——

Trp oP WEEKLY

“An ideal publicati on for the American Youth

Issued weekly — By Subscription, $2.50 per year. Entered as Second Crass Matier at the N. ¥. Post Office by STREET & SMITH

No. 204. Price, Five Cents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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MERRIWELL LEAPED THE STICK OF HIS OPPONENT WHILE UNDER FULL HRADWAY.

 
 
 

 

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AN IDEAL PUBLICATION FGR THE AMERICAN YOUTH

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Jesued Weekly—By Subscription $2.50 per year. Entered as Second Class Matter at the N, Y. Post Office, by STREET & SuitTuH, 238 William
&t., N. ¥. Entered According to Act of Congress, in the year 1900 in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C.

 

NEW YORK, March 10, tgoo, Price Five Cents.

Frank Merriwell’s Opponent;

OR,

FOR THE ICE HOCKEY CUP.

No. 204.

 

By BURT L. STANDISH. :

 

CHAPTER I.
A WRECK.

“All this nun-noise mum-mum-makes mum-
me sorry for pup-poor old Pup-Pup-Pup-
Princeton!” stuttered Joe Gamp.

“When we get through with her she will
think she has had an ice hockey skate on!”
murmured Danny Griswold.

“And she will know that she can’t hay
plockey worth a cent!” declared Harry Rat-
tleton.

“Bragging before the battle is a common
and very cheap way to win a victory,” said
Bart Hodge. “It’s so safe to do your crow-
ing beforehand!”

“You're not going back on old Eli?” grum-
bled Browning.

“No,” said Hodge;“of course not! But I’d
feel better if Yale had a stronger team!”

Bart was sore, for he wanted Merriwell to
be on the hockey team that was now going to
meet Princeton.

“Merry could have been on the team if he
had tried for it!’ hotly asserted Rattleton.
“He didn’t care for it.”

“Betcher life he could!’ chimed in Bink.

“Some others cared for it, though!” said
Bart, glumly. “And that fool captain may
care, before we get back to New Haven!”

“No man can do everything,” said Merri- ss

 
= TIP

well, who had listened smilingly to these com-
ments. “I didn’t care to try for a place. I
have been training in other directions, and
you will acknowledge that I’m keeping myself
busy !”

“You wouldn’t have needed to train for ice
hockey, more than we’ve been doing!”
snarled Hodge. “That was training enough!”

“Mr. Hodge is mad because he isn’t captain
of the team!” squealed Danny, feinting as if
for a blow at Bink Stubbs.

Bart.

“But you know yourselves how much Merry

“Nothing of the kind!” declared

would have strengthened the team. So what’s
the use! And there are some others here
who can play a little!”

“He means me!” said Bink, making a swift
motion, as if striking with a hockey stick.
“See me hit it! Biff! Goal! Of course, we
can play!”

“Just about knocked that old pup-pup-puck
to pup-pieces aout there on the pup-pup-pup-
pond!” was Gamp’s enthusiastic comment

“T don’t call that pond work bad myself!”
observed Jack Diamond.

Mery

3ut pond work isn’t rink work!” said
Merry.

“The practice you got on that pond was all
that you needed!” insisted Bart. “I’m hoping
that Yale will beat Princeton, but I’m not bet-

ting on it!”

“Well, I’ll-ramble on it to my last ged—
gamble on it to my last ted!”’ declared Rattle-
ton. “And I was just the wildest man of all
for Merry! But Yale is Yale, and I’m a
rooter for old Eli. T’ll whoop things up for
her until I’m black in the face!”
bub-blue!” cried

“Hurrah for the

Joe
Gamp.

“We are rooters, we are tooters.
In the gale!”

sang Danny Griswold.

“Boom! Get a rat-trap,
- Bigger than a cat-trap!”

TOP WEEKLY.

Bink Stubbs thumped on an imaginary
drum and ended with a bur-r-r-ing imitation
of a college yell. :

“That’s right,” nodded Browning. “You
yell for me, Bink, and I’ll set up the seltzer
when we get to New York.”

Bink swung his hat and gave utterance to
an ear-splitting squeal.

“That’s for Mr. Browning and the seltzer,”
he explained. “Here is for myself.”

Then he swung his hat and squealed ‘again.

Danny Griswold joined him, together with
Joe Gamp and Harry Rattleton, while Brown-
ing lazily waved a hand. ics

The Yale players and a big contingent of
rooters and friends were on their way to New
York by rail, where Yale was to meet Prince-
ton in a great game of ice hockey at St.
Nicholas Rink. Night had fallen as they
were nearing the metropolis. The train was
well filled. All about Merriwell and his flock
were Yale students and their friends; laugh-.
ing and singing, talking and shouting.

Merriwell looked at his watch.

“We ought to be there in less than an—
hour!” he said.

??

“We'll paint the old town red!” shouted

Danny. a, ,
“Any game at the rink to-night?” asked
Diamond of Merriwell.
“No, I believe not; but a
“Glad of it,” grunted Browning. “We can
go to a hotel and get rested.” se
“Do you ever get rested?” qnestioned Rat- —

tleton.

“Never, when you’re about,” Browning

drawled. 2 ‘

t

“And to-morrow night is the great game,” —

said Bink. “Oh, won’t Princeton be weary

when it’s over? Biff! Whack! Goal! Say, —

Biff! Whack!’

A e . ° . a . c
~The engine gave an ear-piercing shriek and |

we'll put it all over ’em!

the brakes were applied so suddenly that Bink |
was hurled over the seat into the arms of the

‘

 
Frank, trying to keep cool.

TIP TOP WEEKLY. — 3

man in front of him. - Then every one in the

car was thrown down

This was followed by a thumping jar and a
swaying motion, as if the cars were leaving
the track. Then came another thumping jar,
With the

sound was mingled startled screams.

-and a crashing sound. crashing
The
brakes ground and squealed, and the coaches
strained and cracked as if going to ECE

Then the train stopped.

Frank Merriwell scrambled up from the
Ex-

questions filled his ears. No

aisle into which he had been pitched.
cited cries and
one knew just what had happened, but a
sense of calamity filled all minds. Harry
Rattleton gave a groan and clutched Frank
by the leg.
“Hurt,

asked.

_ “No, I guess not.

half off, though.”

Frank put down a hand and ssid Harry
to his feet.
it sent up a smoky flame.

old fellow?” Merry anxiously

Got a finger pinched

Only one lamp was burning and
The others had
Ex-

cited exclamations came from all sides, and

been put out by the violent concussion.

from the other cars there seemed to sound
calls and questions.

“We're in a bad wreck, I’m afraid!’ said
“Are any of you
‘hurt? How are you, Bart and Bruce? And

Diamond and Danny ?”

Browning slowly picked himself out of the
cushion in which he had been buried. Danny
5 crawled from under a car seat. Diamond
unwound himself from the embrace of the fat

ms student who had sat in front of him.

“T feel as if I’d. been scalped,” he ex-

“Where is my hat? Oh,
@

claimed. here it
asf -

= “Nun- nigh SRS. tut-tore aout mtum-

“Then it would have been off!” exclaimed
Danny, nervously trying to laugh.
“I’m all right!’ squealed Bink, rising into
“That fellow’s

with cotton.

view. bread-basket was filled
‘He must have swallowed a pil-
low for supper.”
“How are you, Bart?” Merry called.
“Right side up with care!” answered Bart,
though his nose was bleeding and one side of
his head felt
“All

head had a slight cut, and he felt the blood

as if it had been caved in.

right!” said Browning. His fore-
trickling down his face; but he, too, kept si-
lent concerning his injuries.

“Let’s get out of this!” urged Diamond.
“If one of the cars isn’t smashed, my ears
fooled me.”

-Merriwell was already moving toward the

nearest door.

His friends followed him, and soon all

were outside. People were pouring from the
other cars. All of the coaches were upright
and on the rails, with the exception of the
rear one. This had left the track and turned

half over.

CHAPTER II.
HELPING THE INJURED.
The moon was shining brightly, lighting
up the wreck and the surrounding landscape.
The air was cool, and on the ground there

A flare of
flame leaped from one end of the overturned

were lingering traces of snow.

coach. At the same moment there came

from the coach a scream.

“Serious work there,”

was Frank’s thought.
“The car has caught fire from the lamps!”

he said to Diamond, who was at his side.

As he ran toward the overturned coach he

heard an excited call. Some one was beat-
ing against a car window, trying to get out. |

~ “Stand back!” Merry commanded, waving

 
4 TIP TOP WEEKLY.

the order with his hands. Then he kicked in
the window.

“T'll help you,” he said, reaching through
and touching the arm of a man.

“Just pull me out!

For God’s sake, pull

me out!” the man urged:

Frank got hold of the man’s shoulders and
began to pull.

“T believe my legs are crushed!” the man

e

moaned. * “But go on! I can’t burn up
here.”

Merry reached in further, getting a better
hold,
man through the window.

He

ward the sky, and again he heard a scream.

then, as gently as -possible, drew the

saw that flare of flame again stab to-
“Take care of this man,” he begged, plac-
ing the man tenderly on the ground and
speaking to some students who were standing
helplessly by.

Merry observed that his friends were try-
ing to get into the crushed and burning coach.

Remembering the scream, he ran to the point

from which it had seemed to come.

A man with a car axe had climbed out of
the wreck and was striking wildly at the

He
danger of killing some of the imprisoned peo-

coach. was so excited that he was in

~

ple.
And his
voice was so cool and commanding that the

“Give me the axe,” said Frank.
excited man relinquished the axe without a
protest.

Frank now saw Bruce Browning at his

side; and farther away, trying to kick their

way into the car, were Jack Diamond and
Bart Hodge.
Harry Rattleton and Bink Stubbs and the

He also heard the voices of

stuttering exclamations of Joe Gamp. It
' pleased him to be thus assured that his

friends were at the front in this time of need.

+

The forward end of the car was so tele-
scoped and crushed that entrance could not
easily be forced through the windows.

With |

one gashing blow Frank ripped loose a board

from the splintered car.

he said. “Pull
Now! - Both to-

“Take hold of that, Bruce!”

it off. Let me help you.
gether !”

Bruce Browning was possessed of enor->
lifted

from the cracking sound,

mious strength, and when he with
Merry it seemed,
that the whole side of the coach was coming
away. A big hole appeared. Merry struck
the axe into this again, and again they pulled

together, thus enlarging the opening.

Through this opening two men crawled.
They seemed to be scared, rather than hurt,
and Merry gave them no attention. Another
hole had been made in the coach a few feet
away and the forward door had been battered
in. Frank saw men and women falling and
tumbling through these openings. ' Others
were being carried out.

That: woman’s scream seemed still to ring
in Merry’s ears, though it sounded no longer.
So far as he could judge it had come from
That end

of the coach seemed as hot as a furnace, oe

the point where the fire flared.

he began to strip off his coat.

shouted Browning,
TOES,

“Keep your .coat on!”

understanding Frank’s intention.

take mine!”
Almost in a flash. Browning was out of his
Then —

Browning threw the coat over Frank’s shoul- hes

coat, while Merry pulled his back on.

ders, and Frank pulled it round his head for a_
protection. Thus shielded he unhesitatingly

crawled into the burning car.

“Where are you ?” he called, feeling about, —

though the fire threatened his hands.
No answer came.

.* ve

In spite of, the scorching heat ie pushed

the shielding itis away from his face and

looked a The car seemed to be Se

 
his shirts.

a: Cai blood.

EL BO ai

.
\ °
seat, which was broken, as Merry found when
he tried to lift it. He called to Browning:
“Crawl in here, The

I need you.”

Bruce. fire hasn’t
quite got to this point.

srowning
He

into the fire.

Without a Bruce

crawled through the opening.

question,
would
have walked, coatless,
alert and quick-minded, and all his laziness
was gone.

1 Frank,
Now!”

“Take hold of sis 5 seat.’ “and

lift while I try to release her.

said

Samson-like, the giant wrenched away the

other end of the car seat, and Merry was able

to drag the woman from her position of peril.

“Whew!” gasped Browning, passing a
e :

hand across his scorching and bloody face.

“This will be a spouting volcano in about two

minutes. You reached her just in time. Any
’ more in here?”

“No, I couldn’t see any others. The rest
“are out.”
Browning put up a hand to shield his eyes,
_but,he did not move toward the opening until
Frank Merriwell had wrapped the extra coat
about the woman’s head and was creeping out

with her, though the heat had so increased

_ that it seemed to be cooking his flesh through

Merriwell crawled out and placed the

woman on the ground. Then he saw that she

was only a girl, or at most a young lady, and
he fancied that, under other circumstances,
: she must be rather an attractive young lady.
| Now her face was so white that it was ghast-
ly, and this unnatural w hiteness was stained
There was a deep gash in her

o head, from which the blood had flowed.

“Tg there a doctor here?” Merry anxiously

acked. looking round on the crowd which

" “quick y gathered.

" “One over there,” said sont “but he’s-at-

He was

WE LH LY.

“I’m not a doctor,” he said, “but I’m study-
ing medicine.”
Frank looked up and recognized him.
“Why, “Glad to see

Take right hold here, old man. You’re

Snelling!” he cried.
you.
needed.”

Snelling, who was one of the rooters, was
in the Yale medical school. He was a boy-
ish, smooth-faced fellow, but he knew a good
for all that.

Frank stepped back, and Snelling knelt at

deal about surgery,

the girl’s side.

“A pad cut,” he said, gravely. “I shouldn’t
want to venture an opinion. We must get
her into one of the coaches.”

“Just turn her over-to me,” said Browning,
who had slipped again into his coat. “T can
carry her.”’

And carry her the big fellow did, as ten-
derly as if she had been an infant. Merry
rushed on ahead and had some cushions ar-
ranged in the form of a cot when Browning
came through the doorway with his burden
~ As soon as the girl was made comfortable
rank hurried out of the car, not. knowing
but there still might be work for him.

A. large, fine-looking man came hurriedly
along the track.
as quick as we can,’

“But I don’t know

“Must get to the city

Frank héard him say.

99

how we’re to do it:

“Wires cut,” said a student. “Telegrapher

climbed a pole just now.”
“Then

queried.

this wasn’t an accident?” Merry

Tried to kill all of us.
Been trouble on the road lately,

“Not on your life!
you know.
Likely some low-down strikers trying to get
even with the company. “Big chap that just »
went by is the president.”

Frank hurried toward the engine. The
cab was empty; but he found a man there,
covered with dirt and blood, who was dazedly a

staring. at it.

a

 
6 BS Scie 8

“Where is the engineer?’ Merry asked.

I’m the fire-

We

“Leg broke,” said the man.

man. But I guess my head is mashed.
jumped.”

“Why did you jump?”

The man turned dully on him.

“Wouldn’t you have jumped? ‘There was
a log on the track and a rail was gone.
fool

bu’sted

Any

would have jumped. But my head’s

9
“Perhaps you would have been better off
if you had stayed in the cab,” thought Frank.
He

coaches.

turned and went back toward the

“Any one killed?” Merry inquired of the
first man he met.

“No, but a lot hurt. That coach went to
kindling wood. But they say everybody has
been taken out of it.”

Other information came to Merry from va-
rious sources as he walked along the coaches
looking for his friends. Soon he picked up
Harry Rattleton.

The president of the boad is aroard. I
mean the sesident of the poad is aboard.
That is, he was aboard before the wreck.
He’s around here somewhere—a fine looking
man.”’

