 
 
 "I reckon you're right, tenderfoot. I wants ter say 
 before I shuffle off that you takes ther bakery fer any- 
 thing in ther tenderfoot line. I never saw anything in 
 Kansas afore that could stack up with you, kid." 
 
 Frank bade the men see that Hannah was made com- 
 fortable while he lived as comfortable as possible. 
 Some of the indignant cowboys were inclined to hang 
 Jones and the other wounded ones, but Miles Morgan 
 sternly forbade anything of the kind. 
 
 When the boys and the cattle king returned to the 
 house, Tess was up and dressed. She regarded the 
 lads with some astonishment, as she asked what all the 
 shooting was about. 
 
 "Oh, not much!" smiled Frank. "We have been 
 having a matinee with the rustlers, that is all."
 
 3o8 The Metamorphosis of less. 
 
 She lifted her eyebrows. 
 
 "Ef yer means by that as how ye've been fightm'," 
 she said, "I reckon ther punchers done ther fightin', 
 while you was hid somewhere out o' ther reach o' bul- 
 lets." 
 
 This seemed to amuse Frank, who smilingly said: 
 "It is plain that your poor opinion of a tenderfoot has 
 not changed in the least, Miss Morgan. However, it 
 is of no consequence to me." 
 
 This thrust went home, as he plainly saw, for, with 
 a saucy toss of her head and a pert retort, she hastily 
 retired. 
 
 The following morning Tess came to breakfast in 
 a gown that was a revelation to the boys, as it was 
 quite as tasty and delicate as an Eastern girl of culture 
 could have worn. 
 
 But what astonished them more than anything else 
 was the fact that she seemed to have changed her man- 
 ners with her gown. 
 
 That was not all. She had abandoned the uncoutK 
 Western style of speaking, had quite dropped the dia- 
 lect of the ranches and the mountains, and spoke with
 
 The Metamorphosis of Tess. 309 
 
 as perfect pronunciation as the most blue-blooded Bos- 
 ton maiden. 
 
 It was with no small amount of difficulty that Frank 
 Merriwell could keep from staring at her. The change 
 was so great and marvelous. She greeted them all 
 with the greatest ease and grace. 
 
 Elmer Morgan was on hand, and he regarded his 
 sister with great satisfaction. 
 
 "There, my deah girl," he drawled, "I am verwy glad 
 you have decided to dwess like a civilized cwecher this 
 mawning, don't yer 'now." 
 
 Then he turned to the boys, and added : 
 
 "My aw sistaw is very queer about some things, 
 don't yer see. Fawther wesolved that we should be 
 educated in the East. I went to Hawvard, and she 
 attended Vassaw, but when she is heah at home she is 
 a wegular wanch girl, don't yer undawstand. She will 
 aw persist in dwessing in those wude clothes, and 
 widing awound with the horrid cowboys. Then she 
 weally delights to tawk like the punchaws, don't yer 
 'now." 
 
 Educated at Vassar ! Why, Frank had thought the 
 day before that Tess had not been educated at all. She
 
 3io The Metamorphosis of Tess. 
 
 had seemed wild and rough, although she was strangely 
 piquant and bewitching in her manner. Now she was 
 actually handsome, although something of the old saucy 
 air hovered about her. 
 
 It seemed that the girl was able to read Merriwell's 
 thoughts, for a faint smile hovered about the corners 
 of her pretty lips, and she gently observed : 
 
 "You seem surprised, Mr. Merriwell. I fancy you 
 thought you had found a curiosity in me, and you are 
 somewhat disappointed." 
 
 "Not disappointed, Miss Morgan delighted, I as- 
 sure you. You were charming as a ranch girl ; but you 
 are bewildering as a Vassar maiden." 
 
 "Very pretty, sir!" laughed Tess. "Surely you 
 know how to make complimentary speeches, if you are 
 a tenderfoot. And they say you actually rode Demon. 
 How far did he carry you before he threw you off and 
 got away?" 
 
 "He did not throw me off at all. And, as for get- 
 ting away, I think you will find him in the breaking- 
 corral when you look there this morning." 
 
 "Is it possible?" 
 
 Jack Diamond laughed in a quiet way.
 
 The Metamorphosis of Tess. 3 1 1 
 
 "I told your father, Miss Morgan," he said, "that 
 Frank would bring the horse back, but Mr. Morgan 
 seemed to think such a thing beyond the range of pos- 
 sibility." 
 
 "No wonder. And is the horse in the corral, father? 
 Did Mr. Merriwell bring Demon back?" 
 
 "Well," admitted the cattle king, "whether Mr. Mer- 
 riwell brought Demon back or not, Demon is in the 
 breaking-corral." 
 
 Tess was silent a moment, and then she suddenly 
 said: 
 
 "Mr. Merriwell, I believe it is my duty to offer you 
 an apology ; but I will admit you are the most remark- 
 able tenderfoot I ever saw. I have not held a very ex- 
 alted opinion of college fellows, but it may be that I 
 have deceived myself." 
 
 The breakfast was a merry one, for Miles Morgan 
 did his best to make it such, and the lads were in a 
 jolly mood. Without at all losing her air of grace 
 and dignity, Tess laughed and chatted, betraying a 
 natural turn for bright repartee and witty sayings. 
 Frank was charmed with her appearance, and his face, 
 his eyes, his voice betrayed as much.
 
 312 The Metamorphosis of Tess. 
 
 Mr. Morgan did not see fit to put a "damper" on the 
 pleasant occasion by mentioning the fact that Hannah, 
 the cowboy-rustler, had "cashed in his chips" during 
 the night, and would be buried, along with the other 
 rustlers shot during the brief engagement, if it could 
 be so called, some time that day. 
 
 After breakfast, Tess invited the boys into the parlor, 
 which, to their fresh surprise, they found furnished 
 and decorated in a manner that would not have been 
 unworthy of some Eastern mansions. 
 
 In the parlor was a splendid upright rosewood piano, 
 and in Tess' collection of music were a number of the 
 very latest popular songs. 
 
 The girl was induced to play and sing, and it quickly 
 became evident that her musical education had not 
 been neglected, while she had a sweet and sympathetic 
 voice, that was also strong and clear as the note of a 
 bell. 
 
 After singing a number of popular songs, she 
 brought out a book of college songs, and invited the 
 boys to sing with her. This they were pleased to do,
 
 The Metamorphosis of Tess. 313 
 
 and the house echoed to the sound of "Upidee," 
 "Bingo," "Solomon Levi," "Uralio," and "Stars of the 
 Summer Night." 
 
 The following morning at daybreak the boys left 
 the ranch on their way toward the West
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE STRUGGLE IN THE STAGE. 
 
 "There is something wrong inside that stage, fel- 
 lows," cried Frank. 
 
 "You are rust jite I mean just right!" came from 
 Harry. 
 
 "There is some sort of struggle going on," Jack de- 
 clared. "Did you hear that? I believe it was a 
 woman's voice!" 
 
 "Land ob w<artermillions !" gurgled Toots, the col- 
 ored boy. "Nebber see no such country as dis am fo* 
 trouble! 'Fi ebber git back to de East wif mah scalp, 
 I's gwan teh be a mighty lucky coon. I is !" 
 
 "Huah !" grunted Bruce. "Don't worry about your 
 scalp. Wool is too cheap out here for any one to care 
 for that crop of yours/' 
 
 "Mebbe yo' think dat am smart, sar! G'won, boy! 
 yo's too tiard teh think ob a smart thing teh say, sar." 
 
 "Surely there is a struggle taking place in the stage !"
 
 The Struggle in the Stage. 315 
 
 exclaimed Merriwell. Then he lifted his voice, and 
 cried : 
 
 "Oh, driver! Hello, there! Hold on, will youl! 
 Stop a minute !" 
 
 The driver did not turn his head. His whip swung 
 through the air, the long lash writhing like a snake, to 
 then shoot forward and crack with a pistol-like report 
 near the ears of the horses. 
 
 The animals were dashing forward at reckless speed, 
 and the coach was swaying and rocking and bounding 
 on its strap-springs of leather. 
 
 Again Frank hailed: 
 
 "Hello! hello! hello! Hold up, driver! What's 
 the matter with you ? Are your ears plugged up ?" 
 
 Still the driver faced straight ahead, without appear- 
 ing to hear the cry. 
 
 "That's queer," commented Diamond. 
 
 "It's andering thuggravating I mean thundering 
 aggravating!" burst from Rattleton. "Of course he 
 heard you, Frank." 
 
 "Perhaps not." 
 
 "Why, he must have heard!" 
 
 "It is possible he is deaf."
 
 316 The Struggle in the Stage. 
 
 "It may be, but I don't believe it." 
 
 The boys were mounted on their bicycles, which ena- 
 bled them to keep close behind the mountain stage. 
 
 Already they were in the Rocky Mountains, riding 
 along a valley of the foothills, with the great range 
 rising in all its appalling and awesome grandeur almost 
 above their very heads. 
 
 They had passed through Denver, where nq adven- 
 ture worthy of note had befallen them ; and now came 
 the most serious and dangerous part of their trip across 
 the continent crossing the Great Divide. 
 
 On the great plains of the West they had found the 
 facilities for cycling surprisingly good, and, although 
 but a little more than halfway from New York to San 
 Francisco, they were in the best of spirits, feeling sure 
 they would accomplish the trip, for all of the fact that 
 friends and acquaintances had prophesied to the con- 
 trary at the outset. 
 
 The stage road to Buzzardsville, a small place amid 
 the mountains, was rough and treacherous, being full 
 of loose stones, and yet they had made very good time 
 over it. 
 
 Coming up behind the stage, they had observed the
 
 The Struggle in the Stage. 317 
 
 evident commotion within, and, above the rumbling 
 wheels, had heard the hoarse voice of a man, mingled 
 with what seemed to be the frightened cries of a 
 woman. 
 
 "I'll tell you how we may be able to attract the at- 
 tention of the driver," said Frank. 
 
 "That's right, tell us!" exclaimed the young Vir- 
 ginian. 
 
 "We will shout at him all together when I give the 
 signal. How does that go?" 
 
 "We can try it. Let 'er go." 
 
 "All ready. Now one, two, three!" 
 
 Then they sent up a great shout that was flung back 
 in a hundred echoes from all sides, but did not seem- 
 to disturb the man on the box of the stage any more 
 than a whisper. 
 
 However, from within the stage, there came a dis- 
 tinct cry. 
 
 "Help!" 
 
 It was plain enough for all the boys to hear, and it 
 caused their blood to leap more swiftly in their veins. 
 
 "Jack and Harry," said Frank, swiftly, "at the first 
 opportunity, you are to ride ahead and try to stop
 
 318 The Struggle in the Stage. 
 
 those horses, while Bruce and I will ride alongside the 
 stage, and see what we can do. I am satisfied there is 
 something wrong here." 
 
 "Grasush sakes teh goodness!" gasped the colored 
 boy. "Heah am anodder row, jes' as suah as I'm a 
 libbin'niggah!" 
 
 "What if the driver thinks we are trying to hold up 
 the stage?" asked Browning. 
 
 "In that case, he might take a fancy to fill us with 
 bullets," Diamond answered. "We'll have to chance 
 it" 
 
 "Gre't gov-nah !" burst from Toots. "Don' yo' boys 
 go teh gittin' yoahselves killed dead. What am I gwan 
 teh do if yo' all gits killed?" 
 
 "If the driver offers to shoot at us, it will be your 
 duty to shoot him/' said Frank. 
 
 "But I ain't got no pistol, Marser Frank, an' I 
 nebber'd dar shoot one off if I did hab it." 
 
 At this moment there came an opportunity for car- 
 rying out Frank's plan, and he gave the signal. Imme- 
 diately Jack and Harry dashed ahead, passing the 
 stage, one on either side, and soon were beside the 
 horses.
 
 fhe Struggle in the Stage. 319 
 
 With the utmost daring, for all of a warning cry 
 from the driver, the boys caught the horses by the bits^ 
 doing their best to stop them. 
 
 "Leggo, thar 1" roared the driver, rising to his feet. 
 "Leggo, ur I'll be derned ef I don't bore yer both !" 
 
 "If you try it, there is a man behind who will drop 
 you in a moment," declared Diamond. "He has you 
 covered now." 
 
 In great alarm, the driver swiftly turned, ready to 
 fling up his hands if the boy's words were true. In 
 fact, he turned so suddenly that he lost his balance, 
 reeled, clutched at the air, and, still clinging to the 
 reins, fell from the boot to the ground. 
 
 At the same time, the boys made an extra effort to 
 check the horses. 
 
 Frank and Bruce succeeded in riding along by the 
 side of the stage, and Merriwell looked in at one of the 
 windows. 
 
 He was surprised to see that one of the passengers 
 was a girl of seventeen or eighteen, and that she was 
 engaged in a fierce struggle with a man of twenty-four 
 or twenty-five. 
 
 "Release her, you ruffian !" shouted Frank, trying to
 
 320 The Struggle in the Stage. 
 
 get hold of the man by reaching through the open win- 
 dow, but failing in the attempt. 
 
 "Help!" screamed the girl, turning a pair of wildly 
 appealing eyes toward the young college lad. "Save 
 me!" 
 
 "I will!" Frank gallantly assured. 
 
 Fierce exclamations of anger broke from the lips of 
 the man, but he still clung to the girl. 
 
 "You villain!" rang out Merriwell's clear voice. 
 "You deserve to be whipped at the post !" 
 
 At this moment the driver took his tumble from the 
 stage, and, as he held the reins, it was not long before 
 the horses were brought to a stand, with Harry and 
 Jack clinging at their heads. 
 
 Frank leaped down from his wheel, which he dropped 
 immediately, and flung open the door of the coach. 
 
 He did not find it necessary to interfere to rescue the 
 girl from the clutches of the man, as she had freed 
 herself, and came leaping to the ground, holding a 
 blood-stained hatpin in her grasp. 
 
 The man followed her, clinging to his left hand, 
 from which the blood was dropping. His face was 
 white with rage, and his eyes glared.
 
 The Struggle in the Stage. 321 
 
 The girl grasped Merriwell by the arm, wildly 
 crying: 
 
 "Don't let him touch me again!" 
 
 "Never fear," said the young athlete, reassuringly; 
 "he shall not put his hands upon you, miss." 
 
 "You can't stop me, you meddlesome nobody," 
 snarled the man. 
 
 "Try it, and see." 
 
 "Oh, he has deceived me! He insulted me! He has 
 lied to me ! He is a wretch and a villain !" 
 
 The girl was almost hysterical. 
 
 "She is my sister," declared the man. "She has had 
 trouble that has turned her brain, .and she thinks I 
 mean her an injury. I am here to take care of her, 
 and I shall do it." 
 
 Then he advanced and placed his hand roughly on 
 the shoulder of the shrinking, shuddering girl. 
 
 A moment later something struck him. It was a 
 blow from Frank, and was hard enough to hurl the 
 young man back into the open door of the stage. 
 
 Then Frank turned his attention to the girl, who 
 was in a half-fainting condition. 
 
 "I trust you are not harmed, miss?" he cried, as he
 
 The Struggle in the Stage. 
 
 hastened to support her. "The scoundrel shall not mo- 
 kst you again, you may be sure." 
 
 "Oh, the wretch!" she panted. "And to think I 
 trusted him I believed the villain !" 
 
 "If he has harmed you, he shall suffer for it!" 
 
