=

No.22_ | 3 : : _ pgc.28,1912

oe

NEW TIP [OP WEEKLY

AN IDEAL PUBLICATION FOR THE AMERICAN YOUTH

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRANK MERRIWELL JRMEETS THE ISSUE

 

 

b  STREET
é.SMITH

PUBLISHERS
m™NEW YORK =

AS FRANK WAS HAULING AWAY AT THE ROPE,
A DARK FIGURE FLUNG ITSELF AT THE STERN
OF THE. ICEBOAT AND LAID HOLD-OF IT

 
Sat
pene

25 e4 =
: zo Se

 
 

  

a

Sete
a

oe = ig wns

ine pies

“eae

 

 

river, pursuing young Merriwell.

 

 

iP 1a

 

mH Wie (IL

An Ideal Publication For The American Youth

my Vv Y

 

 

Issued Weekly. Entered as second-class matter at the New York Post Office actording to an act of Congress, March 8, 1879. Published by STREET & SMITH,
79-89 Seventh Ave., New York. Copyright, 1912, by STREET & SMITH. O. G. Smith and G. C. Smith, Proprietors.

 

TERMS TO NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY MAIL SUBSCRIBERS.
(Postage Free.)
Single Copies or Back Numbers, 5c. Each.

 

 

 

How to Send Money—By post-office or express money order, registered
letter, bank check or draft, at our risk. At your own risk if sent by currency,
coin, or postage stamps in ordinary letter.

BS GG a bas eke wr edeae cede es scupesas GHC, ONE YOALr.-ceee coeescsee-seces cosees $2.50 Receipts—Receipt of your remittance is acknowledged by proper change
4 MODEDS, «00000 eeeee veeeerceeeseees 85c, 2 copies One year...---+++++ «+++++ 4.00 |] Of number on your label. If not correct you have not been properly credited,
6 MONEE, --- 20+ cee e ee ceeeee ceee ences $1.25 L Copy tWO yea4rs, ....++ ssseseceseees 4,00 and should let us know at once. -

 

No. 22.

NEW YORK, December 28, 1912.

Price Five Cents.

Frank Merriwell, Junior, Meets the Issue;
Or, THE BLYFIELD FUGITIVES.

By BURT L.

CHAPTER I.
ANXIOUS PLOTTERS.

“Where’s that confounded Jap?” fretted Norris Cod-
dington. ~ ;

He stood by a window in the log “wikiup”’ and peered
down the long, snow-covered slope of the river bank. It
was night, and Nod’s anxious eyes rested on the frozen
surface of the water glimmering in the moonbeams.

Nogi, the Jap, had put on his skates and gone up the
i Norris had promised
Nogi ten dollars if he caught Merriwell and brought
him back to the wikiup.

An hour or two had passed since the Jap had taken
his departure. For some time Nod’s nerves had been
troubling him. As he stood by the window and stared
down at the icy river, he told himself over and over again

that Nogi should have been back long before, and that

there was no reason on earth why he should not have
brought Merriwell back with him,

That is—for so Nod qualified his thoughts—if the med-
dlesome, athletic chap who had fought his way clear of
the wikiup, and started up the river was really young
Frank Merriwell. Nod had his doubts on that score.

Truth to tell, Nod did not want to think that the strong,
skillful youngster was Merriwell. If he was Merriwell,
then Nod had made a fine show of himself, and would be
the laughingstock of every fellow at Blyfield Academy.
Nod’s conceit was monumental, and to strike a blow at
his overweening pride was to hit him in his most vulner-
able spot.

Nodwhad it on good authority that Frank Merriwell
was not to reach Blyfield until the following week. Mer-
riwell was coming, as Nod believed, because the athletes

at the academy had sent for him to inject a little snap and

STANDISH.

ginger into their winter sports and their indoor training
for the spring track work.

Nod did not believe in athletics. He called himself by
the high-sounding name of “reformer,” and his present
mission in life was to drive athletics out of the Blyfield
school.

He deluded himself with the idea that he was equal to —

the task. And in nothing did his conceit show itself so
much as in that weird delusion.

The*preceding afternoon he had been in town to secure
supplies for the wikiup, and had seen one of the academy
fellows, Harkness by name, indulging in some plain and
fancy skating with a chap whom Harkness called “Chip.”

The work of this lad Chip was wonderful. He took a
flight of hurdles of the ice in a manner that was simply
astounding; and then he had skated a race with Hark-
ness, who was one of the best fellows on steel runners in
the school, and had left Harkness far behind.

An idea had occurred to Nod while watching this
stranger, Chip. Why not hire him to contest various

sports with Merriwell, when the latter arrived? Chip,

no doubt, could “trim” Merriwell, for Nod was sure that
Merriwell was only a little tin hero, with more bluff than
ability. ;

_ If Chip could “make a show” of Merriwell, Nod felt
that he would be giving the Blyfield “sports” a back-
handed slap that would help on the “reform movement.”
So Nod had privately interviewed Chip, and had asked

him to come, down river five miles to the wikiup, on the

next afternoon.

Chip had come, and had proven a good deal of a tarter.

Jock Belize, one of the Coddington crowd, was not at all
in sympathy with Nod’s plans for having Chip “trim”

young Merriwell. eae et

- te sere a a ners a nes et ak TG: acne

  
  
   
   
     
   
   
  
  
  
   
  
   
   
  
  
  
  
   
   
   
  
    
   
  
        
      
     
    
    

NEW TIP

 
   
 
 
    
   
 
    
  
 
  
    
  
  
    
        
  
  
   
    
       
   
    
   
   
        
   
   

 

Belize was a quarter-blood Indian, and he believed that
the quickest way to begin driving athletics out of Blyfield
was by burning the gym. In the course of the evening,
Belize went to town. Gene Trafford, a sickly fellow, and
who was suspicious of Belize and fearful of his desperate
schemes, followed the quarter-blood and saw him piling
rubbish under the gymnasium building. Trafford at once
returned to the wikiup and reported to Coddington.

Merriwell, appreciating the gravity of the situation,
tried’ to leave the cabin and get. to town without delay,
in order to interrupt Belize in his nefarious work. Nod
and his crowd, assisted by the Japanese cook and care-
taker, did their utmost to hold Merriwell back.

° The efforts of the Coddington crowd were in vain.
Merriwell escaped from ‘the cabin, and Nogi, the Jap,
had been sent after him to bring him back. Now, Nod
was waiting impatiently for Nogi’s return, and trying to
convince himself that’ Chip, when he had said he was

Frank Merriwell, was merely lying for the effect his

* words might have.

“Nogi,” grumbled Nod, still staring from the window,

; “has had time to skate from here to Blyfield and back. a
dozen ‘times. Why in Sam Hill doesn’t he show up?”

There were three lads in the room besides Codding-

ton: Tully Perkins, Hal’ Dalrymple, and Gene Trafford.
Trafford, well-nigh exhausted, lay ona coueh to one side
of the® big fireplace. Tully Perkins leaned back in a chair,
now and then rubbing the pit of his stomach where Mer-
riwell had landed a demoralizing kick. Dalrymple, with
the aid of a pocket mirror, was. arranging his pompadour,
. .. “primping” and fussing with a black-and-blue spot on
: his ‘cheek.

“IT. will bet ‘thomething handthome,” lisped Hal Dal,
“that I know why the Jap doesn’t come baek, Nod.”

; “Why?” snapped Nod, whirling sharply about from the
window,

“Beécauthé,” went on Dal; “Merriwell hath taken him
into camp. Sending Nogi after thith Merriwell perthon
wath poor buthineth, Nod. Instead of Nogi making a
prithoner of Merriwell, it hath been the other way
around,”

“Oh, talk sense, or keep
Nod.

“That's what I say,” said little, wishy-washy Perk,

_ seowling in imitation of Coddington. :

“You fel lows made a bad break,” eame huskily from
Trafford. “Instead of trying to stop Merriwell, you
ought to have gone with him and helped him to keep
Belize from burning that building. Our only hope is
that Merriweéll will get away from Nogi, and put a stop to
‘Belizé himself. If he doesn’t, we will n

Trafford’s words were smothered by a fit of coughing.

“That sort of talk makes me tired, Gene,” snarled
Coddington. ‘What do we care if the gym is burned
down? If the building goes up in smoke, it will be a
big boost for the reform movement.”

; “That’s what,” asserted Perkins.

OU are forgetting a few thingth, Nod; ‘put in Dal-

ry mple, “If the gym ith burned, we will be ‘accethethories

before the fact, ath the lawyerth thay, beeauthe’ we knew
what Belize’ wath up to, and did not try te stop him.

More than that, we tried to keep thith Meérriwell perthon

drom stopping him. That ith what maketh the thing

look tho had for us, old top.”

‘fAre you chaps a pack of cowards ?”

eee.

POR Sa

a

ore

ee

LIE:

ramen,
ee

your mouth shut!” scowled

3%

Se er

wee

 

demanded Nod

 

TOP “WEEKLY.

cer

That’s what I want to know,” bristled Perk, on the
job _ ith his second fiddle to Nod, as usual.

[f | am:a coward,”
doesn’t worry me much. That Merriwell thertamly
knowth how to use hith fists. He ith a regular bruither!
| am too mueh of a gentleman,” he finished, with dignity,
“to take part in any more rough-houth work with thith
Merriwell perthon. He ith beneath my notith. If that
meanth that | am. a coward, Nod, then we will have to let
it go that way.’

“lL am afraid of what Jock Belize will do,” declared
Trafford, m his whispering voice. “I’ve always been
afraid he wesia do something to get this bunch of re-

formers’ in trouble. I’m a coward about that, I sup-
pose.”’ i
Coddington was in-a savage ill humor. With a final

fruitless look from the window, he made his way ta his
own particular chair—the easiest chair in the room, by the
way—and flung himself into it.

“Put some wood on the fire, Perk,” he ordered.
to freeze us to death?”

Perk jumped to carry out the command.

“Now,” continued Nod, “‘there’s another thing I/want
to bat up to you fellows: This buttinsky, whose. real
namé is Chip, is not Frank Merriwell. Get ‘that? I say
he’s not Merriwell,”

“But he thaid,” began Dal, “that he wath——_

“T don’t care what he said” glowered Coddington. “I
don’t go around making a fool Oe myself, as w ould have
been the case if I had tried to get Frank Merriwell to
make a holy: show of Frank Merriwell. We've had
enough of that sort of talk, My rank
tion, a!

“is too high to be tangled up in such a fool joke as that,
Don’t forget that I’m the son of Rufus Coddington, the
railway ‘magnate, and that yoyt can’t shoot holes in the
Coddington prestige.”

" Phith fellow, Chip, punched holeth in uth, Nod,” said
Dal, “even if he ‘didn’ t shoot any holeth in the "Coddington
prethtige.”

“It must be great to have a governor like Nod’s,”
mepned Perk, almost morbid with ehvy and admiration,

 

“Want

”

I don’t see any serise,” spoke up Trafford, “in a fel-

low’s pattirig himself on the back because his father hap-
pens to own half a dozen railroads. If I had my health,
you can bet | wouldn’t trade it for all the riches
power in the world,”

Traf-
toward

Nod always had a good deal of patience with
ford. His‘ glance softened a little as he looked

the pinched face and big, bright eyes of the lad on the ©

couch.

Bae ou ¢an't help not having your health, Gene,”
he, “any more than I could help being born with
speon in my mouth,
the least.
I "5

said
la gold
All that doesn’t alter the ease. in
I have power and influence behind me, and

 

Nod bit his words short. A slow step crunched the
snow outside, the door opened, and Nogi, the Jap, came
limping into the room.

TaN here’s that fellow you were to bring back with

you?” demanded Nod, starting up from his chair.

“Tllustrious: master,” ahswered the Jap, in his flowery
manner, “he proved himself more than could be handled
by me.
bruise by my foot.

answered Dal complacently;: “it -

126

and social a
and he pushed ottt his chest and looked very lordly, —

and

My. skate is’ broken, and I have one yery bad «
I have returned with skates in hand,.»

 

a

“idk

;

ig
|
7
- |
i
7)
{
‘|
|
*'
4

 

wi . aad a : jg tes: etecs fe
Nee a nya a Rea : Ss

 

wall
Mer

ne
men

\
Nog
kitcl

laug
capt
luck

bach

“ey

“]
bled

ot
him

D
He:
mig!
terte

D
than
crou
few
by <
the |
sive,

D
Mer
mad
It w
“kn
reas
pose

A
not |
dese
riwé
ing.

9

_ spor
- cont

ee)
he «
Chiy
vent
Chij
He’

trie
Sup

Beli
Say.

boat

4)

doa

ez
ee

, an

with
at
 
 

 

 

etwnyeteeieet

EOI ose eee

 

i ssive.

walking the ice. For this reason, I am late returning.
Merriwell is splendid warrior—good like samurai.”

“Get out!’ shouted Coddington, in angry disappoint-
ment.

Without response, his face as stolid as a graven image,
Nogi limped painfully out of the big room and into the
kitchen.

 

CHAPTER. II.
THE GLOW IN THE SKY. -

“Nogi ith in luck,” said Dal, with a pattering little
laugh. “I would have bet a thixpence that Merriwell had
captured him and taken him to Blyfield. The Jap ith in
luck to get back at all.”

“Not Merriwell,” shouted Nod, “but Chip!”

“Very well, old top,” Dal answered calmly ; “Chip it is.”

“T ought to have gone after the fellow myself,” grum-
bled Nod, lighting a cigarette.

“Tf you had,” declared Perkins, “you’d have brought
him back.”

Dalrymple looked at Trafford with an amused smile.
He also gave a covert wink. Nod’s little weaknesses were

mighty plain to Dal, and occasionally he ‘found them en-

tertaining.

Dal was positive, for instance, that Chip was none other
than Frank Merriwell, and that Nod had blundered ludi-
crously in trying to hire Chip to take Merriwell down a
few pegs at athletics. Nod’s attempt to dodge ridicule
by affirming that Chip and Merriwell were not one and
the same, merely made the joke all the more comprehen-

Dal likewise knew that, if Nod had gone in pursuit of
Merriwell himself, the noted young athlete would have
made much quicker work of him than he had of the Jap.

It was the business of the Coddington crowd, however, to

“knuckle under” to their chief. Each did it for various

reasons, but all were in hearty accord with Nod's pur-

pose of cleaning athletics out of Blyfield.

Although Nod, and those with him in the wikiup, did
not know it, yet one member of the “bunch” had recently
deserted. This fellow was Jock Belize, with whom Mer-

_ riwell had worked and argued to some purpose that even-
~@

; !
ing.

Trafford was a lad of serious nature. He did not re-
spond in kind to Dal’s smile and covert wink. On the

contrary, his face wore a very grave expression.

“Tt’s a mighty good thing for us, in one way,” said

‘Fhe earnestly, “that Nogi was not able to interfere with

 

  
  

  

  
 
  
  

es ng gleam of satisfaction in his blue eyes.
i

Chip. It means, if it means anything, that Chip has pre-
vented Jock from burning the gymnasium building. But
Chip knows how we were all back of Jock in his attempt.
He'll not forget, in a hurry, that all of us, in this cabin,

FE tried to keep him from meddling with Jock’s crazy plans.
\ Suppose Chip tells Prexy? That means that Dal, Perk,

Belize, and I will be expelled, same as Nod has been.
Say, Nod, you’re liable to have us here as steady

boarders.”

“T guess I can stand it,’ answered Coddington, a lurk-
“This Chip
a skunk, though, if he tells on you.”
“T don’t know about that,” coughed Trafford.

“Took here,” went on Nod darkly, “do you fellows have

a notion that Belize would allow this Chip to interfere
with him?”

“I gueth Jock couyldn’t help himthelf,” said Dal.

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

Jock’s full of ginger and determina-
When it comes to firmness he’s got Chip skinned
He’ll burn that building in spite of Chip—you
hear what I say?’
Dalrymple looked toward Nod with startled eyes.
“Thay,” said he faintly, “I hadn’t thought of that, by

“T guess he could.
tion.
a mile.

Jove! It would be a deuth of a note, now, if Jock really
burned the gym and got uth all into trouble.” Dal pulled
a silk handkerchief from his coat and patted his per-
spiring forehead. “I’m getting thcared, fellowth,” he
finished. ;

“What's the use of getting scared?” returned Nod, but
somewhat uneasily. ‘‘We can prove that Jock went ahead
without any help from us, can’t we?”

“We can prove that,” said Trafford, “but Chip can
prove that we did our best to stop him when he wanted
to hustle into town and interfere with Jock. If that
gym goes, we’re in for it.”

“Perk,” ordered Nod, “go to the window, over there,
and see if there’s anything like a fire over toward Bly-
field.”

Perkins hastily made his way to the window -which
commanded a view in the direction of town.

“Can’t see a thing, Nod,” he answered.

“Stay there and watch,” said Nod.

“Tt’s cold as the dickens over here,’ shivered Perk.
“Can’t I just come to the window, off and on, Nod, and
keep track of "

“You heard what I said,” interrupted the other sharply.

Perk meekly drew up a chair and sat down, elbows on
the window sill and eyes peering through the glass. No
feudal baron ever had a more faithful retainer than Nod
had in Perkins.

“How could Jock prevent Chip from interfering with
him, Nod?” queried Dal, in deep ansiety.

“For one thing,’ was the answer, “Jock could use a
knife, and .

“That ith horrible!” gulped Dal, shuddering.
thay such a thing.” :

“We might as well face this business and make the
most of it,’ continued Nod, apparently relishing the fear
he had inspired in Dalrymple. “Jock Belize is part In-
dian. Put an Indian in a place like that and he’d do some-
thing desperate, wouldn’t he?”

“If Belize attempts any knifework,” spoke up Traf-
ford, “it will get all of. us deeper and deeper into the
mire.”

“Not at all, Gene. Chip is the only one who knows
who is back of the conflagration, if there happens to be
one, and if he is not able to talk, then the rest of us are
safe, aren’t we?”

This was a gruesome way of securing protection. Dal
and Trafford, at least, could get littlé comfort out of
Nod’s words. .

“T, for one,” declared Trafford, his haggard face filled
with horror, “would rather be suspected of helping Jock
burn the gym than to have any foul play happen to Chip.
But Chip is too strong, too resourceful. It isn’t possible
that Jock Belize could get the better of him.”

“T don’t think it ith pothible, either,’ ‘faltered Dal-
rymple, “but my nerveth are all shot to piethes, and I—I
don’t know what to think.”

“Nod,” quavered Perk, lookingaround from the win-
dow, “if we get in danger on®account of what Belize
does, your governor ought to be able to help us.”

‘Probably he could help me,” said Coddington thought-

 

 

“Don’t

  

  
  
  
  
   
  
  
    
   
   
  
  
 

pe

‘got up from his chair.

[oh Py

his governor?

4 NEW

 

fully, “but I'll be hanged if I know whether he’d help
you fellows or not. Blood is a blamed sight thicker than
water, you know, and the old man might butt in to keep
me out of jail. I guess I’d have my hands full, though,
getting him to come to my rescue without trying to get
him to help the rest of you.”

‘That’s your idea of sticking by your pals, is it?” asked
Trafford indignantly,

“Oh, you'll be all right, Gene,” returned Nod smooth-
ingly, “no matter which way the cat jumps. Chip was
here when you got back and blew the whole business
about Jock and his plans, You were all for letting
Chip go and rescue the gym, It was Perk, and Dal,.and
Nogi, and I who tried to lay hold of Chip and keep him
back.”

“T wath too darned ambitiouth in that set-to,”’ mourned
Dal. ‘I wish I had kept out of it. What ith the penalty
for keeping thomebody from keeping thomebody from
thetting fire to a gymnasium?”

Nod laughed. The panic which had takee hold of Dal,
and which he was passing on to Tully Perkins, struck a
humorous note somewhere in the depths of Nod’s queer
nature.

“It ith no laughing matter,’ chattered Dal.

“Let’s wait till Jock gets back to the wikiup and re-
ports before we let our imaginagion throw a scare into

_ us,” said Nod.

“Maybe he won’t come back,” whimpered Perk.

“Sure he’ll come back,’ Nod answered confidently,

‘Maybe he ith in jail, right thith minute,” hazarded

Dal, .
“No use fretting about things we don’t know,’ and Nod
“It’s twelve o’clock, fellows, and
I’m, going to bed. The rest of you had better follow
suit.”

“Thee anything of a fire, Perk?”
pitating voice.

“No,” Perkins answered.

“You'll not see any signs of a fire in Blyfield to-night,”
said Trafford, picking himself slowly off the couch, “If
Jock hasn’t got his blaze to going by now, he won’t be
able to start it at all,”

‘This rather eased Dal’s turbulent feelings, and Perkins
also experienced a sense of relief. Coddington, having
succeeded in making his friends uncomfortable, laughed
loudly and stepped through a door leading to the bed-
rooms. Perkins followed him. For a few moments
Dalrymple and Trafford remained ‘in the big room.

“Nod wath having fun with uth,” said Dal, “Gene,
he wath trying to see how badly he could theare uth, It
wath a mighty poor joke.”

“I’m getting tired of training with a bunch like this,
Dal,” answered Trafford wearily. “I don’t believe in
athletics any more than Coddington does, and that’s the
one thing that makes this crowd hang together. But if
Coddington isn’t loyal to us, aren’t we fools to stick to
him?”

“He ith loyal to uth. He liketh to joke, and thome of
hith joketh are in pretty poor taste, but he ‘ith loyal,
Gene.”

“How do you explain about that talk of his regarding
He said his father might protect him, if
we all got into trouble, but that the rest of us would
have to shift for ourselves, Is that being loyal?”

Trafford’s struggle, that night, in following; Belize
and in returning to bring the news of the quarter-blood’s

:

asked Dal, in a pal-

TIP TOP WEEKLY.

attempt-on the gym, had tried the sickly lad far beyond
the limit of endurance. He showed his weakness as he

stood by the couch, and Dal put out an arm to steady

him.

“You are in pretty bad shape, Gene,” said Dal sym-
pathetically. “Let uth quit talking and go to bed,”

Dal supported Trafford from the room, and presently
Nogi came in, made the fire safe for the night, and put
out the light. A little later the wikiup became dark and
still.

Coddington was sleeping soundly when he felt a shak-
ing hand on his shoulder,

up. Dalrymple, in blue silk pajamas and carrying a lamp,

stood at the side of his bed.

“What's the matter with you, Dal?” demanded Nod
sleepily.

“Look!” was the hoarse response, as Dal pointed
through the window of the room.

What Nod saw, as his eyes sought the window, was a
reddish glow billowing against the distant sky. He gasped
and fell back on his pillows, staring at Dal.

“A fire!” he muttered blankly.

“Yeth, a fire,” came the tremulous voice of Dalrymple,

“a big fire in Blyfield. Jock Belize hath thtarted hith
blaze, and—and we are in for it!”

CHAPTER III.
THE FLIGHT.

Sometimes a person will do something in a fit of reck-
lessness or passion, and the rashness that inspired the deed
will wear away while it is being committed; then, when
the consequences conie, sober second thought is able to
measure them with terrifying vividness.

It was so with Nod Coddington and his friends in this
matter of Jock Belize’s attempt to burn the gymmnasitim,

Joek was the most desperate member of the Codding-
ton coterie; that is, if he felt that he was justified in
doing a thing, he would go at it with all the lawless
energy that was the heritage of his Indian blood.

Nod’s plausible tongue had conyinced Jode that athletics

should be wiped out of Blyfield, Cunningly Nod had
worked on the quarter-blood’s personal relations to the
sports of the school. He had pointed out how Jock’s
arm, injured in a football game, and stiffened and crip-
pled,‘gave him a bigger interest in the “reform” move-
ment than it gave any one else.

In this way, weeks before, Coddington had set a match
to the train that led to the powder mine. Belize had
stolen away from the wikiup on the night of Merriwell’s

visit to the place and had tried to put his mad plan in — Se

operation,
Trafford had discovered what Belize was about, and

he had skated back to the wikiup, some five miles by —

river, to tell Coddington, instead of reporting to the

faculty, or to Philander Pettigrew, the principal, orto —
He had done that in order to —

any one else in the town.
save Jock from the consequences of his intended crime.

Merriwell, as soon as Trafford’s story was told, at- —

tempted to leave the wikiup and make a hurried trip to
Blyfield so that he could interfere with Belize., And
the folly and thoughtlessness of Nod, Dalrymple, and

Perkins led them to oppose Merriwell, and to send Nogi

in pursuit of him,

   

Now, when all the exciting events had passed, Nod and —

those with him had had time to look at their actions

He opened his eyes and sat —

 

 

     

 

t

 

a
Ht
:

_).

a)

 

 

    
     
       
      
    
       
          
      
    
      
     
   

nd
he

 

eee

bo i a
A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    
    
  

  

 

   
 
 

 

called him a coward,

e For all that, however, he had courage,

« as miserable and forlorn an object as Nod had ever seen.

from every side, Their hot blood had cooled. They
realized that Merriwell was right, that he had tried to
save them from the consequences of a crime, and that
ethey had fought against his efforts. Here, in the dead
of night, that glow in the sky over toward Blyfield,
brought to Coddington and his friends nothing but sicken-
ing dread,

Merriwell had failed to stop Belize! The Blyfield gym-
nasium was burning! Jock had been hours in getting his
blaze started, yet here at last that column of flame was
lighting up the sky!