“Any of the Yale boys hurt?” Merry asked.

“Carver had his head cut, and Bridgton

.

can’t walk because. of 2 crushed ankle; but
none of them are hurt—that is, not heriously
surt.” *

Rattleton was so excited he could hardly
talk.

“But none of our fellows?”

“Browning had his head scratched, but Ite
says it doesn’t amount to anything. It has
bled some.”

“Ves, I saw that. Matters are not so bad
as they might have been. This was planned

for an awful wreck.

WEEKLY.
Cr APiTiCk Li:
ENGINEER MERRIWELL.

“The engineer’s leg is broken and the fire-
man has gone daffy. We shall have to stay
here until we get help. There is no one to
take charge of the engine.” ee
He

was surrounded by a number of people, who

The big man was speaking again.

seemed to be appealing to him to have the
train go on. Several of the train hands al-
ready were at work replacing the rail that had
been removed by the wreckers.

Frank Merriwell stepped forward.

“T will run the engine into the city,” he
said. ;

The big man stared, for he saw by the
mioonlight that Merry was one of the college
students.

“Did you ever run an engine?”

“Yes, sir. I was once a locomotive engi-
neer.”

“Well, if you can pull this train into New
York without mishap it will mean something
handsome for you,” said the man. }

“T haven’t volunteered for reward,” was
the quiet reply.

“Of course not; but we'll see that. you are
properly rewarded, just the same. I am the
president of this road. My name is Brad-
bury.”

Merry had heard of Cecil Bradbury, the
wealthy New Yorker, who was both an active
railway official and capitalist and a metro-
politan politician. He gave Bradbury a
closer look, and saw that he was a keen-look-
ing man of fifty, with puffy, white face and

large, white hands.

,
4

“T don’t know where a fireman can be ~
had,” said Bradbury. “But that is an easier :
matter than the engineer.” |

‘A am not so sure of that,” Merry declared.
“Experience has shown me that a good fire-

man is as necessary as a good engineer.”

 

 
PTE ET ET Mit oss

TIP TOP WEEKLY. 7

“Ts there a railway firerhan here, or any one
who will volunteer to fire this engine to New
York?” |

Bradbury called out the words in a loud
tone, so that all could hear. A crowd was
gathering. For a moment there was silence.
Then Bart Hodge stepped forth.

“Tl fire the engine,” he said, with dogged
determination. “If Merry agrees to take this
train into New York, I'll stand by him, and
I'll keep up those fires.”

“You can do it,” said Frank, laying a hand
admiringly and affectionately on the shoulder
of his long-time friend. “Come! I’m
ready.”

He saw Browning pushing toward him
through the crowd, and stopped.

Browning had carefully washed the blood
from his face and covered the wound with
a bit of black court plaster.

“How is the girl?’ Merry asked, when
Browning was>at his side. |

“As well as could be expected. Snelling
has hardly left her. He has got her head
bandaged, and she seems to be resting com-
fortbly, but she hasn’t come to her senses

”

yet.

“Bart and I are going to take the engine
to New York,” Frank explained. ;

“T heard you. And I have come forward
to ask you to let me help.”

“Tn what way?”

“T can take turns at firing with Bart. He
will need help.”
“1 intended to help him a little,” said

Frank.

“You'll have enough to do to look after
the engine.. We'll be running on the time of
some ‘other train, probably after we make the

~ next station.”

Was this lazy Browning? Yet Frank”
; -Merriwell was not greatly surprised. More
: ~ than once, in a supreme-emergency, he had

seen Browning forget his love of ease and be-
come a herculean worker.
“All right,” he assented. “I can use both
of. you.”
Bink Stubbs and Harry Rattleton came
running up.
“Old
We

waar.

Eli is all right, if she is a little wobbly.

“Rah for screeched Bink.
can still do up Princeton!”

“Sight ride up with care!’ sputtered Rat-
still “But I don't
hanker after any more wrecks, thank you.
As Jack Ready would say, ‘Refuse me’.”
Bart
and

tleton, much excited.

“Just how did the wreck happen?”
asked, as he walked on with Merry
Browning.

“There was a log on the track,” said Merry.
“The engine struck it and knocked it off,
probably. A rail had been removed, too, but
the men already have it replaced. The engine
and forward coaches were not thrown from
the track, I suppose because the train was
going at such a high rate of speed.”

He swung to the step and climbed into the
cab, Bart swinging up after him and giving
Browning a hand.

The president came running hastily toward
the engine.

set us into the city as soon as you can,”

he urged. “That girl is seriously hurt. But,
of course, we do not want reckless running.
You understand? We want to get into New
York without delay, but we want to be safe.”

“We will do

Is everything ready?”

“All right,” Frank shouted.
the best we can.

“The wrecked coaches have been cut clear,
and everything is ready.”

Browning dropped into the fireman’s seat.
Bart threw open the furnace door and shoy-
eled in some coal.

“Let her go, Merry!” he said. “That is, if
you’ve got enough steam.”

“Plenty of steam,” said Merry, who had
just glanced at the gauge, as he leaned from

Je

 
TEP Dor

the cab window. “I hope the engine is all

right. She seems to be.”

Men with danger signals were to be left to
guard the wreck and look out for any train
that might be following on that track.

The president had hurried back to the
coaches, and now gave the signal to start, for
the conductor was on the list of the injured.

“All aboard!” was shouted.

There was almost a sense of joy in Frank
Merriwell’s heart as he placed his hands on
He felt at
home in an engine cab, and was confident of

the familiar lever and throttle.

his ability to take the train into New York,
if the track was kept clear and no further at-
tempts were made at train wrecking. He
thought of the wreckers, and he gave ‘the
warning whistle and pulled the throttle.

“Drive her!” was Bart’s grim exclamation.
“Fast running won’t hurt, if the track is
clear.”

Then he pulled open the . furnace door
again and threw in another shovelful of coal.

If the president had any lingering doubts
of Merry’s ability to run the engine, they
were soon dissipated, for the train could not
have moved forward in a more satisfactory
manner if the regular fireman and engineer
had been in their places. Browning and Bart,
with some instructions from Merriwell, found
no trouble in keeping up steam. .

There. was not much talking in the cab,
particularly on Merry’s part, during that run
to New York city. Frank kept his eyes on
the track, on the gauges and on the engine.
At the first station—a small place—a stop
was made and ‘New York was wired concern-
ing the wreck. A clear track was asked for
by the president.

“Now, put us through,” he said to Frank,
stepping along the platform and speaking to
‘Frank in the cab. “Getting along all right?”
“All right,” was Merry’s answer.

“T knew you were. If you were in that

WEEKLY.

line of work I might want you to run an
engine on this road. Get us into New York
as quick as you can with safety.”

And this Frank Merriwell proceeded to do.

The train whirled thunderously through
the startled night and across the quiet coun-
try, dashed rattlingly into and out of the vil-
lages, and stopped for but a wheezing minute
or two in the larger towns. At each of these
stops orders were brought Frank, and twice
the president came forward to speak a word
of commendation. Browning and Hodge
kept up a good head of steam, and Merry sent
the engine on as if it were a thing of throb-
bing life.

The red glow that hovers at night over the
great metropolis, seen many miles away, grew -
brighter and, brighter. Then the suburban
lights came into view, the river was crossed,
and at a slower pace the train rattled echo-
ingly into the tunnel, passing between lines of
cars and over tracks and by flashing signals.

When the station was reached, men were
there to relieve Merriwell and his assistants.
People swarmed everywhere in streaming
tides. A reporter with note-book and pencil

made a dive for Frank and his friends, but

Frank eluded him.
“The newspapers have heard of the wreck,”
was his comment. “I don’t care to be inter-
viewed out now. I want to see how that
girl is.’
Browning and Hodge followed him as he |
When

reached the coach in which the girl had been.

elbowed through the crowd. they

placed, they saw her being taken out on the

car cushions.

“She is still side: anyway,” said ors ae

ing. 0
Then he followed Frank, who was pushing
_ through the crowd in pursuit of the girl. 7
He saw her placed tenderly in a hospital
he saw Frank Mera

ambulance, and

swing up to SEs driver’s seat. .

 

 
TIP TOP WEEKLY. 9

“See you at the hotel!” Merry shouted,
waving his hand, as the ambulance aes
“Relative

the driver asked him.

of the young lady, I suppose?

“IT am interested in her,” was Frank’s

evasive answer.
“Oh,

she’s in a bad way.”

I see. Your sweetheart. J’m afraid

He looked sympathetically at Merriwell,
who did not seek to enlighten him.

“Pretty bad wreck,” the driver again re-
marked, looking curiously at Frank’s hands
and face, on which some engine grime had
gathered.

Not until he had seen the girl safe in the
hospital and had asked some questions con-
cerning her, did Merriwell turn away .to seek
‘the hotel where he knew his friends were
awaiting him. But the question which had
chiefly drawn him to the hospital still re-
mained unanswered. No one knew the name
of the young lady. There was nothing to in-
dicate her name or home or anything con-
cerning her.

”

“Something mighty queer about this,” was

Frank’s thought. “I wonder if she concealed
her identity intentionally? But I suppose I

shall never know.”

CHAPTER IV.
AT THE RINK.
“More pup-purty gug-gug-girls here than

T ever sus-stis-saw in a New Hampshire sus-
“T al-

laow that abub-baout all the ribbon shops in

singing school,” stuttered Joe Gamp.

New York mum-mum-must have _ sus-sold

aout.”

_ Not only were the ladies wearing the col-
lege colors in profusion, but the blue of Yale
a and the orange and black of Princeton, with

; “Aghict colors in abundance. were every-

cic

Flags and banners, streamers and
seats ae loops of ee aoe apse of

is a bluffer,”

and the chattering throng, made St. Nicholas
Rink a bower of beauty and life. :

Stubbs and
Merry was standing with

Gamp was talking to Bink
Danny. Griswold.
Bart Hodge a few feet away. The rink was
rapidly filling. Rattleton, Browning and Dia-
mond came up.

“We'd

“There will be a big crowd.”

better get seats,” said Frank.

They found seats in one of the balconies,
where they had a good view of the rink floor,
which, newly coated with ice, shone glisten-
ingly under the electric lamps. |

“How long before the game begins?” said

voice.

“Oh, a half hour or so, I suppose.”

3art Hodge frowned and glanced toward
the speakers. The voices were those of Gene
Skelding and Rupert Chickering.
ing’s whole crowd was there, just at his el-
bow, and he had not known it until then.
Bart’s first thought was to get seats some-
where else.

“But I'll not chase out of here for them,”
was his growling thought.

If the members of Chickering’s delectable
set knew that Merriwell and his friends had
taken seats so near them they did not show
this

knowledge. They, too, were looking

down into the rink. Julian Ives got an opera
glass and began to stare at some of the ladies.
He passed dat to Lew Veazie.

“She’th thweet as a peach,” said Veazie.
“T thould like to know her.”

-“T noticed that Merriwell took good care

to get himself duly puffed in the papers,”
Skelding was sneeringly heard to remark.
“You can depend on ‘it that our dear Merry je
will never get left in a little thing like that.
Brass is the principal thing that he keeps i in
stock.”

Bart Hodge twisted uneasily.

“Oh, he is quite as much of a puffer as is he
laughed Ollie Lord. “But

 

Chicker- a
-

"

TIP

shouldn’t have wanted to advertise myself in
that way.”

A common engineer, don’t
Willis

anglomaniac, who was in the crowd.

“By Jawve!
Paulding, the
“Deah

boy, I wouldn’t have had that printed about

you know,” drawled

me for the world.”

“And that ridiculously heroic story of how
he cut his way into the burning car and res-
cued a beautiful girl,” simpered Tilton Hull.
And

any one could have cut a hole in the car, if

“T didn’t see that she was so beautiful.
he had an axe. He had only to stand on the
ground and hack away.”

“Like a man with consumption,” grinned
Ives, trying to be funny.

“Thafe enough,” lisped Veazie. ‘“The car
wouldn’t jump up and bite him.
cut a hole in it, mythelf.”

“Oh, he fed those reporters on a lot of
“Frank Merriwell is
He

is always blowing and bragging what he can

wind,” said Skelding.
the biggest fraud that ever struck Yale.

do and about what he has done.”

“And just a common engineer,” sneered
Hull.

“Just a common engineer,” assented Skel-
ding.

Bart Hodge reached out a hand and took
Skelding by the ear.

“And this is just a common gar, without
much back of it. You area liar, and if you'll
gc outside and repeat any of the things you
have been saying about Merry——”
~ Merriwell’s hand fell on Bart’s arm.

They

I con-

“Tt doesn’t matter what they say.
can’t hurt me by their silly chatter.
sider the source, as the man said when the

donkey kicked at him.”

_ “Well, it hurts me,” Bart exclaimed. “And
I don’t propose to stand it. Skelding and his
_ whole gang are nothing but a set of miserable

; , f 4 ’ /

liars.”

I could have

TOP WEEKLY.

“That’s right,” cried Rattleton, starting up.
“Stuff the punching out of him.”

“Sit down,” commanded Frank. ‘You are
beginning to attract attention.” |

Something like a smothered howl came
from Skelding’s lips, for Bart’s grip on his
ar was somewhat painful.

“Say that when we get back to New Haven
and I[’ll settle with you,’ Bart warned, as his
hand came away.

His

face flamed like fire, and the whole set were

Skelding had not a word in reply.
so taken aback they had not another sentence
to utter.

“The silence that has fallen on them is like
a big wet blanket,” Browning grunted. ‘This
isn’t the place for a fight, but I think I should
like to lie some place on an easy cushion and
watch Bart clean out that whole runty crowd.
They disgust me.”

He was not careful as to the tone of his

voice, and some of his words reached the ears

of those he was speaking about.

A big man came along an aisle and ad-
He

Bradbury, the railway president and _ politi-

vanced toward Merriwell. was Cecil

cian. The papers had contained even more
about him than about Merriwell. His espe-
cial organs had lauded his bravery to the skies
and magnified all his good qualities in every
possible manner. One who had never met
him, by reading the New York papers of that
day, would have known almost every impor-
tant circumstance of Cecil Bradbury’s life, to-
gether with a great many circumstances’
evolved wholly from the imaginations of the
alert and obedient reporters. ss

3radbury’s smile was as bland as a sum-
mer morning. His puffy, white face fairly
glistened, and his plump,.white hand, as he
gave it to Merriwell, closed unctuously.

Bradbury was a politician who had made a .~

deep study of that political necessity in this = ;
country, the art of shaking hands. _ And now, a

6

 

 
 

 

   
    
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
 
   
  
    
 

 

  

.

TIP TOP WEEKLY. 11

as Merriwell introduced his friends one after
the other, in compliance with the man’s re-
quest, Bradbury took each by the hand as
fervently and warmly as if he were some
long-lost brother.

“Glad to know you! Glad to see you!’’ he
repeated again and again.

Then he sat down by Merriwell’s side and
began to talk of the coming game.

“T am for Princeton myself,” he said, point-

ing to the Princeton colors which he wore.

 

“They have got a great team—a magnificent
team, though they might be in better shape
To Yale

belongs the credit of importing ice hockey

than they are. But I admire Yale.

into the States; and the first public match of

any importance that she played in this coun-

try was played right here in St. Nicholas ©

Rink, on April 1, 1896.
myself. It was against the St. Nicholas
Skating Club team. Yale was beaten; but
she hadn’t much show, for the club team had
artificial ice for steady daily practice and

your team had nothing of the kind.”
“Nothing of the kind this year, either,”
said Merry. “Except such as they have got
in matches and away from New Haven.”
“Very true, and that is why I think Prince-
ton will win. I am a great lover of all kinds

of athletics, particularly baseball and _ foot-

ball.”