 "He insulted me by trying to kiss me. When he 
 was determined that he would kiss me, I struck him 
 in the face, and it made him furious. And the driver 
 I know he heard me call !" 
 
 "The driver seems to be deaf." 
 
 "He is not.'* 
 
 "Then he made a pretty bluff at it." 
 
 "I believe the scoundrel Jutland paid him to give no 
 attention to my calls ! I am sure of it !" 
 
 "Oh-ho! Was that the trick? Well, there may be 
 a score to settle with Mr. Driver !" 
 
 "There is a score to settle with you, you meddling 
 fool !" snarled a voice in Merriwell's ear. 
 
 Then Frank was clutched from behind by a pair of 
 powerful hands, strong fingers closed on his throat, and 
 he was held in a vise-like grip. 
 
 Struggle as he might, Frank soon found he could 
 not break that powerful grasp. He was held fast,
 
 The Struggle in the Stage. 323 
 
 while those fingers seemed to be crushing the bones of 
 his neck, which cracked beneath the pressure. 
 
 The boy could not even gasp for breath. A roaring 
 sound filled his head, and shadows danced before his 
 eyes. He realized that he was growing weaker and 
 weaker, and then 
 
 "Well, it seems to me that I'd better take a hand 
 in this," said the slow, deliberate, lazy voice of Bruce. 
 
 Bruce had come around the stage in time to discover 
 what was taking place, and he proceeded to lay his 
 hands on Merriwell's assailant. 
 
 Now in the old days, before he acquired a superfluity 
 of flesh, Browning had been one of the great athletes 
 and strong men of Yale. In strength he was regarded 
 as something of a wonder, but he had grown too lazy 
 to exert himself. 
 
 The bicycle trip had reduced Bruce's flesh to a cer- 
 tain extent, and had put him back into condition, so 
 that really he was stronger than ever before in all his 
 life, although he was not aware of it himself, as he had 
 not been given a good opportunity to exert himself. 
 
 Browning was a very non-excitable person, and ev- 
 erything he did was done with great deliberation.
 
 324 The Struggle in the Stage. 
 
 Therefore, with great deliberation, he took hold of 
 Frank Merriwell's assailant. 
 
 But when Bruce had taken hold of the fellow, that 
 person realized he was not dealing with a baby. 
 
 "If I were in your place," murmured Bruce, "I would 
 break away." 
 
 Then, with ease and moderation, he broke the fel- 
 low's hold on Frank. Having done this, Browning 
 slowly shook the man, and still, for all of that slow- 
 ness, he made the scoundrel's teeth snap together and 
 caused him to gasp for breath. 
 
 "I feel just like doing something real rough to you, 
 sir," said the big bicyclist. "Don't you know, I think 
 you deserve a genuine thrashing, and I'd give it to you, 
 too, if it wasn't such a confounded bother." 
 
 With a howl of rage, the fellow drew back his fist 
 to strike Bruce, but Browning caught the blow midway 
 in delivery, seizing the man's wrist, and stopping it 
 there. 
 
 "You seem to be very violent, sir," observed the big 
 fellow. "Your heart may be strong and regular, but 
 still it is not advisable for you to become too exciter 3 
 There's no telling what might result."
 
 The Struggle in the Stage. 325 
 
 The man gasped for breath. He was strong him- 
 self, but this young giant seemed to handle him with 
 the greatest ease, and it took the sand out of him very 
 quickly. 
 
 "Let go r he hissed. "I will kill you !" 
 
 "If you should do that in a fit of passion," said 
 Bruce, "you would be hanged, and you know hanging 
 is very unhealthy." 
 
 An inarticulate discord of words came from the 
 throat of the furious man, but he did not seek to carry 
 on the struggle with Browning. 
 
 "Excuse me," said Browning, with a sober shake 
 of the head, "I do not understand you. I know a little 
 French, some Latin and Greek, and can say carrawiba, 
 in Spanish, but that is pretty near my limit. After 
 thinking the matter over, I don't know as I care a rap 
 whether I understand you or not. All I want is that 
 you understand me, and it will be a mighty good thing 
 for you if you do. I am going to give you some ad- 
 vice. Never bother young ladies who do not care to 
 have you bother them, and don't try to choke any of 
 my friends, because the next time you make such an at- 
 tempt I'll take you down so hard you'll know when
 
 326 The Struggle in the Stage. 
 
 you strike the ground. Now I am going to let you go, 
 and if you have any sense left in your head you'll hold 
 on hard and try to behave. If you have any shooting- 
 irons around your person or any implements to cut 
 with, keep them out of your hands, and you won't 
 get hurt. That's all." 
 
 With that, Bruce gave the fellow a toss and a push 
 that sent him reeling, to fall sprawling on his hands 
 and knees. Then the big fellow turned and found 
 Frank again looking out for the girl. 
 
 "That's just like him!" murmured the big college 
 lad. "He always freezes onto .anything first class, and 
 that girl is a queen!" 
 
 The light of admiration in Browning's eyes grew 
 stronger and stronger as he continued to regard the 
 girl, who was really strikingly handsome. 
 
 "I don't know but I should have let the fellow 
 choke Merriwell a little longer," said Bruce, sadly. 
 "Then he might have put Merry out of the ring long 
 enough for me to have a show."
 
 CHAPTER XXVIIL 
 
 A WAR OF WORDS. 
 
 In the meantime, Rattleton had taken charge of the 
 horses, while Diamond was looking after the driver, 
 who was somewhat injured by his fall. 
 
 Toots had kept in the background till the fighting 
 seemed to be over, and then he came rushing forward, 
 his fists clinched, and a look of savage determination 
 on his black face. 
 
 "Heah I is, Marser Frank I" he shouted. "I's reddy 
 teh stan' by yo' jes' as long as dar am a drop of bref 
 lef in mah boady! An' I want all belligerous-minded 
 pussons teh understan' I's a mighty bad niggah when 
 I's riled. I I carries concealed weppuns all ovah mah 
 pusson, an' I's mighty reckless 'bout der way I uses 
 'em. I's sight mo' danger'us dan a blue-gum nigger, 
 I is." 
 
 Bruce stretched out his hand and caught the "dan- 
 gerous" darky by the shoulder. 
 
 "Hold on," he said. "Don't bother Frank now.
 
 328 A War of Words. 
 
 Don't you see you are interrupting the harmony of the 
 occasion ?" 
 
 " Wh-wh-whar ? Oh, land ob watermillions ! He! 
 he! he! Dat am jes' lek Marser Frank! All der gals 
 dead sho' teh git stuck on him. Don' none ob you 
 odder chaps stan' no show at all w'en he's 'roun' ?" 
 
 "That's right," sighed Bruce. "The only way for 
 us to get a show is to extinguish him." 
 
 "Yo f can't distinguish dat boy no, sar! He allus 
 comes right out on de top ob de heap." 
 
 The man whom Bruce had handled so cleverly and 
 easily had risen to his feet, and he now advanced to- 
 ward Merriwell. 
 
 Immediately Browning released Toots, and placed 
 himself in the way of the young ruffian, calmly saying : 
 
 "I wouldn't bother him just now, if I were you. 
 He's very busy. Besides that, you'll not be lucky 
 enough to get hold of him from behind again, and he 
 is liable to break your jaw if you make it necessary for 
 him to hit you a second time." 
 
 "I want him to let my sister alone !" 
 
 "Your sister?" 
 
 "Yes, my sister."
 
 A War of Words. 329 
 
 "Do you claim that young lady as your sister ?" 
 
 "I do." 
 
 "Well, sir, to the best of my judgment, you are a 
 confounded liar. I trust you will pardon me if I am 
 mistaken." 
 
 "That girl is my sister, who is slightly deranged at 
 times. I was trying to calm her when - " 
 
 Browning made a languid gesture of protest. 
 
 "It won't go down, sir," he yawned. "You do not 
 look at all alike, and I see no symptoms of insanity 
 about the young lady. You should have invented 
 something better." 
 
 The fellow turned almost livid. 
 
 "Get out of my way!" he snarled. "If you don't, 
 
 "Well, what will you do?" slowly asked the big 
 fellow. 
 
 "I'll make you suffer for this unwarranted and inso- 
 lent interference ! I'll have you all arrested !" 
 
 "Oh, well, I think we'll have to take our chances of 
 arrest. I am willing to chance it. Simmer down, old 
 fe)low. Put yourself on ice. You are overheated." 
 
 The man had been bewildered by the easy manner
 
 }}o A War of Words. 
 
 in which Bruce had handled him, and there was some- 
 thing in the big fellow's air of lazy confidence that con- 
 vinced him it would not be a good thing to carry mat- 
 ters too far. 
 
 "All right!" he grated. "But you'll be sorry." 
 
 The girl had seen Browning coolly face the young 
 villain, and she had heard all that passed between the 
 two. 
 
 "Do not believe him !" she now cried, scornfully re- 
 garding the man with whom she had struggled. "His 
 name is Joe Jutland, and he is in no way related to me. 
 He has deceived my brother. I believe he has killed 
 my brother!" 
 
 "One of her crazy notions!" declared the man. 
 "Some way her head has become filled with the idea 
 that I am dead." 
 
 "You are not dead, but I fear poor Paul, who trusted 
 you and believed in your bogus mining scheme, is dead. 
 I believe you killed him for his money, Joe Jutland !" 
 
 The man shook his head in a sober manner, as if he 
 felt sorry for the girl. 
 
 "It's too bad!" he muttered. "I am afraid she'l 1 
 never be right in her head again. Poor Mabel 1"
 
 A War of Words. 331 
 
 That seemed to arouse the girl still more, and her 
 dark eyes expressed the intense scorn which her lips 
 could not utter. 
 
 "If I am Mabel, who are you?" she asked. 
 
 As if she hoped she would recognize him, the man 
 held out his hands appealingly, saying: 
 
 "I am Paul Paul Harding, your brother, Mabel. 
 Joe Jutland has not harmed me. Be reasonable, Ma- 
 bel. Jutland may be hundreds of miles from here 
 now, for all that I know. I do not know what has be- 
 come of him." 
 
 The look of scorn on her face seemed to give way to 
 one of astonishment, and she regarded the man in 
 doubt, as Browning plainly saw. 
 
 "I believe you are the one who is crazy !" cried the 
 girl. "If not, you are a born actor, and I never fancied 
 you that, Jutland." 
 
 The man made a gesture of despair. 
 
 "Why will you persist in calling me that?" he ex- 
 claimed. "Look at me, Mabel. Surely you must 
 recognize me now." 
 
 She turned away, saying to Frank :
 
 332 A War of Words. 
 
 "I am afarid of him. He really seems to be try- 
 ing to make me believe he is my brother." 
 
 "But he is not?" 
 
 "No! no! no! He lured my brother here into the 
 mountains, led him to bring along all the money he 
 had in the world, which was about twenty-five hun- 
 dred dollars, and now I believe he has destroyed poor 
 Paul for that money. I wrote to Paul, but received 
 no answer from him. After a time after I had 
 written many times, I received a letter from that 
 wretch, saying my brother was very ill, likely to die, 
 and was calling for me. If Paul did not have a 
 -woman to care for him, he might die, and I was the 
 one woman he needed. I wrote that I was coming, 
 and he met me in Denver. Although I never trusted 
 Joe Jutland, I did not dream he was lying to me till 
 less than an hour ago. Then, when he was trying to 
 make love to me, it came over me like a flash, and I 
 told him he had lied. He denied it, but I saw by his 
 face that I had hit the truth. My heart was filled with 
 horror and loathing of him, but what could I do. I 
 was-"
 
 A War of Words. 333 
 
 "Haven't you heard enough to convince you that 
 she is deranged?" cried the man. 
 
 At this moment Jack Diamond and the stage driver 
 came around from the opposite side of the coach, the 
 latter hobbling along with some difficulty. 
 
 "I say, Harding," said the veteran of the reins, ad- 
 dressing the man who claimed to be the girl's brother, 
 "whatever is all this yar racket about, anyway?" 
 
 Stepping close to the driver, the man raised his 
 voice, and shouted: 
 
 "It is all because Mabel does not recognize me. She 
 thinks I am trying to injure her in some way. She 
 grew frantic in the stage, and was determined that she 
 would jump out. When I tried to hold her, she 
 struck me in the hand with her hatpin. Look here, 
 see where she drove the pin into my hand." 
 
 He held up the wounded member for the driver to 
 see. 
 
 "Wa-al, may I be derned!" exclaimed the Jehu. 
 "An' I never knowed anything about it! She wuz 
 all right w'en yer brought her onter ther stage. Wat 
 made her git off ag'in ?" 
 
 "Oh, I don't know! It came upon her suddenly."
 
 334 A War of Words. 
 
 "Poor gal !" 
 
 The boys exchanged looks. 
 
 "Do not believe them do not believe those men?" 
 cried the girl, in a sudden outburst of terror. "It is 
 a vile plot ! They are carrying it out together ! They 
 are trying to deceive you into believing I am really 
 crazy! Please do not believe them!" 
 
 "Do not be afraid, Miss Harding," said Frank, 
 quietly. "You may be sure they will not succeed in 
 deceiving us a great deal. This man who says he is 
 your brother will have to prove it before we turn you 
 over to him." 
 
 "That's dead right," said Browning, with attempted 
 gallantry, and then blushed crimson at his own bold- 
 ness. 
 
 The girl gave Bruce a grateful look, which made 
 him blush still more and turn away with haste. 
 
 "What a noble fellow he is !" she murmured. 
 
 "Who?" exclaimed Frank, in surprise. "Brown- 
 ing?" 
 
 "Your friend who handled Joe Jutland so easily." 
 
 "That's Bruce Browning, and you bet he is all 
 right!" said Frank, with more heartiness than ele-
 
 A War of Words. 335 
 
 gance. "He was born tired, but a whiter fellow never 
 lived." 
 
 The driver and his male passenger were talking to- 
 gether, the latter speaking his words very loudly, for 
 all of which it occasionally happened that the driver 
 asked him to repeat something. 
 
 Truly it seemed that the driver was deaf, for all 
 that the girl had declared that he was not. 
 
 "She must have been mistaken as to that," decided 
 Merriwell, although he did not speak the words aloud. 
 
 "Miss Harding," said Frank, "if you will step into 
 the stage, I will see that you are not molested further." 
 
 "Oh, no!" she exclaimed. "I'll not ride another 
 mile with that wretch! I would not do it for any- 
 thing!" 
 
 "You shall not." 
 
 "But how can I avoid it?" 
 
 "He shall not enter the stage with you." 
 
 "What will you do with him?" 
 
 "I think we'll let him walk." 
 
 "All the way to Buzzardville?" 
 
 "That can't be far now. You are to stop in Buz- 
 zardsville?"
 
 336 A War of Words. 
 
 "I suppose I'll have to stop there to-night He led 
 me to think I'd find Paul there." 
 
 "Well, we will follow close behind the stage on our 
 wheels, and you need not fear anything." 
 
 "You are very kind, and I am fortunate to find such 
 friends at such a time. I don't know what I should 
 have done." 
 
 "We were fortunate to be on hand to befriend you, 
 Miss Harding." 
 
 She could not help noticing the clever manner in 
 which he said this, and then her eyes wandered to the 
 massive figure of Bruce Browning, who was leaning 
 against a wheel of the stage, coolly listening to the con- 
 versation between the driver and the male passenger. 
 Browning seemed quite comfortable and unconcerned, 
 for all of anything that had happened. 
 