The gymnasium was doomed! Had it not been totally
wrapped in flames, the great glare would not have shown
across the intervening miles that separated the town
from the cabin,

Yes, the Blyfield gym would soon be a thing of the
past. This was horrifying enough, when the respon-
sibilities of Nod and his friends in the matter were con-
sidered; but over and above the wiping out of the gym,
this more tragic question arose in the minds of the lads:
What had become of Merriwell?

Had Jock, Indian fashion, been able to get the better
of the generous and intrepid lad who had sought to save
him ,from the consequences of an intended crime? It
seemed, in view of that glow in the sky, as though this
must have been the case. :

In this manner ran Dalrymple’s thought. Here was
the cause for that tremble in his voice, and for the un-
steadiness of his hand that held the lamp. Hal Dal was
almost in a state of collapse.

His emotions quickly communicated themselves to the
freshly awakened Coddington. The latter piled out of
bed without a word, and staggered over to the window.
Leaning there, he stared like one fascinated at the waver-
ing light in the sky.

It was a huge blaze. Great, red billows rolled toward
the zenith, and over them was a black pall of smoke, that
shrouded the stars and straggled in ragged streamers
across the face of the moon. ;

The spectacle, merely as a spectacle, was awe-inspiring.
Nod turned from the window with a choking’ feeling in
his throat.

“Do—do Perk and Trafford know?” he gulped.

- “Yeth,” faltered Dal. “They’ re looking "trom Traf-
-ford’s window. Thith, thith ith awful!”

Dal put down the lamp and sank in a heap on Conliding-
ton’s bed, his face in his hands.

“Don’t blubber about it,” said Nod harshly.

“Who ith blubbering ?” answered Dal. “Iam so cold
that it maketh my teeth chatter. What ith to beoeine of
uth, Nod?”

Coddington wished he knew. The possibilities in that
. direction were so great that his heart was filled with

despair.

And yet, even Coddington’s worst enemies had never
He was conceited, and arrogant,
and lazy; he had been spoiled in his bringing up, and

was wild and irresponsible, and he was a victim of the
most foolish fancies that ever ran through a boy’s head.

“Buck up, Dal,” said Nod sharply, “We’re up against
it, and we've got to do something,”

_» “What ith there to do?” asked Dal hopelessly,

_ Inhis fancy silk pajamas, with his bare feet tucked up
— under hjm, and his chin in his hands, Hal Dal was about

 

 

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. 5

Per-
He

Before Nod could answer Dal’s pertinent question,
kins came staggering and whimpering into the room.
was followed by Trafford, silent and ominous,

“We'll be put in jail!” moaned Perk. “They'll send
us to the penitentiary for this! Oh, Nod, send word to
your old man! Tell him to come here right away and
get us out of this!”

In his ete Perk grabbed Coddington by the arm.
Nod flung him roughly to one side,

“Shut up that whining, you little runt!” said Nod.
“You make me sick. Gene, what business have you got
prowling around this cold cabin with. nothing around
you? Here,’ and Nod picked up a bathrobe and threw
it over the shaking shoulders of Trafford,

“How long do you suppose it will be,’ asked Trafford,
“before the officers come out here and arrest us?”

“Oh, pickles!) We’re not going to be arrested.”

“How do you know that, Nod?” quavered Perk, a
spasm of hope throbbing in his voice.

“Well, for one thing, if the officers come, they won't
find us. We're going to pull out.”

“Pull out?” echoed Dal, “Where are we going to pull
out to?”

“I don’t know. We’ve got to decide that, You see,
fellows, we must go into hiding for a time until the affair
blows over.”

Nod, impractical as usual, was planning on the first
move he could think of that would enable them to dod ge
conséquences. According to his ideas, the first necessary
thing was to disappear, If an officer can’t find a fellow,
they can’t arrest him, Then, when they had disappeared,
they must lie low and “wait for the affair to blow over.”
Just * though such an affair as that ever could blow
over !

“Here’s my idea,” spoke up Trafford, in his husky
voice, “and you can take it for what it is worth. When
we pull out, let’s go straight to Blyfield. Let’ s bat the
whole blooming business up to Prexy, and

He quit ina fit of coughing. _The lads at Blyfield called
Philander Pettigrew “Prexy,” merely because he was
president of a learned society and had made discoveries
among the mounds of the mound builders that had brought
him a gold medal. When the principal wasn’t “Old Pet,”
he was “Prexy.”

A whoop of protest went up!in answer to Trafford’s
suggestion. The sickly chap had suggested the one manly
course, but the others couldn’t see it, and wouldn’t stand
for it.

Coddington, now that the fires shock was oyer, rather
enjoyed the tragedy of the situation. He was the leader
of the crowd. He now had a chance to shine—a chance
that was dear to his heart.

“We'll wait a few hours,” said. Nod,
show up. Before we make a moye, i
to have a report from Jock.”

“That’s right,” agreed Trafford. “We ought to find
out just what has happened in order to know where we
stand. Maybe the prospect isn’t so dark as we think
it is,” |

“It ith dark enough,” said Dal glumly,
goodneth I wath out of it.” .

“Well, Dal,” returned Nod, “you’re not out of it, so

 

“for Belize to
just as well

“I wish to

-chirk up and make the best of what’s ahead. You fel-

lows are lucky to have me around to do your planning -
for a and steer you in the right way. I'll get you out
of thi _ Just pin your faith in Nod Coddington: BB ek

      

    
   

GE BIE SE

Another of Nod’s little weaknesses was evident in that
last remark, but Dalrymple was not in a mood to see the
humor of it.

Nogi could be heard stirring around in the big living
room. Nod called to him, and the Jap appeared. He
was calmness itself.

“Have you seen the fire, Nogi?” queried Nod.

“Yes, honorable employer,” replied Nogi.

“You know what it means to us, don’t you?”

“Yes, master.”

“You take it deuced cool,’ grunted Nod. “Chances
are, Nogi, we'll have to pull out.. Know any place we
can go?”

“How you lik® hang around with Japanese friends of
Nogi, illustrious son of great railroad man?” the Jap
asked.

He knew how to play upon Nod’s conceit. It was dol-
lars and cents in Nogi’s pocket to throw “highfalutin’ ”
words at his employer, and he was wily enough to pile
the flowery expressions on pretty thick.

“That sounds pretty good to me,’ said Nod.
far away are these friends of yours?”

“Down river ten-fifteen mile, master.”

“What do your friends do?”

“Work in quarry, close alongside river. ‘ Very fine place
to stay in time of trouble.”

“Clear out, now, and we'll let you know when we're
ready to duck. Tempus is fugiting pretty blamed fast,
and we can’t wait much longer for Jock.”

They waited two hours for Belize to present himself,
and he did not come. Dal suggested that he might have
been captured and placed in jail, and the idea sent cold
chills through the spines of the Coddington crowd.

They waited no longer. Hastily preparing themselves
for the cold flight down river, the lads, headed by Nogi,
set out. Trafford’s teeth were chattering with the cold,
and he was too weak to skate. Nod had him loaded on
a sled and wrapped in blankets; then he and Perk hauled
him after them as they skated down the river.

“How

CHAPTER IV.
. MERRIWELL’S SUSPICIONS.

Merriwell had had an exciting evening at the wikiup.
He had rather enjoyed the rush of events, for he had
in good measure a love for stirring incidents—just as
every other normal, healthy, and enterprising boy must

_ have.

For Merry, however, the best part of that evening
was the good work he had accomplished. As plain “Chip,”
he had gone out to the wikiup incog., and had looked upon
thé matter as a joke. Yet it was a joke with a serious
purpose back of it.

Frank had come to Blyfield at the request of his noted
father, in Bloomfield; and the elder Merriwell’s request
had been inspired by a letter from Rufus Coddington,
asking that young Frank see what he could do with Rufus
Coddington’s son. . ‘

‘Nod’s wildness had caused him to be expelled from two
or three different “prep” schools, and his father dreaded

to think that the same fate might befall the lad at Bly-

field. Perhaps young Merriwell could do something for
Nod, and so get him squared away in the serious work
of securing an education. a

Nod had already been expelled when Merry reached
the town, and he had retreated to the wikiup with the

NEW. TIP: ‘TOP “WEEKLY.

idea of staying there until his father and mother should
return from abroad and exercise their influence in his
favor with Old Pet.

This was the situation that confronted Merry when he?
came to Blyfield. In working out the problem, he missed
the counsel and aid of his two chums, Billy Ballard and
Owen Clancy. Ballard and Clancy had stopped off in
Denver for a week to keep track of Professor Borrodaile,

‘the lads’ private tutor.

Merriwell’s disgust of the Coddington crowd, when
he came to take stock of the “reformers” at close range,
was intense. Jock’s attempt to burn the gym was about
the last straw.

Frank had succeeded in preventing the destruction of
the building, and had argued with Jock so forcibly that
the quarter-blood had seen, as in a flash, the folly of
all the so-called “principles” which Coddington and his
“bunch” stood for. In the end, Belize had deserted Cod-
dington. Instead of returning to the wikiup, he had
gone to the college dormitory with a determination to be
diligent in his studies and to leave Blyfield athletics alone.

This was the good work Frank had accomplished, and
for which he had congratulated! himself as he returned
to his hotel. He went to bed in a pleasant frame of
mind, slept soundly for an hour or two, and was finally
aroused by the wild clamor of a bell. .

What meant that furious ringing in the dead of night?
He jumped out of bed and hurried to a window.

Dark houses were lighting up at the windows all over
the little town. People were rushing out into the frosty
air.

Frank, who always slept with his windows wide open,
summer and winter, heard excited voices. From the
excited talk, he gathered that there was a fire, that the bell
he had heard was the fire bell, and that the volunteer fire
department was already on the scene of the conflagra-
tion. f

A chill fear struck at Frank’s heart. Had he failed,
after all, to win Jock Belize from his desperate purpose?
Had Belize merely pretended a change of heart, in order
to quiet Frank’s fears? Had the quarter-blood simply
“made a bluff” at returning to Fe dormitory, and had
he really gone into hiding until Frank was out of the
way and then sneaked back to the gym and carried out
his dark purpose? ;

slack suspicions filled Merriwell’s mind. The glo
from the fire was beginning to light up the town. Its
ghastly radiance threw weird shadow§ on the white snow,
and brought out the hurrying forms of the townspeople
in spectral prominence.

Leaning far out of the window, Frank craned his head
in an attempt to locate the growing blaze. It was in the

direction of the Blyfield Academy buildings, and that was“

all he could make out.

“Hang it all,” he muttered, as he withdrew from the |

window, “it can’t be that Belize was handing me a lot
of hot air when he declared that he was done with the
Coddington crowd. If ever a fellow seemed sincere,
Belize did when he talked with me. Of course,” he added
skeptically, “Jock Belize is part Indian, and he may have
been pulling the wool over iny eyes. He talked fair
enough, though, that’s a cinch. “I’ve made a great big mis-
take if, by taking his word, I left him free to go ahead
and burn the gym. I'll hustle into my clothes and find
out all about this as quick as I can.” :

4 .
In less than five minutes Frank was out in the crisp

  
 
  
  
   
   
  
  
   
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
   
 
   
  
  
   
    
  
 
 
  
  
   
  
   
 
  

ee eee < sd
: < ‘

 

       
       
   
          
  

   
   

r

 

_ believe me.

oh AAT the tombs, a doleful sounc

NEW TIP

winter air, mingling with the crowd. Everybody moved
in one direction, and that was toward the river and the
college buildings. «

“Where’s the fire?” he asked of somebody who was
running along at his side. ,

“Great guns, if it isn’t Chip Merriwell!” exclaimed the
fellow to whom Frank had spoken.

“Hello, Toby Harkness!” exclaimed Frank, highly
pleased to discover that the youngster was one. of the

Blyfield students—the only one whom lie knew, at that

time.

“Hit it, first crack,” laughed Harkness,
come out at the wikiup, Chip?”

Hark had given Merry some pointers about the Cod-
dington crowd and, in return, Frank had told him of
his intention of visiting the wikiup ingog.

“Had a very pleasant evening, Toby,” Frank answered.
“What business have you got at a fire, this time of night?”

“No business at all,’ answered Hark cheerfully, “but
I had to see it, We dgn’t have many fires like this in
Blyfield. I drew straws’ with my roommate to see which
should come—and he got the short straw., One of our
windows is handy to a lightning rod, and I shined down
that rod easy enough. Now my roommate has to snore
for two, so that nobody will guess I’m out.”

‘Frank laughed. “But where’s the fire?” he repeated,
his fears and suspicions again. surging through him,

“Big warehouse at the foot of the street.”

“Warehouse?” echoed Frank, experiencing a great re-
lief. “Sure of it?”

#1 should say so. There it is, dead ahead. You can
see for yourself,”

Frank fixed his eyes on the big building at the end of
the street. Fortunately, there were no other buildings
near it and no chance for the fire to spread.

“What sort of stuff is stored there?” Frank asked. /

“Not much of anything—now, The pwiaieg is an old
rattletrap and has outlived its usefulness. Bad thing for
the third-class fellows that it’s going, though.”

“How’s that ?”

“Why, it has always played a big part in the things

“How'd you

the third-class chaps do to those in the fourth class. That

warehouse has been the scene of many a high old time,
The Pie Eaters used to have all their initia-
tions there.” .
“Pie Eaters?” queried Frank,
“One of the school societies—strictly a third-class in-

stitution, and devoted to raising high jinks generally.

There will be weeping and wailing among the Pie Eaters
on account of this conflagration.”

The fire fighters were using an old-fashioned engine
that worked with handles, Frank and Toby found a
chance to make themselves useful, and grabbed the

handles and worked like beavers,

“Anybody know you're out?” inquired a lad, who had
tailed onto the long handle opposite Toby, and whose
head was rising and falling as he bent to his:work.

“Whoop!” panted Hark, “if it isn’t Twofers! How

did you get here, Twofers ?”
answered Twofers, with a grin, “T.

“Rape ladder,”
suppose it’s the same old lightning rod for you, eh? _ It’s
a wonder Punk never gets next to that rod.
rod in pickle for you if he did. Then it would be ‘Hark,
1, 299

“Isn’t he cute?” flung back Hark. “They call, him
_ Twofers, thio, hecause he bought two for a alekel once

LOP

and smoked them.

thought, that the old warehouse should have burned on

He’d have a |
in the sky?

        
    
  
 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  
  
   
   
   
   
 
   
 
  
   
 
 
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
     
    

WEEKLY. , 7

He skipped recitations for two days,
and told Punk, the house monitor, it was rheumatism
of the stomach.”

“Forget it,” came blithely from) Twofers. “First of-
fense, likewise the last. You’re a rod ahead of me,
Hark, but 1 caught up with you to-night by means of
the rope ladder

“Witty, too,”
‘em off,”

“Natural to me,” explained Twofers. “If Punk tries
to’ pump me about you, Hark, he won't get any more
satisfaction out of me than I’m getting pumping this old
engine.”

“Do you get that, Chip?” explained Hark, with» an
elaborate manner that must have been maddening to ~
Twofers. “To pump, meaning to elicit information not e
voluntarily given. Again, to pump, meaning to “work
these handles and project a stream/of water upon a build-
ing which is being consumed by fire. Therefore, the pun
is this: If Punk tries to pump——

“You go to blazes!” snorted Twofers. /

“Everything seems to be going that way, even = lodge
room of the Pie Eaters.”

The warehouse could not be saved, that was évident. .
The fire consumed it rapidly, and presently the roof fell, M
and a great billow of sparks went surging upward into the
air. ;

While the lads were still laboring with the handle-
bars of the engine, Twofers suddenly let go,:and crorued
back.

“Hike!” he called to Hark.
he sees either of us -

Hark heeded the w arning promptly.

“That means me, Chip,” he muttered, backing away: into
the gloom. ‘Old Probs is our instructor in mathematics, ©
and he’d make an example of Twofers and me if-he
happened to set eyes on us. He’s a nosey old sardine, ©
and I’ll bet a copper he’s here just to spot some of the —
fellows. The fire doesn’t amount to much now, anyway.
Let’s mosey back up the street.”

“That isn’t gour shortest way to the school, Toby,
said Frank.

“The longest | way ‘round is the safest road home—for
me. Come on,’

Frank trailed off through the shadows with Ha#k. An
instinctive liking had sprung up between Frank and heey
on very short acquaintance. “a

On their way toward the hotel Fail told a tittle® of
his.experiences at the wikiup, but did not touch: tipon.
Belize’s attempt to burn the gym. He had promised
the_quarter-blood that he would keep quiet about that. —

Hark chuckled over the way Frank had visited Cod-
dington incog. “Hockey practice at the rink Ménday
afternoon,” he said, on leaving Frank. “Come around
and watch the first team struggle with the sécond. We're
getting in shape to take on Trawlee right after Christmas

holidays.”
Frank promised, It was odd; he

said Hark. “Just hear how he tosses

”

“There’s Old Probs. 7 Th

 

pps

    
     
     
     
     
     
       
       
       
       
       
      
       
    

  

and they parted.

the very night Belize had made his attempt on the gym.
Suppose Frank had known of the mistake the Cod-
dington crowd had made, on account of that bright glow
Coddington and his friends were fugitives,
fleeing down river, And, of course, they were not
sponsible, in any way, for what happened to the
warehouse, ;

        
     
       
 

 
 

   
    
  
  
  
   
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
   
  
   
  
  
   
    
   
  
 
 
  
   
  
  
  
  
   
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
       
   
       
   
    

 
 

NEW

 

CHAPTER V,
A QUARTER-BLOOD’S HEART.

Sunday in Blyfield bade fair to be a long and some-
what lonely day for Merriwell. He missed Ballard and
Clancy more than he had ever dreamed he would, and
he looked forward eagerly to the time when they and
the professor should join him again.

The. day was bright, and clear, and cold. After break-
fast, Merry walked down to the smoldering ruins of the
old warehouse.

A number of boys from the academy were grouped
about the few charred and smoking timbers. As Merri-

‘ well moved around in the vicinity of the recent fire, he
found himself surveyed curiously by the Blyfield lads.

To all the students but Harkness, Frank was a good
deal of a mystery. This was mainly because they knew
him merely as “Chip,” and did rot dream that he was
young Frank Merriwell.

f Merry was expected in Blyfield, with his two chums
and the peofessor, a week later than he had actually
f arrived, alone, in the place. The whole school was .ex-

pectantly awaiting his arrival, for it was believed that
his coming would “ginger up” all the Blyfield athletes
and add a lot of enthusiasm to the winter sports.

But when this handsome, dark-eyed, athletic stranger
appeared in the town, arriving unaccompanied by chums

hs or professor, and answeriug to the somewhat vague name
\ 660, oy 99 : > :

of “Chip,” no one dreamed that te was Frank Merriwell,
b junior. Harkness had been taken into Frank’s confidence,
i for the reason that it could hardly be helped; and, later,
5 Coddington and his crowd had likewise been told the

truth. Belize, however, had promised, just as Harkness

had, to keep Frank’s identity a close secret.

Frank’s reason for remaining incognito had originally
been inspired by Coddington’s mistake in thinking that
“Chip” and Frank Merriwell were two separate fellows.
Frank’s business in Blyfield was principally with Cod-
dington, although Coddington did not know it, and. visit-
ing the wikiup, out of character as it were, looked to

| Frank like a good chance for impartiagly sizing up the
whole Coddington situation. .

Later, when the joke had passed into a serious stage,
Frank was inclined to think that he could still work to
better advantage with Coddington and his crowd by keep-
ing his real identity in the background.

The students had seen Merry with Harkness, and they
had heard how, on'the day Merry had visited Harkness
at the academy, he had taken the hurdles on skates in a

way never before seen in Blyfield. This, naturally, had
_ aroused the curiosity of all the students, and Hark had
been badgered almost to death with inquiries as to who
the mysterious Chip could be. But Hark remained true
to his promise, and had given no hint that would lead the

Blyfield fellows to think that Chip was none other than

that “chip off the old block;” young Frank Mertiwell.

So the stranger in town was watched speculatively and‘ .
wonderingly as he circled around the smoking ruins.
Frank longed to go up to those fellows, settle ..their

curiosity, and mingle with them, for, as before stated,
_he was a trifle lonely. Not only that, but his elation over
the good work with Belize had been followed by a mood,
not exactly of depression, but close to it.

It seemed to Frank as though he had been given a
hopeless task in attempting to do something for Norris
- Coddington, It was new business for him, and this try-

PE LL PE IT

   

LIP TOP WEEBLY.

ing to reform a “reformer” went a little against the grain.
Nevertheless, he had stuck to his prospective task, and
had written to his father for advice.

Pending the arrival of a letter of instructions from —

Bloomfield, Frank was letting matters drift. This, on
the whole, seemed much better than to go ahead on his
own hook and, perhaps, make a botch of the work assigned
to him.

Leaving the group of students somewhat reluctantly,
Frank returned to the hotel. He read until dinner time,
and, after dinner, he had about made up his mind to go
down river to the wikiup and pass the remainder of the
afternoon with Coddington and his crowd. He antici-
pated that they would give him anything but a cordial
reception. This, however, would not have influenced
him in the least #f he had really decided to go.

Before he reached a decision in the matter, Fate

- stepped in and left the whole proposition dangling. Jock

Belize entered the office of the hotel, looked around for
a moment, and then laid a straight line for Frank.

“Hello, Belize!” exclaimed Frank cordially.

The quartér-blood nodded by way of greeting. He was
too much of an Indian to be at all demonstrative.

“Can I see you for a little while—in private?” Belize
asked.

“Sure,” Merry answered, although not withsout some
surprise. “Come up to my room, Belize. That’s about
as comfortable and. quiet a place as we can find around
here.” ;

He led the way upstairs and to his sleeping quarters.
When they were finally in chairs, facing each other*be-
hind thé room’s closed door, Merry noticed an odd glim-
mer in the black eyes of Belize. The fellow had some-
thing of importance in mind, that was plain.

‘Now, then, Belize,” said Frank, “what can I do for
rou?”

“Maybe not much,” was the reply. “You know I’m part
Indian ?”

Frank nodded.

“I suppose you don’t know that, on account of my
Indian blood,” proceeded Belize harshly, “there are fel-
lows in Blyfield who wouldn’t wipe their feet on me?”

“They must be a pretty poor lot,” said Frank indig-
nantly. “It’s the fellow himself that counts, and ?

“With some people, Merriwell,?” cut in Belize. “There
are those at the school who hate Coddihgton simply be-
cause they think he’s stuck up. They call him ‘Money-
bags, junior.’ There are a few, too, who toady to him
just for that very reason. Queer world, eh? I guess we
can’t all think alike.”

“In a matter of a fellow’s real worth,’ said Frank
warmly, “we all ought to think alike.”

“Maybe you are right. The fellows who look down
on me because I’m part Indian, used to have a habit
of giving a war ‘whoop, or what they thought was a war
whoop, whenever they saw me. ‘That was before I got
into football, before they found I was a good distance
runner to match against Trawlee, before—well, before
that time I pulled Gene Trafford out of the river.”

“Ah!” exclaimed Merry. “So you pulled TLeafford
out of the river, did you?” ‘

“Yes. It wasn’t much of a trick. We'll not talk about
it. I only mentioned it to sort of lead up to Trafford.
When I first came to Blyfield I didn’t think I could stay.
You see, I was treated like an outcast, a leper, a thief.
Some of the fellows called me ‘poor Lo?.” A slow

 

 

 

 
 

is at

  

: pleased.

SS, Ee eee pate

—
aired 2ST

 

_ was thinking about Gene Trafford last night:

e. “Trafford seems to be loyal to his friends, and

grin showed for a moment on the swarthy face of Belize.
“T caught one of them at it, and when I got through with
him no one ever called me ‘poor Lo’ again.”

“Served the fellow right,” said Frank heartily.

“But Trafford,” went on Belize, “was my friend right
from the start. He went out of his way to speak to me,
to make friends with me. He helped me over the hard
places, Merriwell. If he hadn’t, ’d have dug out.”

“Trafford is too good a fellow for the crowd he’s
training with,” commented Frank. ‘I made up my mind
to that the evening I was at the wikiup.”

“I’ve heard that an Indian never forgets a. friend,”
pursued Belize. “I’ve got that much Indian in me, any-
way. If a fellow does anything for me, I don’t forget.
I was glad I could pull Trafford out of the river when
the sailboat capsized. But that bit of work didn’t pay my
debt to him. I want to do something else for Trafford.”

The quarter-blood was showing the finer side of his
character. Frank was deeply interested. Belize had a
heart to feel, no less than a hand to dare. Such a fellow
always, commands respect, and, in some cases, admira-
tion. .

“Go on, Jock,” Merry urged.

“That ducking in the river gave Trafford a cold; went
on the quarter-blood. “He never got over that cold.
Can’t youesee in his face what is coming to him? Pe
you understand, just as I do, that Gene Trafford i
is 99

 

3elize suddenly sprang up from his chair, turned. his
back on’ Frank, and looked out of a window. He did
that, plainly enough, to hide the emotion that had quickly
flooded his face. He was not entirely a stoic. When
he felt deeply, his face reflected what was going on in
his heart.

Frank was touched. And at the same time deeply
He had not thought to find so much true worth
in Jock Belize. He waited silently until Belize, master-
ing his emotion, turned back.

“Merriwell,” he continued, “you have shown me what
a fool I was for taking up with Coddington. When
we talked that night—you know when I mean—I saw
all the foolishness like a flash of lightning in the dark.
You gave’me a new point of view. That point of view
had never occurred to me before.”