He laid a hand ori his expansive chest.
“There’s a fuf-fuf-fuf-fellow. went dud-
down on the ice!” shouted Joe Gamp, who

cared nothing for the chatter of the politician.

“Mum-mum-must have bub-broke a hole in,
bub-by the way he fell.”

“You wouldn’t think that I was once a
Princeton athlete,” Bradbury beamed. “TI
was. But I am getting old.”
~ He looked anything but aged as he said it.

“There they come!” yelled Bink Stubbs,
getting up and swinging his hands.

*

I saw that game

A roar of cheering and applause swept like
a wave through the rink.

“Yes, there they come,” Bradbury declared,
excitedly. “Now we'll have the game.”

CHAPTER V.
YALE AGAINST PRINCETON.

Cecil Bradbury was a munificent patron
of all kinds of athletic sports. In short, he
was an enthusiast, and, being wealthy, he
could afford to indulge his whims in this
regard.

“There is a certain young fellow that I
wish was on the Princeton team,’ he said,

“His

I want you to meet him.

after a survey of the Princeton players.
name is Heath.
You'll like him. And he is a great hockey
player. He is a Princeton man.”

“How does it come that he is not on the
team?” Merriwell asked.

“Just a freshman and no reputation yet.

But he will be known by and by, my word for

it. I saw him play last week over in Phila-

delphia. You must meet him. As a brother
athlete you will like each other, I know.”

There was still a good deal of the boy in
Cecil Bradbury, as Frank saw. He seemed
able to put from him all the fret of business
and the worries of political life and to be-
come again an enthusiastic youngster. It was
a rare trait, and it accounted somewhat for
his ability to look fresh and young .in spite
of a crushing weight of business cares.

Another thing was impressed on Merry.
This New York millionaire, who might have
had round him a knot of admirers and syco-
phantic followers, had sought out Merry for
the purpose of honoring him.

“T see by the papers that you are noted at.
Yale as an all-round athlete and player,” ven-

tured Bradbury, after another look at the men

who had entered the ring wearing the blue of _
Yale and the black-and-orange of Princeton. —

          
   
 
 

  
   
- want it.

12 TIP TOP

“Some of my friends are too. generous in
“The

got hold of them, and they talked too much.

their praise,” said Frank. reporters
I make no claims to anything of the kind.”

“But you have played hockey ?”

“Yes, a little.”

“I want you to meet Heath. I’ve been to
see the managers of the rink. I can get it
for to-morrow night, and I’ve about made up
my mind to offer a gold cup to a team of
amateurs for a game here to-morrow night.
Could you get together a team from Yale?

I shall bar the members of the regular teams.

They are having their innings to-night.”

“T don’t know,” said Frank. “And we
have planned to return to New Haven to-
morrow afternoon.

“The cup is at Tiffany’s,” the millionaire
went on. “And it is a beauty.
it, and can have it for such a purpose if I
They told me they could ptt on
to-morrow. I want

suitable inscriptions

_ Heath to get together his amateurs and play

vw

*

- growing enthusiastic.

oe

| for it.

I am willing to back him against any
amateur team that can be got together.”

Bart Hodge was listening intently.

- “T think Mr. Merriwell will go you,’ he
said, with decided emphasis.

“And I'd lul-like to pup-pup-play on that
tut-team myself,’ stuttered Joe Gamp.
“Gug-goshfry! this is eug-going to bub-be
more fun than a husking bub-bee! Look at
them fuf-fellows!”

“T wish I had a rubber neck,”’ moaned Bink
Stubbs.

“Wh-why?” gasped Gamp.

“So I could stretch it; I’d like to get my

eyes closer to the players.”

The teams were only doing a little prelimi-
nary practicing, but the spectators were
A band at one end of

~ the rink blared away, as if trying to drown

the din made by the spectators.

“ The band stopped playing when the referee

I looked at

WEEKLY.

came out. The captains tossed for choice of ©
goals, and the goal nearest to Merry and his
friends was won by the Yale captain.

The puck of vulcanized rubber was “faced”
in the centre of the field between the sticks of
two opposing centre forwards, or rushers,
Then there was a painful hush throughout
the rink. ‘The forwards of the teams stood
straining in position for the beginning of the
play.

“Play!” said the referee, and in that pain-
ful silence the word sounded like the report.
ot a signal pistol. .

Instantly the rival forwards scooped at the
puck, each striving to get it and pass it to
other players of his own team. The scramble
lasted for but a moment, then puck shot to- ©
ward the Yale goal. h

A yell went up from the Princeton rooters.

The Princeton forward who had _ gained
possession of the puck rushed with it toward
the Yale goal, dribbling it on in a clever man-
ner. The game was on, the orchestra had
again struck up, and the excitement was in-
tense. 1

“Stop it! Stop it!’ yelled Harry Rattle-
ton. - 3 wee

“They’re doing it!” shrieked Bink Stubbs.
“See that!

Corcoran, of the Yale team, drove the puck

Drive it back, Corcoran!”

before him, and, just when it seemed that a

Princeton man would get it from him, he

snapped it back to a Yale player, who drove it

straight and hard fora goal. But the Prince-
ton cover-point blocked it. -
Then there was an exciting struggle, out of
which the puck skipped farther along the ice
toward the goal of the Tigers. .
The goal-keeper got possession of it. But

he had not room or time to pass it down the
rink, or even to one of his own side, and _
could only shoot it off to the right, thus pre-

venting another try-for-goal until the puck
could again be worked back into’ position. —

wet. a f Pas .

 

 
 

TIP-TOP WEEKLY.

“Hot work!” exclaimed Bradbury, beam-
ing with pleasure. “That was clever. I
thought your fellows had a goal then, but
they didn’t.”

“"Rah for Yale!” Danny Griswold was
piping, while the Yale yell seemed lifting the
roof.

But
Then, biff!
_—and the puck flew through the air toward
the goal of the Blue, sent by a Princeton

Yale was again working for a drive.
the puck was taken from them.

‘stick. The Yale cover-point and cover tried
to stop it; but it whizzed past above the ice
and shot between the goal posts, in spite of
the efforts of the keeper.

The rooters of Princeton yelled like mad,

and the Tiger colors fluttered wildly.

“First blood for Princeton,” said Brad-
bury, his face now red with excitement.
“Your men ought to have stopped that.”

“Oh, they couldn’t stop a house,”’ grumbled
Browning, wearily.

The referee called out something.

“What was that?” Bradbury asked.

“He was calling the time,’ Merry an-
‘swered. “Two minutes and fifty seconds.”

“Slow as the patriarchs!”’ said Bart Hodge.

Oh

“Fast enough.

come off!’ ejaculated Rattleton.
One goal isn’t the game.
There they go again! Yale has got the puck.”

The play became so brilliant that even
Browning forgot his laziness and scrambled

to his feet with the others and began to yell

for the Blue.

New Haven was rushing the puck for goal

in a splendid manner, but the Tiger goal-

keeper blocked it with his feet and again
: skipped it off to one side. But it was in posi-
- tion for a drive again in a marvelously short
time.
centre rusher made a perilous lunge, his stick

Princeton tried to get it, but a Yale

cracked against the puck, and whiz it went

petween the Princeton flags.

“Crackey!’’ gasped Rattleton. “That was
quick work that time.”

“First goal for Yale, Bardley; time, fifty-
two seconds,’ was the announcement of the
referee.

Again the teams were lined up, the puck
was faced, and the signal for play was given.

Fifty seconds ‘later a wild cheer went up
from the admirers of the Blue, for a goal that
was shot by Ford during a scrimmage in
front of the Princeton-goals. Four minutes
later, after a hot fight, a goal was made by
Trueman in the same way.

The Yale rooters were growing hoarse
with yelling, and some of them now began to
sing:

“Trueman, Trueman, you are true!
You’re an honor to the Blue!
Make a dive,
And let her drive,
We will pin ouf faith to you.
“Ford and Corc’ran, paste away!
If the Tiger gets too gay,
Tie his jaws
And clip his claws!
He never did know how to play!”

The wildest excitement reigned as. the
teams got ready for the next struggle. So
eager were the rushers that several false
starts were made before the signal to play
was given. But the referee held them in
check, straining like hounds in leash, until the
word came, quick and sharp.

A Princeton forward got the puck, and it
whizzed along the ice toward the Yale goal.

The Tigers began to screech and to sing
back defiantly to the rooters of Yale.

“Don’t let ’em do that!” Danny Griswold
screamed -in his high-keyed voice.
“Stop it, if you have to break a skate!”

screeched Bink.

“Or bub-bub-bub-break a bub-bub-bub-

-bub-bub-back!” stuttered Joe Gamp, his

; s

 
14

tongue buzzing like a splinter in a gale of
wind.

The Yale cover-point reached for the puck,
but seemed to tie his skates or his legs in a
knot and-went down on his face, throwing
another skater headlong in a crashing fall.

The cover-point was up again in an instant,
but he could not now stop the puck, which
was being scooped along toward the Yale
goal.

The other player did not rise.

The puck flew back toward Princeton, but

was again sent toward the goal of the Blue,
and, without successful interference, whizzed
between the goal posts, just as the referee
discovered that a man had been injured.
“They wouldn’t have got it but for the acci-
dent,” said Bart Hodge, who had watched
the gathe with keenest interest, in spite of
the fears he had expressed concerning the
ultimate result. He was too loyal a Yale man
not to wish the success of the Blue, and he
had yelled with the loudest when yelling was

called for.

“Burt is hurt,” said Merriwell.
The injured player was being picked up.
He seemed to be unconscious.

“Went down on his head,” remarked Brad-

bury. “That was a heavy fall.”

- After a short stop and some discussion, the
Yale captain selected a man from the reserve
and put him in Burt’s place. Then the puck
was once more faced, and the battle raged
until the time limit for the expiration of the

first half of the game.

Before the beginning of the second half of
the game Burt came out on the ice, but with-
out his skates, merely to show his friends that
_he had received no serious injury.

During the second half of the game Brown,

a Princeton forward, made some pretty

dashes and fine shots for goal. But he failed

Yale did some good team work.

to score.

TIP TOP WEEKLY.

In other respects the second half was much
like the first, without the accident.

And so the game ended, with a score of six
for Yale and four for Princeton.

CHAPTER: Vi.

ALIVE LY ober .

“Look out for yourself!” Cecil Bradbury
warned.

As he said it, he lifted his white right hand
and threw off a man who had leaped on him
like a bulldog out of the darkness of a narrow
cross street. ,

3radbury had induced Merriwell to-accom-
pany him to one of the numerous clubs of
which he was a member, where they had
talked of athletic matters to their heart’s con-
tent, and especially of the ice hockey game of
the evening, and of that other game between
the amateurs which Bradbury was anxious to
bring about.

They had left the club, and, after further
talk on the street, were on the point of separ-
ating for the night, having arranged for
a meeting in Bradbury’s down-town ek the
next morning.

There were two other men in the shadow
of the cross street, and these now sprang to-
ward Merriwell. Frank got a good look at
them as they rushed toward him, and saw
that they were toughs.

“Street thugs, of the sand-bagger variety!”
he instantly decided. “They are after Brad-

bury’s sparklers.”
Bradbury sported, a diamond ring, and an
immense diamond blazed in his shirt-front.
“Down wid de railway blokes!”
“Break in de face of de dude!”
“Kill the railway duffer wot won't Ene} an

honest poor man a show!”

“Soak him in de jaw fer de way he done de ot

strikers !”’ ee
It was asite evident that these New York

 

 
 

TIP

street assassins were trying to play their little
game under the pretense of being working-
men and strikers who held an aggrievance
against Bradbury for certain orders he had
given during the recent railwz-7 strike. But
Frank Merriwell saw through this trick.

The one who had been shaken off by Brad-
bury made another dive for the millionaire’s
white, expansive throat, and at the same time
reached forth 2 hand to pluck the diamond
from the shirt-front.

Frank could not go to Bradbury’s assist-
ance, but turned his attention: to the ruffians
who were coming for him.

He backed against the brick wall. Then
his hard, white fist shot out, and the foremost
assailant tumbled back against his comrade.
“Don’t let de dude kneck ye out dat way,
Bill!” the other growled. “Go fer him ag’in.

He’s nuttin’ but a lobster! Swipe ’im on de

jaw!” |

“Help!” Bradbury called.

The millionaire was trying to hold off his
assailant, but the latter was reaching for the
diamond and at the same time pummeling at
‘the white face in a way to turn it pink and
then red. ,

Merriwell leaped to one side, away from the
wall, and hurried to Bradburv’s aid.

The thief had his hand on the diamond, but
a blow from Merriwell’s nst knocked him
backward before he succeeded in his purpose.

“Look out behind you!’ Bradbury called.

Before Frank could turn, one of the scoun-
drels dealt him a staggering blow on the head
with a club, reopening the wound made by
The
brought Merry to his knees and dazed him.

Badger’s accidental gunshot.* blow

‘He had a sick and giddy feeling. But, with
a mighty effort of will, he pulled himself to-
gether and got on his feet by dodging before
another blow could reach him.

*See Tip Top Weekly No. 203, “Frank Merri-

vell’s Musketéers; or, A Mountain Vendetta.”

¥

TOP WEEKLY.

15

cr

I’ump der stuffin’ out of him!” roared
Bradbury’s assailant to the men who were at-
tacking Frank, as he crawled to his feet after
that knock-down blow. “Don’t fool wid him!
Kill him! Der cops’ll be down on us in a
minute. Smash in uis head!”

The other two were doing their best to fol-
But

though still weak and sick, had placed his

low out these instructions. Frank,
back against the wall and was prepared for
a desperate battle.

It seemed strange to him that no policeman
was near, for, though that particular spot was
dark, it was not far from Broadway, where
throngs of people were still passing. But he
had found more than once that a policeman
is as often as not where he is not needed, in-
stead of being where he is needed.

Bradbury had lost the agility of his athletic
youthful days, and had grown rather ponder-
ous and unwieldy from the effects of good
living; yet he was no coward, and he hurried
now to Merriwell’s assistance, at the same
time again calling for help.

3ut he was set on once more by the ruffian
who had first attacked him, and was forced to
defend himself, and so could rot give aid to
Frank, who was now: stoutly beset by the
other two.

“T’ll settle wid chew!” growled the biggest
of the villains—the one with the club—strik-
ing again at Merriwell’s head.

Frank fumped aside with the lightness of
a cat, and the blow struck against the wall
with a thudding sound. *

Then Merry’s fist shot out again, and the
man with the club went down in a stunned
heap.

“Crack!’’ again Frank’s hard fist shot out.

It landed on the other ruffian’s neck, just
below the left ear, and he stiffened up and
toppled over backward upon the stone curb-

ing.

Merriwel was almost blind, and his head ‘oe

 
16 SPV LOor

seemed to spin around like a top. But he
conquered this feeling and turned toward
Bradbury’s assailant.

Bradbury was not the equal of the man who
was attacking him, though he was larger and
taller. The assailant was a younger and
more active man, and things were going hard
with the railway president when Merriwell
reeled to his aid.