 Even as she looked, Bruce produced a cigarette case, 
 took out a "stick," rolled it slowly, pinched out a little 
 tobacco from the end, moistened the paper with his 
 lips, and then lighted it. 
 
 This was done with a certain air of languid care- 
 lessness that was characteristic of the fellow; but 
 ecarcely had he lighted the cigarette when he saw the
 
 A War of Words. 337 
 
 girl was watching him, and he deliberately proceeded 
 to remove it from his lips and throw it away. 
 
 Frank persuaded Miss Harding to enter the stage, 
 and Bruce rather awkwardly lifted his cap to her as 
 she was assisted in by Merriwell. 
 
 Immediately the man who had claimed to be her 
 brother sought to follow her, but Browning's hand 
 fell on his shoulder, and the big fellow said: 
 
 "Don't." 
 
 "What's that?" cried the man. "Don't try to stop 
 me. I have a right to look after my sister!" 
 
 "That's true, and you may go look after her, if you 
 have one; but you'll have to let this young lady alone." 
 
 "I have paid my passage on this stage." 
 
 "That's too bad, for it doesn't seem to me that you 
 will be able to travel any farther by it to-night." 
 
 "Do you mean that you will dare prevent me from 
 going to Buzzardsville by this stage?" frothed the 
 fellow. 
 
 "That is exactly what we mean," said Frank. "You 
 have forfeited your right to ride with this young lady 
 by your actions, and so you will have to walk." 
 
 The man ground his teeth in fury.
 
 338 A War of Words. 
 
 "Oh, you shall suffer for this all of you!" he 
 panted. "You will find I have friends in Buzzards- 
 ville." 
 
 "Let it go at that. If we get into trouble, we'll have 
 to take our medicine. Bruce, look out for this fine 
 gentleman, while the rest of us get our wheels on the 
 top of the coach. I have decided that we'll ride into 
 town on the stage, as this road is rather rough." 
 
 "What's that?" shouted the driver, as if he did not 
 fully understand, and still had caught a portion of 
 Merriwell's words. "Whatever do you propose ter 
 do?" 
 
 "We ,are going along with you as passengers, my 
 dear sir," cried Frank. "You will find us very pleas- 
 ant company." 
 
 "And they are going to leave me to walk, Hunk," 
 yelled the man who had been a passenger. 
 
 "They can't do that. I won't let 'em." 
 
 "We'll see," quietly smiled Frank, as he set Harry 
 and Toots to getting the wheels to the top of the 
 stage. 
 
 "Ye'll hev ter pay," declared Budd Hunk. 
 
 "We will pay, and one of us will show you how to
 
 A War of Words. 339 
 
 drive, uncle," laughed Merriwell. "You were injured 
 by your fall, and you are not in the best condition to 
 handle the reins. Diamond, will you look out for that 
 part of the job?" 
 
 "I shall take great delight in doing so," said Jack, 
 gravely, a look of satisfaction on his face. 
 
 "Hey? hey?" shouted the driver, in consternation. 
 "Wat's that ye're going ter try ter do? Derned ef I'll 
 hev it!" 
 
 But Mr. Hunk was not able to prevent it, as the 
 boys proceeded to carry out Frank's directions to the 
 letter. 
 
 Railing fiercely at the lads, the man who claimed to 
 be Mabel Harding's brother was left behind when 
 the stage rolled on toward Buzzardsville. 
 
 Frank was within the stage, chatting with the girl, 
 while the driver looked on with astonishment, as Jack 
 Diamond drove. 
 
 Rattleton and Browning made themselves comfort- 
 able on the outside. Harry enjoyed it fully, but 
 Browning seemed singularly restless. Finally he 
 said: 
 
 "I'll be hanged if I think much of it!"
 
 340 A War of Words. 
 
 "Think much of what?" asked Rattleton. "Why, 
 you lazy dog, don't you like this better than pushing a 
 wheel over such a beastly road?" 
 
 "I don't mean that." 
 
 "Eh? No?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Then what do you mean?" 
 
 "The way Merry is taking charge of all the pretty 
 girls we meet. He hasn't given anybody else a show 
 since we left New York." 
 
 "Oh! so that is what is troubling you? Well, I 
 really believe you are smitten with Miss Harding! 
 You you? Is it possible? HaJ ha! ha!" 
 
 "I fail to see what there is so funny about it," 
 growled Bruce. 
 
 "Funny? Why, the very idea that you should get 
 stuck on a girl at all is funny! Oh, you big, fat ras- 
 cal!" 
 
 "Now stop that!" came in disgust from Browning. 
 "I am not fat any more, and you know it. I have 
 worked all the flesh off, and what there is left is pure 
 muscle. And as for getting stuck on A. girl w^H, I 
 rather fancy I have a right"
 
 A War of Words. 341 
 
 "Well, jes' yo' git stuck, boy, an' dat am all de good 
 it'll do yeh w'en Marser Frank's 'roun'," chuckled 
 Toots. 
 
 "Some day something will happen to 'Marser 
 Frank'," muttered Bruce. 
 
 "Wh-wh-what's dat? What's gvvine teh happen, 
 sar?" 
 
 "Well, there will be a whole lot of people marching 
 slow behind him, and he won't know anything about 
 it." 
 
 "G'won dar, boy! Don' yo' get too free wid yo' 
 swinuations, sar. If yo' bodders wid dat boy, yo'll be 
 de one, sar. Dar'll be a whole lot ob people singin' at 
 yo' house, an' yo' won't heah 'em. Somebody'll cay- 
 arve yo' name on a stone sho'tly after yo' bodders wid 
 dat boy, sar. Yah! yah! yah!" 
 
 Toots' high-pitched laugh awoke the echoes.
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 IN B U Z Z ARDS VILLE. 
 
 Buzzardsville was a place of not more than a dozen 
 houses and one large building that was a general store, 
 saloon, post office and hotel combined. 
 
 The stage whirled into town and drew up before 
 the hotel, Jack Diamond still driving, while Budd 
 Hunk sat at his side. 
 
 Fifteen or twenty rough-looking men, nearly all of 
 them smoking black pipes or chewing tobacco, were 
 standing in front of the hotel, awaiting the arrival of 
 the stage, which was overdue. 
 
 These men stared in no little wonder at the youth- 
 ful driver. 
 
 "Dern my boots !" exclaimed one. "Whatever does 
 this.yar mean?" 
 
 "It's a tender foot-lookin' critter as is handlin' the 
 reins," said another. "An' Hunk is settin' beside him. 
 Somethin' must be th' matter with Budd, else he'd 
 never let a youngster like that drive inter town."
 
 In Buzzardsville. 343 
 
 "Look at t'other ones on top th' stage!" cried a 
 third. "They're all dressed alike! An' w'at's them 
 things on ther stage?" 
 
 "Bisuckles!" exclaimed the man who seemed some- 
 what familiar with such things. "Them fellers are 
 bisuckle riders." 
 
 "One of em's a nigger !" 
 
 "Sure pop!" 
 
 "What?" cried a big man, in astonishment; "do they 
 let niggers ride on bisuckles? That yar proves they 
 ain't got no real refinement in ther East. He's made 
 a mistake comin' out hyar, fer somebody '11 shoot lead 
 inter him w'en he's ridin' th' thing." 
 
 The manner in which Diamond brought the stage 
 to a stop in front of the hotel brought a few grunts 
 of admiration from the witnesses. 
 
 Budd Hunk had always claimed the honor of open- 
 ing the door of his stage, but now one of the boys 
 leaped down and did this for him. 
 
 Then the spectators grunted again, for Frank 
 stepped out and assisted a very pretty girl to alight. 
 
 Hunk, who had been hurt by his fall more than he 
 supposed, was aided to the ground by the boys, and
 
 344 In Buzzardsville. 
 
 then some of the men who knew him helped him into 
 the hotel, while the others questioned him and the bi- 
 cycle boys. 
 
 The bicycles were removed from the top of the ceach 
 and taken into the hotel. The mail bag had been 
 thrown off and turned over to the postmaster. 
 
 Frank applied for the best room in the house, say- 
 ing that it was for Miss Harding. He was able to ob- 
 tain the front room directly over the entrance to the 
 place. 
 
 It was late in the afternoon, and the boys decided to 
 remain in Buzzardsville overnight, so they sought ac- 
 commodations for themselves. 
 
 It was well that they had anticipated roughing it, 
 for the accommodations were of the very poorest or- 
 der. Toots, however, was the only one who com- 
 plained. 
 
 "Dis ain't no place fo' a gemman," he declared. "It 
 may do for po' white trash, but what we want is 'com- 
 modations fo' gemmans." 
 
 "Perhaps you had better not say too much about 
 that," warned Rattleton. "It might wound the feel-
 
 In Buzzardsville. 345 
 
 ings of some of the citizens, and you are aware that 
 Western people act very rudely when they are angry." 
 
 "Dat am right," admitted the colored boy. "I rud- 
 deh guess I'll keep mah mouf shet. I don' car' fo' no 
 mo' trouble." 
 
 So Toots subsided. 
 
 Frank registered for Miss Harding. When he had 
 written the girl's name, the proprietor of the hotel 
 looked at the brown-paper cashbook that served as a 
 register, and seemed somewhat surprised. 
 
 "Harding?" he said. "Why, I don't allow she can 
 be relation to the Harding who has been 'round yere 
 fer some time ?" 
 
 "I don't know about that," said Frank. "She has 
 a brother, whose name is Paul." 
 
 "I reckon that's him," said the hotel-keeper. 
 
 "Where is Mr. Harding now?" 
 
 "Wa-al, he went East on business a few days ago. 
 Allowed as how he might visit Denver." 
 
 "Did he have a friend or acquaintance by the name 
 of Jutland while in this town ?" 
 
 "Jutland? No, sir; never heard of no Jutland. 
 Harding wuz on his own hook, and he 'lowed thar wuz
 
 346 In Buzzardsville. 
 
 a chance o' makin' a strike somewhar 'round yere, 
 'though I never knowed jest why he thought so. He's 
 ruther queer, anyhow." 
 
 "Can you describe him?" asked Frank. 
 
 "Wa-all, I dunno. He's a tenderfoot, fer he will 
 stick ter dressin' 'most o' ther time w'en 'round town, 
 though he does wear old clothes and boots sometimes. 
 Is med'um built, with dark hair an' mustache, an* has 
 a blue scar on one of his wrists I've f ergot which one. 
 That's 'bout all the describin' of him I kin do." 
 
 "Miss Harding is in search of her brother." 
 
 "Wa'al, it's too bad she got hyar jest in time ter 
 miss him, but he's comin' back, I'm certun. Ther best 
 thing fer her ter do is ter stay hyar till he shows up." 
 
 Then the man questioned Frank about himself and 
 the other boys, and great was his astonishment when 
 he learned that the boys had ridden from New York on 
 their bicycles, being bound for San Francisco. 
 
 Frank said nothing about the encounter with the 
 stranger whom the girl called Jutland, knowing well 
 enough that Hunk would tell of that. 
 
 But to the surprise of the boys, after taking several 
 drinks at the bar and getting something to eat, Hunk
 
 In Buzzardsville. 347 
 
 came out, mounted to the box and drove off, the horses 
 having been exchanged for fresh ones in the mean- 
 time. 
 
 Later on, however, it seemed evident that the driver 
 had said something about his unwelcome passengers, 
 for the boys found they were regarded with suspicion, 
 not to say aversion, by the rough men, among whom 
 there was considerable talking on the side. 
 
 Frank's quick eyes were the first to note this, but he 
 said nothing till some of the others had mentioned it, 
 then he laughed, observing: 
 
 "They do not seem to like the looks of us for some 
 reason. Never mind ; I can't say I am stuck on their 
 looks, myself. We'll keep still and mind our own 
 business, and I don't think we'll get into any great 
 trouble." 
 
 The lads had seen a few mining camps to the north- 
 west, and Buzzardsville did not interest them much. 
 Besides that, they were tired, so they did not wander 
 around, but remained near the hotel. 
 
 Among the men who lingered about the bar was a 
 fellow known as Handsome Bob. It was apparent at
 
 348 In Buzzardsville. 
 
 a glance that he had been called "handsome" because 
 he was the ugliest and homeliest man in the town. 
 
 Handsome Bob was drinking freely, and he seemed 
 to regard the boys with a great deal of dislike. He 
 was heard to speak in the most disrespectful terms of 
 all "tenderfeet," but not one of the youthful cyclists 
 paid any attention to him. 
 
 Experience had warned the boys to shun men of 
 Handsome Bob's stamp. 
 
 Through Frank's attentiveness, it was arranged that 
 Miss Harding's supper should be served in her room, 
 although such a thing had never before been heard of 
 in Buzzardsville. 
 
 Supper time came and the boys dined at the regu- 
 lar table with the other "guests," who were rough and 
 tough in every sense of the expression. 
 
 A jolly time they had of it, for they cracked jokes 
 among themselves, paying no attention to the persons 
 they did not know at the table. 
 
 "I say," cried Harry, "Browning's appetite doesn't 
 seem to be going back on him. It is aJl right." 
 
 "I have heard," came gravely from Frank, "that 
 Browning eats all his meals before a mirror when he
 
 In Buzzards ville. 349 
 
 can do so, as it makes him think he is eating twice as 
 much." 
 
 "Yah! yah! yah!" cackled Toots, who was deter- 
 mined to show his appreciation of anything Frank 
 said. * 
 
 "Oh, my!" grunted Bruce. "I wish you would 
 send that laugh out to the kitchen and have it boiled." 
 
 "Huah!" came from the colored lad. "Mebbe yo' 
 finks dat's funny ! G'way, boy ! Yo' ain't got no fine 
 sense ob humor nohow. Yo' jes' shows yeh ignerence 
 when yo' opens dat motif." 
 
 "That's right, Toots," nodded Rattleton. "He 
 wouldn't know a real joke if he saw it in London 
 Punch. He's too slow." 
 
 "Suttainly he am, Mistah Rattleton suttainly. He 
 am so slow he couldn't ketch a cough. Besides dat," 
 declared the darky, with a queer look on his face, "he 
 don' hab no right teh be so free wif me. I's got some 
 relatives dat move in de highes' society, I has." 
 
 "Is that so?" 
 
 "Yes, sar; dey're pianner movahs, sah." 
 
 "Well, that is pretty good for you, Toots," laughed 
 Frank.
 
 350 In Buzzardsville. 
 
 "Oh, Fs a swift nigger, yo' bet," crowed the colored 
 boy, and then he laughed again. 
 
 "What are those?" asked Frank, pointing to some 
 things served in on a large platter. 
 
 "Those!" cried Rattleton, with a stage air "those, 
 me boy, are sausages." 
 
 "You don't say!" murmured Frank, as if awe- 
 stricken. "I think they should be vaccinated. They 
 do not look healthy." 
 
 "The last time I ate sausages," said Bruce, in his 
 deliberate way, "was the year before I entered college. 
 That year I went abroad with my indulgent parents. 
 As you all know, I am very generous and something 
 of a philosopher. The Good Book says, 'Cast your 
 bread on the waters,' and so forth. Well, I wasn't 
 thinking so much about that at the time, but we'd 
 eaten sausages for dinner that is, I had. After a 
 while, I went on deck. It was very dark, and the ship 
 seemed nervous and restless. Then I well, I fol- 
 lowed the directions of the Good Book. As I was 
 leaning over the rail, a young lady came out of the 
 cabin, and said, 'Excuse me, is the moon up yet? 'I
 
 In Buzzardsville. 35^ 
 
 don't know, miss/ I replied; 'but it is if I've swallowed 
 it.' " 
 
 This was told in the big fellow's lazy, inimitable 
 way, and it brought a laugh from some of the regular 
 guests. 
 