“Tt would have occurred to you in time, Jock,” said
Frank confidently: “Coddington’s idea about athletics
are a joke. He might as well try to reform the wind
and ‘keep it from blowing as to try to drive athletics
out of Blyfield, or out of any other school. Sports of
track and field are here to stay. Every school in the
country needs them. The students need them. And
Trafford,” he added, lowering his. voice sympathetically,
“needs outdoor air and exercise more than any chap I
know.”

“That’s the point!’ exclaimed Belize passionately. “I

ton’s ideas and Coddington’s example are dong himh a lot
of harm, He ought to be taken away from d’s influ-
9
ence.
“That may be a hard matter,

9?

said Frank thoughtfully.

 

“So was I loyal,” burst out Belize savagely, ‘ ‘until, it

the space of a heartbeat, I realized what a fool I was
~making of myself.
the same thing. You can do it, Merriwell.

I want you to-help me show Trafford
You’ve got
a way with you that’s
&

mighty convincing.”

wns phd

Ors ;

   

 

NEW. TIP. TOP WEEKLY. 9

Frank knew that in dealing with Trafford he had an-
other proposition on his hands, as compared with Jock
Belize.

“T might not be able to convince Trafford, Jock,” said
he. “I’m willing to do anything I can, of« course,
but———”

Belize lifted his clenched fist and brought it sharply
down on his knee.

“I pulled Trafford out of the river in order to save
his life,” he said fiercely, “and I'll pull him away from
Coddington for the same purpose. I think it’s as seri-
ous as that, Merriwell. I couldn’t sleep all last“night for
thinking of Trafford. Something has got to be done for
him. You'll help?”

“Ves.”

“Then, when: Dalrymple, and Perkins, and Trafford
come back to school this afternoon, I’m going to watch
my chances and get you and Gene into a talk. I’m obliged
to you, Merriwelk Between us, we’re going to help Traf-
ford.”

He got up, in a of Merry’s protestations, and started
for the-door. Without another word he passed out into
the hall and away.

-
CHAPTER VI.

GOING AFTER TRAFFORD.

Early Monday afternoon, Merriwell took his skates un-
der his arm and left the hotel for the river. At the foot
of the main street he clamped on his steel ;runners and
started for the Blyfield hockey rink. He knew where it
was, for Harkness had pointed it out to him on the day
he had called at 26 Bolton to make inquiries about Cod-
dington, junior,

The air was still and cold. There was a cheerless,
leaden hue to the sky, and a feeling in the atmosphere of
more snow to come. The smoke from the Blyfield chim-
neys was rising straight upward in columns of feathery
white.

The rink was by the river, and as Merriwell slowly
approached it, a sound of young voices grew louder in
his ears, accompanied by a ringing grind of skate$’ on
the ice. Presently Frank came within sight of the two
Blyfield teams at practice with their bent clubs.

The knitted red caps, the red stockings, and the gray
jerseys of the battling skaters were tangled in a yivid
knot of color. As they shifted, and whirled, and shifted
again, now advancing toward one goal and now toward
the other, Frank’s blood began to leap and clamor for
active participation in the fight.

Yet he knew this could not be.
while he was playing-a waiting
Coddington,
prominent.

On the top of a retaining wall of earth, at the rink
side, a few benches were placed. These were covered
with sweaters, shin guards, extra sticks, and other odds
and ends belonging to the players.

Without bothering to remove his skates, Frank climbed
to one of the benches, made a place for hithself by clear-
ing away some of the paraphernalia, and sat down to
watch. There were other observers from the academy,
and Frank had purposely selected a bench as far from
these lads as possible.

Harkness, captain of the regular ¢eam, was playing

For the present, and
game in the affairs of
it was best not to make himself at all

*¢ DK

+ 4 on, eae nee
.

 
 
  

   
       
 
       
    
    

           

10 NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

     

 

         
   
  
 
 
 
 
   
    
   
    
  
   
   
  
   
  
 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  
  
  
  
    
   
   
   
   
  

end. Merriwell watched his work and was very much “Strikes me that Dalrymple or Perkins could come in
taken with it. and report.” 7
At the regulars’ end of the rink, armored. with big “They don’t dare do that. Old Pet would find out that 4

leg guards, crouching forward and eyes scanning every they | had spent Sunday with Coddington, and then they’d
move of*the puck, Merry recognized Twofers—the lad be hauled over the coals. If Trafford is really sick,
who had used a rope lade jer in order to visit the burning they'll all wait until he’s able to come in, and then come

 

      
       
     
       
    

 

         
 
 

   
  

warehouse. in together.”
A whistie sounded. The man who had blown it rushed “How can we bring him, Belize, if he’s not able to *
‘ out:from the side lines, and secured possession of the come?” |
puck, “We can bring him on a sled, if we have to,” said
While the players stood leaning on their clubs, wait- the quarter-blood. “I’ve made up my mind that Trafford ' :
ing for hostilities to open once more, Harkness happened has got to quit the Coddington crowd for good, and that g ;
to eo sight of. Merriwell. He waved his club, and he has got to do it id ri
Frank fluttered his hand in a return greeting. That was Frank, somehow, had a feeling that Jock’s guess was /
. as far as the ‘interchange of civilities could go,/for the wide of the real facts, but he had no beiter theory of his :
i puck was dropped,.and “the play was on again. own to offer.
a The; two: opposing forwards had faced off, and it fell “How is it,” he asked, “that Professor Pettigrew did
j to the lad in the second team to capture the puck. The ‘not pin you ‘down more in the matter of where you _¥
i second team’s line formed to sweep alongtthe rink. The fellows went?’ 4 ;
ee left. end of the regulars checked the second team’s for- “T don’t know why it was, but he didn’t. Now and :
Bs, ward for an instant, but only for an instant. Recover- then Old Pet has a peculiar way of doing things. He
; ing the-rubber disk after a bit of spirited play, the for- looked me straight in the eye as he told me I had better ‘
i “vard passed it on. find Trafford and the others and bring them in. Prob-
( Then the regulars’ defense got busy. The lad at cover ably he thought I was mixed up in the thing in some
tae _ point. hurled himself at his opponent on the second team, way.” . ‘
i but the darting rubber slipped to one side. The second’s Merriwell was considerably disturbed over the informa- a f
hy forward evaded the first’s left end, and made a shoot. tion Belize had given him. The failure of the three —
hess At just the moment when the puck was skimming toward lads to return to the school was a,serious offense, and 7 I
be the net, a hand dropped on Frank’s shoulder. certainlye something serious must have happened to pre- .
uF Frank looked up, startled. Jock Belize was standing vent it. If Jock’s guess was not the correct one, what t
a” beside him, and there was a portentous look in Jock’s other supposition would account for the absence of the q
ey face that captured every particle of Frank’s attention. ‘. three? Frank turned the matter over in his mind during { c
ae ‘“What’s the matter?” Merriwell asked. a couple of miles of rapid skating, and an idea occurred / ‘
iy “Tm going after Trafford,” replied Belize. to him which was not pleasant to contemplate. g t
“Going after Trafford ; ?” Merry repeated. ‘‘Why, isn’t “Belize,” said he suddenly, to his companion, “maybe | :
ae aa Coddington has had some fool idea or other, and has = | 1
“Will. you .come?” interrupted Belize, almost curtly. persuaded Trafford and the other two to stay away?” : ©
‘Maybe there isn’t much time to lose. I'll explain as ‘Nod is full of harebrained notions,” answered Belize,
we skate. down river.” “and what you say is possible. But what sort of a fool. | g
“Of course I’ll. come,” Frank answered. idea do you think Nod had?” F a
Unseen by Harkness or any of the other hockey players, “Hanged if I know, but all of his crowd were pretty fi
Frank descended to the river, and he and Belize skated much under his thumb. Coddington appears to have the | E
off side by side. gift of gab, and to be able to make his friends see things = n
‘ “Sorry to take you away from that game, Merriwell,”’ as he sees them.” a Pp
said Belize, “but this work is important. “Or as he pretends to see them,” qualified Belize. | J
“I thought Trafford was due to get back to the academy “You've got it right, Merriwell. Trafford, though, is =) f
yesterday afternoon?” pretty level-headed, and he’s as square a chap as you'd -
“So he was, but he isn’t there yet. Neither have Per- meet in a month’s travel.” I’
kins. and. Dalrymple shown up at the school. Prexy had “No doubt about that. What can he see in Caddtiiatcet :
me in. his office, an hour ago, asking questions. — He’s to attract him?” Vs
worried.” Ral; Ahn : a ir
“You fellows had permission to go out to the wikiup ?” ridetigrion wee eee ee along, i ee i
‘We had permission to visit a friend in the country, “Cartainly” Ly + Codd ; x
but Prexy didn’t*know that the friend was Coddington. ve ” a babii On et ex eee
He asked mei where Trafford, Perkins, and Dalrymple Ste me attracts Trafford : oy
were. I explained that I was in Blyfield map oe night No, declared the other. “If money or social posi- ae
and Sunday and;hadn’t seen any of them, but that I’d tion cut any ice with Trafford, he would, never have>
try and find them if he wanted me to. He said to ge befriended me as he did. - Perkins is the only real ae
ahead? in the bunch. Perk has about as much spine as an ty
“What is the, reason those fellows didn’t come back OymererGnd | about as much character, He’ ee dub, ate A *
without overstaying their leave?” Frank asked. vif it isn’t Nod’s plausible tongue 2
_. &That’s more than I know,” answered Belize gravely, “Gene can argue Nod to a standstill on any subject.”
“but I’m afraid Trafford is sick and not able to come “Then it must that Trafford is down dn athletics on th
in. He followed me Saturday night, and maybe the ex- his own account.” iy th
citement afid the exertion were too much for him, Gene “Same asl was. That's probably the explanation, Mer- ah
can’t stand ery: amnueh.” ; riwell. A brother of Trafford’s was killed a a a th

      
   

    

Ws ss

Ve

om
oI

aS

1S a

 

_ to place around the cabin.

4

bali on the diamond. Gene never said so, but I reckon
that is what has soured him on athletics.”

“It shouldn’t have done so.”

“I agree with you, although it was this crippled arm
that gave me a grouch on the same subject. Merriwell,”
and the quarter-blood’s voice throbbed with intense
earnestness, “I want you to talk to Trafford just as you
talked to me. I'll bet that you open his eyes just as you
opened mine.”

Frank held a different opinion. Probably there wasn’t
an argument which Frank could bring up that had not
alreatly been gone over by Trafford in his own mind.
The lad was not the one to align himself lightly with
Coddington. Even a brief acquaintance with him had
convinced Frank of that.

Belize was given to action more than to reflection. It
had been easy for Frank to marshal facts that had not
occurred to him. But Trafford, being weak physically,
ran to thought more than to deeds. His intelligence was
of a high type, and he exercised it. This it was that
made his association with Coddington so difficult to
explain.

In a short time the two lads reached the foot of the
long slope below the wikiup. There was no sign of life
about the comfortable log cabin, and no plume of smoke
floating upward from its broad chimney.

Both lads noticed this, but neither ventured’ any com-
ment. Sitting down on the bank, they removed their
skates, and then, side by side, they climbed the slope to
the wikiup.

Né sounds from within reached their ears as they
came to a halt at the door. Frank knocked. There was
no-response. Belize kicked the door viciously, but even
that failed to bring an answer.

“No one at home, Belize,” remarked Frank wonder-
ingly. “Do you suppose they started for town across
country ?” 2

“They came on skates,” was the answer, “and they’d
go back the same way. Coddington ought to be here,
anyhow. I know a way to get in. Wait a minute.”

After assuring himself that the front door was locked,
Belize scurried around to the rear of the cabin. A few
moments’ later Frank heard him in the cabin; and then,

_ presently, the door was unbolted and drawn inward.

There was a perplexed look on Jock’s face as [rank con-
fronted him across the threshold. _

“T got in by a kitchen window,” Belize-explained, “and
I’ve been all through the place.

“What do you make of it?” asked Frank uneasily.

“T don’t know yet. Wait till I look around a little
more.”

Frank took a chair and Belize began his investigations.

4

CHAPTER VII.
TRAILING.

Some of the traits inherited by Jock Belize from his
red ancestors came uppermost as he slipped from place
Every sense: was called upon
to assist him in his search for clews.

He knelt in front of the fireplace and raked his fingers
through the ashes; he examined the cupboard against
the wall; an ash tray with a little heap of half-burned

cigarettes did not escape his notice; he went out into

the kitchen and rambled around; he returned from the

There’s not a soul here.”

NEW TIP ‘TOP WEEKLY. II

kitchen and went into the sleeping rooms; and, finally, he
stepped out of the front door.

His search consumed possibly half an hour. When it
was done, he came back and took a chair facing Merri-
well.

“They left here yesterday, and very early in the morn-
ing,” he reported. “All of them went away together—
including Nogi. Trafford wasn’t able to skate, and they
hauled him on a sled.”

“That’s pretty good, Jock!” exclaimed Frank.
did you figure it out?”

“The ashes are cold,” said Belize. “There has been
no fire in the cabin yesterday or to-day. If they had
been here they would have had a fire, wouldn’t they?” It
doesn’t.take much of a draft to chill the Coddington
crowd. The stove in the kitchen proves what the fire-
place tells me. The blankets are gone from. Trafford’s
bed, and the sled Nogi uses gn getting the firewood is
missing from the corner of the kitchen where he usually
keeps it. Outside the front door are tracks—the tracks

“How

of four pairs of shoes and the runners of a loaded

sled. ‘The tracks all lead down to the river.”
“Great work, Jock!” said Frank admiringly. “Haven't
any idea where they went, have you?”

Belize shook his head gloomily.

“There’s only one way to discover that, Merriwell,” -

said he.

“How?”

‘By trailing.”

“It would be a pretty difficult job to trail a party of
skaters over the ice!”

“Impossible! We would have to separate and skate
along the edge of each bank, then look for marks in the
snow where the party left the ice.”

“That’s a hard job, too. Which way would we look,
up river or down?”

“Down.
may have done so, but the chances are they went in the
other direction.”

“It’s your idea; I suppose,” said Frank, “that if they
had gone toward Blyfield they’d have stopped in the
town?”

Belize nodded»

“Why did they leave this comfortable cabin at all?”
he asked. ‘‘They must have had a powerful motive. Nod
and his friends think too little of physical exercise and
too much of their own comfort to leave a place like this
if necessity of some sort hadn’t spurred them on,”

“It was such a powerful motive,” seconded Frank, “that
overstaying their leave from school didn’t hinder them!”

“That’s it,” said Belize. “I’ve a hunch that they wanted
to get away from Blyfield—that they were afraid some-
thing would happen to them if they stayed in the wikiup.”

“That is carrying supposition farther than is war-
ranted by the facts.” .

“Sure. It’s a hunch—there’s not much reason for the
supposition.”

“The whole affair gets my goat.
out, what scared them?”

Belize shook his head. His investigations had brought
him up against a stone wall.

“Trafford was not able to travel on skates,”’ continued

If they were scared

Frank, “and they had to haul him on a sled. That’s some-

thing else to consider.”
Belize scowled. |
“Taking chances with Trafford’s health wouldn't worry

I don’t think they went toward Blyfield. They ,

   
   
  
 
  
  
   
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
    
   
  
 
  
  
   
  
 
 
  
 
   
   
 
 

i Tt ia

     
      
      
      
        
    
    
     
   

-

 

 

 

‘then some one else came along and broke through.
pieces of broken ice have frozen together since then.”

 

12 NEW TIP
Coddington very much, First and foremost he always
thinks of himself. The quicker we get Trafford away
from that outfit, the better. These wifter afternoons
aré short, atid if we’re to look for tracks in’ the snow
down river, Merriwell, we’d better be about it.”

“l'm ready,” said Frank promptly.

They got up.

“Wait for me in front. of the cabin,” said Belize. Ill
lock the door and: get out through the kitchen window,
just’as | climbed in.”

When he had joined Frank outside, they followed the
footprints and sled marks which the fugitives had left.
As Belize had stated, the trail led down the slope to the
edge of the frozen river. So clear was the evidence
which Coddington atid his friends had left behind that
it was possible to pick out the places where four of the
party had sat down inthe snow to put on their skates,

“They ean’t have gone far, Belize,” remarked. Merti-
well, as he cleaned the snow from his shoe soles prepara-
tory to clafmping on the steel rtinhers.

“You think they wouldn’t have the nerve to attempt
a long trip?” queried Belize,

“Neithér the nerve nor the strength. What’s more, I
don’t believe they'd think of taking Trafford very far.”

The quarter-blood muttered angrily to himself. When-
evet he thought of the treatment Trafford was receiving
at the hands of Coddington, it touched his hot temper.

“The fools!” he cried. “Trafford is running the risk
of his life by taking a trip like this. It looks to’ mie
as though Coddington had got all the othefs to run off
with him. I'll follow the opposite bank, Merriwell,” he
added, “and you skate along the edge of the one on this
side. I reckon I can’t give you many pointers about
trailing, so all I’ll say is, just keep your eyes skinned.”

“There are so many of them,” Frank atiswered, ‘that
I don’t see how I could miss their marks where they
left the ice; tinless,”’ he finished, “there’s a town below,
where they went ashore.”

“The first town in this direction is twenty miles away.
They never went that far.”

Belize pushed swiftly across the river, turned at the
edge of the opposite bank, and then started downstream.
Frank was already well on his way.

For mile after mile the two lads took the turns of the
river, holding to their respective places and scanning the
banks sharply as they slid along. ‘When Belize dally
stopped, it was something in the middle of the ‘river that
attracted his attention. . : “

Frank joined him, and together they surveyed a patch
of broken ice that had congealed, with many fragments
showing. A little way from this rough bit of ice were
charred pieces of wood where a fire had been built.

“Somebody had fished through the ice at this place,”
said Belize. “A skim of ice formed over the hole, and

The

“What's this?” queried Frank, bending and_ picking
up an object that lay a few yards from the pieces of

burned wood.

The object proved to be a pearl-handled pocketknife—
a sort of a combination piece of cutlery, for it contained

a nail file, a pair of diminutive scissors, and a corkscrew,

in addition to three blades.
“This,” declared Belize, “belongs to Coddington, ‘I’ve

_ seen the knife a hundred times, and I can’t be mistaken.

Some of his crowd went throtigh at that fish hole, Maybe

  

    

TOP WEEKLY,

it was the sled, with Trafford. The knife was used to
repair the damaged sled, and was forgotten when the
party went on,”

Belize was quick with his suppositions. Merriwell
agreed with some, but others he believed were too far-
fetched to be seriously considéred. This theory of the
knife and the sled was one which he cotild not bring him-
self to atcept at the moment.

Undoubtedly the knife was Coddington’s. Belize was
ah observant chap, and if he had seen the knife in Cod-
dington’s possession he would not be slow in recogniz-
ing’ it. i '

The finding of the knife proved conclusively that the

fugitives had gone dowag river. It meant that the two
lads were on the right track, and heartened them to con-
tinue their pursuit.

There were other ways in which Coddifigton could have
lost the knife, however, quite apart from the ofie sug-
gested by Belize. The easiest way to account for the loss
of the knife was supposing that Nod had simply dropped
it out of his pocket.

“The trail is getting warm, Jock,” observed Frank.

“And the sun, is getting low,” returned Belize. “If
we make the most of the daylight, we shall have to
hustle.”

“Tm off,’ and, with that, Merriwell struck out for his
own side of the fiver, and resumed his course along the
shore, :

It was possibly a mile below the spot whete the knife
was found that Belize halted abruptly. “Here we are!”
he yelled to Frank, his voice vibrating with triumph

Frank hastened to cross the river, to his companion’s
side, At that point a small creek flowed into the fiver.

Some ‘fifty feet up the creek Frank saw a good-sized
ice boat moored close against a high bank. The sails of
the craft were neatly furled. ‘

He observed the ice boat casually for, of course, it was
the discovery Belise had made which claimed most of
his attention just then.

“Here's where the party left the river,” exulted the
quarter-blood, pointing to, the clutter of marks that had
been left in the snow. “They/climbed this hill, dragging
Trafford on the sled, I reckon we're close to them now,
Merriwell !” : \

Excitedly Frank removed his skates. What lay be-
yond the hill? was the question about which his thoughts
were circling. Why had Coddington and his friends
come to that lonely place, and what were they doing
there?

In a few moments Merriwell and Belize were plodding

up the slope, keeping in the well-defined trail left by the _

Blyfield fugitives. At the crest of the rise they found
themselves looking down into a-small valley.

‘In the end of the valley nearest the river was a long,
low shack of a hotise. From a length of stovepipe that
jutted upward through the roof of the house, smoke was
rising straight upward in the calm air. A clearly marked

patch stretched away from the house, black and deep ©
across the white snow, and vanished around a turn in

the farther end of the valley. he,
et! here’s where we'll find them, Mefriwell,” said Belize,
nodding toward the house, “though why they ever left

the comfortable wikiup for a place like that is one too

many fot me.”
Just at that precise moment the

door of the house :
opened. The faimiliar figure of Coddington showed itself -

   
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
 
    
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
   
 
   
  
  
   
   
 
   
   
  
   
 

ee ae ee
os
—
hb

Sit
co
de
rr
th
W
WI
of

 

co
th:

ue
ee
ho
ar

 

        
         
     
       
       
         
   
       
       
       
     
       
      

  
the
Oe

 

 

    
 

Ww ikiup

. “T reckon we kttow who’s back of that,”

 

TIP

  

NIEW
for an instant, then hastilly withdrew, and the door was
rotightly slammed shut.

“He saw us!” muttered Belize.

“What's the odds?” asked Frank. “It’s Trafford we
want, not Coddington,” and he started resolutely down
the slope.

Belize kept close at hisfside

CHAPTER VIII.

THE “REFORMERS” HARD PRESSED.

Even while Frank and Jock were moving down the
side of, the little valley on their way to the house, the
column of smoke that rose from the chimney was sud-
denly whipped to: pieces and sent eddying and scurrying
riverward, From the crests of the slopes that rimmed
the valley, loosé snow was picked up and flung about
wildly. Here and there it took the form of miniature
whirlwinds, and in other places it rolled over the surface
of the harder snow in rippling white waves.’

“We’re in luck, by George!” muttered Belize.

“Surest thing you know, Jock,’ Merriwell heartily
concurred, ‘We've found the fellows we are after, at id
that looked pretty ee Sh to me when we started out.’

“That’s right, too, Chip,’ returned the quarter-blood,
“but I was referring to something else. See the smoke

from the chimney, how it breaks and raffles out? And
how the loose snow is being picked up and thrown
around? ‘The wind is rising.”

“How does tlfat spell luck for us¢” puzzled Merriwell.

“If we had delayed an hour,” Belize explained, ‘the
tracks left by the Coddington crowd would have been
filled in and smoothed off. We'd not have been able to
locate them at all, and cotild not have done any trailing.”

“That’s so,” agreed Frank.:

As they drew closer to the house, more and more its
squalid, hovellike character impressed them. There were
gaps im the roof ard in the walls, holes that had, been
catilked with hay and pieces of weafing apparel. Around
the foundations was a bank of earth to keep the searching
wind from getting under the floor.

“It’s. a ratty ,old place,’ commented Belize. he
is a palace beside this shanty. I’d give some-
thing | iandleohts to know why the Coddington c rowd came
here.”

“Maybe we'll find out before we’re many mmintites
older,” said Frank.

At the door thev paused to knock.
followed, while they

er

In the silence that
were waiting for the summons to

_ be answered, a spasm of half-stifled coughing reached

their sars from within An exclamation escaped Belize,
he mtirmured.
| “Fjne place, this, for a fellow like Trafford!” With

that, he banged his. clenched fist against the door,
“Get away from there,” caine the voice of Coddington;

~ “you can’t core in,’

“Open this door, Coddington,” answered Frank
“or we'll break it down.”
_ “What do you waft ?”
“reformers.”
_/ “We want to talk with you, for ofie thing.
“Well, I don’t want to have a thing to do with you.

sternly,
temporized the leader of. the

9

i's a mighty qtieer game Jock seems to be playing. But
I’m not surprised. It’s an Injun trick—squealing on us

and turning State’s evidence.”

TOP WEEKLY.

=

 

    

This was aimazing, and Metriwell and Belize stared
at each other.

“What sort of a bee has he got in his bonnet now?”
grunted Belize. ‘Who has done any squealing?”

“Tf there are any officers heading this way,’ went on
Coddington fiercely, “you put them to an about face or
there'll be trouble. My father will have something to say
about this !’’

“Are you going to open the door?” detnanded Frank
firmly.

“No!” yelled Coddington,
I’m going to shoot.”

“Keep away, you fellows, or we'll shoot!” shrilled the
voice of Perkins.

“IT won't thtand for thith,”’ lisped the panic-stricken
tones of Dalrymple. ‘Put down that gun,
hit you with thomething hard!”

Coddington’s threat made little impression upon Frank.

“atid if you break it down

“Throw yourself on the door, Jock!” said he. “Now,
then, both together !”
They hit the door with their shoulders, and it flew

wide open. In fact, the barrier gave way so suddenly
and so completely that Merriwell and Belize were pro-
jected headlong ittto the hut. Belize, as it chanced, col-
lided with Coddington, and the two fell sprawling with
a shock that made the crazy old structure shake from
floor to foof.

Coddington had been holding a shotgun in his hands.
When Belize picked himself out of the tangle, he was
thoughtful enotigh to bring the shotgun with him.