The rascal who had fallen in a stunned
heap had so quickly recovered, however, that
he was crawling again to his feet. He was
plucky as a game-cock and again rushed at
Merry.

If Frank had not been so weakened by
that blow on the head he could have easily
handled all three of the ruffians, once they
were in front of him.

“Paralyze him, Bob!” called the man who
“Don’t let him

Git de club

was tackling the millionaire.
climb me! Knock him out!
agin.”

But before the words were more than out
of his mouth Merry knocked him against the
wall with a terrible blow, and wheeled to
meet the other villain who was rushing on
him with the club. :

He felt almost like falling against the wall
himself, but he kept his eyes open and his
mind awake by a prodigious effort, and
struck the scoundrel such a jolt on the angle

of the jaw that he tumbled over backward,

while the club fell clatteringly to the pave-

ment.

Then Merriwell dropped, himself, in a heap

at the feet of the millionaire.
When he regained consciousness he found
himself in a strange, handsomely-furnished
room. Bradbury was in the room, accom-
panied by a doctor. ;

Merry sat up, winked to aes his eyes of
the water that seemed to fill them, and put a
hand to his aching head. :

: pert chee call,” 7 said the doctor, though

WEEKLY.

Frank did not at first know the man was a
surgeon.

“But you’re all right!’ beamed Bradbury.
“And the way you did up those ruffians was
a sight to behold!”

The incidents of the fight came back to
Merriwell with a rush. |

“Oh, yes,” he said, “I remember now. I
But [’'m
It made me sick

was struck-on the head with a club.
not much hurt, I guess.
and faint. But what became of them?”

“Well, they
luctantly

”

got away,” said Bradbury, re-

“After you were knocked out, the

_two of them that were the least hurt crawled

to their feet and carried the other one away
with them. They thought they heard an offi-
cer, I believe. Anyway, they didn’t come at
me any more. And I was so anxious about
you that I didn’t try to stop them, even if I
could have done so. But you're all right!
“Twice Yale has

I shall soon be shouting’ for

And that was a great fight!
won to-night.
the Blue.” :
He was rattling on in an effort to be cheery
and encouraging. a
Merriwell got on his feet. He had been ly-
ing on a lounge.
“T’m all right,” he said, putting’ a hand
questioningly on his bandaged head. |
ES
luck! I don’t know what else to call it. It’s
a wonder that blow didn’t crack your skull.”
“But you won’t be able to play that pare
of ice hockey, now ?”
fully.

“Perhaps I can!” Frank smilingly asserted.

said Bradbury, regret-
“And-that is too bad!" :

Then he walked across the room unsup-._
ported and took a seat in a chair. 3
“You've got grit!’ beamed Bradtven®
“And I like grit! Heath is here, and if the
doctor says you may talk, [ll have you see ©

Heath!”

 

assented the doctor, “thanks to good | ae
TIP TOP WEEKLY. 17

CHAPTER VII

BRANDON HEATH

Frank
Merriwell seemed quite himself, when the

Except that he was a trifle pale,

doctor retired from the luxurious home of
Cecil Bradbury and Brandon Heath came
into the room. The re-opened wound in
Frank’s head was concealed by his hair,
which hid also the dressing that the doctor
had applied.

Heath

woman, who was introduced as Bradbury’s

was accompanied by a young

daughter. ‘.

“Papa has told us how brave you were!”

she gushed, and for a moment Frank feared-

that she was going to throw her arms about
his neck in an emotional outburst.

“T have been on the border of hysterics ever
Those
dreadful strikers keep me in a perfect trem-
ble.
him to-night!”

since I heard of the attack on him.

And but for you, they might have killed

_ .“T think they were only common street
thugs,” “T am sure

That was

said Frank, quite calmly.
they were never railway employees.
a pretense.”

He wanted to say, further, that if Cecil
Bradbury would stop wearing such conspic-
uous and tempting diamonds, he would be
in less danger.

Brandon Heath was a slender, athletic fel-
low, smaller than Merriwell, with a keen,
sharp face. At the first glance, it had an as-
- sertive selfishness about it that was not pre-

possessing.

_ Heath was not so tall as Miss Bradbury,
_ who was affectionately addressed by her fa-
| And
Yet it
was quite apparent that the relation between
‘them was that of lovers. |

ther as Lucy—not so tall by two inches.

- she seemed older than Heath, too!

“Tt! sa good thing to have your prospective
e “in-l law meleye: that you are the bag

bury,

est and grittiest young fellow on the planet!”
was Merry’s reflection as he looked at Heath
and Bradbury. “It will help to the handling
of the old man’s millions by and by.”

Miss
in her girlish, gushing
that
We were sure of Princeton,

“We saw the game this evening!”
Bradbury declared,
“And
Princeton lost!

way. we are sorry, of course,
you know!”

-“Tf-Heath had been on the team!” sighed
Bradbury.

All three were wearing Princeton colors,
which made Frank feel almost as if he were
in an enemy’s camp, even though they were
so genial and kind.

“Mr. Bradbury has been telling me about
your hockey playing!” he said, speaking to
Heath. .

“Well,

I play a little!” Heath answered,

with an attempt at indifference. “I-could have

made a place on the team if I had pulled for
it. I think, myself, that I could have made
that Princeton score a little better! ee =

It was very plain that Mr. Brandon Heath
did not need to carry any one round with him
to toot a horn in his behalf. He could per-
form that service for himself.

“I hope we can have that game that Mr.
Bradbury has been telling me about!” said
Heath.

at Merriwell’s injured head.

“But, of course He glanced

“T’m not in condition to play,” said Merry.
“Before he went out, the doctor told me that -
he thought I ought not to!’

“That’s what I said to Heath!” interrupted
the millionaire. “But he thought you might
want to try it, anyway.” e

“Pye got all the men here that I had in
Philadelphia,” Heath went on.

you couldn’t play, you could get together a

“Perhaps if

team out of Yale men now in New York and
try us a whirl to-morrow evening?” fit

“Tf you only could!” begged Miss Brad-
of - Brandon S

supremely confident

 
      

   

18 TIP TOP WEEKLY.

Heath’s ability to marshal a team that could
defeat any amateur team that could be
brought against them.

“IT am afraid that couldn’t be done!’ was
Merry’s reply. ‘The players I have in mind
wouldn’t try a game unless I could be in it
with them. And I think I ought to obey the
doctor’s orders. ‘To-morrow my head may
feel better; but I can’t make plans now. And,
of course, we have got to get back to New
Haven soon.”

He saw that Brandon Heath was not dis-
posed to credit him with honesty in the state-
ment. Heath thought this only an evasion
and that Merry was really afraid to meet him.

After some further talk, Frank announced
that he must return to his hotel, and begged
them to excuse him.

“It is getting pretty late,” he said, in
answer to their protestations, “and the boys
will be anxious about me.”

Bradbury wanted him to remain over night,
but, when Merriwell would not consent to
this, Bradbury sent him home in a cab.

As the cab rolled away he saw Heath call
another, which dashed with him downtown.

“Evidently he intends to stay up the re-
mainder of the night, even if [ don’t!” was
Frank’s reflection.

The next morning Merry was awakened by
Bart Hodge, who came into his room in an
excited manner.. Merry had arisen to open
the door in answer to Hodge’s knock, but
was not dressed. However, he had slept well
and his head felt much better.

“T thought you told us last night that you
did not intend to play Brandon Heath?” Bart
cried.

He held in his. hand a copy each of the
Journal and Herald.

“That is what I said!”

“Look at that, then!” thrusting one of the
papers toward him.

-“Merriwell was astonished by what he saw.

mum-myself!” stuttered Gamp.

A game of ice hockey, between a team of Yale
men, led by Frank Merriwell, and a team of
Princeton men, led by Brandon Heath, was
advertised to be played in St. Nicholas Rink
that night. Mention was prominently made
of the fact that the Hon. Cecil Bradbury, the
eminent capitalist and sport patron, would
give a handsome gold cup to the winhing
team.

“That is what Heath went down for,”
thought Merry. “He had that put into the
papers after I left the house last night!”

Hodge was watching Merriwell and nerv-
ously awaiting his reply. :

Frank put a hand to his injured head, and
looked at Bart with a smile.

“T did. say that I thought I wouldn't play
such a game to-night, but I will, just the
same! Heath is so cock-sure of winning that
he intends to force me into a game; and if I
refuse to be forced he will claim that we were
afraid to meet him!”

“Not on your life, we aren’t!” declared
Bart. “But you can’t play, with your head
in that fix!”

“We'll talk about that! Call in the boys,

and I’ll slip into my clothes. I have played

other games when I’ve felt as bad or worse!”

Bart Hodge hurried scowlingly away. It

irritated him to have this sort of a challenge

thrown at Merry. It was not legitimate.

“Give Merry a square deal, and he'll take
almost any set of men and soon have them
sc they can successfully play ice hockey. But
this is striking below the belt! And after the
fight Merry put up for Bradbury, too!”

The others were equally indignant when
they gathered in Frank’s room and heard
what had been done.

“Let him bring on his old team” said Rat-
tleton. “We can spot the knocks out of them,
if Merry is a sick man!”

“T’d like to tut-tut-try agug-against them,

 

“Gug-gosh _

 

   

 

 
 
 
 
  
 
  
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
    
     
   
 

 
 

 

TIP TOP WEEKLY.

all hemlock! ‘That’s as bub-bad ag faking
bub-big words in a spelling mum-match!”’

“We'll just everlastingly put it all over
them !’’ squealed Bink Stubbs. “Say, fellows,
we can do it! Biff! Goal!”

“We're sure to fall down if we go into the
game with any feeling. of over-confidence,”
Merry warned. “That isn’t the way to win
in anything. And of all foolish things, the
most foolish is to underrate your opponent.
Now, we have never seen Heath and his men
From

play. They may be wonders.

Bradbury said, I rather think Heath is a phe-

nomenal hockey player. If so, he is likely to
I sized

him up last night, and I saw that he is built

get good hockey players round him.

just right for such work. He ought to be as

quick as a cat. And this little trick shows

that he is decidedly nervy and daring!”
“Well, you’re not going to back down?”
said Diamond, whose hot blood had been fired

by the character of the challenge. “Still, if

99

your head

“T am not going to back down!” was

“T only wanted to talk the
thing over and see what you thought of it.

Frank’s answer.

The only practice we have had, you know, is
on that pond at New Haven. And Heath
_and his fellows have had rink practice.”
“We'll try.to do ’em, all the same!” cried
Danny Griswold. 7

CHAPTER VIII.
AN UNPLEASANT SUSPICION.
One of the first things Frank Merriwell did
that morning, after getting his breakfast, was

to visit the hospital where the girl had been
taken whom he had rescued from the burning

>

Though her condition was said by the doc-

tors to be tuch improved and now quite

hopeful, she was still unconscious, except at

what |

to be able to recall past events and could give
no information of her identity,

Frank sat down by the white cot and looked
into the face that was as white as the cot it-
self.

injured head. The girl was quite pretty. Her

An ugly bandage was still round the

face was plump, if white,-and her hands were
well rounded. They showed in the palms
signs of toil. Merry had noticed, when he
placed the girl on the ground by the car, that
her clothing indicated she was not possessed
of wealth.

“A servant girl, or something of the kind,
probably,” was now his thought.

But this did not lower her in the estima-
of Frank

enough of honest toil himself to regard it as

tion Merriwell. He had seen
respectable.

As he sat there musing, wondering about
her and her history, shé suddenly looked up.
Her glance was vacant, but it rested on him.

“Brandon !”

Frank started when that name fell from the
white lips.

“She can’t mean Heath, though!” was his
thought. “Heath is a fashionable young fel-
low and a college man! She has known
some one whose last name is. Brandon, and
perhaps she thinks I am the one she has
known.”

“T came down to see you, Brandon!” and a
smile lighted the white face. “I was afraid
that you might not want me to come, but I
came, anyway. For IJ felt that I must see
you again! And I’ve been wearing your rib-
bons! Where are they?” she cried, pet-
tishly.

A hospital attendant stepped up.

“Where are my ribbons?” the girl asked.
“They were right here. I pinned them on
after I got to New York. I didn’t want to
wear them in the train because’it was full of

Yale men. But I pinned them on when I got

_to New York.” as Saree Ce.

 
20 "Ee. OE’

The attendant hurried away and returned
with the orange-and-black colors of Prince-
ton.

.

“T thought maybe you’d like to have me
“And. I

thought perhaps you’d say to me again that

wear them?” the girl went on.
you love.me, as you used to!”

The

unconscious tears came to the eyes of warm-

Her prattle was like that of a child.

hearted Frank Merriwell.

“If Brandon Heath is the one she means,
and he has wronged her in any way, I'd like
to take him by the throat and choke him!”

He that

thought in his mind, and sotght for Brandon

went from the hospital with
Heath, determined to know if he was the
Brandon of whom the girl talked. He found
Heath in Bradbury’s downtown office, to
which he went first, and where he half ex-
pected to find him.

“Upon my honor, Mr. Merriwell!’’ said
Bradbury, speaking to Frank outside of the
office, “I did not wish that notice of the game
to-night to go in. I have just telephoned to
the rink managers, explaining that it is a mis-
take.

rind.

I have given Brandon a piece of my
But he was quick and hot-headed.” ©

“And rascally!’’ was Merry’s thought.

“It’s all right, Mr. Bradbury,” he declared.
“T have talked the matter over with my
friends, who will be members of my team,
and we have agreed to play Heath and his
men to-night in accordance with that notice.”

“But mE

“The thing did not strike me as being just
on the level!’’ said Frank. “But we will over-
look that, if you are willing for the game to
go on, and we will do our best to defeat
Heath to-night. I came up to see him.”

“Oh, yes! you want to talk the matter
over? Very well. I am going out of the
office a little while, and it is at your service.”

As soon as Cecil Bradbury was gone and

‘came back to the office, and Frank and Heath =

WEEKLY.

he was alone with Heath, Frank Merriwell
told him of the girl in the hospital.
Heath flushed unpleasantly and apprehen-

sively.

“Calling for some other Brandon,” he said,
but his manner convinced Frank that the fel-
low knew he was the, Brandon for whom the
girl had called.

“T want you to go with me and see her,
anyway !”’ Merry urged.

“Why should I?”

“As a favor!”

“The girl is unconscious, you say?”

“Yes!”

Heath looked relieved.

“T will go with you, just to satisfy your
whim. But I’d a good deal rather spend the
time in getting ready for our game to-night.”

He said this in a questioning way, as if to
intimate that he expected there would be no
game.

“We will meet you!” Merriwell significant-

-ly promised.

“And how is your head?” :

“Tt might be better! I shall see a doctor
about it soon. 3ut I think I can play.”

“Good!” said Heath. “I was afraid you
wouldn’t! The old man gave me a blowing
up for putting the notice in that way, but I
was anxious to play you.” :

The tone and the manner in which Heath
spoke of Bradbury jarred on Frank’s ears.
He had no difficulty in making up his mind.
that, whatever else Heath might be, he lacked
the instincts of a gentleman. It made him

think, too, that perhaps he was giving Bran-

; TT . Fei
don Heath more attention than he deserved in

agreeing to play him that night. aren
But he was not ready to withdraw his ac- =

ceptance of the singtilar challenge ; arid be

fore further talk could be made, Bradbit ry fe

went down to the street together.

4

 

 
 

ee ae

CHAPTER IX.
IN THE HOSPITAL.