 In the midst of the joking and laughing a man came 
 bolting into the dining-room, stopped suddenly and 
 stared at the boys. 
 
 It was the fellow who had insulted Miss Harding. 
 He had just reached Buzzardsville, and his first work 
 was to locate the young cyclists. 
 
 "He looks as if he is out for gore, Frank," said 
 Diamond. 
 
 "Oh, I don't think he's very dangerous," came calmly 
 from Merry. 
 
 Then the proprietor of the hotel entered by another 
 door, and saw the man. Immediately he uttered an 
 exclamation of satisfaction, and hurried toward the 
 new arrival, crying: 
 
 "Hello, Harding! So ye're back from Denver? 
 Wa-aJ, it's lucky, fer yer sister's hyar lookin' fer yer." 
 
 Then he fell to talking with the man, plainly telling 
 him of the new arrivals in Buzzardsville.
 
 In Buzzardsville. 
 
 "Well, what do you think of that, Merry?" asked 
 Jack Diamond. "Do you tumble? The proprietor 
 called him Harding." 
 
 "I heard it," said Frank, as he calmly continued 
 eating. 
 
 "Well, what do you think?" 
 
 "It's a messed up mix I mean a mixed up mess!" 
 exclaimed Harry, a look of perplexity on his face. 
 
 "I have not decided yet," said Frank. 
 
 "Is it possible we have made a break ?" asked Jack. 
 "Is it possible the fellow is her brother, and told the 
 truth when he said that she is insane?" 
 
 "She doesn't appear insane." 
 
 "Still it may be possible." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "That makes me tired!" said Browning, with as- 
 tonishing energy. "It is utterly ridiculous, and you 
 all know it! The girl is all right, and that fellow is 
 crooked." 
 
 "But he is known here as Harding, and he claims to 
 be Paul Harding, the girl's brother." 
 
 "I don't care if he is known as Harding, and what he
 
 In Buzzardsville. 35} 
 
 claims doesn't cut any ice. The girl is all right, and 
 he is all wrong." 
 
 "Well, you are smashed on her!" laughed Harry. 
 "And that's no idle dream. Oh, Brucie! Brucie!" 
 
 Bruce got up and left the table. 
 
 The landlord and the other man had disappeared 
 through a door. 
 
 The other boys quickly finished eating, and followed 
 Bruce. 
 
 He was not to be found. 
 
 "I wonder what has become of him?" speculated 
 Frank, as they stood in front of the hotel. 
 
 At this moment a shrill scream came from the room 
 occupied by Mabel Harding, followed immediately by 
 the sounds of masculine voices. 
 
 Crash jangle jangle ! 
 
 There was a breaking of glass, and a body came fly- 
 ing out through the window of the room, shot over the 
 heads of the boys, and struck the ground. And then, 
 with the light in the room revealing him distinctly, 
 Bruce Browning was seen near the broken window, 
 while the boys heard him speak in his lazy, drawling 
 manner :
 
 354 In Buzzardsville. 
 
 "Don't be at all alarmed, Miss Harding, for that 
 individual will not trouble you any more at present. I 
 made a slight mistake, and put him out of the window, 
 instead of the door, but the window happened to be 
 nearer." 
 
 "Wow!" gasped Rattleton. "I hope Bruce hasn't 
 killed anybody! If he has, we're in a scrape sure!" 
 
 Without a word, Frank dashed into the hotel and 
 ran up the stairs. The other boys hastened to where 
 the man had fallen, and bent over him. The man 
 groaned as they did so. 
 
 "Just as I thought!" came from Diamond. "It is 
 the chap who claims to be her brother." 
 
 "Land ob goodness!" gurgled Toots. "Dis am 
 awful!" 
 
 The scream and the crash had been heard all over 
 the hotel, and a crowd quickly gathered. The man 
 who had been thrown from the window was lifted and 
 carried into the hotel. 
 
 At first it was thought that the fellow was badly in- 
 jured, as there was blood on his face and hands, and 
 he was breathing faintly; but he came around in a 
 measure while the doctor of the camp was making an
 
 In Buzzardsville. 355 
 
 examination of his wounds, and began to express his 
 feelings in language that was decidedly violent 
 
 "A fellow who can swear like that is not in danger 
 of dying very soon/' said Jack Diamond, with a breath 
 of relief. 
 
 "Bress de Lawd!" came from Toots. "If dat po* 
 white trash had died, dar's no tellin' what'd been de 
 quonsequinces, no, sar!"
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 BROWNING'S MOVE. 
 
 Finding the man was not likely to die from the fall, 
 the boys started out to look for Browning and Merri- 
 well. 
 
 Upon rushing upstairs to the room of the girl, 
 Frank found Browning trying to calm the fears of 
 Miss Harding, who was in a highly excited and almost 
 hysterical condition. 
 
 "It's all right," the big college lad was 'saying. "He 
 won't trouble you again, Miss Harding. In fact, I do 
 not think he will bother you for some time to come." 
 
 "Oh, I hope you haven't killed him !" she shuddered. 
 "That would be awful !" 
 
 "It's rather hard work to kill such rascals, I have 
 noticed. They do not croak easily." 
 
 "What have you been up to, old man ?" asked Mer- 
 riwell, entering the room. "What have you done ?" 
 
 "Oh, nothing worth mentioning," was Browning's 
 <;ool reply. "I tossed a chap out of the window, that's
 
 Browning's Move. 357 
 
 all. As I forgot to open the window, I broke some 
 glass." 
 
 "But it is some distance from that window to the 
 street, and a fall like that is liable to kill a man." 
 
 "If he dies, he'll escape the expense of feeding and 
 clothing himself a few years longer, and so it'll be 
 mioney in his pocket." 
 
 "But you'll be in trouble if he dies." 
 
 "Never mind, that's a small matter. He had forced 
 himself in here on that young lady, and was annoying 
 her. I was near when she screamed, and came right 
 in without knocking. When I saw it was the same 
 chap who gave her the trouble this afternoon, I put 
 him out." 
 
 Frank could but admire the big fellow's coolness, 
 and he laughed. Then he hastened to question the 
 girl, from whom he learned that Jutland, as she per- 
 sisted in calling the man, had forced his way into her 
 room and threatened her. Almost as soon as she 
 screamed, Browning appeared. 
 
 "The sly dog!" thought Frank. "He must have 
 been hanging around close by, waiting for something 
 to occur to give him a chance to see her."
 
 358 Browning's Move. 
 
 While Frank talked with the girl, Bruce quietly 
 disappeared. Finding he was gone, the girl said : 
 
 "He is such a noble fellow ! You should have seen 
 him, Mr. Merriwell. Why, he did not hesitate to 
 seize the ruffian, and he handled him with such ease! 
 It was wonderful! And he has gone away without 
 giving me a chance to thank him. You must send 
 him back here, that I may express my thanks." 
 
 So, when Frank left the room, he sought for Bruce, 
 whom he found calmly smoking a cigarette outside the 
 hotel, with the other boys near. 
 
 "Browning, you big rascal," said Merriwell, "Miss 
 Harding wants to express her thanks." 
 
 "What for?" asked Bruce, in a surprised way. 
 
 "Why, for what you did, of course for throwing 
 Jutland out of the window." 
 
 "Oh, rats!" 
 
 With that Bruce calmly continued smoking. 
 
 "Marser Frank," said Toots, hesitatingly, "was 
 tellin' ob de boys dat de bes' thing we can do is teh git 
 out ob dis place right erway. Tek mah wo'd fo' it, 
 sar, we's gwan teh git in an' awful heap ob trouble if 
 we don't do dat."
 
 Browning's Move. 359 
 
 "You are nervous, Toots. We can't run away and 
 leave this young lady in such a position. We'll have to 
 stay till she can get out of the town." 
 
 "Den some ob us is nebber gwan teh git out, yo' heah 
 me ! An' de chance am about f o' teh one dat I am dat 
 pusson. Lordy ! Lordy ! I dunno why dis nigger ebber 
 tried teh trabbel 'crost de country on a bisuckle !" 
 
 Later it was found that, strange though it seemed, 
 the man who had been thrown out of the window did 
 not appear to be seriously injured and had left the 
 hotel. 
 
 While the boys were making inquiries concerning 
 him, loud voices were heard in the barroom. Frank 
 recognized the voice of the ruffian Handsome Bob, 
 who was pounding the bar with his fist, as he hoarsely 
 whooped : 
 
 "Whar is ther onery galoot as durst lay hands on 
 my pard, Paul Hardin'? I'm lookin' fer ther critter, 
 an' I'm goin' ter chaw him up when I finds him !" 
 
 "That's right!" shouted a short, chunky, dark-faced 
 man, as he stood on his tiptoes, in order that he might 
 also thump the bar with his fist. "I'm lookin' fer him,
 
 360 Browning's Move. 
 
 too! Mr. Hardin' is my friend, gents, a*n' I stands by 
 my friends." 
 
 "Thar, that'll do, Gentle Jimmy," warned Hand- 
 some Bob, with a sweeping wave of his arm. "Jest 
 you keep your nose out o' this yar funeral, an' you'll 
 enjoy better health. I'm ther man what does up ther 
 tenderfoot that tackled Hardin', an' I don't keer fer no 
 interferin' with my picnic none whatever." 
 
 "All right, Robert," said Gentle Jimmy, submis- 
 sively ; "but while you're chawin' up him, I reckon I'll 
 wade in an' chaw up all ther other tenderfeet. We 
 might ez well make a clean job o' it, while we're about 
 it. We can't afford ter hev tenderfeet come in yere an' 
 run this yar town." 
 
 "Not any!" 
 
 "You bet not!" 
 
 "Well," said Frank. "That sounds like trouble. 
 Where is Bruce?" 
 
 The big fellow had disappeared. 
 
 "We must stick together now," Merriwell declared. 
 "It won't do to get separated. We'll find Bruce." 
 
 High and low they searched for him. An hour was 
 spent in this manner. At the outset Frank went to
 
 Browning's Move. 361 
 
 the room, of the girl and asked if Browning had called 
 there. He had been there a few moments before, but 
 was not there then. 
 
 Frank fancied he noted something peculiar in the 
 girl's manner. She was extremely nervous and ex- 
 cited, but this was not strange, after all she had passed 
 through; but she did not seem to care to talk with 
 him, and got rid of him as soon as possible, which 
 appeared remarkable. 
 
 However, in his anxiety over Browning, Merriwell 
 forgot this. 
 
 At the end of an hour he visited her room again. 
 There was no response to his knock on the door. 
 Again and again he knocked, but the door was not 
 opened for him. 
 
 Then he tried the latch, and to his surprise, the door 
 readily opened before him. 
 
 A dim light was burning in the room, but the girl 
 was gone. Frank felt a sensation of astonishment 
 and alarm shoot through his heart. 
 
 Hastening to turn up the lamp, he found, close be- 
 side it, a scrap of paper. There was writing on the 
 paper, and, as he caught it up, he exclaimed :
 
 362 Browning's Move. 
 
 "It is from Browning^ sure as fate! What does it 
 mean?"' 
 
 This is what he read : 
 
 "DEAR FELLOWS : I am sure one of you will discover 
 this before it can fall into the hands of any person who 
 is not one of our party, and so I write it and leave it 
 here. Miss Harding has absolutely refused to remain 
 overnight in Buzzardsville. I have bought two horses, 
 and we are going to get out of town without delay. 
 When it is discovered we are gone, her enemy will 
 suppose she has turned back toward the East, so we 
 are going West, toward Poker Notch. Follow us in 
 the morning, and have my bicycle shipped by stage. I 
 shall stand by Miss Harding as long as she is in dan- 
 ger. BRUCE/' 
 
 Frank Merriwell could scarcely believe the evidence 
 of his eyes. He stood staring at the note as if he 
 were dazed. 
 
 After a time he started and muttered : 
 
 "Great governor! is it possible?" 
 
 He still seemed in doubt He had come to know 
 that Browning was "smashed" on Mabel Harding, but 
 he had not dreamed that the girl would choose the big 
 fellow to assist her in her wild project of nVM from 
 the camp.
 
 Browning's Move. 363 
 
 "Why didn't she say something to me about it?" 
 came from Frank's lips. 
 
 His pride had received a sudden and severe setback, 
 and for the moment, to confess the absolute truth, he 
 felt a twinge of jealousy. 
 
 But Merriwell was not like ordinary fellows, and 
 that moment of jealousy was followed by a sensation 
 of genuine satisfaction. 
 
 "By Jove!" he exclaimed, heartily. "I don't blame 
 her! Browning is a fine fellow, and he does look 
 rather handsome, now that he has ridden the superflu- 
 ous flesh off him. The way in which he handled Jut- 
 land was enough to make any girl fall in love with 
 him. I have had more than my share of the good 
 things, and I'm not going to get raw when some other 
 fellow gets ahead of me. Hurrah for Browning!" 
 
 Frank really was enthusiastic over his friend's suc- 
 cess. To Merriwell it revealed a. new side of the fel- 
 low's character, for Bruce had never seemed to care 
 anything about girls. 
 
 But sober second thought made Frank shake his 
 head. 
 
 "I'm afraid Bruce has made a big mistake in this
 
 364 Browning's Move. 
 
 move. He doesn't know anything of the country, and 
 Jutland will arouse the whole town when hie dis- 
 covers what has taken place. He'll say we are seeking 
 to abduct his sister, and that is certain to arouse these 
 rough men against us." 
 
 Merriwell's brain acted swiftly just then, and he 
 soon decided what was the best thing to do. 
 
 First he sought for the key to lock the door of the 
 girl's room, so any one could not enter and discover 
 she was gone. The key was in the lock, which was 
 very fortunate. 
 
 Extinguishing the light, Frank hastily left the room 
 and locked the door. 
 
 Three minutes later he had found the boys and 
 drawn them aside. In a low tone, he told them just 
 what had happened. 
 
 "Wheejiz !" gasped Harry Rattleton, clutching at 
 his heart. "Browning has Browning run off with 
 the girl ?" 
 
 "He has." 
 
 "Well, I knew he was stuck on her, but I thought 
 you had first call there. I didn't suppose he had a 
 show."
 
 Browning's Move. 365 
 
 "Doesn't this go to prove that she is crazy?" asked 
 Diamond, seriously. "Only a crazy girl would do 
 such a thing." 
 
 "Dat am right," agreed Toots. "No gal dat wasn't 
 crazy'd evah think ob takin' nobody else when dey 
 could git Frank Merriwell teh run erway wif 'em." 
 
 "And Bruce must have been a little daffy himself, 
 or he would have let the whole of us into the game," 
 said Harry. 
 
 "The girl must have been determined to get away, 
 and Bruce feared I would object," said Frank. "That's 
 why he did the thing in such a way." 
 
 "I am afraid it will turn out that the fellow she calls 
 Jutland is her real brother," declared Diamond. "To 
 me it seems there is something crazy about this sudden 
 move of hers." 
 
 "What are we to do?" asked Rattleton, 
 
 "Follow them," answered Frank. 
 
 "How?" 
 
 "On our wheels." 
 
 "The whole town will know it." 
 
 "I think not." 
 
 ""Why not?"
 