But the quarter-blood had no sooner straightened erect
with the firearm his hands, than a form dashed
him, wrenehed the gtth away and leaped throtgh the
open door. It was Nogi.

Belize gave vent to an angty shout. He would have
followed the Jap through the door had not Merriwell
held him back with a ‘word.

“Never mind the Jap, Belize,”
out of the way, and that’s
business isn’t with Nogi.”

The determination displayed by Merriwell and Belize
had rather taken the fight out of Coddington. He pressed
back against the opposite wall of the hovel, glaring angrily
and sulletily at the intruders.

Perkins ranged himself alongside his chief. He was

as white as the snow outside, and his teeth were chatter-
ing.

said he. “The gun is
the principal thing. Our

Dalrymple sat on a stool near a table. He was a
melancholy sight. Normally, he was so fastidious about
his clothes and his person as to be a joke. But now his
wardrobe presented a sorry appearance.
though he had been run ‘through a threshing machine.
His face was woebegone in _ extreme, and apparently
so much had happened to him that he wasn’t caring what
happened next. Si

Stifled coughing carrie from a rtide bunk in one corner.
There Trafford lay, his cheeks flushed with fever, his big
eyes staring blankly from hollow curves under

twisted,with the racking cough:

As for the interior of the hovel, its furnishings were
meager and of the most primitive sort. A  sheet-iron
stove did its utmost to heat the place, but the big room
was so drafty that the area of warmth was restricted.

Nod, or Vl’

Dal looked as.

his -
brows, and his lips mumbling incoherently when not

The wind entered from the roof and from the walls. —

   
   
   
   
  
  
  
     
   
    
   
    
  
    
   
    
      
   
      
   
    
     
    
      
   
    
    
   
   
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
   
  
  
     
   
  
     
     
      
     
     
    
 
  

» J
“pe are
tists Rael

ie

ss,
i ly Sit Ai ee

> aE

bis hee,

tae

  
NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY:

It fluttered papers that lay around the place, and even
‘the ragged blankets that covered Trafford.

An odor of stale cigarette smoke hung in the air, mix-
ing with odors that were still more disagreeable.

“What’s the matter with you, Coddington?” Frank
demanded, fixing a keen look on the face of the blond-
haired chap.

Coddington appeared greatly surprised about some-
thing. His blue eyes switched rapidly from Merriwell
to Belize and back again.

“You fellows seem to be rather chummy,” he ob-
served.

“What of it?”

“You’ve got me going, that’s all. Only way I can
explain it is that Jock has turned traitor to his friends
and is helping you run us down. He’s the limit, I must
say! After getting us into this hole, he saves his own
bacon and leaves us to take care of ourselves.”

“I’m done with you and your crowd,” said Belize, with
a scowl, “if that’s what you’re trying to get at. . You
made a monkey of me long enough. I’m doing a little
thinking for myself, now, and not letting you do it

£00. tee.”

“Oh, yes, you’re mighty virtuous, you are!” sneered
Nod.

“What did I ever do, Belize,” wailed the unhappy Dal,
“to make you turn againtht me? Wathmn’t I alwayth your
friend ?”

“Cut"that out about my turning against you,” snapped
delize. “I haven’t done that. I have simply quit you.
Coddington’s a prig and a rainbow chaser. He’d better
reform himself before he tries reforming any one or any-
thing else. He made a fool of himself on account of
Merriwell, here. When he——”

“That man is not Merriwell!” shouted Nod, leveling an
accusing finger at Frank. ‘You can’t cram that lie down
my throat.”

“It doesn’t worry me any whether you believe it or
not,” said Belize.. “It’s a fact, all the same. You called
him Chip, but that’s only his nickname. And you tried
to hire Chip to trim Frank Merriwell. It—it 2
Belize broke into a laugh in spite of himself.

“You can’t make me believe any such stuff,” roared
Nod, reddening with chagrin.. “Get, out of here!” he
added. “If you don’t, you’ll be sorry. Nogi has gone
for help to put you out. He and his friends will pro-
tect us. If the law tries to step in, the Japs will put
up a fight and stand by us until the governor gets back.
I guess he’ll maké some of you chaps pretty sick of this
business.” .

“What makes you think the law will step in?” asked
Frank curiously.

In that remark, he felt sure, was wrapped up Codding-
ton’s motive for running away from the wikiup. That
it was a mistaken nfotive was evident, but just where
was the mistake? Here was a very curious situation, and
Frank was anxious to get to the bottom of it.

“Oh, what’s the use of beating about the bush?” snarled
Coddington. ‘“You’ve got sense enough to know what
I mean. Jock has saved his scalp, but he’s the cause
of the whole trouble, and I’m going to have the gavernor
put him through for it.” -

“You bet your life,” quavered Perk faintly. |

As second fiddle to Nod he was not tuning up very
strong. Trials and trlbulations had plainly told sadly

upon Tully Perkins.

/about it!

“Belize,” spoke up the melancholy Dal, “if you hadn’t
burned that mitherable old gymnathium you would have
thaved us a lot of hardshipth. I have never had such
an awful time in my life. It hath been horrible—a,regu-
lar nightmare. Now I know what it meanth to commit
a crime and to make yourthelf a fugitive from juthtith.
Never again,” he wailed ; “never again if I live a thouthand
yearth! I am‘a thick man, a mighty thick man,” and he
rubbed his pompadour and rolled his eyes.

“T should say you were a ‘thick’ man!” exclaimed
Belize. “The whole pack of you are about as thick and
dense as any crowd outside a lunatic asylum. Who told
you I. burned the gymnasium?” : ;

“No one told us,” broke in Coddington furiously; “no
otie had to tell us. The wikiup isn’t so far from et
that we couldn’t see the blaze.”

Belize gave a start. He cast a quick glance at Merri-
well, and saw a slow, delighted grin working itself over
Merriwell’s face.

“That’s right,” went on Coddington scornfully, ‘laugh
I suppose you think you’re safe, and can gloat
over the hard luck we're in. Well, you are shy a few
chips this round. When the governor takes a hand in
this game you'll be laughing on the other side of your
face.”

“Say, Nod,” said Frank, in a smothered voice, “you
fellows ran away from the wikiup because you saw a
fire over in Blyfield on Saturday night?”

“Think we were going to stay in the cabin and be
caught like rats in a trap?” retorted Nod. “Well, you’ve
got another think corhing. We saw:the glow from the
burning gym, and we lit out.”

‘Well, Nod, it wasn’t the gym that burned.”

“What?” The word was exploded, in one breath, by
Nod, Dal, and Perk.

“It was an old warehouse that burned, and not the
gym, so——"” a
A dry sob burst from Perkins; Nod fell back against

the wall, and Dal nearly tumbled off the three-legged
stool.

CHAPTER IX.
THE JAP QUARRYMEN,

The relief of the Coddington crowd was so intense
as to be ridiculous. The blubbering Perk staggered
toward Dal. Dal, the exquisite, the Beau Brummel of
Blyfield, took the little toady in his arms and let him
blubber on his shoulder. They made a beautiful picture.

Coddington was dazed. He rubbed a hand over his
face as though to clear his brain of the fog that had be-
clouded it. Then a most unhappy realization dawned
upon him.

He had made himself the laughingstock of Blyfield i‘
mistaking Chip for a fellow entirely separate and distinct
from young Merriwell; but that error paled into insig-
nificance beside this second mistake. Now he had be-
lieved a burning warehouse to be the gym going up in
smoke, and he had superintended a hazardous and try-
ing flight down river to avoid the awful consequences.
His prestige as a leader was gone—r, at least, was going.
His only course, he thought, was to deny the truth of
Merriwell’s statement, just as he had denied that Chip
was Merriwell.

“You can’t lie to me!” he cried.

*~

 

 
  

iS
1e-

Se ee
ie

 

Bt

 

 

 

ST

FOE

nr

    
 

et,

  

  

   
 
 
 
 
 
  

  
  
     
   
      
   

    

between his teeth.

‘in carrying out our reform movement.

“Go on back, and crawl to Old Pet!
blubber, and tell him what a fiend I was to get you into
all this.

Dal so othingly.
-noon, any how.”

“Tl fight for my reform movement alone.

Belize, jumped toward him and shook an angry fist
under his nose.
“You've used that word twice, Coddington,”*Belize said,

‘Just once more, by thunder, and
I’ll pound it down your throat.”

Nod» struck the fist away. Thereupon the quarter-
blood would have sailed into him had not Frank inter-
fered.

“Cut it!” ordered Merry. “It isn’t necessary to have
a scrap, Belize, just to make Coddington believe the
truth, What®do we care what he believes ?”

“But it ith tho, ithn’t it?” 9 Dal eagerly, freeing
himself from Perk’s gripping hands.

“Yes, Dalrymple,” went on Frank, “it is the truth. It
is strange, I know, that Blyfield should have had one of
the biggest fires in its history on the very night you
fellows thought Jock was trying to burn the gym. Nod
jumped at the wrong conclusion, that’s all.”

“You thtopped Jock from burning the gym?”

“Yes, he stopped. me,” Belize spoke up. “I’d have
turned the trick if it hadn’t been for Merriwell—just be-
cause I was a fool,” and his voice’grew bitter, “and took
too much stock in Coddington’s foolish arguments. Mer-
riwell not only kept me from burning the gym but he
showed me what a fool I was to think of attempting
such a crime. lowe him a lot for that night’s work.”

“He turned you against your friends, eh?” ‘sneered
Coddington.

“No,” flung back Belize, “you were never a friend
of mine. I can see that now mighty plain. And you're
not much of a friend to Dal, Perk, and Trafford, either.
By the way, what’s the matter with Trafford?”

selize’s eyes sought the figure in the bunk, and rested
on it anxiously.

“He’s all right,” gritted Coddington, “but it’s none of
your business whether he’s right or wrong. You have

_cut. yourself out of this, bunch, and now you can attend

We don’t need your help, anyhow,
We——”

“T have cut myself loose from you,” cut in Belize, “but
not from Gene Trafford. A stronger tie than your so-

to. your own affairs.

”

called reform movement binds him and me together.”

“I want you fellows to understand,” spoke up Mer-

_riwell, addressing himself particularly to Dal and. Perk,
“that no one knows how you were mixed up in the attempt

to destroy the gym, and no one ever will know except
those in this room, You can come back to the academy

‘as soon as you please.”

_ “And the sooner the better,” added Belize, “if you don*t
want Old Pet in your hair. He sent me out to find you
and to bring you back.”

“That maketh me feel eae good,” beamed Hal Dal,
beginning to smooth out his clothes and to take an in-
terest in his personal appearance. “T gueth we'll go

back and be glad of the chanth.”

' *€Y-yes,” faltered Perk.
“You're a couple of cowards,” stormed Coddington.

Lick his shoes, and

That’s all I’d expect of a couple of. skunks,”

“Now, Nod, pleath don’t fly off the handle,” begged
“We wath ‘to g0 back Peay afters
“Go on,” cried Nod, tow ering aloft in awit dis eaey
I guess the

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

  

governor will back me when he finds out. what Lam try-
ing to do.”

“If he has any sense,” said Belize bluntly, “he’ll back
you with a rawhide. If youvhad had more of that kind
of backing when you were young, you’d be different
now.”

“What happened. to Trafford?” Frank. struck in, try-
ing to change the subject and keep the situation from
getting too warm.

“None of your business,” snapped Coddington.:

“He broke through the ithe in the thled,’ said Dal-
rymple. “Nod got him out, but he wath ath wet ath a
drowned rat. He had a terrible chill when we got him
here, and he hath been going from bad to worth. ever
since. We have done all we could for him; but -that
wathn’t much. Thith ith a poor plath for a thick fellow
like Trafford.”

“Where is the sled?” asked Merriwell, stepping close
to Trafford’s. bunk and looking down at the lad.

“Around the thide of the houth,” answered Dal:

“Bring it to the door,” ordered Frank. “We're going
to bundle Trafford up warmly in blankets and take him
to B lyfield. He sahiasin a doctor’s care.’

“You're not going to take Trafford away from here !
thundered Coddington, stepping close to Frank’s side
and doubling his fists. “Do you want to kill him?’ He’s
not able to travel, and he won’t be for several days.”

“He'll have to travel,’ said) Frank, quietly but firmly.
“If anything could kill him, it would be staying in this
old shack for a few days. longer. Coddington, the poor
chap is out of his head! He’s full of fever and mumbling
to himself. He needs a doctor, and must go to a hos-
pital without loss of an hour.”

“I say you shan’t move him!” persisted Nod.
responsible for Gene—I’m taking care of -him.”

“Yes,” hissed Belize, “you are responsible fot him,
and you have been taking care of him. Look at him now,
as.a result of what you have done! -Why, you con-
founded idiot, you’ve nearly killed him as it jis.”

“Don’t you talk that way to me!” glowered Codding-
ton. “I’ve got money and power behind me, you meach-
ing ‘breed,’ and 1 won’t take any of your back talk.”

Belize’s eyes flamed. ‘Frank looked for him to grab a
chair and break Coddington’s head with it.- To Frank’s
surprise, however, the quarter-blood held his wrath in
check. ;

“Call me a ‘breed,’” said he; “call me whatever that
little two-by-four mind of yours can think of that’s mean
and contemptible. JTIl let it pass. It’s the source of
things like that a fellow has to consider, Comitig: from
you, Coddington, such talk is a joke, and hurts nobody.
Trafford is going away with Chip and me. Only one

99

“T’m

thing will cause me to lay hands on you, and that is your

trying to interfere.”
Belize stepped closer to the bunk and began. helping
Frank swathe Trafford in the ragged blankets.
“Look out, fellowth!” called Dal warningly.

Merriwell turned just in time to parry a biow ‘that —

Coddington had aimed. at him.
retaliate.

“Never you mind him, Jock, © said Frank.
to his case.”

With a deft move, he grabbed Coddington about the
waist. Nod was stockily ‘built, but there was no power
in his body.
his muscles were flabby and undeveloped.

3elize made a move to

“TH attend

He had pampered himself all his life; and

 

.
  

WLI Pa eeTe os —eE

Ki
fis,
Nir
AP
f

hy
RA

 

 

 

' Belize and me.
difference.

. distinct.

As easily as he might have handled a child; Merriwell
swung Coddington around and dumpéd him on the floor
in a corner, Coddington’s courage asserted itself, and
he attempted to rise and renew the combat. But Mer-
riwell forced him down roughly.

“You have plenty of sand, Coddington,” said Frank,
“but no steam behind it. Keep quiet, now, and behave.
If you don’t, I shall Have to be rougher with you than
I want to. Trafford is going to leave this place with
All you can do won’t make a bit of
Perk,’ and he turned to the palpitating lad
who, from a safe distance, was watching the set-to with
wild eyes, “bring that sled around to the door.”

“Perk, you stay -right where you are!’ stormed Nod,
from the corner.

Perkins hesitated.

“You heard what I said,’ went on Merriwell sternly.

That was enough. While Coddington yielded to the
force of a stranger nature, and fretted, and raved, Per-
kins hurried from the house to obey Merriwell’s orders.

“He is in bad shape, Merriwell,’ said Belize, as he
worked with the blankets. “It’s a mighty good thing
for him that we got here just as we did. We can haul
him on the sled and make a quick trip back to Blyfield.
He won’t take any harm from the trip, do you think?”

“Not nearly so much harm as he will by staying here,”
Frank answered. ‘We can is

Just at that moment Perkins, his teeth chattering with
fear, tumbled back into the cabin.

“They're coming!” he gasped. “Oh, gee, now what’s
going to happen? They’re coming!”

“Bully!” exulted Coddington, rising to his feet. “Now,”
he added, “we'll see where you two meddlers get off! I
reckon we won’t have any trouble in calling your. bluff.
Won’t leave Trafford here, eh? Well, I guess you'll
change your minds about that.”

“Who is coming, Perkins?’ demanded Frank sharply.

“The—the Jap quarrymen,” said Perkins. “Nogi is
with them, and Nogi has a gun.”

“There will be all kindth of trouble now,” wailed Dal,
getting under the table. “Thothe Japth are fighters. Oh,
I wish I wath out of thith!”

The door was standing open, just as Perkins had left
it in making his hurried entrance. The dusk of a winter
evening was falling, but the white snow that covered the
ground made the outside surroundings fairly clear and
Against the pallid background, with . the
whistling wind driving a spoondrift of loose snow about
them, appeared four Japanese quarrymen. They were
friends of Nogi’s, and were led by him.

With calm but resolute faces they entered the cabin.

 

’ The scene there appeared not to impress them very much,

although their actions were hostile, even if their faces
showed no anger.

_ Nogi, gun in hand, closed the door and stood with his
back to it. The four Others drifted apart and prepared

' to take action whenever Nogi should command.

“Tilustrious employer,” said Nogi, looking at Codding-
{ y , ’ g
ton, “we wait for you to command.”

‘ CHAPTER X,
MERRIWELL MEETS THE ISSUE.

Coddington was pursuing another of his crazy ideas.

Tt did not seem possible that he could be so foolish as

o oppose Merriwell and Belize in their attempt to give

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

aid to Trafford. Nevertheless, that was exactly the posi-
tion Nod had taken.

The pride of the “reformer” had taken several falls _
Because of this last blow sto ~

on Merriwell’s account.
his conceit, Coddington was fairly boiling with rage.
He wanted to do something to get the better of Merri-
well, and the case of Trafford opened the way.

Coddington considered not at all the needs of Traf-
ford at that critical time. He was thinking of his waning
prestige as a leader, and here and now he believed was
the place to show his “iron will.” 9 ‘

Merriwell saw that the dispute had been brought to an
issue, and that he and Belize had six combatants ranged
against them. As an enemy, Nod’s physical powers were
of little moment; it was the influence he had over Nogi
and the Jap quarrymen that counted.

Nod, owing to the arrival of reinforcements, was in
fine feather. Again he was the captain, the boss, -the
dictator. He had but to order and he would be obeyed.
His money swayed Nogi, and through Nogi swayed the
quarrymen.

“Capture those two fellows, Nogi,” cried Nod, indicat-
ing Merriwell and Belize. “I want you fellows to bowl
‘em over, and tie ’°em hand and foot. They are trying
to meddle with my plans, and right here is, where they’re
going to be taught a lesson. Now, Mr. ‘Chip and Mr,
Belize,” he taunted, “I guess you'll find your hands pretty
full. All these Japs are fighters—they went through the
same school Nogi did. Look at their muscles, will you?
That’s what quarry work will do for a fellow. Any
one of them could pick up you two and bump your heads
together.”

Frank was silent and motionless.
darting actively around the situation.

He had already experienced a taste of Nogi’s jujutsu,
prowess. He had bested Nogi, no longer ago than Satur-
day evening, and at his own tactics; but that was be-
cause he had suddenly displayed a few combat tricks in
jujutsu and had taken the Jap by surprise. Now Nogi
would be on his guard.

If the other four Japs were equally proficient, what
hope was there for Merriwell and Belize? How could
they save themselves, let alone do anything for Trafford?

But Merriwell was not dismayed by the odds Codding-
ton had marshaled against him and the quarter-blood.
Frank was firmly resolved that Trafford should have the
aid of which he stood so sadly in need. But a little
diplomacy might not be out of order.

Belize was scowling and defiant. He was ready to do
his desperate best, no matter what the odds against him
and Merriwell might be. His eyes glittered, and he
seemed preparing for a spring on the nearest quarry-
man.

Frank dropped a quiet, steady hand on the quarter-
blood’s arm. ‘Wait a moment, Jock,” he whispered.

“If you fellows try to interfere with us,” Merriwell

But his mind was

_ went on, addressing the four quarrymen, “you'll get your-

selves tangled up with the law and find the bars of a jail
between you. and your liberty, You

“Don’t let him fool you,” cut in Nod. “What does he
amount to? My father’s a millionaire, and he has more

 

power and influence in a minute than this chump has in :

a year. I am paying you good money to follow orders,
and if you do what I say, I'll. stand behind you.” .
“We understand, master,” said Nogi calmly. “What

 
          

 
  
    
  
  
   
  
  
   
   
   
  
   
   
  
   
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
   
   
     
  
  
  
   
 
   
  
  
   
  
  
 

 

 

a : ;
a (
¥
F
1
-
t
I
:
ise
o c
fy
Be.
se
i. *
: r
\

 

 

 

   
t
{
1

 

sept
~~.

 

you give order for, we do. Be content, noble leader, and
speak the words of command.”
A grunt.of, assent passed from one stolid quarryman to

the other.

“Perkinth,” called Dal, from under the table, “let uth
take the ithe boat‘and get out of thith. It ith the quarry
ithe boat, but I gueth we can borrow it. There will be
a big fight, and I don’t want to run the rithk of thtaying
around,”

“Don’t let Dal or Perk get out,\Nogi,”’ said Codding-
ton. “You heard what I said, didn’t you? Take Chip
and Belize down and put ropes on them.”

The four quarrymen began closing in. So far as ex-
pression went, their brown faces were as blank as so
many pieces of paper. But,they were there to do Cod-
dington’s bidding.

The matter. was taking ‘on a very serious aspect for
Merriwell and Belize. But Frank’s firmness was mount-
ing as the dangers thickened.

“Keep back!” he called. “I want you fellows to listen
to reason, and I’m talking for your own good. You
are——.’

Two of the quarrymen leaped suddenly at Frank and
the quarter-blood. Frank, by a jujutsu trick, evaded his
man, squirming out of his grasp like an eel.

Belize was not so successful. He struck out fiercely
and used his stiffened arm to good/purpose, but there was
no use pitting his boxifg prowess against the peculiar
Japanese method of fighting. Jock’s quarryman an-
tagonist seized him and held him in spite of his furious
struggles. ;

Slowly, relentlessly, the Jap began forcing Belize down-
ward. His hands rested on the quarter-blood’s shoul-
ders, and the balls of his.thumbs hunted out nerves with
a pressure that sapped the strength from brain and
muscle. Jock was pushed to his knees, and soon he
would be entirely at the Jap’s mercy.

Merriwell, meantime, was not idle. As he slipped from

the hands: of the astonished quarryman who had seized |

him, Coddington got in his way. He struck Coddington
aside lightly and easily, and met with another combat

trick a Jap who was lurching toward him.

The secret of success in the Japanese method of of-
fense and defense lies in speed and surprise. Do, and
do quickly, the thing your enemy is not expecting.

Thus Frank was successful in evading his second Jap
antagonist. Another was left, although all three were
beginning silently and stealthily to close in on the Ameri-
can lad.

_ Frank started toward the fourth quarryman. The
man prepared himself to receive the attack—but, to his
amazement, the attack was not made.

Instead of reaching that,particular Jap, like lightning

-Merriwell whirled aside and started for Nogi. He
leaped into the air—a trick of the elder Merriwell which

the younger had often practiced—and, as he went up,
_ his feet shot out. . |

Nogi, struck with a flying shoe sole at the waist line,

Ev staggered back against the door, gasping for breath. The

shotgun fell from his hands. Before he could recover

r the gun, Merriwell had the weapon and had jumped clear.
of his circling foes. .

“Back!” he shouted, the firearm at his shoulder, and his
cool, determined eye gleaming along the double barrels.

“Keep off, I tell you!” he added, in a ringing voice, while

than to try to interfere with’ you.

,need now are-the skates.”

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. ae

the point of the gun swayed back and forth so that it
commanded all the others in the room.

Here was a trick against which any form of jujutsu,

was powerless. Would the boy shoot? The sound of
his voice, the gleam in his eyes, were not at all reassur-
ing to the Japs. They began recoiling, little by little.

“Get away from Belize!” shouted Merriwell to the
quarryman who was forcing Jock to full length on the
floor. . ‘You, I’m talking to!” he added, as the muzzle
of the gun for an instant commanded Jock’s enemy. “Let
that fellow up!”

The Jap hesitated. Frank’s finger could be seen caress-
ing the trigger of the gun. The Jap no longer hesitated.
His hands came away from Jock’s shoulders, and he
straightened and backed off with the rest.

“He won't shoot!’ yelled Coddington.
dare to shoot! . Take the gun away from him!
a pack of cowards?”

Nogi turned on his master.

“Illustrious employer,” said he, still gasping a little
from the kick, “if he will not shoot, why do not you take
the gun? Life is very dear to man from Nippon!”

“Great Thcott!” lisped the wondering Dal. ‘“Thith ith
motht remarkable! One fellow hath got the betht of all
the retht! My goodness! I'll bet he ith Merriwell.”

Frank, by a trick in securing the shotgun, had won
a command of the situation. He was resolved to carry
his advantage to the farthest limit.

‘“‘Perk,” said he, “‘where is that sled?”

“Tt is at the door,” answered the trembling Perkins. “I
brought it to the door.

“Jock,” Frank went on, still watching his chagrined
enemies over the sights of the gun, “can you manage
to carry Trafford outside and fix him in the sled? Per-
kins will help you. Won’t you, Perkins?”

“Stay where you are, Perk!” roared the baffled Cod-
dington. ‘“We’re not through with this business yet.”

“Go on, Perk,” insisted Merriwell. ‘Nod knows better
This scatter gun has:

“He doesn’t
Are you

a pretty wide range.”

“J—I'll help,” said Perkins faintly.

Belize, passing his eyes over the odd group in the
room, laughed raspingly as he stepped to the side of the
bunk.. Perkins was not of much help. His hands and
legs were too unsteady. Nevertheless he and Belize, be-
tween them, succeeded in lifting the blanketed Trafford
from the bunk and in carrying him out of the house.