“Brandon!”

With a cry the girl iifted herself from the
white cot and put up her hands appealingly to
Brandon Heath.

He and Merriwell had reached the hospital
but a. minute before,"and had been shown
promptly into the ward where the girl lay.
Her eyes had been wide open, and, as soon
as she saw Heath at the side of the cot, she
uttered that cry.

“She is crazy!’ said Heath, turning pale.
“T don’t know her! She has lost her head!”

The girl heard the words, and she seemed
to stop breathing.

“Brandon!” she said, and a great sob shook
her, “don’t pretend that you don’t know me.
I have come all the way here to New York
to see -you! They tell me the train was
-wrecked, and that I came near being killed.

I wanted to see the game, and I hoped to see

you, for I thought you would come down to.

the city, even if you-weren’t one of the play-
ers, and I was going to wear the Princeton

%>

colors, and

She stopped, literally out of breath.
- Brandon Heath drew. back from the cot. .
“1 don’t know her!” he said. “She is as
‘crazy as a loon! That clip she. got on the
head has made her daffy!”

“But she knows you!” insisted Frank.

“Nothing of the kind!’’ asserted Heath. “T

tell you she is loony! I never saw her. And
what is more, I don’t want to see her!”

| 3 And with these words he hurried toward

the entrance. «

Frank gave a look at the girl, who had

~ fallen back white and gasping. He saw that

she had: fainted. Then he followed Brandon

“You know that girl, Heath!”

he declared.

at} r

WEEKLY.

21

“You may deceive those hospital attendants,
but you haven’t deceived’ me!”

“What if I do?” snarled Heath.

He was still pale and agitated.

“You brought me here for this!”

“TI suppose you have told her at some time
that you loved her?” .

“Well, it is just this way!” said Heath, and
met

his voice trembled. “I her up in the

mountains, two summers ago. I was up

there, and I staid awhile at her father’s. He’s=

a farmer. Keeps cows and sells milk to men
who ship it here to New York. She was
pretty, and I made myself agreeable to her.
She thinks I ought to keep it up. Hanged if
[ do!

time!”

[ didn’t mean anything serious at the

“But you told her you loved her ?”

“Oh, ‘most any fellow is likely to do that.
Do you suppose I can afford to throw away
all my chances by sticking to her—a butter-
mouthed country girl?. I don’t think!”

“You mean your chances with Miss Brad-
bury?”

Frank was pushing his inquiries beyond
bounds, perhaps, but he was resolutely de-
termined to know the truth.

“None of your business!” snapped Heath.
“And I shan’t stay here any longer, answer-

ing your fool questions!”

With that he turned away and hurried
down the street.

“He is a scoundrel!’ was Merriwell’s con,
clusion. “He has deceived that girl, and has
made her believe that he loves her. She came
tu New York hoping to see him. She was
good enough to flirt with and lie to in the
country, but she believed in the fellow, who
was siniply finding amusement for the sum-
mer.”’ a

In imagination he could see how bravely
the girl would have worn the Princeton col-
ors in the hope of pleasing Brandon Heath. —

“shall try to find out her name and where

é

 
22 TIP

she lives,” was his thought; and he turned
back into the hospital.

The girl had recovered from her swoon,
but only to -become, apparently, a raving
, Maniac.
© When she saw Frank she began to laugh in
a way to freeze his blood.

“Ha!

never see him again!

ha! ha! ‘They said that I would
They were fools! You
brought him to me. And I like you because
you are his friend!”

She put her hand ‘to her head; and her
cheeks, which had been flaming with color,
whitened once more to the hue of ashes.

“Hark! Listen!
the whistle! Oh, God! the car is going off
the track!

She clutched the attendant and clung to the

‘That was the scream of

{??

Help! help! help!

bed with shaking hands.

Then her mood changed and she becati to
laugh again.

Merriwell turned. away, sick at heart.

One of the attendants, who had heard her
words to Brandon Heath, met him in the hall.

“T hope your friend is pleased with his

work!” were his cutting words.
“He is no. friend of mine!” said Frank..
“Tam glad of that. But perhaps you can
tell us who the girl is and where she lives?

Her folks ought to be wired.”

9

“IT wish I knew, “Perhaps I
can find out. I thought I might be able to
That is why I came- back.”

“We haven’t been able to learn anything.

said Merry.
* learn here.
When we ask her, she refuses to answer.
But they ought to be notified, if she has rela-
tives.” :

“Then you think she may not live?”

“Well, her condition is serious—very seri-
ous. Hear that! It makes my flesh crawl!”
_ The girl’s
again filling the ward, and it pureced Frank
as. he Se to a street.

wild, maniacal laughter was

like a rudely awakened lion.

TOP WEEKLY.

CHAPTER X.

IN ST. NICHOLAS RINK.

Merriwell was not as gain able to find Bran-
don Heath.
bury’s downtown office, nor could the mil-

3randon did not return to Brad- .
lionaire reach him by telephone. Of course,
Frank said nothing to Bradbury about the
gitl in the hospital and the discovery he had
made, but only asked Bradbury if he knew
Heath’s whereabouts. |

Nor did\Heath appear at the rink for prac-
tice that afternoon, though some of the mem-
bers of his team were there.

“He doesn’t want to see me again!” was
Frank’s conclusion.

Merry’s head was not in the best condition
for hard work, yet he went to the rink that
afternoon with an almost fierce resolve that
he would defeat Brandon Heath that night at
all hazards. The chilling laughter of the girl
in the hospital alhd the recollection of Heath’s
contemptible treatment of her acted as spurs.

Nor were his friends Jess indignant and de-

termined. Bruce Browning roused himself

to rescue the girl, and, after Merry’s story
of the visit,
Merry and Bart Hodge to see her, a thing he
had been too lazy to do in the morning.

he went to the hospital with *

hi

“I think I should like a crack at his head!”

was Jack Diamond’s declaration, as he struck 6

savagely at the puck with his stick, before
the practice began.

“You would smash it with a lick like that p
said Bart.
with pleasure myself!”

“He’s a scoundrelly villain!” said Rattle

ton.

The practice that afternoon in the rink
which was witnessed by several fig 2 ane

“But I could thump him a few es

ag

He had helped ~

 
TIP TOP WEEKLY. 23

cover-point; Bink Stubbs, cover, and Bruce

Browning, goal-keeper.
Though he was one of the centre forwards
—Bart Hodge being

really the leader of the team;

the other—Merry was
but Corcoran,
of the regular Yale team, was chosen to serve
as captain.

“Perhaps he has skipped the town!” sug-
gested Bart, speaking of Heath, when the
practice was over and Heath still remained
-away.

But Bart was wrong im his surmise, for
Heath came to the rink that night on time,
with every member of his team. He seemed

to desire to avoid Merriwell, however, and

Frank was willing that he should.

There was, “if possible, a larger crowd at
the rink that night than on the previous night
when the regular teams had met each other.
The evening papers had given liberal notices
of the game and of the leaders of the amateur

teams, Frank Merriwell and Brandon Heath.
- Merriwell was spoken of as the Yale phe-

nomenon, and Heath as “the little wonder of
| Merry

though he learned that they

Princeton.” was not pleased with
these notices,
were inserted
to fill the rink
os Bradbury was there long before the game

by Bradbury, who was anxious
to its utmost capacity.
began, accompanied by his daughter. The
cup from Tiffany’s was there, also—a beauti-
engraved for

ful and costly thing, suitably

the purpose.
evlt's

- “And you fellows will be in a dream when

a dream!” murmured Bink Stubbs!

you take it home!” sneered Brandon Heath,
who was passing and chanced to hear the re-
mark.

“Well, we won't bubsbub-be asleep!’’ said
Joe Gamp, indignantly. “Yeou think that
yeou' ‘re a whole tut-tut-tut-team, Mum-Mum-

bub- bub-but I’ve lu-long
_tut-to- knew tape Mum. poeta

.. lived

is a whole tut-tut-team and a dud-dud-dud-

dog under the wagon!” :
the dog!” sneered

, passing on and leaving Gamp fuming

“Of course,
Heath

in wrath.

you are

Harry Rattleton hurried after Brandon
Heath

“Dar ’ ; 5 Be

Perhaps you’ve hot some go—I mean, got

on this

1d. oe

stuff up the put—I mean, put up the stuff!

some dough that you want to risk
game to-night?” he furiously asked.
Pll cover it!”

“A millionaire, eh?” in a tone of contempt
that nettled Rattleton beyond measure.

“Well, I’m not trying to marry a million-
aire’s daughter just to get to put my fingers
into the old man’s pile!” Harry retorted.

Merry had followed Rattleton, and his
hand now fell restrainingly on Harry’s shoul-
der.

“No rowing here!” he said, drawing Rat-

tleton away. “And it will please me if you

will do no betting.”
Brandon Heath had turned very pale and
was trembling.
“If you were in another place I’d teach you
speaking to Rattle-
“Your whole crowd are a set of bluffing

something!” he hissed,
ton.
meddlers!

“Will you stand that, Merry?” Rattleton
pleaded; but Frank Merriwell drew him
back, and Brandon Heath hurried quickly
away.

The referee and the umpires were chosen,
the captains tossed for goals, and ‘the puck
was faced in the centre of the rink between
the sticks of two opposing centre forwards.
Those opposing centre forwards were Merri-
well and Heath.

Their glances had met as they thoved into
position, and Merry saw that Heath was in a_
white rage. Yet Heath moved lightly on his
skates and seemed @ the ordinary observer

as calm as a aay morning.

ape

 
24 eee

Heath had given one quick look upward to
where Bradbury sat with his daughter. His
gaze,

in that glance, swept the sea of faces

surrounding the rink. And in his heart there
came an increased determination to win.
’ Play!’

instant Merry’s stick touched the puck and

said the referee, and in the same

the Princeton goal.
of Joe

He- was surprised,

moved it toward
The
Heath.

nettled, for he had not thought Merry would

“haw-haw !” Gamp stung

too, as well as
move so quickly.

Before he could recover from this surprise
ball

point and then shot it for goal so swiftly and

Frank had dribbled the to the cover-
surely that the Princeton defenders could not
stop it.

« “A-haw! a-haw! a-haw!” roared Joe
Gamp, while the Yale men and their sympa-
thizers began to yell.

Heath whis-

pered, as the puck was again faced and he

“You can’t do that again!”

stood ready with his stick.
“Perhaps not!” was Merry’s answer.

“Play!” said the referee.

first to

Again Merriwell’s stick was the

touch the puck. But he made no goal, for
the puck was driven back by Princeton’s
cover-point. Rattleton’s stick met it and
drove it toward the Tigers’ goal, but again it
after ,

came’ back, an exciting scrimmage in

front of the goal-keeper’s position. :
It skipped across to Diamond, who was on
He _ took

started down the ice with it, but the Princeton

New Haven’s right end. it and
players closed in on him, snapped the puck
from him, pushed it back to one of their for-
wards, who juggled it a moment and then
shot it for the Yale goal.

But Bruce Browning, who was the Yale
goal-keeper, stood there like a stone wall, and
the’Princeton men made no goal.

After that the struggle was hot and furi-

WHEKLY.

and courage back, and soon showed that he
He
was quicker on skates than the proverbial cat
feet.

was indeed a marvelous hockey player.

on her

He was a quick starter and was able to
skate fast and low; hence was not easily
thrown off his feet by the body-checking,
blocking and interference of an opponent.

He could dodge and twist as cleverly as
Merriwell, and he could stop with a sudden- _
ness that was startling.

Other players went down, some of them re-
ceiving heavy falls. One of the Princeton
men had a skate literally torn from his foot.
In an exciting corner, Bink Stubbs fell flat
over his own stick in trying to make a quick
leaping turn, and Diamond came down on
the ice so heavily, while trying to block a
Princeton play, that the very rink seemed to
shake. :

Sut Brandon Heath and Frank Merriwell

kept their feet and fought like aroused tigers oS a

for the mastery.

Of course, there was a pause after ‘ia ac- : a

cident which tore the skate from the foot of —
the Princeton man, but the time of the delay

was not counted in the time permitted for the
first half of the game, which was twenty min-

utes.

The people in the balconies were on their

feet, yelling like mad—the Princeton sympa-
thizers greeting the clever’ moves of Heath ©
and his men with cheers, and the Yale root-
ers and friends of the New Haven university
howling like wild men when Merriwell and
his team seemed to be getting the best of it. :
‘Through it all could now and then be heard
the deafening “A-haw! a-haw! a-haw!’”” of
the New Hampshire boy, Joe Gamp..— ~

CHAPTER XT.

FOR THE ICE Foe oe

o ous: Brandon Heath began to ae: tS. nerve:

 
TIP TOP WEEKLY.

quick and active, and he had what Heath
lacked, the utmost self-possession and cool-
ness. Not once in that fight for the mastery
did he lose his head.

or dribbled the puck forward without know-

He never made a stroke

ing just where he wanted it to go and how he
hoped to get it there.

“Brandon! Brandon!’ the Princeton men
were shrieking, in an endeavor to encourage
Heath to his best efforts ; and the shouting of
the name brought back to Merry, in the heat

_of the tussle, the white face of the girl against
the white cot in the hospital ward, and

strengthened the arms that drove the puck.
Princeton made a goal and was hurrying
the puck again toward the Yale flags, when,
in an exciting moment, Heath lost his head
and was in the act of’ making a terrific left
toward his own goal, when Bink Stubbs got
the puck from him and saved him from the
ludicrous error, a thing that Bink regretted
as soon as he understood what he had done.
3 “A-haw! a-haw! a-haw!”’ Joe Gamp was
heard to bellow. “Bub-bub-better tut-take
Bub-Brandon off the tut-tut-team,
~ Mister Pup-Pup-Princeton cuc-captain! A-
haw! a-haw! a-haw! Oho! Oho! Oho!”

Heath’s face flamed with rage and humilia-

Mum-

tion, but he managed to keep himSelf in hand,
and soon was playing with even more clev-
_ erness than he had,yet exhibited.
 Rattleton got the puck from Heath and
shot it to Frank, in the next, and Merry sent
_ it to goal. °
__ Thus ended the first half of the game, with
two goals to the credit of the Yale team and
one to that of Princeton.

‘During the ten minutes intermission Frank
talked to his men and encouraged them.

“We're all right, fellows!” he declared.
“We can win this game. All we want is to
keep cool and plug right along. We can
‘more than hold what we have, I am sure!” —

\

25

“If I don’t step on myself, again, like an in-
terfering horse!’ said Bink.

“That’s all right, Bink.

“But you didn’t,” said Bink, “when you

You slipped!’
made a quicker turn than that. And you got
the puck, too! If I had been in that corner,
I should have skated all over myself.”

“T should have cut my own feet off!” Dan-

ny admitted.

“Heath can skate!”~ said Browning.
“And I can fall down!” grumbled Jack
I'll

Diamond. “But I’ll not do that again.

look out for that turn next time!” .

They were as calm and cool and as cour-
ageous, when the puck was faced and they
again took position, as if they had been
merely practicing on the pond at New Haven.

“We can do it, fellows!” was Frank’s final
inspiring declaration. “Just keep cool and
we have got them!”

In the opening of the second half, Brandon
Three

times did he and his men endanger the Yale

Heath played like a veritable tiger.

goal; and each time it was Bruce Browning,
the goal-keeper, who stopped the puck.
“They cuc-cuc-can’t gug-get it pup-past
him! They just cuc-can’t gug-get it past
him!

was heard to roar.