 366 Browning's Move. 
 
 "We mustn't let them." 
 
 "How can we prevent it?" 
 
 "We must find a way to get our wheels and get out 
 of the hotel without letting them know anything about 
 it" 
 
 "I am afraid that will not be easy." 
 
 "Well, we'll try it, anyway." 
 
 "We'll have to settle with the proprietor. He's 
 keeping those wheels as security for our board." 
 
 "I believe he can be fixed," said Frank. "Just keep 
 out of sight, while I find him and have a talk with 
 him." 
 
 Then Merriwell left them to look after the hotel- 
 keeper. 
 
 In less than thirty minutes he was back, and he told 
 them everything was all right. 
 
 "He will hold Browning's wheel, and ship it any- 
 where after hearing from us. I have settled with him, 
 and have fixed it all right by giving him a fiver for his 
 trouble. He seemed rather relieved to know we meant 
 to get out, as he is afraid Handsome Bob and his gang 
 will do us up if we remain here." 
 
 "He doesn't know the girl is gone?" asked Jack.
 
 Browning's Move. 367 
 
 "Of course not. I didn't know what he might think 
 about that, and so I kept still about it." 
 
 "That was all right, but when, where and how are 
 we to get our wheels?" 
 
 "We are to get them right away from the back of 
 the hotel. He will get them out for us." 
 
 Frank led the way, and they passed around the build- 
 ing. As they went under a window of the barroom, 
 they could hear Handsome Bob still railing about ten- 
 derfeet and telling what he was going to do to a few 
 who were in town. 
 
 "He is waiting to get good and drunK before he 
 does anything," said Frank. "We will be gone when 
 he starts to gun for us in earnest." 
 
 "Will we be able to find our way to Poker Notch 
 in the darkness?" Harry anxiously inquired. 
 
 "We can't miss the way, the hotel proprietor says. 
 There is but one road, and that is the regular stage 
 trail." 
 
 Around at the back of the hotel they paused and 
 waited. After a time a door was opened, and a man 
 thrust his head out. Frank whistled softly, and then 
 called :
 
 368 Browning's Move. 
 
 "Bring out the wheels." 
 
 "All right," came back, in guarded tones. 
 
 Immediately he ran out one of the bicycles, which 
 the boys were on hand to receive. 
 
 One by one the wheels were brought out, till all 
 were there. Then Frank picked out Browning's wheel 
 and told the man that was the one for him to keep. 
 
 "Don't let 'em know we are gone," said Frank. 
 "Keep it till morning, as it will save us trouble." 
 
 "I'll keep still, don't yer worry .about that. Good 
 luck ter yer. Steer clear o' Buzzardsville in the 
 future." 
 
 They kept away from the single street of the place 
 as they crept along toward the western end of the 
 town. 
 
 As they were leaving the vicinity of the hotel, a re- 
 volver was discharged six times in the barroom, and 
 Handsome Bob was heard bellowing like a bull for the 
 gore of tenderfeet. 
 
 "That fellow is a big braggart," said Frank, in dis- 
 gust, "and he would be scared to death of a man he 
 fancied was liable to do some shooting. The trouble
 
 Browning's Move. 369 
 
 is that he might kill one or two of us before he found 
 out we were not shaking our toenails off in terror." 
 
 "Land ob watermillions !" chattered Toots from the 
 darkness near at -hand. "Mah toenails am all right, but 
 mah knees am so weak they'll hahdly hold up mah 
 boady. I don't car' 'bout habbin' anything ter do wif 
 no such pussons as dat Han'som Bob." 
 
 "I wonder where Jutland has kept himself ever since 
 he left the hotel after recovering from his rough treat- 
 ment by Bruce?" said Jack. 
 
 "I don't know," admitted Frank. "It strikes me 
 that Handsome Bob is waiting for Jutland to return 
 before he tackles us." 
 
 They were getting along finely, and had but one 
 more building to pass. The ground was rough and 
 uneven, so that it was necessary to pick their way along 
 with great caution. 
 
 All at once Toots stepped on a rock that rolled under 
 his foot, and with a yell of fear, the colored boy fell 
 and rolled down the low, rocky bank, his bicycle rat- 
 tling along after him. 
 
 "Oh !" cried Rattleton. "That's enough 'to arouse 
 the whole town ! Hang such a blundering nigger !"
 
 370 Browning's Move. 
 
 Frank hurried down to where Toots lay and helped 
 him to get up, asking : 
 
 "Are you hurt?" 
 
 "My gracious, I I dunno!" chattered the darky. 
 "I done stepped on somefin' dat moved an' frowed me 
 down." 
 
 "Well, get up! Be lively! That yell of yours 
 might have been heard all over town. It will be a 
 wonder " 
 
 "Hist!" came down from above. "Somebody is 
 coming! We'd better make a break for it." 
 
 It was true. Several men were approaching, head- 
 ing straight for the spot. Frank saw that the only 
 thing to do was to run for it. 
 
 "Now you mjust keep on your feet and stick to us, 
 Toots," he sternly said. "If you slip up now, you'll 
 fall into the hands of the men of the town, and that 
 means rough treatment." 
 
 A moment later he gave the word. Then, lifting 
 their wheels, the four boys ran down the rocky slope, 
 reached the road and prepared to mount. 
 
 Through the darkness the approaching men saw 
 their movements, and at the same time from away
 
 Browning's Move. 371 
 
 toward the hotel came wild howls of fury, as if Hand- 
 some Bob had made a discovery. 
 
 "He's found out we're gone, or the hotel-keeper has 
 told him!" Frank said. "He is giving the alarm. 
 The whole town will be after us in less than five mir*- 
 utes !" 
 
 "Hold on thar !" cried the approaching men. 
 
 "Ready!" cried Frank. 
 
 "All ready," came from his companions. 
 
 "Mount!" 
 
 Into the saddles they sprang, and away they went. 
 
 Again the men shouted at them, but they paid no at- 
 tention to the cries.
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 THE LANDSLIDE. 
 
 "We's nebber gwan teh git out ob dis country wif 
 ouah lives, chilluns!" chattered Toots, as he pumped 
 away at his pedals. "The men out heah are heap sight 
 wuss'n cowboys yes, sar!" 
 
 Jack started to tell the colored lad that it was all his 
 fault that they had been discovered while getting out 
 of Buzzardsville, but Frank stopped that with a word. 
 
 "We are here to stick together, and not to growl at 
 each other," he declared. "Any of us is liable to make 
 a mistake. It had been discovered at the hotel that 
 we were missing when Toots took his tumble." 
 
 The road was not of the kind to make riding pleas- 
 ant, especially in the dark. It was rough and rocky, 
 and it seemed wonderful that none of the boys sus- 
 tained a severe fall in their first wild dash out of town. 
 
 Soon the road became ascending, and grew more dif- 
 ficult. It was not long before the four lads were 
 forced to dismount and trundle their wheels.
 
 The Landslide. 373 
 
 By this time all were breathing heavily. When they 
 paused a moment to look back they could see a few 
 lights in the valley below, telling them where Buzzards- 
 ville lay. 
 
 The word came from Frank. 
 
 They listened. 
 
 "Hark!" 
 
 Co-latter ! co-latter ! co-latter ! the sound of gallop- 
 ing horses came from the trail below, telling them that 
 mounted men were in pursuit. They heard hoarse 
 voices calling to each other. 
 
 "They are after us hotfoot," said Frank, coolly. 
 "We'll have to manage to give them the slip, if we 
 can't run away from them on this road." 
 
 They hastened along as fast as possible, but the 
 climb made them pant for breath, and they could tell 
 that their pursuers were gaining steadily, which was 
 rather discouraging. 
 
 However, after a time they came to the top of the 
 ascent, so they were able to remount and ride onward. 
 
 They sent the machines flying over the rough road 
 at a most dangerous speed, Frank leading. 
 
 It was a wild and reckless ride through the night,
 
 374 The Landslide. 
 
 but the boys demonstrated that a bicycle is better than 
 a horse under such circumstances, for they finally 
 eluded their pursuers. 
 
 Hours later, near morning, they reached Poker 
 Notch, a town of five houses set amid the mountains. 
 
 Choosing the biggest of the houses, Frank proceeded 
 to hammer on the door till some one was aroused. A 
 window was opened, and the hoarse voice of a man 
 demanded : 
 
 "Who are yer? and whatever do yur want? What 
 be yer thumpin' 'round yere at this time o' night f er ?" 
 
 "Is this Poker Notch?" 
 
 "It be," 
 
 "Where is the hotel here?" 
 
 "Ain't none." 
 
 "Well, then, where do travelers put up ?" 
 
 "Ain't many travelers stops yere, but them as do, 
 generally puts up with me. Who be yer?" 
 
 Frank explained that they were bicycle tourists from 
 the East. 
 
 "Hey?" cried the man, suspiciously, and the boys 
 saw a frowsy head thrust out of the window, so the 
 man could get a look at them in the darkness. "Bi-
 
 The Landslide. .,375 
 
 suckles? You ain't tryin' ter ride through this yar 
 country on them things, be yer ?" 
 
 Frank assured the astonished man that they were, 
 and then made inquiries for Browning and the girl. 
 
 The man had not seen Bruce and Mabel. 
 
 "What does that mean ?" anxiously asked Jack. 
 
 "It means that they are stopping at some other place 
 in Poker Notch. As there is no hotel, it is probable 
 they went to one of the other houses where they ob- 
 tained accommodations." 
 
 "What shall we dohunt them up?" 
 
 "Not before morning." 
 
 "That's right," said the man at the window. "It 
 might not be healthy ter go hammerin' 'round some 
 o' t'other places. Thar's Jake Ryan, why, he'd shoot 
 at yer first, an' ask who yer was arterward." 
 
 "Then I think we will not disturb Mr. Ryan to- 
 night," smiled Frank. "Come down and let us in. 
 We will pay for accommodations." 
 
 "All right. Will be right down." 
 
 So they remained there till morning, and took break- 
 fast there, after which, feeling sure Browning and
 
 376 The Landslide. 
 
 Miss Harding were in Poker Notch, Frank started out 
 to look for them. 
 
 He returned in a short time, bringing the astonish- 
 ing and disquieting information that the ones he sought 
 were not to be found. It was certain they -had not 
 stopped in Poker Notch. 
 
 "Well, what do you think about that?" asked Jack 
 Diamond, excitedly. 
 
 "One of two things is certain." 
 
 "What are the two things ?" 
 
 "Either they continued straight through the place, 
 or else they made a mistake at Buzzardsville and turned 
 back eastward, instead of going this way." 
 
 "I'll think what I tell you I mean I'll tell you what 
 I think!" cried Rattleton. "I believe Browning is 
 crazy, as well as the girl. If he hadn't been daffy, 
 he'd never run off with her that way." 
 
 "Well, what are we to do?" asked Jack, in per- 
 plexity. 
 
 "I'll have to take time to decide," said Frank. 
 
 "And while you are taking time, Jutland, Handsome 
 Bob and the rest of the gang from! Buzzardsville will 
 come over and take us."
 
 The Landslide. 377 
 
 Still it was foolish to make any move without con- 
 sideration, they all knew. 
 
 Frank was not a little perplexed by Browning's 
 action. He felt that Bruce should have consulted 
 him. 
 
 "I'd given him a show with the girl," said Merri- 
 well, mentally. "If she had seemed to care more for 
 him than she did for me, he would have found me the 
 last fellow in the world to get in his way." 
 
 While thinking it over, Frank wandered about the 
 town. It was fortunate that he did so, for he came 
 upon a bit of paper that lay on the top of a large 
 bowlder close beside the trail where it entered Poker 
 Notch. The paper was held there by a small stone, 
 and, fluttering in the wind, attracted Frank's atten- 
 tion. 
 
 As soon as he secured the paper, Merriwell saw there 
 were a few words scrawled upon it with a lead pencil. 
 
 "Browning's writing!" he cried, with deep satis- 
 faction. "He has been here! That point is settled." 
 
 With considerable difficulty, Frank made out the 
 following words :
 
 3?8 The Landslide. 
 
 "Miss Harding fears Jutland, and refuses to stop in 
 Poker Notch. We have gone on westward. Follow 
 us. B." 
 
 "That is all I want to know !" cried Frank, as he has- 
 tened back to his friends. 
 
 It did not take the boys long to get out their wheels 
 and start westward along the stage trail. 
 
 The road was rougher than the one over which they 
 had been traveling. In places they were forced to 
 dismount and literally carry their wheels. 
 
 Diamond followed Frank doggedly, without a word, 
 while Harry tried to joke, but Toots complained bit- 
 terly. 
 
 "Nebber seen no such country as dis nebber in all 
 mjah bawn days!" he grumbled. "Bigges' hills dat 
 ebber growed anywhar. En how's we gwan teh git 
 ober 'em, dat's what I wants teh know? I'll bet fo* 
 dollars dis road comes to an en' away up heah in de 
 hills, an' dat am all dar am teh it. Cayarn't no road 
 ebber go ober such hills as dese. Tork about yeh 
 Rocker Mount'ns I sh'u'd say dey wuz! Nebber 
 dreamed dar wuz so much Ian' stuck up endways out 
 heah no, sir!"
 
 '*he Landslide. ^79 
 
 "If you didn't talk so much, you'd have more 
 breath," said Rattleton. "Keep your mouth closed, 
 and give it a rest" 
 
 "G'way, boy! Don't git too lib'rul wif yo' advice, 
 'case yeh might cramp yehself bein' so generous. Mah 
 mouf b'longs teh me, I's gwan teh use it when I wants 
 teh." 
 
 "Then you can, drop behind, so you won't bother 
 the rest of us." 
 
 "I dunno. Who let you give ordars, sar? You 
 ain't der only one, Mistah Rattleton. But I dunno's 
 I car' fo' yo' comp'ny nohow, so I will drop behind, 
 sar." 
 
 And Toots did so, following the others at a distance, 
 and continuing to grumble and mutter. 
 
 The trail wound around the side of a mountain, with 
 the ragged rocks hanging far above. Jack looked up, 
 saw those rocks, and was about to make a remark 
 about them, when there came a strange low sound from 
 the mountain. The sound grew louder and louder, 
 rapidly swelling into a roar. 
 
 "What is it?" shouted Rattleton, as the boys stood
 
 380 The Landslide. 
 
 with blanched faces, listening to that appalling and 
 increasing volume of sound. 
 
 "A landslide!" cried Frank, as he pointed upward. 
 "Look! look! The entire mountainside is rushing 
 down upon us! We shall be overwhelmed! We are 
 lost!"
 
 CHAPTER XXXIL 
 
 OVER THE PRECIPICE. 
 
 Far above them the whole side of the mountain 
 seemed to be moving, rushing downward toward the 
 valley. Rocks, earth and trees were sweeping along, 
 some of the latter remaining in an upright position, 
 as they had grown. 
 
 "It is a landslide!" came chokingly from Jack. 
 
 Frank shouted to Toots : 
 
 "Look out look out for the landslide!" 
 
 He waved his arms and pointed upward. The col- 
 ored boy had been staring around to see where the 
 roaring sound came from, and now, looking in the 
 direction indicated by Merriwell, he saw the moving 
 mountainside. 
 
 "Oh, mah soul !" wailed the darky, his face seeming 
 to take on a grayish color. "De whole mount'n am 
 runnin' erway for suah! An' it am gwan teh run 
 right ober dis nigger I"
 
 382 Over the Precipice. 
 
 Literally shaking with fear, he closed his eyes and 
 waited for the landslide to overwhelm him. 
 