Perk, his face ashen, presently staggered back through
the door. Belize followed him. A gust of air swirled
after the two and sent an eddying wave of‘loose snow
through the room.

“All ready, Merriwell,” announced Belize. “All we
He stooped to pick them up.
“Say good night to these fellows,” he added jeeringly,
“and we'll start for Blyfield with Trafford.”

“Tt will not be safe to do it in that way, Jock,” Merry

answered. “Can you haul Trafford to the river alone?
I’]l have to act as rear guard and cover your retreat.”

“What will happen to you?”

“Nothing—so long as I keep the business end of this
gun in the right direction. Give a yell when you reach
the river; then I'll come after you.”

Belize took both pairs of skates. Admiration lighted
his eyes for a second as he stood in the door for

a last glance at Merriwell. A moment later he turned

4)

.
ac a lie a oe ae Ok

 

ini

pared i!

            
   

   
   
  
   
   
 
   
   
   
 
   
    
  
  
  
   
    
   
  
  
 
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
    
  
  
  
 
   
   
 
 
   
  
  
   
   
    
  
   
  
   
    
  
  
   
   
   
 
  

 

if they got away before their enemies
* their plans.

‘rope that tethered the ice boat to the
- been for that rope, the

swiftly, and could be heard crunching off through the
snow and dragging the sled.

Silence filled the cabin. The thoughts of the Japs, no
doubt, were too deep for words. In a wonderfully short
time, as it seemed to Frank, a cheery voice came to him
from the river. a

“If you try to follow us,” warned Frank, “you will find
that I still have the gun, Be reasonable. Stay right
here, all of you, and don’t try to interfere with us any
further.”

With that, he backed out of the door. As he closed
it after him with one hand, he heard the angry voice of
Coddington:

“We can follow ’em with the ice boat!
them down. They’re not out of this yet!
comes out on top!”

We can run
We'll see who

CHAPTER :XI.

ON THE WINGS OF THE WIND.

Merriwell expected that Coddington would urge the
Japs to make a pursuit. If they used the ice boat for
that purpose, with the wind as strong as it was then,
they would have no difficulty in running down the skaters
and their trailing sled. Here was a source of danger
which Merriwell dared not neglect.

As he hurried from the house up the side of the valley
and toward the river, it occurred to him that he might
damage the ice boat so it could not be used. On the
heels of that thought trod another, which was more to
the purpose.

Why could not he and Belize borrow the ice boat for
their own use? In that way they would be robbing their
enemies of the means of pursuit and, at the same tithe,
helping themselves to make a quick passage up the river
to Blyfield. And the quicker they could make the trip
the better it would be for Trafford!

The night had fallen rather dark, yet the wind had torn
the leaden clouds: overhead, and through the rifts came
a gleam of moon and stars. The snow reflected the glow
from above, and there was light enough, Frank thought,
to manage the ice boat successfully.

Trafford was snugly bundled on the sled so that Mer-
riwell could see nothing of him for the blankets. Belize
was just putting on his skates as Frank hurried down the
slope of the bank.

“Cut out the skating, Jock,’ called Frank.
a scheme that beats skating all hollow,”

“What sort of a scheme?”

“Tce boat,, We'll borrow the craft, see? That will
keep Nod and the Japs from using it to follow us, and get
us to Blyfield in short order.”

“Fine!”
there can’t be much time to lose,
us?”

“They must be.
after the ice boat.

Although Frank did not/delay a minute longer than
was absolutely necessary, yet when he reached the place

“I've got

Are they following

Bring the sled. I'll go up the creek

”

where the ice boat was stowed, the top of the bank above

was crowded with the forms of swiftly moving men.
Merriwell and Belize would have to work with a rush
interfered with
With the knife he had found, Frank cut a
shore. Had it not

craft, although “‘under bare

 

NEW ,TIP TOP

exclaimed Belize, jerking off his skates, “But

    

  

WEEKLY.

poles,” would have felt the spur of the"breeze and have
drifted away.

Belize was not much behind Frank in reaching: the ice
boat. He came at q run along the ice, with the sled
slipping lightly behind him.

*They’re coming, Merriwell!” panted. Jock.

“T know it,” answered Frank grimly, “but we're going—
or will be, in a brace of shakes. »Get Trafford aboard
and take the tiller. I'll pull up the jib. Look alive,
Jock! Every second counts,”

Belize was never a chap to waste time in talk. At that
juncture he was all action, and leaped to the work that
had been assigned to him.

He lifted Trafford, in his roll of blankets, from the
sled, and placed him on the V-shaped deck aft of the
crossbeam, then he snugged himself down at the stern
where he could hang to the tiller with one hand and to
Trafford with the other.

The Japs, urged on by Coddington,
down the slope of the bank.

“They’re eating the ice boat!” roared Coddington.
“Tf they get away w vith that, there’ll be no stopping them!”

Frank was fumbling with the sail forward of. the
mast. A rope stuck in a pulley, and he realized at once
that too much time would be required to free the rope, so
he dropped it and leaped rearward to hoist the main-
sail.

One or two of the running Jaéps had reached the ice.
It was clear that they, at least, would reach the boat
before it could leave the creek.

‘Keep away!” yelled Belize; “sheer off, or Pll shoot!”

This was “bluff,” pure and simple. Belize did not
have the gun, for Frank had laid it down on-the deck
before busying himself with the sails.

Nevertheless, the grim warning of the quarter-blood
had a momentary effect. Even.a few fleeting seconds
gained might mean success for Merriwell and Belize in
getting away.

were nareine

» “TI can see Belize!’ came the wild, excited voice of Cod-

dington.
Neither has Chip—he’s hoisting the sail.
change, Nogi!”

A dark figure flung itself at the stern of the craft
and laid hold of it. Merriwell was hauling away at a
rope, and the sail was traveling up the mast. .

The wind caught the loose canvas and bellied it out
with a snap. The boat leaped toward the river like a
bucking broncho,

Frank was almost hurled over the side. As it was, he
was thrown from his feet. Lying sprawled on his back,

“T can see him plainly, and he hasn't the gun.
Now’s : your

he tugged at the rope and kept the sail traveling up the”

mast.

As more and more canvas caught the breeze, very

naturally the boat’s speed incré&sed. One Jap was hang-

ing to the stern, but. the other, who had been running

almost neck and neck with him, was shaken off,

With a heave'of his muscular arms, the Jap who had
been clinging to the stern managed to get himself aboard.

Jock released the tiller to pound the fellow’s gripping
fingers and force him to let go.

This move of Jock’s almost resulted in a catastrophe.
The boat yawned dangerously and came within one of
going on her beam ends. .

Jock hung like grim death to Trafford to keep him from
rolling off, and at last managed ‘to free a panes and lay
hold of the tiller. ) t .

 

 

      
  

      

 

 

 

ios dee’ “eae

~e
   

Vv

Ve

   

 

 

cae

« ‘aioe
AD laocagges, *

seeatedperripapete a oe
5 *f Pees

Ey ot a

—

cae e
aes

tae

 

 

 
 

   
 
 

   

 
 
 
 

 

 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 

  

 
 

called Professor Pettigrew, and telephoned for a

“The gun!” cried Merriwell ; “it’s gone overboard !”

“We're in luck not to be overboard ourselves,” an-
swered Jock.

Merriwell had the sail hoisted, by then, and rolled
to his knees to make the rope fast.

“Where’s the Jap that climbed aboard?” he asked.

“He dropped back on the ice,” said Belize, “when the
boat tried to turn turtle. We're all right now. They
couldn’t catch us with an express train.”

The boat was out on the river, where it caught the
full force of the wind. They seemed to be flying, so fast
did they skim across the ice. The blurred outlines of the
banks on either side flashed by, a mere jumble of trees
and white snow patches.

Bang! roared a‘hoarse, staccato note from behind.

“There goes one barrel!” laughed Belize.

‘Bang!

“And there’s the other,” added Merriwell.
the shot strike near you, Jock?”

“No! We’re going faster than the shot out of that
gun, and it couldn’t overtake us. Wow! Talk about
your rapid traveling! Say, Chip, this takes the bun.”

Although Jock was yelling at the top of his voice, yet
the wind caught up his lusty tones and scattered them
far behind in the merest wisps of sound. Merriwell,
only a few feet away, heard him with difficulty.

“Trafford all right?” Frank shouted.

“Snug as can be,” answered Jock. “He can’t roll over-
board without dragging me with him.”

From that on there was little talk between Merriwell
and Belize. Frank’s attention’ was all taken up with
managing the sail, while Jock had no time to spare from
his steering and keeping Trafford safe aboard.

At tremendous speed they shot along the smooth, glassy
stretch of the ee The many turns of the stream gave
them some trouble, but judicious work with the sail and
tiller prevented accident.

3efore they fairly realized it they were past the swiiclusp;
and presently, “on the wings of the wind,’ they bore
up for Blyfield, and raised the lights of the little town
dead ahead.

Merriwell lowered the sail and they rounded to off
the foot of the main street. Trafford, so far as they
could see, had taken no harm from the exciting incidents
through which he had come—all unconscious 6f the perils
as he was of the service which Merriwell and Belize had
performed for him that eventful afternoon.

“Any of

CHAPTER XII.
FOR TRAFFORD.

That clash in the old house with the quarrymen and
the flight with Trafford up the river to Blyfield seemed
more like a dream to Merriwell than reality. Tues-

day afternoon, under promise of strict secrecy, he was:

telling the adventure to Harkness. ;
“You know already, Toby,” Frank finished, “how we
carried Trafford to his room, straight from the ice boat,
doctor.”
“T know the doctor sdid that undoubtedly you wae

-Trafford’s life by bringing him in when you did,” re-

turned Hark, “but I don’t know anything about ic
passed between Old Pet, Belize, and you.’

“Not much was said. The professor didn’t ask many
questions, but I guess he understood a whole lot more
than ‘we imagined. When Belize and I left, the prof

 

 

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. 19

 

laid a hand on Jock’s shoulder. ‘You’ve done well,
Belize,’ said he, ‘and because of that I shall temper the
punishment somewhat in dealing with Perkins and Dal-
rymple.’ ’

“I got it a little different, Chip,” grinned Hark. “As
it was reported to me, Old Pet said that on Merriwell’s
account he was going to temper the punishment all
around.”

“Well,” laughed Frank, “maybe he did say that. Not
much difference, anyhow, except that the ‘professor knows
I’m Merriwell, and I suppose it will be all over the school
before long.”

“All the fellows know it now,” said Hark. “Dal and
Perk arrived this morning, and they’ve helped to spread
the information. No more week-end leaves for them.
With Trafford laid up, for nobody knows how long, Cod-
dington’s crowd is reduced to one—and that one is Cod
himself.”

“What does the doctor say about Trafford?”

“Just shakes his head and looks wise. He remarked
that you and Jock had saved Gene’s life—but he didn’t
say for how long.”

Merriwell’s face became very grave.

“I wonder if it’s as bad as that?” he queried, catch-
ing a hopeless undernote in Harkness’ voice.

“T wouldn’t give much for his chances. Still, Traf+
ford is himself to-day and says he is feeling fine. He has
been trying to get somebody to tell him how he happened
to go to sleep down river and wake up in his old room
at the academy, The doctor says he isn’t to be told a
thing about that, just yet. So poor Traff, they say
guessing his head off. Funny thing happened, too. He
can look from his windows and see the gym, you know,
and when“he passed the first glance out of the w indow
and saw the old*building, he nearly fell out of bed.

“ Didn’t the gym-burn down last Saturday night?’ he
asked. ‘

“When they told him ‘no,’ and that it was the old
warehouse that burned, he whistled, thought a minute,
and then laughed till he almost choked. I understand
the joke, from what you’ve just told me, Chip, but it’s a
big mystery to the nurse who is looking after Gene.?

“Trafford seems to be keeping up good courage, any-

how,” commented Frank.

“He’s full of grit, when it comes to that. And he’s
sot a lot of sense as well as sand. But say,” and Hark
g y J

chuckled, “the great Nod Cod has certainly starred him-
self, eh? He must feel mighty cheap. First he hires a
fellow called ‘Chip’ to make a show of Frank Merriwell.
That was about as rich a thing as ever happened. But
Nod follows it up with something even better. He sees
the old warehouse throwing sparks into the sky,,and he
immediately jumps to the conclusion that Jock has
burned the gym; then away he goes, with his crowd, down
river, for a couple of days of roughing it with a gang
of Jap quarrymen. I wish to thunder I could pass the
yarn around!”

“You can’t,” said Merry. “It would be unjust to
Belize. I suppose I should have kept the story to
myself.”

“Oh, well, you know you can trust me. I'll not breathe
a whisper. There was something fine about the work
you and Belize did yesterday afternoon. It was all for
Trafford—and Trafford wasn’t in a condition to know
anything about it.”

“Wonder what he’ll say when he finds out the facts?”

\
: 4

       

      
    

      
 
 
      
   
     
         

   
    
    
  
   
   
  
  
   
 
  
   
 
 
   
  
  
   
   
   
   
   
     
   
  
  
  
  
    
  
     
     

“He otight to send for you and Jock and give you

a bunch of medals.”

, “lve a notion,’ mttsed Merriwell, “that if Trafford

had had his senses he wouldn't have let us bring him.”

. Why?”

; ' “Becattse, stratige as it seems, he is loyalty itself to

3 Coddington.”

7 “He hasn’t sized Cod up correctly. Maybe he'll think

differently about young Moneybags whén he knows how

he has. made a joke out of himself twice, hand running.

But suppose Trafford had declined to come to Blyfield

with you and Jock?”

be “Vm ificlined to think,” said Merriwell, with a quiet
sinile, “that Jock and I would have brought hitn anyhow.”

“Td like to bet om that myself,” laughed Hark. “You

and Belize were out to save Trafford from Nod—and

nothing could have stopped you.”

‘I don’t know about that.”

“Well, five Japs couldn’t,”

“They didn’t happen to,’ said Frank, “but I’d hate to
have that experience to go through with again.”

THE END.

“Frank Merriwell, Junior’s, Xmas Eve; or, The Plot
That Failed,” is the title of the story that will appear in
the next issue of this weekly. Determined to get even
with Merry for bringing Trafford by force from the
shanty of the Jap quarrymen, Nod Coddington plans to
invite him. to the wikiup, and professes that he wants to
be friends with him in order to insure the invitations
; being accepted. Nogi and the qtarrymen are to lie in
hiding and capture Merriwell. ‘To tell how his plans
| worked out, and the part a madman plays in this absorb-
| | ‘ing narrative, would spoil the story for you, and it is a
story of unusual interest, too. It is No. 23, and will be
out January 4th.

IST ars

noe

 

2

VOLCANOES AND EARTHQUAKES.

By JOHN R. CORYELL.

 

Convulsions of nature are awful enough to read about
at the safe distances of several thousand miles; but the
awfulness and terror of an actual experience are simply
beyond description.

You have heard persons tell of a nightmare as a dread-
ful experience, but even the worst nightmare realized
would be as nothing compared to the terrors which over-
cothe the mam who awakes to find nature in convulsion,

and himself in her grasp. The solid earth opens and
yawns for him); the sea rises like a wall and rushes to
- ingulf him; the air is filled with poisonous gases and pelt-
ing stone, and rivers of fire remorselessly pursue and
surround him,

And why is all this?j)and may these experiences some
_ day come to us? are questions which, perhaps, you, like
- many another, have asked.
- Scien¢e, knows a great deal, but these are questions
which she cannot positively answer. She has, some
theories, however, which are at least interesting, and, as
they are built upon facts, are also instructive. |

Of course the cause of earthquakes and volcanoes can
only be guessed at until the nature of this globe of ours
is known. We do not know what the earth is made of,
though scores of guesses at it have been made; and most
persons fancy that itis a ball of fire or molten metal

    
      
   
   
   
       
   
   
   
       
    
   
   
    
   
      
  

   

  

 

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

swith fatal effect.

covered with a cold crust of rocks and dirt, as that idea
was one of the first and most attractive gttesses.

But at last some man with more common sense than
faney came along atid stiggested that if there were stich
a terrible hot ball under our cold ertist, it surely must
melt that same cold erust; for, as the crust was only
stipposed to be about eight hunderd miles thick at most,
and the hot ball nearly six thousand miles in diameter,
it was not an eve chance between them, and the ball
would, of a certainty, melt the crust.

So there was an end of that theory, and it is generally
believed now that the earth is solid and comparatively
cool down to the center. However, you may have your
own theory about what the centet of the earth is, for
nobody knows any more about it than you do. But it is
another mattet abotitethe crust of the earth. We know
positively that not very far from the surface there are
flowing rivers of molten stone, and imimense reservoirs
of boiling-hot water. Or, to tell the real and starthng
truth about it, is to say that water can be so compressed
as to be heated like a metal.

You know what happens if water be put in a tight ves-
sel and boiled. The vessel is spoiled, and it makes a good
deal of noise in the spoiling. So it is with any gas—
for steam is gas—that is confined too closely. It will
break loose. It requires no great effort of the imagina-
tion then to see what must happen when a-vast qtiantity
of gas is confined in some gteat subterranean cavern.
The earth rocks, shakes, rumbles, bursts open. We call
it an earthquake.

Now mark the result. This efack in the crust rtins out
into the bed of the ocean, gulps down a few billion gal-
lons of cold water into its scorched stomach, and, clos-
ing up, creates jist about stich a commotion in the in-
terial economy of mother eafth as a good draft of hot
mustard and water would in yotits, and with very much
the same result—an upward tendency to everything moy-
able therein.

The water, let down upon the rivers of molten stone,
turns to steam, and not being able to escape, combines
with the lava, and increases its volume so enormously
that the stream is forced up imto every hole and creviee,
until at last it comes upon a vent leading to the surface,
and then with a rush it shoots up, carrying everything
before it, and pouring down with destructive fury upon
the smiling face of the earth, leaving it a scarred and
blighted thing.

Sometimes in this terrible struggle mountains are made
or swallowed up. When totntaitis are made under
water, they appear as islands, and the enormous dis-
placement of water makes the tidal wave, which, heay-
ing forward in a vast mass, sweeps over adjacent shores
Frequently the upheaved motintains do
not come to the surface of the water, and are cofise-
quently unknown until an unfortunate ship is lost there. .

At first thought it seems as if these throes of nature
‘might be expected in any part of the world, and, in-
deed, we have no absolute certainty that any portion will
be exempted; but we have good reasons to suppose that
these unpleasant exhibitions wilf be confined to certain
easily defined places. A careftl study of volcanoes ‘and
earthquakes has been made only within the past century,
but a history of their occurrence has been preserved
fairly well for nearly two thousand years, and it is no-
ticed that these phenomena have never taken place outside
of a certain belt.

 

a,

BPR

 

aS:

are eee ee

 

   

xe

ee

“3
ig

 

ae

*

ay
Ba

 

sucl
witl
eart
Am

c
unl
to |
mu:
that
met

by

~laus

bet
ie

Seg eR ee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

een 22

es

—
ns

Be

=
at

—
—

-

PERS a <s = ie Ene ao oe

i

=

 

\e
|

 

  
  

  

“

-laugh on Cantrell when the latter tries to haze him.

had considered exceptionally clever

then, satisfied:
~ Cantrell peered at him.

of whom he had been thinking,

The Atlantic Ocean, for example, seldom sees any
such convulsion, while the Pacific Ocean is almost begirt
with voleanic mountains. Occasionally a slight shock of
earthquake has been felt along the eastern coast of North
America.

On the whole, we may feel safe on the Atlantic coast
unless we make our way to Iceland, where nature seems
to be having a most riotous time. One important fact
must be noticed in speaking of these disturbances, and
that is that mountairi chains are the result of displace-
ment, mostly due to other causes, and only helped along
by internal commotion.

—————->«@ 4-4 —______

Bob Storm in the Line:

By ENSIGN LEE TEMPEST, U. S. N.

SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS.
Bob Strong is a plebe at Annapolis. He iticurs the enmity

“Handsome” Cantrell, an upper elassman, by turning the
Though
he has never played football before, Bob makes the plebe team.
In one class gaitie Cantrell fouls Bob, Then comes a fist fight
between them, and again Cantrell plays a mean trick by Hitting
Bob. below the belt, when he was unprepared.

A pretty young girl, Billie Stafford, comes to Annapolis. She
and Bob have long been friends, She makes a great impression
on Cantrell, who pays het much attention,

Cantrell tries to belittle Bob in Billie’s eyes, and she bitterly
resents it. In revetige Catitrell forges a letter from Billie to Bob,
saying she is in difficulty and demanding his immediate presetice.
Bob cannot find Billie, but he finds on the floor a note purporting
to be from himself, and askifig her to come to a certain sloop in
the Severn. Bob arrives jiist in time to save her from an attack
by a ruffian,

of

CHAPTER XVIII,

SHERWOOD CANTRELL.

Sherwood Cantrell, of the third class, sat in the shadow
of his room and thought. Also, he smoked. And he
was very careful to exhale the smoke through the partly
opened windows by which he sat.

His roommate, Ten Eyke Van Slyke, of New York, was
visiting in the room of Pin Pinnell and The Crab; so
Handsome Cantrell was alone with his cigatette and his
thoughts “

They weren’t pleasant. A ‘ide plan of his, which he
, had gone against him.

Why, he knew hot, and though he constimed one whole
cigarette over it, he remained as far from the solution of

‘it as ever. ;

He cautiously gave the butt of the cigarette to the four
winds; cleared the room of smoke; and, with a yawn
and stretching of the body, was giving the thing up when
a knock caine at-the door. Cantrell sniffed the air once
or twice to see if the odor of tobacco cotild be detected;
“Come in,” he said.

A tall middy entered, his face obscured by the gloom.
“You, Van?” he began; then he
started, and exclaitned: “ ‘Storm!” It was the very man

“Yes, Cantrell,” smiled Bob ; “
Storm,”

Cantrell regained his composure and annexed a sneer.

“Te what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” he
asked,

it is very truly yours, Bob

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

t

  

“To your ability as a letter writer, Cantrell !”
Cantrell’s face paled in the gloom, and he sat down.

30b approached the table, and looked down at him.
“Cantrell, there’s no use for us to feint and parry. You
wrote those letters! You wanted to injure me. You

were sore at Billie, and wete coward enough to try to
get ever

 

 

“What do you mean?” Cantrell was on his feet. “How
dare you say .
He stopped in his effort to brazen it out, for Bob

was looking coolly at him.

“Cantrell,” said Bob, “‘don’t be foolish. Billie Stafford
knows, | know, and you know that you wrote those let-
ters. So don’t force me to report the matter to the com-
mandant. Then thete would be an investigation, and
somebody’s chances of an honorable career itt the navy
would be ruined, his whole life, perhaps, blasted by a
little schoolboy jealousy. He would be sent home in dis-
grace to his parentits.”

Cantrell shivered a little at the picture Bob had dfawn.
Then he was silent, as he thought it over.

Bob studied him. He thought he knew what was
going on in the tall youngster’s mind; yet he was sur-
prised all the same at the quickness with which Cantrell
atrived at a decision.

“T did it, Storm!’ he admitted suddenly.
looked si lently up at Bob for a moment.
he said. “I wanted to get even with you and—Miss
Stafford.” He got to his feet. “I acted cowardly; but
V'll show you I’m not a coward! I'll go to the com-
mandant with you, and I'll tell cere Pil take my
medicine, Come!”

Realizing the disgrace he was staring in the face—the
loss of friends, school, career, exhibited before his fellows
as a coward-and a sneak, and sent home in dishonor to
his parents—the protid Kentuckian yet appeared ready to
meet the issue. He started toward the door.

30b studied him. He saw that Sherwood Cantrell,
though hot of tetiper and somewhat conceited, and with
foe mean traits in his make-up, was yet not ‘altogether

bad.

There was good stuff latent in him. Bob, thotigh he
had never thought him a coward, had not expected him
to face the music as he was doing. s For the first time,
he felt a thrill of admiration for Sherwood Cantrell.

“Cantrell,” he said, “we will go to the commandant
after a while, perhaps, but let’s talk it ovet flow.” ~°

Cantrell, stirprise plainly printed on his face, turned
frotn the door. <A look of relief followed, that showed
how much he feared the ordeal. Then his lips tightened

Then he
“I was a fool!”

perceptibly.

“T have my netve now,” he attempted to say calmly.
“I'd father not wait.”

30b was stire of what he wanted to do, at that.

“T am sorty for you, Cantrell,’ he said; “I am sorry
that your jealous rage could make you do such a thing!”

Cantrell sat down, and-his pale face dropped upon his
atm on the table.

Of a sudden he sobbed:

“Oh, I was a fool! A jealotis

 

fool! I hated you and I wanted to hurt you in any way
I could

“That’s all right,” said Bob. “Get your hetve again,
man, I rae to ask you something.”

Cantrell, his face a study of repentant grief, looked up- a

Bob’s facé was stern.
he said slowly, “send that note to Billie

questioningly.

“Did you,”

   
         
   
   
  
      
   
   
  
  

 

 

ot
jc
ae
=

¢ *
=

tf]
‘an

  
     
     
       
     
         
     
     
     
     
     
 
    
   

  

   
        
      
       
     
     
       
    

re >
py ar whe

22 NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY,

Stafford in the hope that she would come to harm in
the disreputable neighborhood where she went in search
of me?”

Cantrell got to his feet quickly.