Joe Gamp
“Hooraw for Bub-Bub-

A-haw! a-haw! a-haw!’’

Bub-Browning !”
Gamp got on his feet and swung his cap,
while the Yale rooters seemed lifting the rink
roof. 7
-“Dud-dud-drive it bub-back!” screeched
“Dud-dud-drive it bub-back!
A-haw! a-haw! a-haw !”

Gamp.

Again the Princeton men got possession of
the puck and fought their way toward Yale’s
end. It seemed that every inch of the way
was contested, but they steadily forced the
puck along. There were sharp cries from

the referee and the umpires and a chorus of

screeching advice from all parts of the rink, 2h a

 
26 hk

with which the music of the band blended
strangely

Several times there were cries of “off-side.”
But Frank saw that his own men were not

violating the rule which provides that a

player shall always be on his own side of the

puck in playing. Once a Princeton player

advanced the puck with his skate, but it was

not seen by the umpire, and Merry did not
*

stop to call attention to it.

After a struggle, in which several men
were thrown-down, Merry got the puck away
from Brandon Heath, and, signaling his in-
tention to Diamond, caromed the puck against
the side of the rink, thus passing it around
Brandon and on to Jack, who stood ready to
receive it.

down the

Diamond now started with it

rink toward the Princeton goal, dribbling it
just ahead of him—that is advancing it by a
rapid succession of alternate right and left
strokes for the purpose of baffling his op-
ponents. Then he tried to “lift’’ it over the
heads of the cover-point and the others who
were between him and the Princeton goal, but
the puck was struck to the ice, and again
came with whizzing force back toward Yale.
“lifted”

speed, but it was stopped again by the goal

Danny Griswold with _ terrific

keeper of the Princetons, though he was
knocked flat and received a bruise on his body
as large as the puck itself.

Frank Merriwell got it again, and again he
found himself confronted by Brandon Heath.

Talk about hot work! They had it then.
The time for the close of the second half of
the game was nearing, and neither side had
yet scored in the second half. The rink be-
Through it all was

” of Joe

came a pandemonium.
heard that “A-haw! a-haw! a-haw!
Gamp.

Brandon, pretending to strike at the puck,
struck Merriwell heavily across the shins.
The pain was intense.

WEEKLY.

“Thanks !”’

that to knock me out!”

said Frank, grimly. “You did

But in making that blow Heath gave Mer-
riwell an advantage. He had struck in des-
peration, feeling that he was going to be de-
feated if he could uot cripple Merry so that
Frank would be. forcéd from the ice and out
of the But Merry

nothing had happened, and with the puck in

game. fought on as if
his possession began to hurry it. toward the

Princeton flags.

Again he found himself opposed by Bran-
don Heath.

Once more the struggle was between these
two chiefly. Heath drove the puck back,
when he found he could not get possession
and snap it to one of the Princeton forwards;
but it came down the ice again, sent by Danny
Griswold, and Merry once more got hold
of it.

Then he swiftly and cleverly “lifted” it
of Brandon Heath.
Merry was skating like the wind as he did it,

right over the stick
and before Heath could make a movement
Merriwell leaped the stick of his opponent

while under full headway.

Then he lifted the puck again, and sent it.
between the Princeton flags!

Such a roar as went up! It was simply in-

describable. ‘Time had expired, and the
game and the ice hockey.cup belonged to
Frank Merriwell’s team, with a score of three

for Yale and one for Princeton.

There oe not been even a second of ee
to spare, for the referee’s warning sounded,
and the game was overg

“Merriwell! Merriwell!” was shouted on

all sides.

And again Joe Gamp’s laugh bellowed :
through the rink:

“A-haw! a-haw! a-haw!”

 
      
  

CHAPTER XII.

eed de DALES AN,

  

© A wild scream, that turned to hysterical

  

7 laughter, pierced like a chill through the
* roaring applause of the Yale rooters. Frank
iz Merriwell’s blood seemed to turn cold. He

 

had heard that laughter before, in the hos-

se pital, from the lips of the girl who had been
cast aside by Brandon Heath.

“Heavens! How did she get here?” was
: his involuntary question,

|. He turned toward the point from whence
it came and saw the girl fling her arms round
Brandon Heath. She was dressed as when

Merry and Browning had rescued her from

E the burning car. The banadage was gone
Br from the wounded head. - And on the bosom
g of her dress was pinned the Princeton colors,
e. which she had asked for of the hospital at-

tendants.

_ Merriwell hurried toward her.

- “He’s going to strike her,” hissed Dia-

mond, leaping at Merry’s side. “The scoun-

drel!
Though Merry could not know then, he

 fouhd out later that the girl had been placed

in a room by herself, because her maniacal

If he touches her, I’ll settle with him.”

laughter could not be endured by the other
patients in the ward. Into this room her

clothing had been brought.

 

When she saw her clothing her demonstra-

 

tions of grief and her fits of laughter had

 

‘ceased. This was the cunning of the de-

  

ranged mind, that had taken hold of an idea

 

which pleased it and which would requir

 

? . .
stealth in execution.

  

Not only did the laughter and the alternate

 

‘raving cease, but when night came the girl

 

pretended to go soundly to sleep; and so

 

clever was she in this bit of insane acting

  

that she deceived the nurse who had been de-

 

tailed to watch over and wait on her.

       

~The nurse, fagged out with overwork, fell
-asleep in her chair.

A

 

TIP TOP WEEKLY.

27

 

This was the opportunity the girl sought.
She got out of bed, removed the banadage
and placed it carefully on a chair, and, dress-
ing herself, contrived to get out of the room
and out of the hospital without being discov-
ered.

How she got to the rink was never known.
She may have walked, or she may have come

She had some money in her

by car or cab.
purse, and with a portion of this she gained
admission to the rink, being passed in by the
doorkeeper without suspicion.

rr rs 4 ‘

The game was ending as she came in; and
she hurried straight for the

must have

Princeton team and Brandon Heath.
Merry, seeing that Heath intended to
strike the girl, or, at least, meant to violently
repulse her, sprang forward so rapidly that
Diamond had hard work to keep pace with
They heard Heath hiss:

I don’t know you.”

him.
“Go away from me.
He tore himself from her embrace and
shoved her backwards, and with another
scream she fell.
3ut she was up again.

DiS

know me? We were such good friends last

Brandon! Brandon! Don’t you
summer!”

“It’s a lie!” snarled Heath. “Keep away
from me. I never saw you before to-day.”
The rink was in a violent uproar. Merry
heard a cry which he felt sure came from the
lips of Lucy Bradbury. But he did not stop
to see. He was at Brandon’s side.

“Don’t be rough with her,” he said, tap-
ping Heath on the shoulder. “She is out of
her head, you know.”

“Take her away,’ snapped Heath. “I
don’t know her.”

He was wild, for he knew that Bradbury

,and his daughter had seen and heard all.

A police. officer came into the circle.
“Oh, Brandon! And I thought you cared —
for me.”
28 PER OP

The words were sobbed now, and the girl,
white as a cloth, let herself be led away by
the officer.

Merry stepped to the officer’s side.

“She belongs in the hospital,” he said; and
then proceeded to make his meaning clear.

ok 1K > *K * *

That night Merry and his friends went
back to New Haven, taking with them the
ice hockey cup.

Two days later he got this letter from Cecil

Bradbury :

“+ must thank you for unmasking a scoun-
drel. Heath came to my office this morning,
hoping to smooth things over, and it gave
me great pleasure to kick him into the street.
My daughter and I owe you and your friends
an everlasting debt of gratitude. The girl’s
name is Hetty Durban, and her father is a
farmer in this State. She will get well and
will recover her mind. When she knows
what Heath was, she will be as glad that she
escaped his clutches as I am that my daugh-
ter is not his wife. When you come to New
York be sure to see me.

“Again thanking you, I am your friend,

| “Ceci, BRADBURY.”

THE END.

Correspondence.

G. E. B., Bryan, Ohio.—No.

D, M. C., Allegheny, Pa.—No prémium.

F. T., .Montgomery, Ala.—Your proportions are
good.

S. T. M., New York City.—Apply at the Cooper
Union.

N. E. W., Hiawatha, Kan.—No premium on any of
the coins.

A. H. C., Kansas City, Mo.—It is worth only its
face value.

Cc. J. S., Memphis, Tenn.—No premium on the half
dime.of 1832, ‘

B. D., McKeesport, Pa.—No premium on the flying
eagle cent of 1858.

B. F., Providence,’ R. I.—No premium on the flying
eagle cent of 1858.

P. D., Fall River, Mass.—No premium on the two-
cent pieee of 1864.

T.B., Canaan, N. H.—Your proportions are ‘

about the average. :
R. H., Great Barrington, Mass.—You are rather too
_ heavy for your height.

Rose, Jr., Sheboygan, Wis. —It is against our rules,
gaa we cannot oblige you, x

WEEKLY.

_C. C., Murray, Ohio.—The author you inquire about
is not writing at present.

A. C. S., Rockland, Ohio.—Your coin is Spanish, two
a “worth about ten cents.

Piet; Rr eae ee ts D. C.—1. No. 2. All the num-

bers are in prnt. 3. Probably.

To, Fs WV x, pinnate Pa.—Your request will a
ably be granted at no distant date,

Bill, Jr., Norwalk, Ohio.—See table which was ik
lished recently in this department.

A Reader in Mass.—Yes. There are many good
schools of that description in Boston.

M. J. W., Binghamton, N. Y.~The Quarterlies are
fifty cents each. We pay the postage.

H. P. S., Grand Rapids, Mich.—Thank you for your

suggestion, which shall be considered.

G. S., Milwaukee, Wis.—The American News Com-
pany, Chambers street, New York City.

G. L., Evansville, Ind.—Write to Samuel French &
Son, Twenty-second street, New York City.

S. A. G., Creede, Col.—By all means, consult an op-
tician. It is dangerous to neglect the eyes.

J. R., Denison, Tex.—There is no premium on the
quarter of 1853, with rays and arrows on the back,

B, B., Ashtabula, Ohio.—You are much above the
average, both in height and weight, for a boy of
your age. *

Constant Reader, Jersey City,

Appointment Clerk, Post Office Department, Wash-
ington, D. C.

Buck Badger, Council Grove, Kan.—1. It is certain-

ly an odd coincidence. 2. You may hear of him again, —

8. About twenty.

J. O. D., Elmira, N. Y.—You are much too light for
your height. You should take a regular course. Aor
athletic exercises.

KF. W., Bath, Me.—Write to the Secretary of War.
Washington, D. C., stating we regiment to which
your brother belongs.

C. W.,,Albany, N. Y.—We thank you for the sug->
gestion, but it would take altogether more space than _

we have at our disposal.

A. R., Albany, N. Y.—1. It is a gift, but it can be
developed, like all gifts, by study. 2. Opinions differ.
3. No, not without injury. *

Fr, V. D., Portland, Me.—The half cents of 1800 and
1804 are worth five cents each.
other coin _from your description.

A Gierebasiiia: N. Y.—We will attend to your re-
quest. Sorry your have had any trouble, and advise
you to use your best efforts to make‘it up.

Sam M. B., Jacksonville, F) la,—You. can, Obtain
books on the subjects from the American News
Company, Chambers street, New York City. ;

A Collector, Malden, Mass.—1. No premium on the
half dime of 1857. 2. Write to the Scott Stamp and
Coin Company, Twenty-third street, New York City.

S. R. C., Boston, Mass.—l. J. W. Scott Company, 40
John street, New York City. 2. The premium is on

the silver three-cent pieces, not the nickel. 3. — df

on some of them. 4. No,

J. H. R.—It seems to us that you are too heavy fee
your height, but it all depends on whether it is good,
solid flesh or not, Why not take a run every morn-
ing in addition to the exercise with the dumb- bells?

A. F. F., Cedar Rapids, Ia.—To clean
take off the dust with a soft Cloth.
flour and water make a lump of very stiff dough.

and rub the wall gently downward, taking the length Bs

of the arm at each stroke, and in this way go around

the room, As the dough becomes dirty, cut the soiled

part off. In the second round, commence the stroke
a little above where the last one.ended, and be very
careful not to cross the paper or to go up again,

Ordinary papers cleaned in this way will look fresh

and bright and almost as good as new. Some papers;

ner e and the most expensive ones, will not clean

nicel and in order to ascertain whether a paper
can cleaned it is best to try it in some obscure

corner, which will not be noticed if the result is —
unsatisfactory. If there be any broken places in the —

wall, fill them up, with a mixture of equal parts of
plaster of paris and silver. sand, made into a paste

with a little water; then cover the hace ie a ‘iti fs

piece of paper like the rest, it it can pak

N. J.—Write to the.

We cannot place, the

wall paper,
With a little

ee a es

 
TIP TOP

Tip TopWEEKLY-

AN IDEAL PUBLICATION FOR TH AMERICAN YOUTH”

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK, Marcw# 10, 1900.

 

Terms to Tip Top Weekly Mail Subscribers.
(PosTAGK FREE.)
Single Copies or Back Numbers, 5c. Each.

months - - we: QRS, 4
months - - - «+ + - §85c,
months - - - - - - = $1.25

low ‘Lo Sknpd MONBY,.—By post.office or express money order,
registered letter, bank check or‘drait, at your risk. At your own
risk if sent by postal note, currency, coin, or postage stamps in
ordinary letter.
RueeKipTs.—Receipl of your vemiliance is acknowledged by proper
ehange of number on yourlabel. Ifnotcorrect you have not been
- properly credited, and should let us know at once.

STREET & SMITH’S TIP TOP WEEKLY,
238 William S8t., New York City.

APPLAUSE.

Seeing no letter from our town in your Applause Column,
I thought I would let you know we are still alive. The
first number of your library I read wag No, 1, the last
No, 195. Frank is a dandy, so are Bart, Jack, Harry,
Ephraim, Bruce and Hans. I wish Frank would join the
army and the whole’ gang. Inza and EHlsie are the main
Stems. Where is Toots? Buck Badger is on the bad; he is
-@ coward, just like old Mart Brattle and Sport Harris,
Bart had a cinch in whipping Buck. Our town has about
ten different novels, but Frank Merriwell is the best.
One, two, three, four,
One, two, three, four,
Two, four,
Two, four,
Who in the world are vou for?
FRANK MBERRIWELL!
CARL JAMES,
Jonesboro, Ind.
There is first-

One year - - - + = - = $2.50
2 copies one year - - -«- 4.00
l copy two years - - - - 4,00

We think you are a little hard on Buck.
rate material in him, and we hope to see him develop into
a fine fellow. He is certainly far above Brattle and Harris.
Thank you for letting us know that the Tip Top is appre-
ciated in your town.

I want to add my little testimony to the applause of Tip
Top. It is the best weekly published in America’ to-day.
“In Mr. Standish you have an author that in his line-cannot
be touched by any author, past or present. Living in a col-
lege town, as I do, I have a great opportunity to judge.
There is another weekly on the tharket that triés to copy
‘Mr: Standish‘s style, but the results are sickening. Imagine
a graduate of Yale going back.to take part in college games
eighteen months after graduating. There is no system to
those ‘stories. All of Mr. Standish’s stories are: Carefully
worked out, everything fitting as closely as watchwork.
Again, I say that no author, past or present, can touch him.
Long life to him and ‘‘Merry.’’ I would like to hear from
Elsie and Hans again.