 Frank, Jack and Harry made a desperate scramble 
 to get out of the way, although such an eftort seemed 
 hopeless at first. However, they were able to clear 
 themselves of the landslide, although Harry was barely 
 successful in doing so, as the ground beneath his feet 
 quivered and slid away with the rest of the mass, 
 Jack having caught him by the collar and held him, 
 while Frank saved his bicycle. 
 
 They looked for Toots, and were barely in time to 
 see him disappear from view far below, being carried 
 along on the very surface of the roaring slide, stand- 
 ing erect in an attitude of prayer. 
 
 "Poor boy!" came hoarsely from Frank's lips. 
 "That is the last we'll ever see of him ! He's gone for- 
 ever!" 
 
 "That's right,** nodded Diamond. "By the time the 
 last of the slide reaches the foot of the mountain, he 
 will be buried beneath tons of rock and earth." 
 
 "And I am to blame for it!" cried Harrv, in deep 
 self-reproach. 
 
 "How is that?" asked Frank.
 
 Over the Precipice. 383 
 
 "If I had not jumped on him about his grumbling, 
 he would not have been so far behind us, and so he'd 
 escaped with the rest of us." 
 
 "It simply happened that way, so I do not see that 
 there is anything for which you can blame yourself. 
 By staying behind he might have escaped the slide, 
 had it come down on us. Let us be thankful for our 
 own safety, and " 
 
 His words were drowned by a frightful roar that 
 came up from the valley far below, telling that the 
 slide had reached the foot of the mountain, where it 
 was piled in a chaotic mass. 
 
 "Poor Toots!" murmured Frank, a mist filling his 
 eyes. "We little thought when he was saying he'd 
 never live to reach San Francisco that he was speak- 
 ing the truth." 
 
 "He was a white nigger," declared Diamond. 
 
 "That is right," agreed Rattleton. "I've had any 
 amount of fun with that darky. Say, Frank, this 
 takes all the sport out of our tour. The fun is gone 
 from it now." 
 
 "You are right," confessed Merriwell "I do not
 
 384 Over the Precipice. 
 
 think I care about finishing the ride to the Pacific 
 Coast. I am willing to put my wheel on board a train 
 and go home." 
 
 "Are you going to make an attempt to recover 
 [Toots' body?" 
 
 "Of course I shall do whatever can be done, but it is 
 hot possible to do anything now. The road behind us 
 has been destroyed by the slide, so there is no possi- 
 bility of turning back. We must go on." 
 
 Go on they did, but it was a sorry party that went on. 
 Their faces were sad, and their hearts were heavy with 
 grief. 
 
 "It seems to me," said Diamond, "that all our 
 troubles began when we first encountered that crazy 
 girl, Miss Harding." 
 
 "Is it possible that you really think her crazy?" 
 asked Frank. 
 
 "Something seems to convince me that she is. And 
 I believe the chap who claimed to be her brother is all 
 right." 
 
 "In which case, we are all wrong."
 
 Over the Precipice. 385 
 
 "Sure as fate." 
 
 "Wait wait till we reach the next town and see 
 Browning has to say." 
 
 "We can't take any stock in anything he says," de- 
 clared Rattleton. "He is daffy himself over the girl." 
 
 The road grew more and rrtore dangerous as they 
 proceeded. At last it wound around the side of the 
 mountain, with a bluff of rocks on one side and a great 
 precipice on the other. At the foot of the precipice, 
 away down in the depths of the canyon, ran a small 
 river, which looked like a tiny thread. The boys had 
 paused to look down at the river and wonder if a per- 
 son would be dead before the stream was reached in 
 ca.se they fell from the road. 
 
 At last Frank determined to see what he could do 
 riding his wheel, as he was tired of trundling it along. 
 
 He mounted and started up the road, while Jack and 
 Harry followed more slowly, still content to push the 
 machines along. 
 
 Frank stuck to the job of riding up the road, difficult 
 though it proved, till he came to a strip that was not
 
 386 Over the Precipice. 
 
 so hard, where it wound around a spur of the moun- 
 tain. 
 
 Then it was that, once more, he heard a rumbling 
 sound. 
 
 "Another landslide!" 
 
 The thought filled him with horror, and he looked 
 upward, expecting to see the earth and rocks rushing 
 down upon him. 
 
 To his surprise, he saw no landslide, although the 
 rumbling continued, growing louder and louder. 
 
 Far behind him Jack and Harry were slowly toiling 
 up the ascent. 
 
 At that point the road was very narrow and danger- 
 ous, having been blasted from the side of the moun- 
 tain. 
 
 It seemed that Merriwell could feel the ground 
 quiver beneath his bicycle, and yet he failed to dis- 
 cover the cause of it all. 
 
 Then, all at once, around the spur of rock came 
 the regular stagecoach from the West. 
 
 But there was no driver on the box, and the reins 
 flew loose, while the horses, freed from restraint and
 
 Over the Precipice. 387 
 
 urged onward by the weight of the heavy coach, the 
 latter unchecked by the brake, were madly tearing 
 ateng the dangerous road. 
 
 It was a sight to chill the stoutest heart. 
 
 Frank had little time for thought, as the horses 
 were close upon him in a moment, their eyes glaring 
 and foam flying from their lips. 
 
 There was no room to turn out, and to be run over 
 by those horses and the heavy coach meant certain 
 death. 
 
 What was to be done? 
 
 Whatever was done must be done quickly, as the boy 
 realized. He saw death staring him in the face, and 
 there seemed no way of avoiding it. 
 
 The bluff of rock, grim, forbidding, unscalable, lay 
 to the right. To the left was the frightful precipice 
 and the dark depths of the canyon, 
 
 Merriwell could not dismount and turn around, and 
 there was not enough room to turn quickly without dis- 
 mounting. If he were to try it, he would be beaten 
 down and crushed beneath those hoofs and wheels be- 
 fore the task could be half accomplished. 
 
 'A wild cry pealed from his lips a cry he knew
 
 388 Over the Precipice. 
 
 would reach the ears of his friends and warn them of 
 the danger. 
 
 There was something of farewell in that cry some- 
 thing of despair. 
 
 Then like a flash Frank turned to the left and pedaled 
 straight over the brink of the precipice 1
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 THE DEADLY MOUNTAINS. 
 
 Jack and Harry heard that cry. Already they had 
 detected the rumbling sound, but they had not been 
 able to tell whence it came. 
 
 Looking up the road, however, they saw the horses 
 come into view, whirling the stage around the turn on 
 two wheels. For a moment it seemed that the coach 
 would go over into the canyon and drag the horses 
 clown, but this did not happen. 
 
 Instead, to their unutterable horror, they saw Frank 
 pedal straight over the brink and disappear. 
 
 "Merciful Heaven!" gasped the young Virginian. 
 "That is the end of him !" 
 
 "And it will be the end of us, if we do not give those 
 horses a clear road!" shouted Rattleton. "Here is a 
 bare chance ! Quick follow me !" 
 
 Off his wheel he leaped, ran it to the right-hand side 
 of the road, where he flattened himself and the ma- 
 chine against the wall of rock.
 
 390 The Deadly Mountains 
 
 Jack followed Harry's example, finding a place 
 where it seemed possible that he might escape being 
 struck by the wheels of the stage. 
 
 Scarcely were they in time. The stage flew past 
 them seemed to brush them, and went careening down 
 the trail. 
 
 Flattened against the rocks, two white-faced, shiv- 
 ering lads stood and watched the runaway coach till it 
 disappeared. 
 
 Harry started to say something, but his voice choked 
 and died in his throat. His bicycle fell over on the 
 ground, and he sank down limply, burying his face in 
 his hands. 
 
 Jack was stronger. He reached Harry's side, and 
 his hand fell on the shoulder of the shaking boy. 
 
 "Brace up, old man! The stage has passed us, and 
 we are all right. There is no further danger." 
 
 The face that Rattleton lifted was contorted with 
 unspeakable anguish. He put out a quivering hand, 
 and got hold of Jack's fingers, to which he clung. 
 
 "Frank !" he whispered. 
 
 Then Jack knew of what Harry was thinking, and 
 his own heart was wrung with anguish.
 
 The Deadly Mountains. 39i 
 
 Both boys turned and looked up the trail, Rattleton 
 crouching on -his knees. There seemed to be a hope 
 in their eyes that they might see their friend and com- 
 rade somewhere up there a hope that they had been 
 deceived some way, and that Merriwell had not 
 plunged over the brink of the precipice. 
 
 But the road was clear, and the one they looked for, 
 the friend they loved and admired most in all the wide 
 world, was gone. 
 
 Harry covered his face again, and Jack choked back 
 the hard lump that arose in his throat. 
 
 "Gone!" came huskily from Rattleton; "gone for- 
 ever!" 
 
 Jack could not speak. He lifted one hand to his 
 head, still staring up the trail with a stony look. 
 
 Suddenly Harry turned to Jack, and almost 
 shrieked : 
 
 "Do you understand do you realize what has hap- 
 pened? Frank rode over the edge up there to escape 
 from the runaway horses !" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 Diamond uttered the word mechanically.
 
 392 The Deadly Mountains. 
 
 Harry leaped to his feet, like a wild creature, and 
 grappled with his companion, whom he savagely shook. 
 
 "Do you know what it means, man?" he screamed. 
 "Do you understand that Frank dropped to his death 
 when he rode over there? Are you in a, trance?" 
 
 "Steady, Rattleton!" warned Diamond. "You are 
 going crazy !" 
 
 "Well, isn't it enough to drive one crazy ? Oh, mer- 
 ciful heavens! Think of it Frank Frank Merri- 
 well, the whitest fellow who ever lived, the pride of 
 Yale, gone to his death in a moment!" 
 
 "It is terrible!" 
 
 "Terrible! Man, it is awful! Why couldn't it 
 have been one of us why couldn't it have been me!" 
 
 And then the language that flowed from Rattleton's 
 lips fairly appalled Diamond. Harry raved like a 
 madman, ending by bursting into tears and again sink- 
 ing limply to the ground. 
 
 "Come, old fellow," said Jack. "You must brace 
 up, or we may never get out of these mountains our- 
 selves." 
 
 "I don't care!" sobbed Harry. "I don't want to get 
 out of the mountains ! I believe we are doomed."
 
 The Deadly Mountains. 393 
 
 "And it is all because of that crazy girl," muttered 
 the boy from Virginia. "She has brought us this 
 luck. We have had nothing but the most frightful 
 luck ever since we met her." 
 
 It was some time before they could recover at all 
 from the fearful shock their nerves had sustained. 
 Harry was weak and limp as a rag, seeming without 
 strength to move at all. 
 
 "Come, come, Rattleton!" said Diamond. "I loved 
 Frank Merriwell quite as much as- you could have 
 loved him, but I know we must not let -his death over- 
 come us in this manner." 
 
 There was a look of madness on Rattleton's sorrow- 
 contorted face, as he shouted : 
 
 "You lie, Jack Diamond ! You could not have loved 
 him as I loved him ! If you had, you would not be so 
 calm! I roomed with him at Yale we were chums. 
 I knew him, better than you knew him, and I know 
 what a loss the world has sustained. It would not 
 seem such a frightful thing if it had not come so sud- 
 denly." 
 
 "He may not be dead." 
 
 "He must be dead! No human being could fall
 
 394 The Deadly Mountains. 
 
 'down there and escape death. Oh, yes, he is dead 
 dead! Poor Frank!" 
 
 "Let's go up there and see let's look over. It may 
 be that he saw some way to escape, and that was why 
 he rode over the precipice/' 
 
 A ray of hope, faint and flickering, seemed to pierce 
 Rattleton's grief-torn heart. 
 
 "Yes, yes!" he huskily whispered; "it may be it 
 may be! We will go up there and see. Come, Jack 
 come!" 
 
 They left their wheels and ran up the road, pant- 
 ing, stumbling, staggering. For all of his weakness of 
 a short time before, Rattleton ran the faster and 
 reached the spot first. 
 
 Then it was that Jack feared Harry was on the point 
 of leaping over, and as he came up the Virginian 
 clutched his friend and held onto him. 
 
 They lay down and peered over the face of the preci- 
 pice. Below them for a little distance the wall was 
 perpendicular, and then it sloped away till it dropped 
 off again. Far down they could see the tops of trees, 
 and away at the bottom) of the canyon was the little
 
 The Deadly Mountains. 395 
 
 river; but nowhere could they see anything of Frank 
 Merriwell. 
 
 Directly beneath them Jack saw a spot where some 
 sliding body had torn through vines and bushes which 
 grew along the face of the bluff, but that was all. 
 
 "It's no use, Harry," Jack forced himself to say. 
 "He is gont" 
 
 "Yes, gone!" groaned Rattleton. "We'll never see 
 him again ! We may not be able to recover his body." 
 
 "It was fate." 
 
 "Fate !" shouted Harry. "There is no such thing as 
 fate! You can't make me believe that it was foreor- 
 dained that Frank Merriwell, the whitest fellow who 
 ever lived, should die in such a manner! Don't talk 
 to me of fate!" 
 
 For a long time Harry was very violent, and Jack 
 watched him closely, fearing he might take a fancy to f 
 follow Frank Merriwell over the precipice. 
 
 Either Diamond was stronger than Harry, or did 
 not bear such a passionate love for Frank Merriwell. 
 After a time he was able to induce Rattleton to leave 
 the spot. 
 
 "We must go on to the next town, from which we
 
 396 The Deadly Mountains. 
 
 may be able to send out men to recover Frank's body," 
 said Jack. "Are you ready to go on?" 
 
 "I don't care," came mechanically from the other 
 boy. 
 
 So, with Jack's arm about him, Rattleton was led 
 back to the spot where the wheels were left. As he 
 stood looking at them, a violent hatred for them seized 
 upon him. He shook his fist at them!, and screamed : 
 
 "You you are to blame! You murdered him! 
 If you had never been invented, he would not have 
 been here! If I get out of these deadly mountains 
 alive, I'll never ride again!" 
 
 Finally they picked up the wheels and wearily 
 climbed the road, passing the fatal spot where Frank 
 had taken his desperate drop, and going on around the 
 spur. 
 
 Rattleton was calmer, but there was a fixed look of 
 horror on his face a look that made Jack shiver. 
 Harry seemed changed from his old self to quite a dif- 
 ferent being. The face that had ever seemed jolly and 
 laughing was now hard as stone, upon which lines of 
 grief and despair were graven. 
 
 They rode away, and Jack took care to keep on the
 
 The Deadly Mountains. 397 
 
 dangerous side of the road, with Harry between him- 
 self and the bluff of rock. 
 
 Before they had gone a mile they came upon a man 
 who was stretched on his back in the middle of the 
 trail. That man was Budd Hunk, the stage driver. 
 
 It seemied rather remarkable that Hunk should be 
 there, for he had left Buzzardsville on the west-bound 
 stage, and it did not seem that he was due to return 
 so soon. Jack leaped from his wheel and bent over 
 the man. 
 
 "He is drunk," Diamond decided. "He must have 
 lost control of the horses, and then fallen from the 
 stage." 
 
 The smell of liquor was on the man, but, on closer 
 examination, Diamond was horrified to find that Hunk 
 was dead, his neck having been broken by the fall from 
 the stage. 
 
 "Here is a temperance lecture!" Jack exclaimed. 
 "The man has passed in his chips. And his death was 
 caused by the fall, while the fall was caused by drunk- 
 enness." 
 