“T acted the coward and the sneak against you, Storm,
but I swear I meant no harm to Miss Stafford! I’m not
capable of that. We Cantrells He colored and
broke off. “I only wanted her out of the way when you
arrived at the hotel. _ I didn’t realize where | was send-
ing her; the fact is, I didn’t realize what a sneak anda
coward I was showing myself to be by the whole thing!”

“TI believe you,” said Bob. “I asked you the question
because I came upon her in time to save her from being
mistreated by a huge ruffian. I thought you had a hand
in that, but HOW I know better. You’re not so much of

 

- a coward as you’ think you are, Cantrell!”

Cantrell gulped once or twice. He seemed to be los-
ing the grip of himself.

“Shall we go to the commandant now?” he asked.

“No!” snapped Bob decisively. He had come to a de-
cision in regard to the penitent boy before him. “Can-
trell,” he said, “you may have acted the coward and sneak,
but you’re too good to be bilged. _ You would have to start
life all over again, and, it might be, on the wrong track.
Your mother Say, Cantrell, it's s too hard! We won't
go to the commandant; we wont’tell anybody of this;
and you'll remain here at old Ann, the best school in God’s
world, and show just how much a fellow can develop the
good stuff in him! What do you say, Sherwood?”

But Cantrell never said a word, only stared, astounded,
at tall and manly Bob. His head dropped on his arm
again and he cried—openly cried! Bob turned away and
looked out of the window. There was'‘a peculiar glassy
glitter in his eyes, as though he, too, would like for some
reason or other to have a good cry.

“Bob,” he heard Cantrell say, low and trembling ; “Bob,
you’ve made me lose my nerve. * You’ve made me think—
of my mother! ° But I can’t accept your generous offer.
I was a coward; I cannot let you act the white man you
are. I can’t let you shoulder all the punishment for
frenching while I go scot-free. I'll go to the commandant
alone, if you won’t go with me!”

With the man in each on the ascendant, both boys
looked at one another. For a long moment there was

 

“silence.

Then Bob said in a tense voice:

-“You mentioned your mother, Sherwood; I never
knew my mother ; but I know you owe it to her to do what
I say. I cannot ‘let you go back to Kentucky—to her—
in disgrace; I’d hate myself for it; it’s for myself I'm
pleading. Another thing: I can stand the punishment for
frenching; it’s comparatively light; only fifty demerits
and restriction. And here’s a last reason and the most

-important: Billie Stafford pleaded with me to let you off
before I came here; so you have her to thank, not me.”

Cantrell sat with his chin in his hand.
“T don’t understand you, Bob. I know that all this

talk is to play on me so that I will accept your.,splendid

offer. And though I do accept it and let you shoulder
all the blame, I’ll never forget what you have done for
me, I'll act square, and try to show you that it is not
an absolute waste of breath for you to help me. And
if ever you need a friend, Bob, don’t pass me over. From
now on I’m going to exert myself in trying to repay you
_a little for what you have done for me to-night.”
When Ten Eyke Van Slyke returned from his ‘visit to

 

The Pin and The Crab, he found Sherwood Cantrell, fully
dressed, lying in his white iron cot. He had been thinking
things over, and when he raised his head, his cheeks
glistened in the light, as though damp with moisture.

‘Where have you been, Bob?” asked Ralph Stafford,
when Storm entered Room 120.

“To see a friend of mine,” said’ Bob.
queerly.

And he smiled

CHAPTER XIX,

THE HEAD COACH DROPS A HINT.

“Play up there, Storm! \Don’t anchor yourself every
time the ball goes back! And for the love of Mike, show
some class!”

30b Storm’s face went red beneath the tan; a hot, in-
sufferable feeling of being wronged surged through his
almost six feet of solid muscle and bone, as he listened}
astounded, to the words of “Bulldog” Truxton, the head
coach.

He flung himself into the next play like a crimson-

faced fury—hot and eager to show his mettle, to make .

good in the eyes of the head coach.

His heart leaped, as he saw the scrub right half circling
around his end and, getting by the scrub right end and
tackle, he dived at the man with the ball with all the skill
he " geagripir

But the second-string man showed sudden genius. He
pulled up on the instant, side-stepped quickly—and Bob
Storm thudded, like a chain shot, to the turf.

Stunned and crestfallen, Bob picked himself off the
ground while the rest of, his team pyramided on top of
the scrub half back some yards down the field.

“Good work, Storm!” sang out Bulldog Truxton in his
gentle voice. “Great tackling for a plebe left end.” A
hard, hulking battleship of a man, he strode up to the tall
plebess “See here, Storm,” he said, “this isn’t the Chero-
kee Indian Boys’ High Eleven. You're an end, and sup-
posed to use your head; but here you’ve missed two
tackles, and fumbled a forward pass. You're playing
rotten. What’s the matter? Swelled head? Think
you’re some end since those youngster games—what ?”

Bob listened with ringing ears, but did not attempt an
answer. He knew he was playing “rotten,” as the coach
had phrased it; but so was the rest of his team. Why,
then, had the coach sifigled him owt? It was only a
practice game, anyhow. ;

“Try a cold-water bottle every night, Storm,” went on
the coach, in fine sarcasm, while the twenty-one other
players listened, and chuckled audibly. ‘When your head

9

‘is sizable again, you may be able to make the second
I had you down for it, but you can forget that,

team.
now; the scrub left end, Morrow, stands as much of a
show as you do. You'll have to serve a while with the
babies, and learn to control the abnormal development

of your cranium before you can get a chance to play |

"

against West Point!

And, with that, he stalked away along the side line,
spitting savagely at every bar of white plaster.

And Bob Storm stared after him with mouth open, for
all the world like a child watching a circus parade.

He knew, now, why Truxton had selected him for a
word drubbing to the exemption of his teammates who
were playing no better than he, if as well.
down” was a hint that the head coach had notebooked
him for a chance on the second team.

 

 

 

 
   
   
     
  
  
   
 
    
   
   
  
   
    
 
    
   
   
  
   
  
    
  
  
   
     
      
       
      
       
    
    

few
In

one

anc

i ple

tea

pla
Ra

« CON

tal
th

th
ov

 

The “call-.
  

lly
ing
eks

rd,

led

 

a

 

a
OT Re PS

Be
3

 

Se

 

 

 

  
 

“AVell, I'll be keelhauled, holystoned, marooned, and a
few other things,’ muttered Bob. “I’m certainly in luck.
I never expected to make the second team before my sec-
ond year, at least.”

*Didn’t I tell you, Bob?” piped up a voice at his elbow;
and, turning, Bob discovered little Porter McCray, the
plebe quarter back, “Didn’t I say you’d make the navy
team before all those prep school heroes?” McCray: ex-
plained.

“Congratulations, Bob, old man!” broke in Bob’s chum,
Ralph Stafford, in his usual breezy manner. “Jemima! I
couldn’t realize it at first,”

“Nor I, Bibulous Bobby.
taking a peach of a fall out of you,
the big plebe full back.

“Waal, yo’ deserve to hit the second team, shuah,” said
Randall Page quietly; and his Southerner’s drawl caught
the “bunch” in such splendid humor that they all burst
out into laughter.

Bob now played with new fire; not only because of the
coach’s words, but because he felt the eyes of his team-
mates upon him. As for the scrubs, they regarded him
with respect that was almost reverence.

Ezra Morrow, the scrub left end whom the coach had
mentioned, never once removed his eyes from Bob during
the remainder of the game; and it caused Bob no little
discomfort to find, whenever he looked up, the narrow
eyes of the tall, lanky plebe always watching him.

Morrow was a big-limbed “Sep” plebe+that i is, a middy
who had entered the Naval Academy in September. He
was from Maine. He was taciturn, and had few ac-
quaintances among the middies even for a latecomer.

The one thing that had drawn him out of his shell had
been football, and at football he proved fast, nervy, and
strong. Indeed, but for the fact that he had worked
owt late, and that the plebe ends were well filled by Gault
and Storm, he would have made the plebe team as a
regular end.

‘He'll get my position at left,” thought Bob, and he felt
sure it would be well played with Ezra Morrow assigned
to it.

Practice over, Bob took a shower and a rub, then got
into his uniform and left the gym,

As he crossed the “yard,” a big, handsome middy called
to him:

“Oh, Bob, I hear you’re going to make the second team.
Good work, old man! Another step and you'll hit the
varsity.”

“Well, I’m not up to your class as a football player,
Sherwood,” said Bob, in return. “It’s because they’re
weak on ends this season, and I’m one of the best available
that they’re giving me a chance on the second squad.”

Sherwood, or, as he was more generally called, “Hand-
some” Cantrell, joined Bob.

He: was a youngster, or third classman, who until
recently had tried to injure Bob in every way he could,
fair and foul.

He had sought.to have Bob “‘bilged,”
Annapolis, for “‘frenching,
for taking french leave from the academy grounds; but
Bob had discovered his plot, and had made a friend of him
by keeping the affair a secret and taking all the punish-
ment for frenching on his own shoulders.

I thought Bull Truxton was
” put in Bucky Hart,

or dismissed, from

Since then Cantrell had acted in a manner above re-

proach, voicing his friendship for Bob in every possible

' way; the two had become chummy.

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

” which is midshipman parlance.

“Bob,” said Cantrell
all get out to-morrow.
ing you, and you'll have to

seriously, “you'll have to play like
Bulldog Truxton will be watch-
show all your class; make

good then or never,”

“Tl know that,” said Bob.

The following day the plebe eleven, having beaten the
youngsters, was to play the second-class team which, in
turn, had defeated the first class; and hence the game
would, in all probability, decide the class championship.

The head coach, of course, would watch the play; he
had called Bob down to put him on his mettle; and if
Bob failed to exhibit qualities necessary for varsity ma-
terial, the coach would pass him up and turn to greener
pastures,

Cantrell left Bob at the door of main quarters.

Bob ascended to his room, drew a chair to the window,
picked up his Chauvenet, and tried “bone” the next
day’s lesson,

But very soon he gave it up; his thoughts were too
much on football. He ruminated on what the head coach
had said, and determined to make good in the eyes of
Truxton in the plebe-junior game on the morrow.

As he mused, Bob looked through the window down
upon the sward stretching softly away under the elms.

Middies in blue uniforms hurried up and down the
walks, in and out of the building. Among them Bob
made out Ralph Stafford and Handsome Cantrell, both
of whom turned and gazed up at his window as they
passed.

“They're thinking of me,” said Bob, and he thought
himself quite a Sherlock Holmes,

Right after, Bob caught sight of Ezra Morrow, the
lanky “Sep” plebe, coming toward the building. His
head was bent forward on his long, thin neck, and he
seemed wrapped in thought,

But ‘suddenly he looked up; long and hard he gazed
at the window behind which Bob sat, the sunlight shining
on his high cheek bones.

Then he bowed his head again, and appeared once more
to lose himself in a brown study, but repeated the look
not many yards nearer the building,

Bob lost sight of him when he entered the doorway.

“T’ll bet Truxton’s words made him think some, too,”
he thought.

After supper, Bob and Ralph worked for two hours
over French, algebra, and rhetoric, only disturbed by the
hourly visits of the midshipman im charge of the floor.

At half past nine the plebes were free till ten o’clock;
so Bob went down the hall to Bucky Hart’s room to talk
over the next day’s game with the big full back.

He had been -chatting some time with Bucky when
Ralph Stafford stuck his head in the doorway.

“Hello, old ship!” Ralph exclaimed. | “Hello, Will
West,” to Bucky. Then he went on: “Say, Bob, there
was a visitor to see you a moment anata Can-
trell. Wanted to talk over to-morrow’s game; seems very
friendly all of a sudden,” re

“Guess I'll go to Cantrell’s room, fellows,
getting up.

But he found Cantrell’s room, in thé youngster quar-
ters downstairs, deserted; both Cantrell and his room-
mate, Ten E yke Van Sly ‘ke, were out. \

“Perhaps he’s paid another visit to my room,” thought
Bob.

” Bob said,

He hurried upstairs and flung open his dgor—to reel i

      
  
  
   
   
  
   
  
   
 
  
   
   
  
   
 
  
  
   
  
   
  
  
  
    
   
  
    
   
   
   
  
   
  
   
  
     

emis aS

aie eed
Maend Lone

      
     
     
     
     
     
         
     
       
       
       
   
      
a . > Bi he ~ $ret

m3 CO GS ee ee ee Pest ae
AAP A eg PN ay eet Ny 2 -~ey:

* 4

NEW. TIP TOP WEEKLY,

back, as though struck, by the sight and smell that met
his senses.

Out of his room curled, like the swarm of Troubles
from Pandora’s Box, a cloud of tobacco-smelling smoke!

At the same moment, Bob heard some one running

down the hall. And he turned in time to see the back of
Sherwood Cantrell, as he darted from the corridor into
the staircase.

Utterly bewildered, almost doubting what he had seen,
Bob stepped into his room, being careful to close the
door behind him.

Then he glimpsed the cause of the smoke and smell—

a brightly burning Turkish cigarette that lay in-a nest of
*ashes on his table.

Bob stepped over. and picked it up, to crush it between
his fingers.

He heard the door behind him open.

He swung about, the cigarette smoking in his hand,
to see Lieutenant Taylor, the officer in charge, standing,
rubbing his eyes, on the threshold.

After an appreciable moment of silence, during which
each gazed, wide-eyed, at the other:

“Storm,” said the officer sternly, “I shall have to re+
port you for smoking!”

CHAPTER XX.
WHO LEFT THE CIGARETTE?

Bob, in dismay, let the cigarette fall from his fingers.

‘““T—smoking ?” he queried, unable to believe that he had
heard aright.

“Well, it looks that way,” replied the lieutenant. “You
were in the act of raising that cigarette to your lips to
puff at it when I came in.”

° 2°
Bob was himself now.

es , \
“T must deny that, sir,” he said quite calmly. “I had

9

just come in and found this cigarette

“Then you mean to say you were not smoking?’ The
officer was a trifle red in the face.

ee Be.”

“Well, you can tell that to the commandant.
my own eyes to believe in this case. Come!”

“Certainly,” said Bob.

He passed out before the officer, and, in this wise, they
left main quarters, and proceeded across the “yard” to
the commandant’s office.

After Lieutenant Taylor had been closeted some, min-
utes with the commandant, Bob was called, and he went
in to face a tall, white-bearded naval officer who looked
him over closely, though quickly.

“Mr. Stormy,’ he said, “Lieutenant Taylor has ex-
plained to me the charge against you ; now, what have you
to say about it?”

“T wish to deny it, sir,” replied Bob. “I would like to
explain the whole affair.”

The commandant nodded his white head, and Bob
went back over the, whole evening’s goings on; his visit
to Bucky Hart’s room, then Cantrell’s, then his own, and
the discovery of the lighted cigarette as Lieutenant Taylor
entered. . .

The commandant thought it over.

“Could your roommate, Midshipman Stafford, have
left the cigarette there?” he asked, after a minute.
“TI doubt that, sir,” said Beb. “He came out of the
* room ten minutes at least before I found the cigarette.”
- . “And the third classman, Midshipman Cantrell, had

I’ve got

v

left the room before Stafford; so, then, he cannot be con-
sidered.”

30b, remembering the form he had glimpsed in the
corridor, was silent.

“Well, it looks bad for you, Mr. Storm, at this rate,”
said the commandant, not unkindly. “I cannot take your
word for it that you were not smoking, unless you have
proof to back it, up. I'll investigate the matter further
to-morrow, however. And in the meanwhile you may
go to your room 4nd turn in, sir, satisfied that you will
get justice. Good night, Mr. Storm.”

“Thank you, sir,’ said Bob, his heart warm toward the
just old sea dog. “And good night, sir.”

After Bob had “turned in,” he stared up at the black-
ness and pondered the matter over. Who had left that
cigarette in his room?

It could not be Ralph Stafford; Bob knew Ralph did
mot smoke. And that cigarette had been left on Bob’s
desk in order to get Bob into trouble.

It was just like Sherwood Cantrell’s work in the past;
and, added to that, Bob had seen Cantrell run down the
hall as he opened his door before the discovery.

But what motive could Cantrell have for trying to in-
jure Bob? He owed his place in Annapolis to Bob
Storm, and, to all appearances, was one of Bob’s best
friends.

And, as far from the solution of the mystery as before,
Bob fell asleep.

The next day Bob forgot the puzzling question for a
time—during the interval of the plebe-junior game for
the academy championship.

He sat, blanketed and waiting, on the side line with
Ralph Stafford and a row of other blanketed first-string
men and alternates, while the teams warmed upat signal
work.

“Look at Ezra Morrow, Bob,” Ralph remarked sud-
denly; “that lanky end, I mean. Notice how pale anf
drawn he looks? You’d think he was entering a real
battle, ready to do or die.”

“He’s nervous, that’s plain,” returned Bob; “but it
wouldn’t surprise me if he plays a rip-snorting game to-
day.”

Ralph laughed.

“T hope he doesn’t,” he said.
be to your sorrow.

Bob was nonplused.

“Tf he should, it might
Comprehendo? Sabe?” .
He shook his head.

“No,” he said, “I can’t’see what difference it would

make to me. I want him to help beat the juniors, don’t
ou?”
; “Sure; but that isn’t all of it. If Morrow plays better
than you do when you go in, Bulldog Truxton will put
him on the second team instead of you.” As Bob looked
surprised: “Don’t you remember what Bull said yes-
terday?” Ralph asked. “About Morrow having as much
show as you have to make the second squad?”
Bob shook his tousled head slowly.

, “That slipped by me,” he) said.

3

“Well, I’ll wager it didn’t slip by Morrow,” returned
Ralph. “Bob, he’s determined to beat you out to-day,
and show Truxton who’s the little end to put on the sec-
ond team.”

Bob thought it over.

“Well,” he gave out at length, “I have my little say to.
that, too. I want to hit the second team, and when my
chance comes, I'll do my level best to beat Morrow to ,
it. Watch me!” :

 

 
 

       
     
 

  
    

Happening toMook- around, Bob caught sight of Head
Coach Bulldog Truxton, standing a few yards behind, in
a greatcoat of generous dimensions and rather “loud”
pattern.

Bob nudged Ralph, and the two gazed with no little
awe at the “big chief,” until he turned his august head,
saw them, andwdeigned to remark:

“Storm, I’m watching you to-day.
some to make the second team.”

He swung on his heel, then, and walked away.

° y

You'll have to play

CHAPTER XXI. \
MORROW—END.

The second class won the toss. They spread out in
the southern section of the field for the kick-off, while big
Bucky Hart teed the ball on the fifty-five yard line.

The whistle shrilled, and sharp and crisp, a moment
later, rang the sound of leather meeting leather.

Up and away went the ball on its high flight before the

coercion of Bucky Hart’s toe, and down the field, under
it, charged the conflict-eager plebes.
% The pigskin dropped into the welcoming*arms of the
_ junior right half—Rolkins by name; but on his third
stride down the gridiron with it, he found himself con-
fronted by a big-boned pleb® of desperate expression, who
promptly hurled him off his feet.

When Morrow drew his big limbs together and got up,
he was panting with the battle frenzy of the game.

The opposing backs bégan®exchanging punts, and here
again Morrow was much in evidence. He was always
| first down the field under the soaring ovoid, always
| tackled hard and sure, always held his end.
| For instance: Twice Cogswell, the junior quarter, sent
_ his right half around Morrow’s end, and, each time the
~ New Englander loomed up, big and rangy, and overthrew
_ the man with the leather.

On the third try, the right half fell with such force
_ that the ball was jarred from his hands, and it wabbled

|. away on its own sweet will until Ezra carefully fell on it.

_ With the ball their treasure, and the goal some seventy-
| five yards down the field, the plebes sertt Full Back Hart
1 against the heavy junior line for a gain of seven yards;

| then tried.a cross buck by right half, to gain only a paltry

_ four.
i = Next, Walter Kinkaid, the second-string man who was
ba holding down Ralph Stafford’s position at left half, went

 

| around left end for a gain, thanks to Morrow’s clever

| blocking, of twelve yards.

While the pyramid on top of Kinkaid was pulling itself
apart, Bob Storm removed his eyes from the checkerboard
- and looked at Ralph Stafford, who so happened, at that

|} moment, to turn and gaze into his chum’s eyes.

1@ = “Well, I’ll be bilged ! !” gasped Bob.
could play like that.”

|} “He’s playing for all he’s worth; the game of his life,”

| returned Ralph earnestly. “He’s determined to beat you
. _ out, and hit the second in your stead. And he will, Bob,

if you don’t play like ten Chinese devils ! :

_, “I wish Hull would send me in,” was all Bob said.

~The plebe tried a “one-man” forward pass.

~ Morrow got behind the unsuspecting junior line, re-

ceived the thrown ball handily from Kinkaid, tucked it

safe and firm in the crotch of his right arm, ‘and started

way for the goal far down the field.

“T didn’t know he

ene

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY,

  

of
453

His soul was shining in his thin face ;
chance to make good in ‘the eyes of the head coach and, at
the same time, score a touchdown for his team.

The fifty-five yard line flashed beneath him like a mark
on a moving carpet, and sprinting, long-legged, he raced
down the junior end of the field with a panting pack at
his heels, eager to bring him to earth.

The big junior full back was the closest behind Mor-
row, and it soon became patent that he was faster than
the lanky plebe left end.

At the fifteen-yard line he had so overtaken the raw-
boned New Englander that he had but to launch himself
through space in a tackle, and down went Morrow, rolling
over and over toward the goal.

As a result of this last, desperate attempt at gain, the
rest of the field piled up on the plebe left end, making
of him the foundation of a grotesque human mound.

When Ezra Morrow was lifted out of the mix-up of
arms and legs, he was found to be limp and cold.

Water mes hurriedly brought from the side lines and
thrown on hing, and, in time, he got the wind back into
his lungs and opened his eyes.

3ut when he got to his feet, he still was so weak and
dizzy that he reeled.

He begged to be allowed to stay in the game; but, pro-
testing and half crying, amid resounding cheers from the
plebe rooters in which his name was most prominent, he
was carried off the field.

And Bob Storm, pale himself now, went in in his
stead.

TO BE CONTINUED.

 

RELATING TO COLUMBUS.

By MAX ADELER.

“T see,’ said the professor, cocking up his legs upon
the stove in the grocery store, “I see that they talk of
putting up a monument to Christopher’ Columbus in
Philadelphia. It’s too bad the way people’ve been fooled
about him. He never discovered Anierica, and I’ve made
up my mind to bust that old fraud and shake him out

and let the people see what kind of a rotten old swindle |

he is.”

“You say that Columbus didn’t discover America?”
asked Mr. Partridge.

“Certainly he didn’t. He was a mean, lubberly,
chuckle-headed, one-horse sneak, who went paddling
around in a scow, letting on he was doing big things
when he hadn’t pluck enough to get out of sight of
land.”

“Who did discover it, then?”

“Well, I'll tell you fellows in advance of \publication,
but, mind you, lay low about it. It was Potiphar!”

“What was his first name?”

“First name? Thunder!’ Why he hadn’t’ any. It
was only Potiphar—old Pharaoh’s Potiphar, you know.”

“How d’you find out’ about it?”

“Why, you know old Gridley, up in the city? Well,
last year he was in Egypt, and he brought home a
mummy, all wrapped up in bedclothes and soldered
around with sealing wax. Gridley asked me to come
over and help‘to undress him, and so we tackled that
mummy, and, after rolling off a couple of hundred yards
of calico, we reached him.

here was his

Looked exactly like dried |

   

   
  
  
   
  
   
  
  
  
  
   
   
   
 
   
    
  
    
  
 
 
 
 
   
  
 
 
   
  
    
  
  
 
   

pital ii a disinanitin'e vrei oe

 

 

      
      
  
   
    
   

  

 
 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    
      
   

 

 

    
 
 
  

  
  
 
 
 
  
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
  
  
 
 
  
 
  

26 NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

beef. Black as your hat and just about tender enough
‘to chip down for tea. Gridley said he’d like to know
who the old rooster was, and [ looked him over to find
out. You know how they put up a mummy, don’t you?
Take out all his machinery inside, and fill him up with
nutmegs and cinnamon. Then they set a brass door-
plate in his stomach and make some little memoranda,
with obituary poetry, and all that kind of thing. Any-
how, after polishing him up with a flesh brush for a
minute or two, I found the doorplate, and with some care
‘I managed to read the inscription on it. It was this:
‘I am Potiphar, servant of Pharaoh. I was buried three
thousand years before the Christian era. I discovered
America. C. Columbus was an impostor.” That’s what
the inscription said, and in my opinion that settles it.
Now [ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’ve had a
cast made of that dried beef, and I intend to have it
swelled all out and made into a statue, and I’m going
to set it up at my own expense alongside the statue of
Columbus, and have a sign put on it to the effect that
Columbus is a ragged old fraud. Then I intend to get
up a-memorial to Congress asking it to change the name
of the country to Potipharia, and to make Potiphar’s
sacred animal, the tomcat, the emblematical bird of the
nation.instead of the eagle. Be a big thing, won’t it,
to compel. everybody to sing ‘Hail, Potipharia; happy
land! and ‘Potipharia, the Gem of the Ocean?”

“You say you read the inscription on the plate,” said
Partridge. “I didn’t know you understood the lan-
guage.” .

“Can read it as easy asa, b, c.”

“ ‘Buried three thousand years before the Christian
‘era,’ I think you said it read. How did ‘old-Pot know
anything about the Christian era if he died that long
before?” . :

“Blamed if I know. Cast his prophetic eye over the
future, I s’pose.”

“Well, how in the thunder could he tell that Columbus
was going to claim to discover America?”