ONE OF THE TIP TOP LEGION,
Cambridge, Mass,

- Your criticism is valuable to us and we are sure will be
80 to our readers. Mr. Standish writes of real boys, not
; oe uppets, and he has a thorough knowledge of what
-. college lite really is. Elsie is in New Haven again. Hans
‘will probably meet Frank some time.

Have been reading your weekly for two years, and thought

it time to express our appreciation of the same. The stories
are all that could be desired—clean, wholesome and inter-
esting. Frank is a model youth for any young man. Of all
his friends we like Barney Mulloy the best, with Bruce
‘Browning, Harry Rattleton, and Jack Ready next in order
mentioned. Wish that you would introduce Barney more,
as he is one of Frank’s stanchest friends, being a finely
drawn figure of a young Irishman, ready for fight or frolic,
‘e admire Buck Badger very much, and hope he will become
rank’s friend. We hope Frank will fail at least in making
ucts his friend, as we do not want him as a chum of
Frank's About the imitation, it is not worth the paper
- it*s printed on. Gallup and Hans are all right, and Toots
is a beaut. We have formed a club and call it the Yale
mbine; the following are the members. Why not have
Pee enemies’ pictures on a back page?
Si, -Mre:. Py W. D., B.,Biay~H,

THE YALE COMBIND, Franklin Falls, N. Y.

‘ourt s ieabticns “will be considered, but, ofcourse, no
i s how future events will shape themselves. ‘Our
rishes | tor, the ae Combine. 6 ,

WHEKLY.

De Be Bey

you seen it?

29

I have just finished reading the latest publication of
your excellent paper. I think it is the best boy’s paper in
the country, and it far surpasses its would-be rivals. I have
read all your numbers from Frank’s first day at Fardale to
his present adventures at Yale. I am glad to see Frank has
beaten Buckrum again at his own game, and I was also
glad to see a cowboy figure in your last issue. I am also
an earnest admirer of Hans, and I wish you would bring
him in your story again. Trusting that Frank may live
long and be happy. JOHN O'DBA,

3inghamton, N. Y

You will undoubtedly hear of Hans again. We are deter-
mined that the Tip Top shall ‘aaute where it is—far beyond
all its rivals.

We have never seen a letter from here in your Applause
columns, and we thought we would write to you and-let
you know how Tip Top stands here. We do not think that
you could have chosen a better name than Tip Top for the
paper, as it is strictly tip top. Mr. Standish séts morals in
Tip Top which every American boy should do well to profit
by. We have read nearly half of the Merriwell stories and
shall continue to do so. We hope Frank and Badger will
become. friends, and that Frank will marry Elsie, and
Chickering’s gang will get run out of Yate, and that Bruce
Browning will wake up and play on the ball team this
spripg, as he is our favorite after Frank.

T. F. GODDARD, PETER DAVIS,
R. H. WHALDPY,
Chocowintz, N. C.

It pleases us to know that the Tip Top is so much liked in
North Carolina. Frank and his friends are pretty sure to
play baseball again next season.

We, the undersigned, are students at Georgetown College,
and are among the most ardent admirers of the Tip Top
Weekly, Mr. Standish and Frank Merriwell.. We inclose a
small poem, which does not begin to show our appreciation
for your weekly, which we consider the best in the land.

Frank Merriwell is a model youth
Whom we should strive to imitate;
Whose honest principle is upright truth,
While as an athlete he is simply great.

As to the Tip Top Weekly, we wish it well,
A large circulation without a strife;
Because it sings the praises of Merriwell,
And his gallant fight in the battle of life.
CARROLL BURLEIGH, CLARENCE FITZPATRICK.
Georgetown, D. C.
Thank you. Regards to yourselves and all your fellow
students.

I will make it my duty to write again and tell: you how ~
much I appreciate your valuable publication. I have aided
quite a few young men here in Lansing to read the Tip
Top. After they read a few copies, nothing can or could in-
duce them to quit reading them. And I will do all in my
power to help others to read it; will tell all ‘‘Merry’s’’ how
to get others to read it. Another good way is to form Tip
Top clubs in your city and try to get all young people
to read it and make them all members.
clubs and always have been. We ought to have State clubs
in every State in the Union. There may be others, but
there is just one paper in this world for me, that is the
Tip Top Weekly, the ideal publication for the American
youth. Here’s to Merry, drink it down, drink it down.

EMIL KOEHLER
Lansing, Mich.

We are deeply indebted to you for your efforts. We are
sure that the Tip Top, once read, will always be read. The
more clubs the better.

We have read the Tip Top Weekly up to the present
number, and consider it the best American weekly pub-
lished. In our estimation, Frank Merriwell is all right.
We also admire Browning’s style. Nite to Tip Top.

HORTON. F.

STERELE. M.
McGILL. A.
ROBB. H,
BOON. M.
M. QUINN.

JON ES.
HAMILTON.
STAFFORD.
TRAINOR.

TIP TOP CLUB,
Duluth, Minn. .

Thank you. Success to yourselves also.

As we have seen no notes from here, we thought we
would let you know how much we appreciate your paper.
We expect to form a club here very soon, and will all send
for your badges. We look for the Tip Top every Thursday,
and wish you could publish two copies per week, as they
are very interesting, and -we think Frank such a_ hero.
Next to Frank is Bart Hodge. We would like to see Frank
marry Inza. We hope Frank will play with Yale next sum-
mer, and have Bart Hodge behind the bat. The following
are some of the boys who read your Tip Top Weekly: Pearl -
Clark, Roy Brown, Gus Parker, Chas. Snell, Bert Snell, W.
D. Jones, Nelson Fort, Benj. Horton, aha sBegnen; P29.
Fenn, Ice House Cadets. 2D,

ress N. Y.

It would be impossible for Mr, Standish to write two
stories a week. To please our readers, however, we hate
begun the publication of the ‘‘Do and Dare’ Library. Have
We are sure that you oe itke it. Phi.
eee the re in: a capita. Die ee

 

I am in favor of ¥
30

I thought I would write and let you know how I like
your paper. Although I have not read ail of them, I like
it better than any other book I ever read. Taking so much
interest in the Tip Top Weekly, I will write a few verses.
Air, ‘‘The Girl I Loved in Sunny Tennessee:’’
On.a morning bright and clear to a news stand I drew
In a village down in Sunny Tennessee,
i was whistling a sweet refrain, when my thoughts
back again
To the day when the newsdealer said to me:
“T’ve often heard it said that you never liked a book you
read,
But here is one you never
The name is Tip Top,
And if you read it

near

went

tried.
make you hop,
I have not lied,’’

have
and it will
you will say

Chorus.
I read the first two chapters and they: seemed to enlighten
me,
Now I read them every Friday—no other box
I’ve been in my glory since I read this
country village down in Tennessee,
T. §. CONROY,
Bloomington, Il.
and thank you for

k can I see;
little story in that

We print your song with

composing it for us.

pleasure

As I am an Oregon boy, I
Tip Top. I have read

must send in my thanks to the
most of them, and I give my praise
to all the boys, and tell them how fine the Tip Top iss My
mother doesn’t let me read any other weekly. She lets me
read these because they are an example. Three of us boys
have a club, and we get the Tip Top in turns. I got a
league badge about four months ago, and it has not tar-
nished at alk A happy life to Mr, Standish, Frank and
Street & Smith. GEO. BARTEL,
: Portland, Ore.

You can be sure that the badge will continue to wear well.
We are especially pleased that your mother approves of the
Tip Top.. All parents do that after a thorough examina-
tion of the stories.

We, the undersigned, have formed a lodge called the

“Hodge Lodge.’”’ We have not noticed anything from our

beautiful little city and send a few lines to show our

loyalty to the Tip Top Weekly. May it ever continue to be

published. Long life to Mr. Standish and the Tip Top.

SHARON FOWLER, Pres., GEO, BREWER,

KELCY CRACKEL, Sec., JNO. SALTER,

HARVEY MILLIGAN, Treas., ED. SEED.

JOHN DAVIS, R. C. ADAMS,

; Lawrenceville, Tl,
Mr. Standish thanks you and in return wishes long life

to your club.

I am compelled to write and send my praises to you of
the greatest book printed for the American youth. It is an
ideal publication for ideal moments. I aon’t read it alone,
but I save each book, and some of them have been read
ten or twelve times and praised by everyboay. I would like
to know why the readers who are so interested and admire
the Tip Top do not let Burt L. write the stories himself?
If they have been pleased with them so far, why do they
want Frank to marry? Don’t they know it will spoil the
stories, unless there is a Frank, Jr., which will take ten
or twelve years? Don’t they think Burt L. can write as
geod a story now as before? Some of the readers think
marrying’: is. the anost important part of life and a story.
My best wishes to Burt L., Street & Smith, and long life to
Tip Top. The badge is fine. My brother and I each have
one. M. MOORE,

Stoneburg, Texas.

It is the very interest they feel in the Tip Top which im-
pels-some of our readers to offer suggestions, which Mr.
Standish is always glad to receive. Of course, he has to
use his own judgment as to adopting them,

The Tip Top Weekly is without doubt the best publication
of its kind ever published, and 1] would love to see it in
the hands of every boy in the United States. The charac-
ter of Merry embraces every good and noble quality, and

' should be accepted ie every American youth as his model
in life. 3art Hodge has some sterling qualities, but should
be taught a lesson for his unreasoning selfishness. I read
every number of the Tip Top, and expect to do so as long
as it is published, which I hope will be many long years.
With best wishes. JOS. RICHARDSON, JR.,

Memphis, Tenn.
can help being benefited by following the ex-

We think Bart’s good qualities

Best wishes.

No boy
ample of Frank Merriwell.
outweigh his faults; don’t you?

We take great pleasure in giving our opinion of the Tip
Top Weekly. We have read quite a number, and think
they are perfectly grand. We think they beat anything we
have ever read. We hardly know how to wait till Friday
comes so we can get the next paper. We would also like
to have you send us three of your badges. We wish suc-
cess to Frank Metriwell and all his chums. 2
BERTHA PERRY. GEO. WELCH. arr
MINNIE PERRY.

Edenville, N. Y.

We are sure you will like
d {+

The badges have been sent.
the Thank you.

TIP TOP WEEKLY.

There being no Applause from this city for quite a time,
we wish to take up a small space in your valuable weekly
and tell what some of the boys and girls of Peoria think
of it. We anxiously wait for Friday to come around, so we
can get our ‘‘Franks,’’ as. we call them. We would all be
pleased to have Frank and his chums visit this @ity, and
there is no use telling how he would be received, for that
is already known by all readers of Tip Top. We have read
the Tip Top Weekly since No. 20, and think they grow
better all the time. We are now organizing a club, to be
called the Tip Top, and are going to send for badges in @
short time. We all think Mr. Standish a great author, as
all of his charactetrs are so real and natural. Pardon us
for offering suggestions, but we would like to hear more of
Julia Reynolds and Frank’s father.

Wish Mr. Standish and the Tip Top a long life, we re-
main rez forever,
RAMON ILA RLES,
DAYTON KEITH,
FRED DRYDEN,
GEO, W. BARNEWOLB, RICHARD MAY,
BERT L. ITERMAN, KE ITH ANDE RSON,
ALFRED ANDERSON, AS. LU EDER,
IRWIN ARENDS, < IDEL,

WILL BERGNER, JOHNSON,
ARCHIE DAVIDSON, GREENHOOD,
WALTER DUGLAS, a SORE NC E NELSON,
ED. HAMILTON, LORETTA WHALEN,
JOB POWELL, ORA CATLIN,
WILL ROB INSON, ALTHA REED,
DENNIS FOLE BY, ADA LEHR,
HARRY SCHNEBLY, LUCY PHILLIPS.

Peoria, Ill.

May your club prove @
Standish of your suggestion,

JOHN NEU
COLBY suv ae RLAND,
ROSS CANERBERRY,

Our best
great success,

‘regards to you all.
We will tell Mr.

‘letter we were busy at work on
“Life of Frank Merri-

When I wrote the last
our new play, which we called the
well,’’ The play was given Jan. 2, in the club room, which
had been fitted out with a stage in one end. During the
progress of the play songs and dances were done by Robert
Hempstead, Frank C. Glazier and Thos, Bacheller. The
money made on the play —$21.62—was used for the purpose
of furnishing the club rooms, and the purchase of books.
The play was in three acts, and while not being produced
with much scenery, was played in a way to give a good
idea of it. ‘What scenery we did have was painted by one
of our members, who has had quite an experience in paint-
ing. Following are the cast and acts and the songs sung:
Rratic <Morriwell: .. oes oe idhw cur vieiay ce aa Chas. S. Booth
Bart Hodge re -Fred Leighton
Bruce Browning .Frank Glazier.
Ephraim Gallup........ creel peo onipeees "Barker Weaver
Frans. Dunnerwurse, ..ccssctoedcctecetorvevse . Thos, Bacheller
Jack Dinmond,: «vcs tres Reset Oita. + Wea Ce Fred Bacheller
Eiarry- Hattieten <6. eile. FOC ore geese Robert Hempstead
Buck Badger F. J, Smith
Julian Ives aot P. Willard
Morton Agnew m. F. Dixon
Tilden Hull F. W. Ludwick
Rupert Chickering.. .Louis E. Randall
Elsie Bellwood Kitty Webster _
SST OLIS, SOLAS Sag Fo oe be wre Vee ele's baie tike wo i Louise Attleton
Ree ts, TRNAS eas 5 WS 0h 0 w'vinss 0 wavy. tip Bie kien ales Grace Ludwick

College students, dancers athletes, ete,

Act. I.—Frank’s qudrters at Yale.

Act II.—Gymnasium at Yale.

Act III.—Harvard Square, Boston.

Act TV.—Dance hall in’ New Haven.

‘My Oriental Coon,’’ ‘‘I'll Break Up dis Jamboree,’’ Rob-
ert Hempstead; ‘‘My Little Georgia Rose,’’ ‘‘My Creole
Sue,’”’ Frank Glazier; ‘‘A Hot Combination, “My Hannah
Lady,’’ Thos. Bacheller.

Stage Manager—John Eades,
Popple. Musical Director—Adam

Stag Ze Carpenter—Henty
Tilley
JOHN E. EADES,
Newport, R. I,
success of your play, and
very wisely.

We congratulate you on, the
think you expended the money

Being a constant reader of the Tip Top, and having never
written any applause, I thought it was about time for me
to extend my congratulations to Burt lL. I think it is the
greatest paper ever published for the American youth, and
I think that girls as well as boys should read it. My sis+
ters read it and enjoy it very much, as ae person with
good common sense should. I would like Frank and his»
friends to spend their next vacation at Fardale and meet
Belinda Snodd again. What has become of Hans, Barney -
and Ephraim? Wishing every success to Frank, his friends
and Burt L., I remain, ROBERT W. SCHANDEL,

Pittsburg, Pa.

Yes, the girls seem to obtain as much enjoyment from
the Tip Top as do the boys. You will probably hear again ¢
of those for whom you inquire,

I received my badge and was well pleased with it. It was
nicer than I thought it would be. I have read Tip Top
from No. 40, and am going to get all back numbers. Your ~
book is read by a great number of boys of this city, who
think there are no others. Hoping the Frank erriwell —
stories will never end, and wishing long life to B, L. Stand-
ish and Street & Smith. W. H. McCARTY,,

West Bay City, Mich.