 "I tell you it is these deadly mountains!" cried 
 Harry. "I have heard much about the beauty of the
 
 398 The Deadly Mountains. 
 
 Rocky Mountains, but I find nothing beautiful in them 
 They are savage and awful and deadly !" 
 
 After a time it was decided to draw the dead man 
 from the trail and leave him beside the rocks. They 
 could not carry him, and so the best they could do 
 would be to send out a party from the next town to 
 bring in his body. 
 
 This was done, and they mounted their wheels and 
 rode onward again. 

 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 THE FALL DOWN THE PRECIPICE. 
 
 Fully realizing that to escape death beneath the feet 
 of the horses and the wheels of the coach meant almost 
 sure death at the bottom of the canyon, Frank Merri- 
 well had taken the plunge. 
 
 There was no time for deliberation. He was forced 
 to act instantly if he hoped to avoid the horses. 
 
 In that moment of frightful peril he had thought of 
 his friends who were behind, and had shouted to warn 
 them of the danger that was rushing down upon them. 
 
 Then over the brink he plunged. 
 
 As he went over, Frank dropped from the saddle 
 and tried to catch hold of the edge of the rocky wall, 
 hoping to cling there till the horses had passed and 
 his friends could come to his aid. 
 
 He missed the edge of the ledge and then he went 
 shooting downward with a suddenness that seemed to 
 suck the breath from his body. 
 
 He struck the wall where it sloped outward, slid
 
 400 The Fall Down the Precipice. 
 
 along swiftly, all the while trying to get hold of some- 
 thing. 
 
 Once his hands fastened on some bushes or vines, 
 and his descent was checked for one brief moment. 
 
 Then the mass of vegetation parted from its frail 
 hold on the earth that covered the rocks, and again 
 he was sliding downward. 
 
 He caught a glimpse of his bicycle as it disappeared 
 from view, and the thought came to him that he never 
 would ride that wheel again. It would be smashed to 
 pieces far below. 
 
 If the wheel should be smashed, surely he could ex- 
 pect to fare no better. He would not need it. 
 
 With his heart in his mouth, Frank made another 
 desperate attempt to catch hold of something, any- 
 thing that would check his downward rush. 
 
 At the very moment when he seemed on the point of 
 taking the last fatal plunge, he succeeded in fastening 
 his fingers in a crevice of the rocks, and there he clung, 
 where he could look down into the depths of the can- 
 yon. 
 
 Away below him lay a mass of bowlders. To fall
 
 The Fall Down the Precipice. 401 
 
 on them meant death swift and sure, and there seemed 
 no way of avoiding it. 
 
 A little on one side were some scrub trees, but how 
 was he to reach them? Already his torn and bleed- 
 ing- fingers were relaxing, and he must go shooting 
 downward once more before many seconds passed. 
 
 With a strength and energy born of despair, Frank 
 worked himself to the right, clinging to the face of 
 the precipice in a most marvelous manner. 
 
 A witness of that feat must have been overwhelmed 
 with astonishment by the manner in which he stuck to 
 the face of the precipice. 
 
 Little by little, inch by inch, he worked along. Now 
 his feet dangled over that awful gulf, and yet he did 
 not give up. 
 
 He saw a shelf or ledge that ran down along the 
 face of the canyon wall. If he could reach it what 
 then? Surely it was too steep for him to obtain a foot- 
 hold. 
 
 Then a bit of rock broke away beneath his fingers, 
 and with a despairing gasp, he flung himself toward 
 that shelf.
 
 402 The Fall Down the Precipice. 
 
 He struck it, and fortunately did not bound off into 
 space. 
 
 Down the incline shelf he slipped, gaining momen- 
 tum with each moment, and finding nothing to which 
 he could fasten his fingers. 
 
 Frank had seen the end of the shelf below, and, al- 
 most before he could realize it, that end was reached. 
 
 Off the ledge he shot, still wildly clutching at any- 
 thing he could reach. 
 
 Once more some scrub bushes that were growing 
 from some dirt in the face of the wall enabled him to 
 check his downward fall for a moment. 
 
 That moment was enough to enable him to get a 
 
 breath enough to give him time to regain his scat- ; 
 
 
 tered wits. 
 
 But still the bottom of the canyon lay an appalling 
 distance below, and there did not seem to be one 
 chance in a thousand that he would reach it with the 
 breath of life in his body. 
 
 The shelf had carried him beyond the mass of ragged 
 rocks, and now he was dangling above the tops of 
 trees that were growing away down there. 
 
 Crack ! crack ! the bushes gave way !
 
 The Fall Down the Precipice. 403 
 
 There had been but the briefest warning, but that 
 warning he took advantage of, making a swing toward 
 a thicker mass of bushes some distance below. 
 
 Frank knew it would not do for his feet to strike 
 against any obstruction, as that would be certain to 
 send him whirling out from the face of the bluff, where 
 there would be nothing to break his fall. 
 
 He tried to keep his feet away and get another hold 
 with his hands. 
 
 Bushes whipped him in the face with a sting as of a 
 hundred bees and cut through his hands as if they 
 would sever his fingers. 
 
 He did not mind that. What if he lost both his 
 hands, if he could save his life ! 
 
 It was a battle of despair a struggle against fate. 
 
 A mass of earth, torn out with the roots of bushes, 
 rattled down about him, while pebbles and rocks of 
 various sizes rained upon him. 
 
 Again and again he caught and clung for a moment, 
 and the thought came that, if he could keep that up, 
 he might reach the bottom with some life in his body, 
 though he must be a torn and tattered wreck. 
 
 But at last he failed to grasp anything, he rolled
 
 404 The Fall Down the Precipice. 
 
 over, and his hands had been forced away from the 
 face of the wall. Now it must be that he was lost. 
 
 Down, down he went. There was a sudden stop, 
 and he felt himself suspended in the air, held thus by_ 
 some portion of his clothing, which had caught on a 
 rocky projection. 
 
 It seemed that this had happened to tantalize him, if 
 anything, for he could feel the clothing giving, and 
 he was sure he must take another plunge in a moment. 
 
 It was remarkable that Frank was able to keep his 
 wits about him at all, but he did so. 
 
 Reaching backward over his head, he felt for some- 
 thing to which he could hold, and found a temporary 
 grip for his ringers in a crevice. 
 
 Still farther to the right a small tree grew from the 
 side of the bluff. If he could reach it 
 
 "I'll try !" came through his teeth. 
 
 Then he felt his clothing tear free of the rock, and, 
 at the same time, he placed a foot against a projection 
 of the wall, and, with a push into which he put all the 
 energy possible, he flung himself toward the tree. 
 
 He struck it, crashed through it, and was flung out- 
 ward by the springing boughs.
 
 The Fall Down the Precipice. 405 
 
 Over and over in the air whirled the boy as he made 
 that last Hair-lifting plunge. 
 
 Fortunately the spring of the small tree had hurled 
 him far from the face of the precipice and directly 
 toward the top of another tree some distance below. 
 
 Again the breath was forced from his lips and con- 
 sciousness seemed to desert him for a moment during 
 his dizzy drop. Then he struck the second tree. 
 
 Down through the branches he crashed, being un- 
 able to grasp any of them, as his strength seemed quite 
 gone. 
 
 A stout bottom branch caught him, bent, sprang 
 back and gave him another fling away out over the 
 frocks. 
 
 Splash ! he struck in the stream of water. 
 
 Frank sank from view, and the water closed over 
 his head. 
 
 Was that the end? Had he found death at last in 
 the cold water of the little river away down there in 
 the canyon ? 
 
 No! 
 
 Up to the surface of the water he arose, gasping, 
 choking still alive!
 
 406 The Fall Down the Precipice. 
 
 It was a wonder a marvel never to be explained. 
 
 But he was weak, and when he tried to reach the 
 rocky shore he found himself unable to swim. He 
 sank again, and again the water closed over his head. 
 
 The little river whirled on its mad career through 
 the canyon, leaping and exultant, scenting to taunt the 
 black precipice above, as if it felt certain of the human 
 prey it had secured after all that mad drop from the 
 heights of the winding road far up the mountain.
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 OUT OF THE DEPTHS. 
 
 Out from the town of High Pine went a party of 
 men to secure the body of the dead driver, whom Jack 
 and Harry had discovered on the trail. 
 
 Rattleton and Diamond were with the men, and they 
 were determined to do their best to recover the body 
 of Frank Merriwell. They had engaged some of the 
 men to assist them, and a pack-horse bore on its back a 
 load of rope, with which searchers were to be lowered 
 into the depths of Black Canyon. 
 
 The body of the driver was found exactly as the 
 boys had left it, and some of the men took charge of 
 it, while others proceeded on the way to Black Canyon. 
 
 Harry and Jack were gloomy and sad, having little 
 to say. As they approached the point over which 
 Frank had rriade that mad plunge they were astonished 
 to see a familiar figure sitting on a small bowlder be- 
 side the trail. 
 
 "Look!" cried Jack, as he clutched Harry's arm.
 
 408 Out of the Depths. 
 
 "Is it possible? Am I going daffy myself, or is 
 that " 
 
 "Toots!" shouted Rattleton. "It is Toots, as sure 
 as fate!" 
 
 The colored boy it surely was, looking somewhat 
 battered and tattered, and his bicycle lay on the ground 
 near him. 
 
 As he recognized Jack and Harry in the party, 
 Toots arose to his feet, waved his cap about his head, 
 and yelled : 
 
 "Bress man soul ! Heah yer is, chilluns ! An' heah 
 I is, too! Fs sorter used up, but dis boy am still in 
 der ring! It done takes a po'erful heap ter kill a nig- 
 ger!" 
 
 The colored boy was so delighted by their appear- 
 ance that he danced and capered, laughing and crow- 
 ing. He embraced them, tears of joy running from 
 his eyes. When the first paroxysms of delight had 
 passed, he looked around inquiringly, as if he had 
 missed some one, after which he asked : 
 
 "Whar am Marser Frank? He sho'ly oughter be 
 heah." 
 
 Jack and Harry exchanged glances, and the colored
 
 Out of the Depths. 409 
 
 boy was quick to see a hidden meaning in their looks. 
 His alarm flamed up in a moment, and he clutched 
 Harry's arm, crying: 
 
 "What am it, boy what am de mattah? Yo' don* 
 mean teh tell me dat anyfing hab happened teh Marser 
 Frank? Don' yo' tell me dat, sar." 
 
 "Yes," said Harry, "something has happened to 
 him." 
 
 Toots fell back, his eyes glaring, while a grayisH 
 paleness overspread his face. 
 
 "What has happened?" he huskily whispered. "Muf- 
 fin' ser'us, I hope? If anyfing ser'us has happened teh' 
 dat boy, I's gwan ter be sorry dat alverlanch didn* 
 quarry me sebenteen mile undah groun', 'stead ob tak- 
 in' me do'n the msount'n all safe! If Marser Frank 
 am daid, I don't car' ter lib no longah mahself !" 
 
 "I am afraid Frank is dead," admitted Harry. 
 
 Then he told the colored boy what had happened, 
 and Toots' anguish was pitiful to witness. He sobbed 
 and moaned, wringing his hands as if his heart were 
 breaking, while tears gushed from his eyes. 
 
 "Po 5 Marser Frank !" he wailed. "Nebber wus an- 
 nodder boy lek dat boy ! Dar ain't no reasum fo' livin*
 
 410 Out of the Depths. 
 
 no mo'! All de bright hab gone out ob de sunsnine, 
 an' de singin' ob de birds won't be music no mo ! Dis 
 am de blackes' day ob mah life!" 
 
 It was useless to try to comfort him, and the boyf 
 gave up trying, for it wrung their hearts to witness 
 the anguish of the simple, true-souled black boy who 
 had loved Frank so much. 
 
 It was not far to the place where Frank had taken 
 the frightful plunge, and they went forward again. 
 When the spot was reached, arrangements were made 
 for one of the men to be lowered into the canyon. 
 
 Jack wanted to go down he insisted on it. Harry 
 had no desire to go, fearing to see what he fully ex- 
 pected away down there. The men thought it was not 
 best that Jack should go, but he insisted, and, as they 
 were in the employ of the two boys, they agreed. 
 
 So, when all arrangements were made, one end of 
 the rope was securely knotted under Diamond's arms, 
 and he was lowered over the precipice. 
 
 Harry waited for the result, talking with Toots, 
 when the colored boy could find words between his 
 sobbing to say anything. In this manner Harry man- 
 aged to obtain from the colored boy a broken account
 
 Out of the Depths. 411 
 
 of his marvelous ride down the mountain on a land- 
 slide. By a singular circumstance, it had happened 
 that the darky had not been overwhelmed and buried 
 beneath the slide. As soon as he could recover, Toots 
 had found his bicycle, having seen one of the wheels 
 protruding from the ground, and had sought to follow 
 on after his friends. 
 
 While they were talking, there came a signal from 
 below for the men to pull up on the rope, 
 
 Harry was quivering with apprehension, fearing to 
 see what he expected would be drawn up from the can- 
 yon. 
 
 Steadily the men toiled away, drawing up the rope. 
 At last they drew something over the edge of the 
 precipice to the road. 
 
 That something was Frank's bicycle. 
 
 A breath of relief escaped Harry's lips when he saw 
 it. Then he turned away again, huskily whispering: 
 
 "This simply prolongs the agony. If Jack found 
 the wheel so soon, it is pretty sure he has succeeded 
 in finding Frank's body. That will come next." 
 
 The rope was lowered. After some delay, the signal
 
 412 Out of the Depths. 
 
 came for them to draw up on it once more, and they 
 set about doing so. 
 
 "This time there is something heavier than a bicycle 
 hitched on down there/' said one of the men. 
 
 Harry had no doubt; it must be the body of his 
 friend. 
 
 "Easy!" he gasped "be easy with it! Do not let 
 it scrape on the rocks ! It must be torn and battered 
 enough now." 
 
 Slowly and steadily the men worked. The rope was 
 coiled as they drew it in. Two of them were looking 
 over the brink, and they uttered strange exclamations. 
 Finally, having cautioned the men who were pulling 
 at the rope to go slow, they reached over .and took 
 hold of something, which they gently lifted over the 
 edge. 
 
 Harry forced -himself to look at it, and then 
 
 "Bress de Lawd! bress de Lawd!" came the wild 
 cry from Toots. 
 
 The colored boy rushed forward and clasped in his 
 arms the person who had been drawn up from the 
 depths of Black Canyon.
 
 Out of the Depths. 413 
 
 And that person was Frank Merriwell alive! 
 
 That night, in the town of High Pine, Frank told 
 them the story of his desperate drop and wonderful 
 escape from death. He told it as well as he could, 
 but to himself it was something hazy and unreal. But 
 for his bruised body, his torn and bandaged hands, he 
 might have fancied it all a weird and horrible phan- 
 tasma of his brain. 
 
 To Frank it seemed that the hand of Providence had 
 shielded him ironi death on the rocks at the bottom 
 of Black Canyon. It seemed that the onward rush of 
 the waters had finally cast him upon the bank where 
 Jack found him just recovering consciousness. 
 
 "The only thing that troubles me now is to know 
 what has become of Bruce and Miss Harding," said 
 Frank. "It is remarkable that you did not find them 
 here, and it is still more remarkable that no one saw 
 them pass through this town. I am worried about 
 them. If that girl really is crazy " 
 
 "Hark !" cried Jack, springing to his feet. "Some-
 
 414 Out of the Depths. 
 
 body is doing some shooting, and they are coming 
 this way!" 
 