“That’s so. I dunno. Is kind of queer.”

“Do you know what [ think of you?” asked Partridge.

“T think you'd lie the hair off an old-fashioned trunk,
and that if I was asked to nominate the champion Ameri-
can fraud to go on a pedestal at some national exhibi-
tion I’d send in your name.”

“Would you, though, really ?”

“T would.”

“Well, send an order over to Jones’ for. drinks all
round, It’s surprising how well you know me,”

The Potiphar memorial has not yet heen sent to
Congress,

—_———_-~ 40+

Ri aeoas SLEEPLESS AT CAMP,
Some boys suffer from sleeplessness at camp. In fact,

; most do the first night out, but with some it continues all |

the outing.

This is a serious matter, for no scout can be at his
best unless he has had his proper amount of rest,

Very often a biscuit eaten when you wake in the night
will enable you to “drop off” again, and if this does not
do, ask leave to change the position of your. sleeping place
before “turning in” next night.”

It is a good tip, when sleeping on the ground, to dig
out a‘hollow for your hip bone to fit into underneath your
‘ground sheet, ; ai Pap 2

   
       

COUNTING THE STITCHES.

A stitch in time saves nine, and there are more than
30,000 chances in a man’s sack coat that his wife may
have 250,000 to put into it if she doesn’t get on the job
early when repairs are due.

It would be virtually impossible for any one to tell
how many stitches are in his clothes, and it is doubtful
if any two persons carry the same number, Nevertheless,
there are few who have less than 25,000 or 30,000 stitches

  
  
  
 

    
   
   

Co ue

 
    
 

 

in their garments. n
One tailor in Kansas City, Mo., after stitching and I
stitching for years, both in this country and Swotea. had :
his curiosity so atoused that he decided to count the
stitches as he made a coat, Herman Axeno found the v
job more difficult than his work, but he kept on, and,
when he was; through, totaled up 32,937 stitches. Of 8
these 23,800 were done by machine and the rest by hand. | I
The coat was a four-button sack, thirty-two inches long, |
and single stitched. ad
For the five pockets 6,297 machine stitches were needed, } 1
‘ vi 4) eee TI
in addition to 428 by hand. Then the seams needed | ,;
5,979 stitches by machine, and 2,240 hand stitches were | ph
used for the inside work, lapels, edge tape, et cetera. The —
basting for the trying on, et cétera, contained 2,151 hand — :

  

stitches. The collar and coat stitching took up more time |
than any other part, for 6,365 machiné and 1,695 hand | 4.
stitches were required. . -
For the making of the sleeves there were 3,884 ma- |
chine stitches and 616 hand stitches, with an additional |

   
 
   
  
    
  
   
  
  
 

. 2a inl ne

756 by machine and 705 by hand to put the sleeves in
place. The buttonholes Mhd buttons even needed 680 | m
stitches; and then there were stitches to the tune of org |
by machine and 622 by hand for miscellaneous purposes. 1
Axeno found the stitch counting of a coat a task in
itself, and he didn’t go any further; but tailors estimate - fo
that there are nearly as many stitches in a pair of trousers ba
or a skirt as in a coat. Each leg of a trousers is closely “*
stitched on both sides, bringing the nymber of stitches be- Ai

tween 15,000 and 20,000, and often more. The Same is
true of a strictly tailor-made skirt, which seldom contains —
less than 10,000 stitches, and often needs more work than —
a coat. . Ce

In the matter of stitches, appearances are deceitful, for |
the dresses that appear the simplest often need the most | |
work. The light summer dresses, needing yards of lace, |
and plaits, and frills, are often a trial to the dressmaker, | _

     
 

  

    
    
 

  

    

 

      
 
 

   

    
 
  

 
 
  
 

   
 

  

    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

   
  

for ‘stitches by hand and machine to the total of 30,000 — oo
and 40,000 are needed before the garment is complete. Jul
As for the magnificent ball gowns that grace the ballroom she
floor during the social season, it would take a week to | the
count their stitches, and madam would be disappointed in | 43
the delivery of the gown if she waited until the dress- I
makers counted as they toiled: It has been estimated by of
a dressmaker that many of the fair dancers carry 100,000 i
stitches or more upon them. For here, too, the frills and lar;
ornaments must be taken into consideration, and then, bot
there is a train, a few 10,000 more stitches are required om
And then the bride. She is also given thousands of .
extra stitches for good measure—satin, messaline and | = 4
crépe de Chine all need their share of close stitching, Cle
few go to the altar without 50,000 or 60,000 stitches, an: her

   

how, in their outer garments. And then the lace veil m
not be forgotten, The handwork on it, perhaps, to
weeks to complete. Even gloves have their share.
stitching, for, with the long varieties, there can be countec

   
   
  

1,000 or more needle strokes.

 
    
 

    
Wants 40 Persons to Give an Inch of Skin.

Because she feared that it might result
in their deaths, and having the example
of William Rugh, the Gary, Ind., news-
man constantly before her, Mrs. William
Kirk, of Chicago, refused to permit Ed-
ward Hawley and Vail Geary to give up 20
square inches of skin each to save the life
of her six-year-old son, Willie. The child
was badly burned.

“But,” said Mrs. Kirk, “I hope wé can
get 40 persons to give an inch.”

Illiteracy is on the Decrease in United States,

f ;

There are fewer men, women, and chil-
dren in the United States who can neither
read or write than ever before in the na-
tion’s history, according to illiteracy sta-
tistics made public recently by the census
bureau.

In the entire population, illiteracy has
declined from 10.7 in 1909 to 7.7 per cent in
1910. Among é¢hildren from 10 to 14 years
of age, the decline had been from 7.2 to
4.1 per cent. In 1910 the whole number of
children who could neither read nor write
was 370,120—144,659 whites, 218,355 ne-
groes, and 7,106 Indians, Chinese, and Japa-
nese.

For illiteracy of children of foreign or
mixed parentage the percentage was only
0.6 per cent.

Woman Sues Ball Players for Loss of Eye.

Trial of a suit for damages of $25,090
_for the loss of an eye, with eighteen _base-
ball players of the Alhambra and Pacific
_ semiprofessional clubs as defendants, was
_ begun recently in the superior court, at Los
Angeles, Cal.

Mrs. Emily Russell, of Alhambra, the
plaintiff, alleges that while walking on the
street on August 10, 1911, a baseball struck
her in the eye, destroying the sight. She
learned the names of the ¢lubs playing
a game of baseball near by, and she named

all eighteen players as defendants.

Railroad Deaths Increase.

Figures compiled by the State railroad
commission, of Pennsylvania, show that in
July, August,\and September 300 persons
were killed on the steam railroads of Penn-

_sylvania, against 266 in the same quarter

| last year, and 47 on street railways, against

43 in the similar period last year.

In the same quarter 2,977 persons, 2,330
of them employees, were hurt on steam
railroads, and 1,115 injured on street rail-
ways. The number of sich accidents was
- Jarger than in the same quarter of 1911 on
' both classes of roads.

Mrs, Cleveland May Have to Pay Postage
After Marriage.

A technicality may deprive Mrs. Grover
Cleveland, widow of the ex-president, of
her franking privilege after her coming
marriage to Professor Thomas i. Preston.
 Post-office officials personally entertain
flo objection to Mrs. Cleveland retaining
the privilege, but the law, which also
_ granted the same right to Mrs. Harrison,
_ widow of ex-President Harrison, provides
that the autograph signature of Frances

 

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

NEWS ITEMS OF INTEREST.

 

F. Cleveland, or of Anna S. Harrison, must
be signed on all franked mail matter.

The technicality is that Mrs. Cleveland,
after marriage, could not sign “Frances F.
Cleveland.”

Puts Statues on Capital Station.

Experts began recegtly to put the finish-
ing touches on the wt of the gigantic
statues that will grace the front of the new
Union station, at Washington, D. C. The
statue of “Truth,’ which was hoisted. into
place, and which was the last work of
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, weighs 25 tons,
and is said to be the largest statue ever
carved from a single block of granite.
Five other companion figures will be in-
stalled before the decorative scheme is
finished.

Say its an Unsinkable Lifeboat.

Captain Ole Brude, of Seattle, the in-
trepid Norwegian sailor, who in 1905
crossed the Atlantic in the Uread, an odd-
looking, egg-shaped lifeboat, eighteen feet
long, is planning an interesting experiment
on the Pacific.

Captain Brude has asked permission of
several-of the transpacific steamship lines
to be put adrift in his lifeboat from the
deck of one of the liners in midocean, as-
serting that he would forfeit a good-sized
sum of money if he was not back in Seattle
in six months.

“To demonstrate that my lifeboat could
weather the biggest gales, ride the heaviest
seas, and Safely carry her passengers into
port, with three companions, I set out from
Norway, August 17, 1905, bound for’ Amer-
ica,” said Captain Brude. “It was a rough
voyage, during which we encountered sev-
eral storms, but we reached Boston safely
in January, 1906, our only power being a
lone sail fastened to an iron mast.”

Captain Brude said that his craft had
provisions for a year, and there was plenty
in the larder when they reached the Massa-
chusetts coast.

“I wish to demonstrate to the shipping
men of the Pacific that my lifeboat will
not sink or capsize in the heaviest weather,
and is the safest used on the seven seas,”
said Captain Brude. “She can be made to
carry’ forty passengers and provisions for
three months. Fifty-five of the craft in
which we crossed the Atlantic would have
taken the members of the crew and all
the passengers of the Titanic and easily
reached New York harbor with them.”

Wears Peace of His Own Skull as Watch
X Charm,

Charles K. Hamilton, the aviator, is wear-
ing a bone watch charm made from his own
skull. Dangling from the birdman’s watch
fob fhe ornament closely resembles the
Elk’s token, which is similarly worn, and
the secret of its origin is known to only
a hantful of Hamilton’s friends.

The piece of bone was taken from the
head of its present possessor as he lay
unconscious on the operating table when
two American surgeons trepanned his skull,
The operation followed Hamilton’s flight
and fall in Texas, several months ago.

 

Hamilton was shown the piece of his re-
moved skull as he lay on the hospital cot,
and insisted that it was his personal prop-
erty. It was restored to him, and he has
had it mounted in gold and adjusted as a
watch charm. The memento of his narrow
escape is about two inches in length and a
half inch thick. A silver splint has béén
adjusted in its place, and Hamilton said
that its presence had not embarrassed hin
in the slightest.

San Quentin Prison Self-supporting.

San Quentin State prison, in Sacramento,
Cal., the State board of control announces,
will not require appropriations for support
from the legislature for the next biennial
period. San Quentin, having a jute mill
and a furniture factory, is now considered
to be self-supportingy securing sufficient
funds from the sale of. jute bags and furnt
ture to provide money for the'prison, ex-
clusive of the salary funds.

Al Orth Named to Coach College Nine.

Al Orth, of the National League staff of
umpires, has accepted an offer to again
coach the Washington and Lee _ baseball
team next spring. Orth’s work last year,
when the varsity nine lost but, six games
in a schedule of 26, attracted general at-
tention, amd he had several offers else-
where, including one to coach the Princeton
pitchers, but he turned them all down, pre-
ferring to remain nearer home.

Umpire Rigler, also of the National
League staff, will coach at University of
Virginia, but there is no chance of a game
between the two nines, for the two varsities
have not been upon friendly athletic re-
lations for a number of years.

Doctots Find a Human Ostrich.

Luke Parsons, the “human ostrich,” was
operated on recently in a Pittsfield, Mass.,
hospital, and the surgeons removed +132
nails, two keys, a button hook, and a partly
digested three-inch iron spike from his
stomach and intestines. A nail had punc-
tured the abdomen and caused peritonitis.

-arsons, who is 40 years old, has had
a craving for metal since he accidentally
swallowed some shingle nails ten years ago.
Jackknives, spikes, and can openers were
regarded by him as_ special delicacies.
Lately he had symptoms of indigestion.
He had had attacks before, but always
found a remedy by eating pieces of tin, a
button hook, or some keys. When he ap-
plied to the hospital for treatment, he said
his digestion was a little out of order.

Thee surgeans are doubtful of his re-
covery.

Luck Pence for Blind Babies.

_The Danish postmaster general has de-
vised an ingenious method for providing
money for the education of the blind. A
copper coin, a luck penny, is to be. made
in the royal mint, and fs to be sold to
the parents of every new-born child who
has.the gift of sight by the nurse attend-
ing the mother. ;

The patents are to. pay Whatever sum
they think fit for the luck penny, which is

>

ani death esis INE i thas eres eticte ee a Seen de ty nM la indi ans “Spel

 

 
 

  

ee he tie ee Co cede oe

worth only a half penny, and beats the
device “The child seeing the light/for the
first time presents a tribute to the child who
will never see.”
Both Queen Alexandria and her sister,
the Empress Marie, are deeply interested.

Statts on Walk Around Globe.

Walter Standow and Henry Danes, two
young men, who have already made repu-
tations as walkers in Europe, have started
on a pedestrian tour of the world that will
not only take them around the globe, but

will take them into every country. They
will be accompanied by “Jack,” a black dog
with a willingness to travel on foot. The

idea of the tour was formed some years
ago when the young men attended a bans
quet in Germany at which Sun Chong Tai,
mayor of Hongkong, was a guest. He in-
vited the pedestrians to visit his country,
and agreed to assist them in every way if
they would make a tour of the Chinese em-
pire with a view of arousing an interest in
walking,

European Steamship Companies Prepare for
Rush to the Pacific Through Canal.

It is anrownced. that 50,000 tickets to
Pacific coast ports through the Panama
Canal have already been put out in south-
ern Europe by foreign steamship lines,
which will. operate through the canal.
‘They are being sold on the installment plan
to wage earners. Rates to the Pacific sea-
board from! Europe are to be $39, compared
with $29.50 to Atlantic ports.

Charles Fenn, of New York, says that
500,000 immigrants will land onthe Pacific
coast within two years after the Panama
Canal is opened. He is connected with the
Pacific Terminal Company, formed to oper-
ate on Puget Sound. Sound cities and rail-
ways will codperate with Montana, Idaho,
Utah, and Colorado communities in send-
ing a large proportion of the immigrants to
the interior States, as they will be needed
there for development.

Germany Sends $60,000,000 Up ia Cigarette
Smoke Annually,

Although in the country, Germany, the
pipe—pot-bowled, long-shanked, and with
curled mouthpiece and tassels—is still the
popular form of consuming tobacco, in
towns it has found in late years formidable
rivals,
cigarette, of which latter $60,000,000 worth
are now consumed annually.

The official statistics just published show
that the consumption of the cigarette has
increased by almost 100 per cent in the last
four years, although even then the con-
sumption was seven times greater than 10
years previously, A year ago the figures
allowed one to estimate that cach smoker
of cigarettes in Germany got as many as
6,200 in the course.of a year. The total
number smoked amounted to @ little »short

of 10,000,000,000, and the total outlay on
them is given as about $60,000,000 a year.
Just as in the United States the advertis-

ing of cigarettes is one of the features of

newspapers, buildings, and landscape, so it
is rapidly becoming in Germany. The
china-bowled pipe of their fathers is abhor-
rent to the young dandy of Berlin, Ham-
ae , and Munich, and even to the student

Jeidelherg and Bonn. None is without
fis cigarette case, and in the more modern

café the cigarette is quite predominant.

‘Berlin women have also taken to cigarette

first in the cigar and now in the)

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

smoking, which was formerly considered
the sign of the French or American.
Probably one reason why, in spite of in-
terviews with scientists denouncing the
habit, no ariticigarette movement has yet
been undertaken is that in Germany to-
bacco is a government monopoly, and to
denounce its popularity would be considered
unpatriotic, Besides, how could the $60,-
000,000, which means at least $35,000,000
profit and hence revenue, be made up?

Working for 30,000,

The Federation of American Motor Cy-
clists is gaining meiapere by the hundreds
every month, and is now hoping to have a
membership of 30,000 next year.

The growth of the federation has been
phenomenal, showing conclusively the great
advance in public favor made recently by
the motor cycle.

To-day the F. A. M. C. has approxi-
mately 18,500.members,

Two years ago it had 5,000 members. It
has gained almost 14,000 members in two
years. With almost 19,000 members now
on its records, the F. A. M. C. is making a
strong effort to increase the number to 30,-
000 by next July.

Revolutionary Gout,

The French Revolution of 1789 is respon-
sible, according to Doctor Laumonier, of
Paris, for the prevalence of gout in France.

In a treatise dealing with “Gout and Its
Causes,” he remarks that the good living
and riotous feastings which became com-
mon as a result of the revolution paved
the way for the disease, The excitement
to which Frenchmen were subjected during
those times of terror made them easy vic-
tims, and they transmitted the taint to their
sons and grandsons,

’

President-elect Wilson Sews on Suspender

Button,

The domestic side of Woodrow Wilson
came prominently to the surface during the
recent. campaign when the candidate walked
into the dining room of the private car
and unconcernedly asked if anybody in the
party happened to have a needle and thread.

“I’ve Jost a button at a very strategic
point,” he explained, “and I want to sew
it on,”

Ralph Smith, traveling with the governor,
produced a needle and thread, and the can-
didate did a neat job of sewing a suspender
button on his trousers.

Old Home of Freaks Razed.

Changing the face of old Huber’s Mu-
seum, in New York, ruthless workmen have
begun to obliterate the last traces of the
temple of freaks that attracted the crowds
almost a generation ago. Though the ah-
cient home of glass eaters, snake charmers,
wild men, and five-legged pigs has been
closed as an amusement attraction for some
years, its weather-beaten fagade had still
faced Fourteenth Street to remind old-
timers of the thrills of other days. Now
that the place is to be converted imto a
modern restaurant, visitors to New York
City will miss it as a relic of the age when
moving’ pictures were unknown, ;

Numbering of Roads of France Proposed,

The moyement began several months ago,
in Paris, for the simplification of automo-
bile traveling by numbering all the roads

 

‘has been assuming immense proportions re-

  

 

 

cently, principally through the action of
President Fallieres in heading the petition
which has been started, and is likely to be
carried into effect very soon.

The system would resemble in some way
that of the colored arrows used by the
Touring Club of France, and the scheme
of the promoters suggests that all the roads
of the country be divided into four classes :
national, departmental, those of main com-
munication, and those of common interest,

Milestones, instead of bearing the names
of the nearest towns, will be marked with
initials, showing to which class the road be-
longed, and the number of the road in large
figures, These figures would also be put
up conspicuously wherever needful,

President Fallieres’ action in heading the
list of signatures creates the curious’ situa-
tion of the president of the republic’ peti-
tioning his own minister.

Flying Machine that Won’t Upset.

A new aéroplane is announced, the in-
vention of Signor Petacchia, of Rome,

Italy, who has spent most of his life as a
waiter and a prison warden,

He calls it a multiplane, and it seems to
be very simple in its mechanism, He as-

serts that it has a perfect equilibrium, and

cannot be upset by the highest. wind or
the quickest turns, thus eliminating many

of the greatest dangers to which aviators

are exposed. :
Thus far his experiments have been suc-
cessful, and Signor Petacchia has been able

to stay up with a machine in the, midst of

heavy storms of rain and hail w ithout difh-
culty.

=

Five-mile Wireless from Aeroplane,
In tests conducted at Fort Riley, Kan.,

by the war depaartment, Lieutenant Arnold,
wireless ae

aviator, and Lieutenant Bradley,
operator, hoth of the United States army,

recently sent many messages from an aéro-

plane to a field station five miles away,
It is said this is the first time such mes-
sages have been sent with success.

Stricter Rules for Insurance of Vessels,
Stricter rules for the insurance of ocean-

going vessels are proposed by the London |

    

 

 

  

    

    
   
 
  
  
   
  
  
   
   
 

underwriters, who have been moved to ac-

tion by the rise in the cost of ship repairs __
generally unsatisfac- ©

and building, and the
tory year experienced by marine insurance
interests.

One of the forward steps, taken by ‘the
underwriters is a provision that all policies

on steamers must contain a clause limiting

the amount effected on disbursements to 15 |
The chiet
interest in this from the layman’s point of —
view is that it goes right to the roots of —

per cent of the insured value.

the so-called overinsurance which has fig-

ured so largely during the past few years

in British wreck inquiries,
The new provision leaves little loophole

for evil doing, and it is sufficiently wide to.
insure that no inconvenience will be caused:

    
 

to honest owners,

Will March With Blinders On,

In the war against the horse blin ers,
the Massachusetts Society for the Préve
tion of Crifelty to Animals intends giyi

 
  
 

an object lesson depicting thre cruelty’, ote.
the blinder and checkrein. Ae

To do this, a man will be march
through the streets of Boston, his ‘head in
closed in blinders, and a chenlaced, whi

 
  
  
 

 
         
     
           
      
   
     
  
  
    
     
  

   
     
     
 
 

   
   
    
 

will be pulled tight at intervals, will be
strung over his back.

President Francis H.®Rowley, of the
M. S. P. C. A., declares that many people
who use ie have not given the question
of blinders a thought.

Great Fraud in Belgium.

One of the greatest frauds ever perpe-
trated in Belgiwm has just come ‘to light ‘by
the flight of Nestor Wilmart, a. millionaire
sportsman and fimancier, director of the
Ghent-Terneuzen Railway Company. He
is believed to be hiding in Paris. His def-
alcations amount to $7,500,000, according
to police report. For 15 years, it is alleged,
Wilmart had been living off the proceeds
of counterfeiting bonds.

Some tinte ago the company ordered the
issue of 15,000 bonds. The director had
50,000 additional ones printed, forged, and
deposited with various Belgian and French
banks, and with brokers; on these he ob-
tained enormous loans.
eee detected by a person who found
that some bonds he had purchased bore the
number and dates of bonds refunded by the
company years ago, When questioned by
the authorities on this point, Wilmart ex-
plained that the duplication was due to a
printer’s error, and that the bonds would
be paid “pon presentation, which was ac-
tually done,

But this put Wilmart on his guard, and
he decamped, A few days after his disap-
pearance a friend in Brussels received a
telegram purporting to come from tim at
the Belgian town of Hassett, expressing
the desire that his family should be adyised
that he had just died accidentally.

The whole affair is causing as much ex-
citement here as the murderous plot against
the Antwerp diamond merchants, for some
small brokers have been completely ruined
by the acceptance of parcels of the forged

‘bonds as security for loans, and social cir-
cles are disturbed by the eclipse of the mil-
lionaire, who was one of the “kings” of
the Belgian turf.

Fits Hinges on Boy’s Rigid Jaw.

A remarkable operation, which has re-
sulted successfully, was recently performed
at a Baltimore hospital on a 14- year-old
boy, who since birth had been unable to
move his jaws.

Since he was born the parents of this
boy found it necessary to feed him through
a tube, for his jawbones were stiff, with
no normal “hinges.”

The surgeon cut through the solid mass
of bone where the joint should haye been,
and modeled upon the sections actual joints,
‘such as nature normally provides. The
child has left the. hospital, and now can
move his jaws aS normal children of his
age. ;

Jt Ss mee
Heto Rewards ia New England.
Medals or money . for deeds of hergism
were rewarded six New Englanders, or
their heirs, by the Carnegie Hero Fund
Commission, which has just given its de-

cisions at a meeting in Pittsburgh. The
heroism of four’ residents of Stoneham,
shown at an accident in that place on Octo-
ber 11, 1999, was recognized by the board.

Michael O'Loughlin, James Higgins, and’

Patrick McMahon were laborers working

on. that date in a flooded sewer where

poisonous gas was generated, McMahon

"was overcome as soon as he vant into the
e

The fraud was ac-"

'20,

 

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

trench. Higgins and O’Loughlin imme-
diately went down after him, but hardly
had they succeeded in getting a chain
around him when the gas began to affect
them. Higgins, who-had a rope around his
waist, and McMahon were drawn to the
surface by their mates, O’Loughlin remain-
ing in the sewer, overcome. After Mc-
Mahon, in -his turn, had made a futile -at-
tempt to help the man-in the ditch, Doc-
tor Francis E. Park, of Stoneham, arrived.
He jumped into the sewer at once, fastened
a chain about O’Loughlin, and saved his
life.

The widow of Michael O’Loughlin is
giyen a bronze medal: and $20 a month for
five years, or $1,200 otherwise, as needed.

To James Higgins, who was 63 at the time,

and Doctor Park, bronze medals are pre-
sented. The daughter of Patrick Mc-
Mahon, who died as the result of ‘his plucky
act, gets a silver medal and $20 a month
for five years, or $1,200 otherwise, as
needed. Mr. McMahon was also 62 at
the time.

John L. la Marche, a street-car conductor,
is given a bronze medal for saving Leonard
L. Ship, a farmer, from drowning at Water-
town on October 8, 1908. A bronze medal
is also awarded James J. Doyle, a lineman,
for saving Abbie T. Danforth, a woman 83
years of age, from being run over by a
railway train at Royalton, Vt, on August
IQ10, :

Clergy Receive Special Auto Rights.

Clergymen. owning autos will be allowed
the same privileges as physicians on Bos-
ton streets in the future, according to an
amendment made to the street trafic regu-
lations by the street commissioners. Upon
the recommendation of the Reverend A. Z.
Conrad, pastor of the Park Street Church,
that clergymen be allowed the same exemp-
tion from section 11 of chapter 5 of the
street traffic regulations of the city that is
now permitted to physicians, Street Com-
missioner Gallivan put the matter before
the board. The mémbers decided to allow
the same privilege to clergymen, who will
be obliged. to show a green cross upon their
automobiles er other vehicles.