We are pleased that you liked the badge, and- idee the
boys of West Bay City think so highly of the Tip T

 
ae ee

I have been
for a long time, and find it one of the best weeklies going,
I hope Frank will lead in baseball and < of the sports
at Yale. Next to Frank I like Bart Hodge. He is a great
scrapper and can give Buckrum all he The cowboy
can be taught a few things by Merry, arene he acknowledges
it. If Merry ever narried, I hope he will get Inza,
but I think Mr. Standish will fix things up all O. K. when
it*comes to getting married Take Frank Merriwell and
Bart Hodge and they could ‘take the pennant in the Na-
tional League. We have a good many readers in our town,
but not many write. I ‘will give my best wishes to Merry
and his friends, and also to Mr, Standish, and long live the

* Tip Top and Frank Merriwell! EARL CLEVENGER,
Osceola ig:
our readers in
team.

a constant reader of the Tip Top
rT

gets

1
We should be
Osceola. Yes,

glad to hear
Frank and

from other of

Bart make a fine

Already I have
I think I will make two

only seen one letter from this town, so
That k Merriweil is surely
a peach, I like Hans Dunnerwurst the best of his chums,
My chums call me ‘‘Handsome Hans,’’ but Ef don’t care;
Hans is all right. An ideal publicat ' Well, I should
Say it was! I just get crazy comes to see
about Frankie.
Frank

Krank

ion
when Friday

Merriwell is a dandy,

Fra Merriwell is a peach;

Frank Merriwell he is handy,
He can hold on like a leech,

I wish you could get Hans and Frank back tog
would be all over with pleasure to see my letter in the dear
old Tip Top. CLIF BEACH,

Coshocton, Ohio.
flattered at the many inquiries for

zether. I

Hans is very much
him from his friends.

As I have heard no applause from this part of the coun.
try, I thought I would ask you for enough space in your
paper to write a few lines. I have been reading the Tip
Top Weekly for the past two years, and think it is the
finest paper published for the American youth. I think the
boys and girls that don’t read it are missing half of their
life. I hope Frank will keep on going to Yale and keep
at the head of his class; also as a leader of sports. I think
he will finally marry Inza; at least I hope he does. I am
doing my best to form a club, and think I will succeed. I
extend my hearty congratulations to the Tip Tep and all
concerned. HARRY JOHNSON,

Rich Hill, Mo.

We trust you will be sucessful in forming the club. Let
us know if you are. It is one of Frank’s ambitions. to. be
f a Yale graduate. No one knows whom he will marry.

AN IDEAL THROU GH AND
The Tip Top Weekly is all right,
J join in saying it’s out of sight.
Its noble hero is Merriwell—
He’s all right, yet he’s no swell.
-Frank’s sweetheart, Elsie, is a dandy:
I’ll bet he thinks she’s sweet as candy.

THROUGH.

And Inza, too, she is a
And she’s one that’s out of reach.

Bart Hodge is a character hard to beat,

And, like Frank, is not filled with conceit.
Jack Diamond is another fine character, too,
As a hot-headed Southerner, he’s loyal and true,

peach,

Bruce Browning is a lad of mighty girth
Yet they say he’s the laziest man on earth.
Harry Rattleton has politeness down pat,
But he lets soiled linen drop from his hat.
Little Binks Stubbs is quite a punner,
But with the girls he’s quite a ‘‘stunner.”’
Danny Griswold is one of the ‘‘set,”’’
And, as to punning, he’s in it, you bet.
Quite a fine character is Dismal Jones~
His only responsives are grunts and groans.
Buck Badger is a character that’s all right,
When in the ring he can certainly fight.
Though Frank’s enemy
Badger has awakened at last.
Not as Frank’s enemy, not as his friend,
I think he will like bold Frank in the end.
‘Badger is a good one for Miss Winnie Lee—
I think he’ll wed her—in the end we will see.
\

in the past,

Tho’ Hooker’s character had a small blight,
But in the end he turned out all right. :
Another of the set is little Ready Jack, :
If you hit him he'll hit you back. :
Another character, funny and gay,

Is the one that they eall Ben Halliday.

Now, many thanks to Mr. Burt L.,

The author of the life of Frank Merriwell.

Let me tell the truth—don’t believe it a myth,

The finest Oa are Street & Smith.

I sent for your badge, it’s shining and bright,

And I like the Tip Top, it’s out of sight.
Three cheers for the Tip Top, author, publishers and hero!

‘GROVER KBITH,
Rogers, Ark.
‘Thank you. Your description of the various characters is
good “ee your verses are creditable.

Weekly °

WEEKLY. 31

How you vos likes dot
mit mineseliff. I
so ingeniousness. Parney Mulloy
Dhere is not much going on here alr
yesterday morning’s yust pefore prea
year old pought von pie 1 penny, threw dot pie
through von valli nine feets tick alked on it, slipped down
und proke von knees yust pelow d ankle.  Vasn’t dot doo

(

already yet?
likes Vrankie

Dot vos originalities
‘ivelis, he vos
shack mules.
udy yet, but last night
kfast von poy apout 40

Merr
vas von

pad? Vell, I vill hov to close already ye

;
es
HRIS

Jackson,

UNZ,
Tenn.
regards. about

with you

the last

page in your Week] hat 1e boys
r op init ns "i

about . Top ‘Weekly, and, being
} I f ink Merriwell, and also a ntinuous
- of the Ti mr , I thoug [I would write a few words.
read the ” = Weel ‘ the present
iwell
shall
ited,
Mr.
I do,
" waiting
to come wish the Tip
Merriwell a long and happy life.
FR 8: WALLER,
Chicago, Ill.

that the example of Frank
Standish will certainly ex-

ease all.

are

number. I 7 ‘ Merr
has taught me many nes rth knowin ind I
continue to read abi i I he Weekly i

I shall not offer < ny suggestions about anythin as
Standish knows his bus ss a g0 I
and will surely. please all readers
patiently for the next number
Top Weekly and Frank

a

Thank you
has been of
ert every

for your testimony
benefit to you. Mr.
endeavor to pl

As I have not seen any letters from this city
would write and express my opinion of the Tip Top. I have
read very near all the Tip Tops, and think they are the best
weekly published, and I look for thém every week just as
regular as I do for my meals every day, for I know as soon
as it is out I am O. K. for at least an hour’s enjoyment.
Here is a little poetry I composed. It is my first attempt,
so please do not look for anything great:

MERRY’S FRIENDS.

comes his Elsie—gentle, sweet and fair—
for her Frank would do and dare.
Next comes Inza, his faithful friend,
Who, when he lay sick, was ever ready to attend.
Then there is Hodge, all-faithful Bart,
Who from Merry nothing could part.
And there is Diamond, hot-blooded Jack,
Who on Merry would ne’er turn his back.
Also his friend Rattleton, excited Harry,
To do Merry a favor née’er. would tarry.
Again theré is Browning, big, lazy Bruce,
Whose friendship from Merry nothing could induce
Gallup comes next, long, lean, lanky Eph,
To do and to be like Merry is ever his belief.
And yet there is. Dunnerwurst, generous,
Who traveled with Merry in foreign lands.
Still there is Griswold, little, joking Danny,
Who, like the rest, thinks Merry a dandy.
And -we have Stubbs, cunning little Bink,
Whose friendship for Merry never will shrink.
And I myself hope that the Tip Top will ne’er banish,
And wish a long life to Mr, Burt L. Standish.

W. H. SAUNDERS,

Wilmington, Del.

Both for your verses and your kind opinion of the Tip Top
we are greatly obliged.

I thought I

First
Who

twisted. Hans,

Our mail bag has contained
ters of late that lack of space prevents us from printing
them. all. We desire to acknowledge with our warmest
thanks the kind and appreciative words we have received
from the following:

Bertie Benham,
Syracuse, N. Y.

such a large number of let-

Ashtabula, Ohio. Douglass O.. Breed,
Carrie Brubaker, Toledo, Ohio. Constant
Reader, Dubuque, Iowa. D. M. Carver, and C. Carson,
Allegheny, Pa. Oney Riley, Pawtucket, R. IL. Frank Allen,
Bateaville, Ark. Anna Eliott, Little Rock, Ark, Con-
stant Reader, Rahway, N. J. Joseph Raymond, Denison,
Texas. Claude Alberts, Springfield, Ul. Tip Top Admirer,
Knox, Ind. Leo. J. Weinmann and others, Philadelphia,
>a. M. Levey, Grand Rapids, Mich. George Sutton, Mun-
cie, Ind. O. S. F., Avondale, Ala. Otis Shoees and many
others, Etna, Ill. Y.. X. Willard, Chicago, Hl G.,
Johnson, Lyons, Ohio. M. H. Pitman, tanges, Ga. S. A.
G., Creede, Col. Charles Castell, Murray, Ohio. Will Fuli-
ton and others, Huntington, W. Va. William Koch, Hazle-
ton, Pa. Daniel Macker and others, ‘Aurora, Ind. B, D.,
McKeesport, Pa. William E. Dunn, New Orleans, Tard:
Y. Leonard, Jr., Philadelphia, Pa. Chas. H. Kline, Hinton,
W. Va. D. Hale,’ Mobile,” Ala. J. Harry Ragan, Dubuque,
Iowa, H. Harry Freeman, (Bridgeport, Conn, Peter Heller,
Lena, Wis. Will Griffin, Birmingham, Rie Fe Ss:
Cripple Creek, Col. Chas. R. Taylor, San Francisco,
“Rart Hodge,’’ Wichita, Kans. Merry Standish
Boston, Mass. C. C., Albion, N. Y¥. Rob. ‘Finch, Buffalo,
N. Y. Willie Y. Jones, Venedoria, Ohio. Hugh Norton and
others, Ironton, Ohio. Gertrude Dibble and Emma Elwen,
Canandaigua, N. Y Everette Overman, Des Moines, Ia.
Ruby Norman, Oklahoma City, O. T. P. Y. H., Washing-
ton, D; C. W. W. Prall, McCook, Neb. ‘‘Cully,’’ Hinton,
W. Va. M. Stanly, Marshall, Minn. Veritas. St. Louis, Mo.
W. Merrill, La Crosse, Wis. C. Edward Darr, Philadelphia,
Pa. IF. Cramer and others, Atlantic City, N. J. R. E T.,
Ventura, Cal,

 
 

 

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SEO HOR KORO OG OE HOE OR OO HORE OHO OEE

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0 AAD Dare WEEKLY

THE Do AND Dare WEEKLY tells of the exploits and adventures of one PHIL RUSH-
INGTON, a lively, hustling, bright and brave American boy—a first-class all-round athlete,
and a thorough gentleman in all the phases of his eventful career.
stories is MR. STANLEY NORRIS, an able writer, and one thoroughly in sympathy with
the wants of our boys and girls in the line of reading.

The following are the titles so far ready for announcement:

The author of these

His work is bound to please.

 

 

i—Phil Rushington; or, The Sophs of Spring-
vale Academy.

2—Phil Rushington’s Sealed Orders; or, A Mad
Chase on French River.

3—Phil Rushington’s Hustle; or,a Fortune Made
in a Day.

 

5

Vv

4—Phil Rushington’s Pledge; or, The Disap-
pearance of Dora.

5—Phil Rushington’s Pranks; or, The Last Ses-
sions at Springvale.

6—Phil Rushington’s Danger; or, A Bright
Light for Friends,

Price 5 Cents Each—For Sale by all Newsdealers i

* _ STREET & SMITH, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK.
RRO AOPAOR HOMIE HEH OMA DO DEI DORE IE HORE

 

The Tip Top Week <= The Frank Merriw

STORIES

popularity accorded to the Frank Merriwell Stories, published exclusively in Street and Smith's

N O modern series of tales for boys and youth has met with anything like the cordial reception and

Tir Top WEEKLY, a publication which has to-day a circulation larger than that of all similar

publications combined.
There must be a reason for this, and there is,

Frank Merriwell, as portrayed by the author, is a

jolly, wholesouled, honest, courageous American lad, who appeals to the hearts of the boys.
He has no bad habits, and his manliness inculcates the idea that it is not necessar y for a boy to in-

dulge in BS. vices to be a hero.

to follow. ‘The following are the latest issues:

206—Frank Merriwell’s Mishap; or, A Friend in the
Guise of a Foe.

205—FPrank Merriwell
Gold.

204A—F rank Merriwell’s Opponent; or,
Hockey Cup.

2083—Frank Merriwell’s Musketeers;
Vendetta.

Deceived; or, A Heart of
For the Ice

or, The Mountain

202—Frank Merriwell’s Sleigh; or, Warm Hearts and

Brave Hands.
201—Frank Merriwell’s Ice
Wing.
200—Frank Merriwell’s Skates; or, Into the Ice Trap.
199—Frank Merriwell’s Work; or, In. Training for
Spring Sports.
198—Frank Merriwell’s Temptation; or, Nothing but
Quiet Sport.

Yacht; or, Wing and

Frank Merriwell’s example is a shining light for every ambitious lad

197—Frank Merriwell’s ‘‘Flock’’; or, The Awakening
of Badger.

196—Frank Merriwell Tested; or, A Doubtful Honor.

195—Frank Merriwell’s Limit; or, Calling a Halt.

194—-F rank Merriwell’s Stratagem; or, True Friends
and False.

193—Frank Merriwell’s Holidays; or, A Merry Christ-
mas with Old Friends.

192—F rank Merriwell’s Touch; or, Light as a Feather,
Yet Heavy as Iron.

191—Frank Merriwell’s Genérosity; or, Square as a

Brick.

190—F rank Merriwell’s Drive; or, Defeating the Pro-
fessionals.

189—Frank Merriwell’s Heart; .or, A Royal Thanks-
giving.

SOLD BY

ISSUED WEEKLY 5 Cents d Copy ALL NEWSDEALERS

STREET & SMITH, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK.

Sita Ki taal

 

   

 

 

i;
b

ted

a

 

 

 

 
 
Another STREET & SMITH’S
e LATEST

eader
-omrades’

on Wednesday, March 28th, 1900. Itis bound to be

like all of Street & Smith’s lines, a sure winner from

the start. Tom Wright, the hero of Comrades, is a

bright boy who has decided to devote his life to the
service of “ King Steam” in one of the great railroads of our
land. Rest assured he will reach fame and fortune on the
lightning express. The life of an ambitious railroad man is full
of exciting incident, and Tom has his full share of adventures.
Through all of these, he will be found Wright by name, right
in word, right in deed, and always right. The many adventures
of Tom and his friends will be followed with the deepest interest
by all who are fortunate enough to read this new series of splen-
did stories. Tom will be surrounded by several “comrades,”
who will join hands with him and stand 7 him in his cuban
enterprises.

MR. ROBERT STEEL is an author of wide experience in the field
covered by these stories, and we are certain his work wiil please
all who admire our well-known “Tip Top Weekly”’ and “ Do
and Dare Weekly,” to which “ Comrades” will-be a companion.

Street & Smith know just what the boys and girls of
America like best, and as announced in a previous card, propose
to render it possible for every boy and girl in the Lavi to find
just what they want, and as great a variety as they desire in the
publications issued by them. They cover all fields, and fill all
demands. All their lines are leaders.

Remember, No. 7 Comrades will be on ial Marek 25th.

Jom Wright on Jrial;

or, A Clear Grack to Success.”
READ IT! PRICE 5c.

32 pages—illuminated cover—uniform in size and style with

8 Top and Do amd Dare.