 They rushed out, just as two horses dashed up to 
 the front of the building and stopped. Down from 
 one of the horses sprang a familiar figure, and, a sec- 
 ond later, Browning lifted Miss Harding from the 
 other horse, and bore her into the building. 
 
 Another young man, mounted on a third horse, had 
 Swung about a short distance away, and, with a 
 revolver in either hand, was shooting into the gather- 
 ing darkness toward some pursuers. It was a pistol 
 'duel, but it was very brief, for one of the pursuers was 
 seen to tumble headlong from his horse, while yet an- 
 other sank forward and clasped his animal around the 
 neck in a manner that indicated he was wounded. 
 
 Then, unable to face that fire, the pursuers turned 
 and beat a hasty retreat. 
 
 As soon as he saw this, the young man who had 
 'done the shooting sprang down from his horse, crying : 
 
 "My sister where is she? Is she harmed? If 
 those dogs have touched her with one of their bullets, 
 I'll not rest till they are all hanged !" 
 
 "His sister?" cried Diamond. "Is it Jutland?"
 
 Out of the Depths. 415 
 
 "Not much!" exclaimed Frank. "It's quite a dif- 
 ferent fellow." 
 
 Then they followed the young man into the building, 
 where Bruce was found, doing his best to calm Mabel 
 Harding, who was rather hysterical. 
 
 As soon as the girl saw the youthful stranger, she 
 leaped to her feet, rushed to him, clasped him about the 
 neck, crying: 
 
 "Paul Paul, my dear brother!" 
 
 "Mabel, you are not harmed those dogs did not 
 touch you with their lead?" 
 
 "No, no ! I feared for you alone." 
 
 "I am] all right, but I fancy I have given at least one 
 of them his just deserts." 
 
 Frank found Browning from whom He demanded 
 an explanation of this most bewildering affair. 
 
 "Where have you been, Bruce?" he demanded. 
 "And where did you run across this new brother of 
 Miss Harding." 
 
 "He is not a 'new' brother," declared the big col- 
 lege lad. "He is her real brother. Jutland was an im- 
 postor, as she claimed." 
 
 Then Bruce hurriedly made an explanation. After
 
 4i 6 Out of the Depths. 
 
 passing Poker Notch, at which place the girl had re- 
 fused to stop, fearing they would be pursued and over- 
 taken, they met a mounted man on the road. The man 
 spoke to them, and, in the darkness, Mabel recognized 
 the voice of her brother. It was a wonderful meeting, 
 and when P,aul Harding had heard her story he in- 
 sisted on turning back to Buzzardsville at once. This 
 Bruce was willing to do, as he expected to find his 
 friends there, or meet them on the road. And when 
 they passed back through Poker Notch, the boys were 
 already there, a fact which Browning never dreamed. 
 
 Paul Harding told how Joe Jutland had lured him 
 into the mountains and tried to kill him, after robbing 
 him, by flinging him into an abandoned shaft. It had 
 not killed him, and he had succeeded in dragging him- 
 self from the shaft. How he reached a small mining 
 camp was more than he could tell ; but he did so. There 
 he was nursed in a rude way by an old miner, and he 
 recovered. As soon as he was able to do so, he started 
 for Buzzardsville, with the intention of squaring his 
 account with Jutland. On the road he met Browning 
 and Mabel. 
 
 When Paul -had heard Mabel's story, he was more
 
 Out of the Depths. 417 
 
 than ever determined to visit retribution on Joe Jut- 
 land. 
 
 Back to Buzzardsville they went. In that town an 
 encounter between Harding and Jutland took place, 
 and Harding dropped Jutland with a bullet. 
 
 Jutland, who was known in Buzzardsville as Paul 
 Harding, having seen fit to call himself that had some 
 friends of the Handsome Bob order, and so it came 
 about that the real Paul Harding was forced to take 
 to flight, with his sister and Browning, after the shoot- 
 ing. 
 
 They were pursued into High Pine, where Hard- 
 ing made a stand, causing one of the pursuers to bite 
 the dust and the others to retreat. 
 
 "Well," said Frank, when he had listened to Brown- 
 ing's hurried story, "all this is very remarkable and 
 astonishing; but I rather fancy we'll be able to tell you 
 something quite as astonishing." 
 
 Some of the men of High Pine went out and brought 
 in the fellow who had been shot from his horse. 
 
 It proved to be Handsome Bob, and the ruffian was 
 quite dead. 
 
 "He never will be missed," declared a citizen of
 
 418 Out of the Depths, 
 
 High Pine. "He wuz one o' ther wust p'izen skunks 
 what ever lived, an' thar ain't nobody goin' ter make 
 much fuss over his death. I ruther reckon ther coroner 
 will say as how it came from accidental shootin', ther 
 shooter bein' unknown." 
 
 And that was exactly the verdict the coroner ren- 
 dered. 
 
 The boys remained in High Pine three days, long 
 enough for Frank to recover in a measure from the 
 injuries he sustained in his fall into Black Canyon- 
 long enough for Bruce Browning to make a warm 
 friend of Mabel Harding, which he did. 
 
 Browning's wheel was sent over from Buzzardsville, 
 and with it word came that Joe Jutland, although seri- 
 ously wounded, would recover. 
 
 "Well, I am glad of that," confessed Paul Harding. 
 "For all of what he has done to me, I do not care to 
 have his blood on my hands. I am calmer now than 
 I was when I did the shooting." 
 
 Frank Merriwell's wheel had struck in the top of a 
 tree when it fell into Black Canyon, and, although 
 it was injured somewhat, the boys were able to put
 
 Out of the Depths. 419 
 
 it into shape so that it could be ridden to some large 
 city where Merriwell could obtain another bicycle. 
 
 "Land ob watermillions !" cried Toots. "I dunno's 
 it's pawsible fo' anyfing teh knock out dis gang. Ebry 
 time we git frowed down, we lights right onter ouah 
 feet, chilluns 'deed we does. But I's gwan teh be a 
 mighty happy nigger when we git out ob dis yar 
 country, an* gits back whar cibilized pussons lib yes, 
 sari" 
 
 THF END.
 
 "BEST OF ALL BOYS' BOOKS;; 
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 Frank Merriwell's Daring Frank Merriwell's Brother 
 
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 PAUL REVERE. By John De Morgan. 
 
 THE FIRST SHOT FOR LIBERTY. By John De Morgan. 
 
 FOOLING THE ENEMY. By John De Morgan. 
 
 INTO THE JAWS OF DEATH. By John De Morgan. 
 
 THE HERO OF TICONDEROGA. By John De Morgan. 
 
 ON TO QUEBEC. By John De Morgan. 
 
 FIGHTING HAL. By John De Morgan. 
 
 MARION AND HIS MEN. By John De Morgan. 
 
 THE YOUNG AMBASSADOR. By John De Morgan. 
 
 THE YOUNG GUARDSMAN. By John De Morgan. 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE LIVELY BEE. By John De Morga*. 
 
 THE TORY PLOT. By T. C. Harbaugh. 
 
 IN BUFF AND BLUE. By T. C. Harbaugh. 
 
 WASHINGTON'S YOUNG SPY. By T. C. Harbaugh. 
 
 UNDER GREENE'S BANNER. By T. C. Harbaugh. 
 
 FOR FREEDOM'S CAUSE. By T. C. Harbaugh. 
 
 CAPTAIN OF THE MINUTE MEN. By Harrie Irving Hancock. 
 
 THE QUAKER SPY. By Lieut. Lounsberry. 
 
 FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM. By Lieut. Lounsberry. 
 
 BY ORDER OF THE COLONEL. By Lieut. Lounsberry. 
 
 A CALL TO DUTY. By Lieut. Lounsberry. 
 
 IN GLORY'S VAN. By Lieut. Lounsberry. 
 
 THE TRADER'S CAPTIVE. By Lieut. Lounsberry. 
 
 THE YOUNG PATRIOT. By Lieut. Lounsberry. 
 
 " OLD PUT " THE PATRIOT. By Frederick A. Ober. 
 
 THE LEAGUE OF FIVE. By Commander Post. 
 
 THE KING'S MESSENGER. By Capt. Frank Ralph. 
 
 DASHING PAUL JONES. By Frank Sheridan. 
 
 FROM MIDSHIPMAN TO COMMODORE. By Frank Sheridjm. 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE ESSEX. By Frank Sheridan. 
 
 LAND HERO OF 1812. By C. C. Hotchkist. 
 
 FOLLOWING MAD ANTHONY. By T. C. Harbaugh. 
 
 THE YOUNG CAPTAINS. By T. C. Harbaugh. 
 
 CAMPAIGNING WITH BRADDOCK. By William Murray Graydonu 
 
 Price, 5O cents per volume 
 
 For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, on receipt of price 
 by the publisher 
 
 DAVID McKAY, Philadelphia 
 
 (3)
 
 THE ROB RANGER SERIES 
 
 By LIEUT. LIONEL LOUNSBERRY 
 
 A capital series showing what can be accomplished by a boy of ability and courage. 
 Rob is a hero whose example of courage, honesty and manliness can be followed with 
 profit. Rob's horse, Silent Sam, and his dog Trumps, play an important part in the 
 series, and cannot fail to win admiration and affection. No better stories for bright 
 healthy boys could well be imagined. 
 
 ROB RANGER'S MINE, or THE BOY WHO GOT THERE. By Lieut. 
 
 Lionel Lounsberry. 
 ROB RANGER THE YOUNG RANCHMAN, or GOING IT ALONE AT 
 
 LOST RIVER. By Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry. 
 ROB RANGER'S COWBOY DAYS, or THE YOUNG HUNTER OF THE 
 
 BIG HORN. By Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry. 
 
 Price, 5O cents per volume 
 
 THE CIRCUS SERIES 
 
 STANLEY NORRIS BY VICTOR ST. CLAIR 
 
 Where is there a boy who does not love a circus and who does not also love to take 
 a pep " behind the scenes " of the great white canvas ? There are adventures galore, 
 enough to satisfy any healthy youngster. 
 
 PHIL THE SHOWMAN, or LIFE IN THE SAWDUST RING. By 
 
 Stanley Norris. 
 YOUNG SHOWMAN'S RIVALS, or UPS AND DOWNS OF THE ROAD. 
 
 By Stanley Norris. 
 YOUNG SHOWMAN'S PLUCK, or AN UNKNOWN RIDER IN THE 
 
 RING. By Stanley Norris. 
 YOUNG SHOWMAN'S TRIUMPH, or A GRAND TOUR ON THE ROAD. 
 
 By Stanley Norris. 
 ZIG-ZAG, THE BOY CONJURER, or LIFE ON AND OFF THE STAGE. 
 
 By Victor St. Clair. 
 ZIP, THE ACROBAT, or THE OLD SHOWMAN'S SECRET. By Victor 
 
 Price, 5O cents per volume 
 
 THE MATTHEW WHITE SERIES 
 
 These books are full of good, clean adventure, thrilling enough to please the full- 
 blooded wide-awake boy, yet containing nothing to which there can be any objection 
 from those who are careful as to the kind of books they put into the hands of the young. 
 
 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG ATHLETE. A itorv of how a boy saved his 
 
 father's name and fortune. 
 
 ERIC DANE. Interesting experiences of a, boy of means. 
 GUY HAMMERSLEY. How an energetic boy cleared his name. 
 MY MYSTERIOUS FORTUNE.-An extremely interesting story of a 200,000 
 
 check. 
 THE TOUR OF A PRIVATE CAR. Interesting experiences of a young private 
 
 secretary. 
 THE YOUNG EDITOR. Experiences of a bright boy editing a weekly paper. 
 
 Price, 5O cents per volume 
 
 For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, on receipt of price by the publisher 
 
 DAVID McKAY, Philadelphia 
 
 (4)
 
 The Famous Adventure Series 
 
 An ideal series of books for boys of all ages. The stories 
 are of the bright and sparkling kind, full of adventures on 
 land and sea and not over-burdened with lengthy descriptions ; 
 in fact, just the sort that must appeal to every healthy boy 
 who is fond of thrilling exploits and deeds of heroism. 
 
 The names of the authors give sufficient guarantee to their 
 merits. Among these may be mentioned Henry Harrison 
 Lewis, who is a graduate of the Naval Academy at Annapolis, 
 and has written a great many books for boys. 
 
 A VOYAGE TO THE GOLD COAST. By Frank 
 H. Converse. 
 
 An adventurous trip of New England boys to Africa. 
 
 CAMP IN THE SNOW. By Wm. Murray Graydon. 
 
 Boys' winter camp life in northern New England. 
 
 CENTREBOARD JIM. By Henry Harrison Lewis. 
 
 The secret of Sargasso Sea. 
 
 FROM LAKE TO WILDERNESS. By Wm. Murray 
 Graydon. 
 
 Adventures around the northern lakes. 
 
 HOW HE WON. By Brooks McCormick. 
 
 Triumphs of a plucky boy afloat and ashore. 
 
 IN SEARCH OF AN UNKNOWN RACE. By 
 Frank H. Converse. 
 
 A thrilling story of exploration in Brazil. 
 
 KING OF THE ISLAND. By Henry Harrison Lewis. 
 
 Strange adventures on a South Sea Island. 
 
 TOM HAVEN WITH THE WHITE SQUADRON. 
 By Lieut. James K. Orion. 
 
 The adventures of a young inventor of a submarine boat. 
 
 Illustrated, cloth binding, 5O cents per volume 
 
 For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, on receipt of price 
 by the publisher 
 
 DAVID McKAY, Philadelphia 
 
 (5)
 
 THE ANNAPOLIS SERIES 
 
 By ENSIGN CLARKE FITCH, U. S. N. 
 
 A graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, and 
 thoroughly familiar with all naval matters Mr. Fitch, has 
 devoted himself to literature, and has written a series of 
 books for boys that every young American should read. His 
 stories are full of interesting information about the navy, 
 training ships, etc. 
 
 BOUND FOR ANNAPOLIS, or The Trials of a Sailor Boy. 
 CLIP, THE NAVAL CADET, or Exciting Days at Annapolis. 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE TRAINING SHIP, or Clif Faraday's 
 Pluck. 
 
 FROM PORT TO PORT, or Clif Faraday in Many Waters. 
 A STRANGE CRUISE, or Clif Faraday's Yacht Chase. 
 
 Illustrated, cloth binding, 75 cents per volume 
 
 THE WEST POINT SERIES 
 
 By LIEUT. FREDERICK GARRISON, U. S. A. 
 
 Every American boy takes a keen interest in the affairs of 
 West Point. No more capable writer on this popular subject 
 could be found than Lieut. Garrison, who vividly describes 
 the life, adventures and unique incidents that have occurred 
 in that great institution in these famous West Point stories. 
 
 OFF FOR WEST POINT, or Mark Mallory's Struggle. 
 A CADET'S HONOR, or Mark Mallory's Heroism. 
 ON GUARD, or Mark Mallory's Celebration. 
 
 THE WEST POINT TREASURE, or Mark Mallory's Strange 
 Find. 
 
 THE WEST POINT RIVALS, or Mark Mallory's Strategem. 
 Illustrated, cloth binding, 75 cents per volume 
 
 For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, on receipt of price 
 by the publisher 
 
 DAVID McKAY, Philadelphia 
 
 (6)
 
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