Section 11 of chapter 5 of the street regu-
lations now reads in part: “No person
shall be deemed to have violated the 20-
minute section of this rule who shall satisfy
the court that he is a physician or clergy-
man.’

“Navy Wants More Submarines,

Naval authorities will urge upon Con-
gress the growing necessity for more sub-
marines. Owing to the lack of proper de-
fenses at the naval bases of America’s in-
sular possessions, the naval officials believe
the need for submarines is greater than
ever before. ,They also will strongly recom-
mend a substantial appropriation for ten-
ders, as the submarines are almost helpless
without these convoys to serve as mobile
bases. A tender is required for each group
of five submarines,

{
A Water Skate.

The Deutsche Wasserlaufschu W orks, of
Germany, are reported to have put on "the
European market a mew type of water shoe
or skate which was used by numerous per-
sons, including boys and ‘girls on the Ger-
man summer-resort lakes this past summer
without a mishap. The shoes are made of a
tube of rubber covered with a canvas cas-

:

|up the

 

ing. When not in ase they are folded into
a small space, and can be easily carried.
When you want to use them you blow them
same as a bicycle or auto tire. They
are patterned very much after skis or snow-
shoes, and while Jarge enough to support
a person, are very light. The wearer can
make fairly good speed over.the water ‘by
adopting a ghding motion and putting first
one foot and then the ofher foot dhead.
The bottom of the skate is provided with
canvas pockets or fins, which open ‘and close
at each stroke, and give the skate a hold
on the water.

Would Limit Hatpin’s Length.
Mayor Fitzgerald, as a result of com-
plaints which are reaching him daily, pro-
pose ‘to send to the city council an ordi-
nance limiting the length of ‘hatpins to ‘be
worn by women on the streets and in public
conveyances to six inches, :

Judge Orders Boy to Ciean House He De-

faced,

Believing menial punishment for youth-
ful offenders more effective than a fine,
Judge Bruce, in the Malden juvenile court,
Boston, ordered that Raymond Everton, a
sixteen-year-old pupil of ‘the Belmont
School, charged with defacing Hyman
Markovitch’s house, at 43 Fairmont Street,
wash thé walls and other parts of the house
in the presence of schoolmates. Everton,
who lives at 35 Fairmont Street, admitted
that he threw one egg, and was placed on
probation. Louis Tizzer, assistant proba-
tion officer, was instructed to take Everton
to Markovitch’s house at the close of school,
and make him clean the premises.

Stag Killed by Motor Car.

Doctor Henri de Rothschild’s motor car
ran over a magnificent stag in tke forest
of Rambouillet, France, recently. The car
was upset in a ditch, but nobody was hurt.
The stag was killed.

Had-Few Election Bonfires in New York,

3orough President McAneny, of New

York, requested Commissioner Waldo to
instruct policemen to prevent as far as
possible the lighting of bonfires on election
night. Similar orders were issued in 1910
and ioi1, with the result that the bureau
of highways was able to reduce greatly its
bill for repairing the damages caused by
fires in the streets.

In 1907 the bureau spent in this way
$79,118; in 1908, $29,088 ; in 1909, $16,482;
in 1910, $12,905, and in last year only $8,615.
It is hoped that if the police continue ‘their
efforts to break up the bonfire custom this
item of ¢xpense may be cut even below the
figures for I9II.

Eating Dog Meat in Germany Now.

Mrs. Elmer Black, president of the Pro-
gressive and Economic Club, returned re-
cently from Europe on the Mauretania,

From what she observed in London, Ber-
lin, Munich, Paris, Hamburg, and Gerteva,
Mrs. Black is convinced. that New York
has a lot to learn about municipal markets,
As soon as cinematograph pictures ‘of the
happenings at these markets arrive she
will deliver a series of lectures on the sub-
ject,

“Municipal markets in Europe are suc-
cessful because of rigid inspection,” she
said, “The purity of the food supply is
insisted on. When I was in Munich I saw —

 
one hundred dogs sold for food in one day
to poor people, but the dogs had been in-
spected before the sale and they were fit to
eat. The demand for meat by the poorer
classes is increasing every year, and dur-
ing July the sales of horseflesh equaled
the sales of all other meats.”

New Witeless Telephone Invented.

Riccardo Moretti, a man 26 years of age,
and nephew of one of the most distin-
guished Italian doctors, Professor Marchi-
afava, who attends both the pope and the
royal family, has succeeded after eight or
nine years of experiment in making a wire-
less telephone which has worked admirably
between the military wireless telegraph
station at Rome and Tripoli, voices being
perfectly clear and easily recognizable.

Signor Moretti’s device consists of a gen-
erator of continuous electric oscillations,
working with a microphone, which he has
developed to use in his own system. With
the apparatus he has made such a success-
ful demonstration before the ministers of
war and the navy that the latter decided
to install at once a complete radio-tele-
phone system between Rome and Libyax.

Hallowe’en Party Almost Broken Up by
Greased Pig.

Three greased pigs threatened to break
up the annual Hallowe’en party of thre
Grove City, Pa., college students in Co-
lonial Hall. The masquerade was at its
height when students pushed three greased
pigs through a window.

The pigs, squealing with fright, rolled
over the polished floor. The women fled
in terror, but a few men stayed to battle
with the pigs. After much trouble the
pigs were ejected and the dance continued.

Try to Stop Eavesdropping on Patty-line
Phones.

The practice of eavesdropping on the
telephone is to be stopped, if possible, by
the officers of the Blue Knob Telephone
Company, of Altoona, Pa.

They will remove the phones of sub-
scribers on the second offense.

Eavesdropping is the curse of the rural
telephone lines. Every time any person
gets a call many of the other subscribers
on the circuit takes down the receiver and
listens to the conversation.

Betrayed by Insurance Card.

William Hill, 29, electrician, was sen-
tenced at Kingston-on-Thames quarter ses-
sions, ,in London, to twenty-one months’
imprisonment for breaking into a house at
Beddington and. stealing goods valued at
$100. It. was stated that he left this in-
surance card in the house, and the police
were thus able to trace him.

Baden, Our Sensational Trotter, Goes to

Russia,

Bota, a bay trétting stallion with a rec-
ord of 2:051%4, owned by Louis Niedhardt,
of Jersey City, 4nd which created a sen-
sation on the Grand Circuit, has been sold
for exportation to Russia, where it will
be use? both for racing purposes and in
the stud. Baden had a continued string of
- guccesses this season, and when it closed
he was credited with the greatest money
winnings in a single season by one horse.

Baden started sixteen times, and was
credited with eleven victories for a total
cash value of $35,000, or nearly $3,000 more

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

than the previous top figures won by a
horse in a trip over the circuit. The best
previous money winnings were those of
Billy Buch, which about seven years ago
won the sum of $32,000 in purses.

Baden was bred by William Russell Allan,
at Allan Farm, Pittsville, Mass., and is now
a six-year-old. He is by Bingara, dam
Kaldah by Kremlin, 2:0734. Up until this
year, when he was entered on the Grand
Circuit, Baden was raced exclusively over
half-mile tracks, on which he took:a mark

2 11334.

What 4,172 Miles on Motor Cycle Cost.

What does it cost to operate a motor
cycle?

C. A. Bechtol, of Galion, Ohio, has come
forward with a detailed statement of costs
that is extremely interesting. It shows
that he ran his motor cycle 4,172 miles for
$25.48—and that covered gasoline, oil, and
repairs—everything. It figures down to
one-half cent per mile.

Bechtol rode 4,172 miles from, January 1
to October 2. He used forty-four gallons
of gasoline, at a cost of $9.47. He used
seventeen gallons of the best grade of oil,
at a cost of $10.26. Repairs cost him $5.75
That’s all of it.

And from April 1 to October 2
riding only fourteen days.

Bechtol’s record shows that the “day-
after-day” cost of operating a motor cycle
is about one-half cent per mile.

This Strike Cost Unions Less than $5,000,
the Company $200,000. _|

For the purpose of paying off the strik-
ing employees of the Georgia Railroad for
the time lost in the recent walk-out of the
‘trainmen and conductors, Vice President
James Murdock, of the Brotherhood of
Railway Trainmen, has gone to Augusta,
whaving already disposed of that part of
the work at Atlanta, Ga. !

The amount of money paid out by the
unions to the road employees was less than
$5,000, as against approximately $200,000
lost by the Georgia Railroad.

2 he missed

Government Wants to Keep All “Secrets”
Caught from Clouzs,

According to the new army regulations
received by the department of the gulf,
the government is going to devote a good
deal of time for the next few years to the
regulation of radio transmissions.

In other words, the government is afraid
that some precious secrets may some day
be stolen as_ they whirl through the air,
and, since this manifestly, would never do,
in the future whoever wishes to operate
a wireless station must first procure a li-
cense from the secretary of commerce and
labor, and if any one happens to repeat a
bit of gossip that he catches from the
clouds he is liable to be fined or impris-
oned, or both.

The new regulations naturally give the
international distress signal, “S, O. S.,” the
right of way over all other messages. They
prohibit the establishment of commercial
wireless stations within certain distances
of government stations, so that messages
will not be interfered with.

One problem that is likely to face wire-
less operators is ini the transmission of
interstate messages. If certain messages
do not go beyond the boundaries of a
State, well and good; but if a strong wind,
or whatever carries the dots and dashes

 

i

 

through the air, sends them past the State
line, ceftain otheg rules must be complied
with. id

General R. K. Evans, commander of the
department of the gulf, thinks that the new
law to govern radio transmission is one
of the most important that has been enacted
in many days. The value of the control
of wireless stations during time of war
would be inestimable, he said.

Another important regulation was that
to strengthen the reserve force of the army.
Hereafter the term of enlistment will be
seven years instead of three. However,
the last three will consist of a furlough.
Soldiers will be at liberty to pursue any
vocation desired, but will be subject to
recall at any moment, in case needed.

General Evans points out that this will
give the army a big reserve force of trained
men and will not make it necessary to take
inexperienced men in times of necessity.

' Young Woman Held Up and Robbed on
Mountain Pass.

A young woman visitor, whose nation-
ality is not statéd, who has been staying
at a hotel at Davos, Switzerland, was at-
tacked and robbed of about $20 in her
purse on the summit of the Strela Pass,
7,800 feet high, above Davos.

The victim of the alpine highway rob-
bery fled in alarm to the village, and in-
formed the gendarmes, giving a good de-
scription of her aggressor. The police, ac-
companied by dogs, which followed the
scent, discovered the bandit a few hours
later hiding in a wood with a dog he had
stolen, and in possession of the stolen
money.

The wendarmes, who had a long climb,
brought down their prisoner to Davos,
where he will be tried shortly.

Motor-cat Burglars Captured by French
Police,

A remarkable capture of four burglars
and 20,000 cigars hidden in a large gray
motor car’ was made by customhouse offi-
cers and police in the little town of Cham-
bly, France, in the Oise department. * 4

A large number of burglaries by men in
a gray motor car, who turned their atten-
tion more especially to tobacco shops, had
been reported for some time, and a strong
force of detective., police, and customhouse
officials went, to Chambly recently. They
found five burglars and a motor car at the
Hotel de l’Oise, the only little inn of the
town. ‘

Forty police, with revolvers in their.
hands, surrounded the house, and rushed
the burglars’ room. The latter were all
armed, and fought like demons, At the |
noise of the shouts every house in Cham-

bly, whose inhabitants had been warned by |

the police, poured forth armed men.

The burglars escaped y the windows, but
they were hunted down, -and four of the
five were caught.

Several bales of tobacto and 20,000 cigars
were found in the car. The burglars are ©
believed to be Belgians.

Seek German Flies to Kill Our Grp Moths.

Germany’s forests are being searched by
the officials of the American forestry serv- _
ice for ichneumon fly eggs. It ff propane
to breed these flies in American forests in
the hope of killing off gypsy moths. The
ichneumons lay eggs in the larve of other
insects, especially et the gypsy moth, and

 
     
   

   

it is hoped that they will rid the United
States of these pests, “This,” says a Berlin
paper, “would be the noblest kind of re-
of prisal for Yankees’ gift to us of the potato
bug and the: grape louse.”

Bridegroom Shoots Serenaders,

As a result of a crowd of young people
serenading Joseph Farmer and his bride,
} sof Wesson, Miss., seven of them are suf-
; fering from gunshot wounds.

Farmer did not appreciate the music,
and fired a shotgun in the crowd in his
efforts to drive them away.

 

 

7 2

ee eee

pee eae

Kissing Dangerous Because of Disease,

Kissing is the most dangerous thing in the
world, and a national crime, according to
Doctor George W. Bowling, surgeon den-
tist, of Lindsay, Okla., and he has incor-
porated a league to fight the habit.

é “Kissing is a pleasant pastime,’ he says,
>). “but people should refrain from it for
"sanitary and hygienic reasons. If you have
noticed there is a tendency among edu-
cated people to teach their children never
to kiss anybody on the mouth, and they
readily form the habit of kissing others
on the cheeks.

“Kissing is a national crime, and should
- ' be made such by law. I realize that under
' the present conditions such an act would
be ridiculed, but it is a crime, just the
same. The most dangerous diseases are
transferred in this way, especially consump-
tion.

“T want you to understand that I am no
crank upon this subject. I myself kiss a
few people now and then, and I like to do
it. But I am careful, and that is what
others should be.”

Dactor Bowling says he was “kicked out”
_\ of a State professional association becatise
he founded the league, but that the club
women of the State and many of the best
people are behind him.

*
Will of Six Words Valid.

What is believed to be the shortest will
on record has been found in the archives
of the’ court of New Orleans... Six words
make up the body of the dacument.. They
are: “Miss Sophie Loper ig my heiress.”
The will dates back many years.

preme court in 1869 held it to be a legal
- document after the probating of it had been
refused by a district court.

 

 
  
  
  
  
   
    
          

Monocle Disappears as Paris Fashion,
- So much ridicule has been heaped upon
_ the wearers of the monocle, which a few
’ years ago was an indispensable part of the
make-tip of every Parisian dandy, that very
few people have the courage to wear it to-
day, eyen with evening dress, eyen though
the broad black ribbon on which it is worn
contrasts beautifully with the white vest
and shirt bosom,
Painted $10 Bills to Keep His Family Alive.
An artist’s struggle to satisfy his ‘crav-
ng for: what he calls success, and for the
‘sake of his young wife and babies, was mar-
rated to Federal Judge Carpenter, in Chi-
cago, by Louis Gagmore, 1018 North Mo-
zatk Street, who turned his talent to paint-

 

  
 

  
  
       
     
   
       
       
       
      

‘ing counterfeit $10. bills.

Gagmore was sentenced to serye one
year in the United States penitentiary at
Fort, Leavenworth, —

 *Is¢ould not. find work,” said the pris-
—oner.. “I was anxious to paint and make

The su-

‘renown as a painter,

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

wife and family. Not being able to find |
a market for my work and having my fam-
ily to support, [ turned to painting $10 bills
so that I could live and take care of my
wife and baby while I was producing works
that | expected would some ‘day assure my
I just painted enough
notes to keep us alive.”

|

Majority Destitute Men Blame Liquor.

A’ “straw vote” of nearly 20,000 destitute
and homeless men on the streets of New
York City, just completed by the Charity
Organization Society, shows that sixty per
cent ascribe their destitution to intemper-
ance, seventeen per cent to sickness and in-
jury, and twenty-three per cent to ald age
and slack work.

English Skyscraper Cars,

While New York had a skyscraper street
car for a few days last summer, attracting
much attention, Liverpool has had them a
long time and has found them practicable
and a paying investment.

Two new types of double-deck cars, or
trams, as they are called in England, have
recently come into common use in Liver-
pool, and a description of them is given/
by United States Consul Horace Lee
Washington, stationed at the English sea-
port.

“One,” says he, “is a covered double-
deck bogie car with a body 35 feet by 7
feet 4 inches, and 16 feet from the ground
to outside of roof, with center entrance.
A platform 7 feet long divides the lower
bedy and forms two compartments fitted
with transverse seats and balanced drop
sashes. The smaller compartment meas-
ures 11 feet by 7 feet 4 inches, with swing
doors opening inward and arranged to
seat 12 passengers, The other compartment
measures 12 feet by 7 feet 4 inches, with
double sliding doors recessed in the ‘bulk-
head, and seats 20 passengers. The upper
deck, covered throughout its: length of 35
feet, seats 52, bringing the total seating ca-
pacity of the car up to 84,

“The leading feature of this ear lies in
the central platform, which is divided into
three sectfons by light, curved brass rail
barriers, mounted on swivel joints, so they
may be turned over to the opposite side on
reversal of the car. The off side of the
platform is protected by balanced horizontal
bars running in guides and arranged to slide
upward when not in use. The two out-
side sections of the platform are used as
exits and the larger or center portion as
an entrance. By this means all passengers
boarding or leaving are under the control
of the conductor. Two separate straight
stairs run parallel from the platform and
open into the upper deek through vesti-
bules, the near-side stairway being an exit
and the off-side an entrance, enabling. the
car to fill and empty simultaneously,

“The platform has ample accommodation
for a large number of passengers to stand,
permitting the car to be started while the
conductor collects their fares. The main
doors leading from the center platform are
spring-contralled; At each end a compart-
ment is proyided for the motorman and
contral gears, with single sliding doors
opening into the ear hady.

“The center entrance has the advantage
that the stairs and platform are protected

 

a success as an artist. I have a.young|wheels, is conducive to smooth running.

  
  
     
 
 
 
 
    
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
  
  
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  
    
  
   
   
  
  
   
    
  
   
   
   
  
   
   
    
 
    
  
  
   
  

The car body, being carried on a gap frame
—or bearers—allows of the platform being
dropped several inches below the car floor

‘and reduces the height of the step at the

entrance,

“A flap gate or barrier, with suitable in-
scription, is mounted on the vertical hand-
rail and so arranged and connected with
the starting signal—or gear—that it is a
mechanical impossibility for the starting
signal to be given without the gate clos-
ing. It automatically opens when the car
comes to a stand. The cross flap is ar-
ticulated to the sleeve by a light spring,
so that a passenger may board or’ leave a
moving car, but in so doing he must delib-
erately push aside the barrier.

“The other type is a top cover, double-
deck, single-truck car, with 8-foot wheel
base, an over-all length of 31 feet, and
7-foot platforms. The upper and lower
bodies are fitted with a combination. of
transyerse and longitudinal seats, having a
total seating capacity of seventy-four, bal-
anced drop sashes, and. spring-controlled
double sliding doors housed in the bulk-
heads at each side. Each platform is pro-
vided with separate entrance and exit, with
two stairs running in opposite directions for
ingress and egress to and from the upper
deck. A fixed rail barrier divides the in-
coming and outgoing passengers, and also
forms a recess for the conductor to stand
in, with suitable brackets for mounting his
checking tackle. 5

“There is also a_signaling device to give
a definite warning—independent of the con-
ductor—to the passengers on the “rear of
boarding platform that the car is about to
start. A balanced or spring-controlled sig-
nal arm is operated hy two electric mag-
nets energized by cells having ¢onnection
controlled from three different positions:
(1) From the controller power handle in
the idle motion between the off position and
the first power notch; (2) from the small
governor driven off the raad wheel; (3)
from the push of the starting signal, con-
ductor’s platform. “The signal must fall
before the car starts, and so give warning
to both eye and ear, quite independent of
the conductor, who may be on the upper
deck.”

Mark Old Battlefields, Says Captain E, M.
Leary,

It is the opinion of Captain Edmund
Mortimer Leary, of Troop B, Eleventh
Cavalry, that the people of Georgia should
mark- the old battlefields. Captain Leary
recently passed through Atlanta on his way
back with the troop to Fort Oglethorpe,
and spoke of the historic battlegrounds they
had passed en route. Many of them were
viewed and the intrenchments of both
armies, still intact, were inspected by~ the
men.

“Invents” Pictorial Language. “an

The adoption of a universal primitive
sign language instead of a uniyersal.spoken
language is a plan being worked out by Sir
William Ramsay, the noted scientist, who
is in Boston. }

The English yisitor told the students of
technology all about his world-embracing °
language scheme. Sir William’s language
consists of simple pietures—the simpler the
better. He would make a man thus: An

 

from the weather; in addition, the load
being taken at the center, between the

upright line for the body, a circle for the:

head, with twe diverging lings for the legs. a

   

 

    
     
 

   
  

   
   
   
   
    
    
   
   
 
  
   
   
  
   
 
  
   
 
  
   
  
  
   
   
 

 

All that. is needed to transform this into
a woman is a simple line connecting the
ankles.

“The difficulty about Volapuk,” said Sir
William, “lies in derivations that are far-
fetched, and in its grammar Volapuk is not
a success.

“The real personality of man is in his
body, so that the upright stroke is ‘I, and
from the other manly lines the other pro-
outs are derived.

“The work is in progress, but some of the
problems ahead in the way of classifying
ideas call for more time than one busy man
can spare.”

{

Like Swiss Patriot of Old.

An authentic story from an eyewitness
of a recent engagement between the Mon-
tenegrins and the Turks reads like the fa-
mous tale of Arnold Winkelreid, who lived
and died over five centuries ago.

A small band of Montenegrins were
crossing the border into European Turkey
when the killing fire from a Turkish block-
house near Berane stopped them.

To try to take the blockhouse by assault
meant sure death for the attacking sol-
diers, and yet no other way seemed possible,
until——

A young Montenegrin warrior darted
from the firing liné and rushed straight
-for the blockhouse. It seemed to mean
certain death. As he came into the Open,
within easy rifle range, he was greeted
by volley after volley from the Turks’
guns.

He was hit, but staggered on until he
was close to the wall, so as to be out of
reach of the rifles thrust through the port-
holes. Then the young “Black Mountain
hero tore off his shirt, set it afire, and
swung the blazing torch, at the end of his
gunstick, to the thatched roof.

In a moment the dry roof was on fire.
Part of the roof, falling in, set off a quan-
tity of powder the Turks had stored, and
some of the Turks perished in the ruins;
the rest were forced to surrender.

It took unadulterated heroism to fire that
blockhouse, but it jis merely a sample of
the courage displayed by the Montenegrins
during all their centuries of war against
the Turks.

It is the kind of daring that “made way
for liberty” July 9, 1386, when, a few hun-
dred miles northwest of. Berane, a small
band of Swiss patriots faced the solid pha-
lanx of an Austrian tyrant.

Boy Editor Shocks Dandies of High School,

The issue of the Erasmian, the publica-
tion of the Erasmus High School, Brooklyn,
that appeared recently, was not only a great
shock to the beys, but it was a decided
“knock” on their manners and clothes. In
fact, some of the objects of the criticism
considered it almost lese majesty and as
interfering with their fancy vested rights.

The feeling was the more acute because
since the school paper was first published,
fifteen years ago, the boys never had been
criticised, Heretofore the girls and their
modes have been the center of the editorial
fire. But all this was made up for re-
cently by this “knock,” written by Ali A.
Hassan, editor in chief :

“This editorial is intended for boys in
school who are entering the age where they
begin to form and follow out their concep-
tion of a man.

“These are apt to get the idea that in

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

order™to become a man, one must exhibit
himself with a cigarette in his mouth, a
flaring necktie, and dazzling socks .under
his highly elevated trousers.

“Strange as it may seem, these are not
requisites of manhood, nor do they form
stepping-stones to success. Boys, hardly
out of their short trousers, in this deplora-
ble condition are not to be regarded as
heroes, but rather pitied.

“The sticcessful men of to-day are not
those who were high-school dandies or col-
lege sports, but those who were modest
students and consciefitious workers, hidden
in the shadows of the ‘big fellows’ of the
times.

“This editorial is not intended as a
‘knock,’ a sermon, or an attempt at reform.
Its only purpose is to give cause to the
undecided to think a little more than usual
and to ask what is their idea of a man.”

While some of the boys of Erasmus were
indignant and others gloomy, the girls were
jubilant at Editor Hassan’s words, not only
at the relief in not being the target for
once, but because some of them thought it
was high time the “natty dressers” had at-
tention called to their taste in clothes.

For a long time it has been the custom
of boys with the apparel of many colors
to promenade Flatbush Avenue after school
hours, ogling the girls and exhibiting them-
selves to the gaze of a snickering populace.
The “advice” may discourage this, but
teachers did not express great hope.

Captive Song Birds Released from Cages,

Song and insectivorous birds, including
red birds, mocking birds, and several other
species, which were taken by the game
commission during its recent crusade
against the holding of native song birds in
captivity in Pittsburgh, have been released
from the Schenley Park conservatory,
where they were placed until they could
recover their full wing power after long
confinement in cages. The birds were a
delight to visitors at the conservatory, and
some of them apparently like their quarters
so well that they have refused to take ad-
vantage of their opportunities to leave, in
spite of the approach of winter and the J
windows opened in the conservatory for]
the purpose of allowing them egress.

Others Aid Girl for Whom “Newsy” Sac-
tificed His Life.

Three more men—her father, her brother,
and her sweetheart—gave up fifty square
inches of skin for the burned body of Miss
Ethel Smith, of Gary, Ind., for whom Billy
Rugh, the newsman, gave his life by al-
lowing .a_ crippled , limb to be amputated
for its skin.

The operation was performed recently at
the local hospital.

Charles Smith, the father; Ray Smith,
twenty-one, her brother; and Roy Roberts,
twenty-one, her sweetheart, gave the skin.
When Rugh gave his limb not enough skin
was obtained. It is said Miss Smith will be
well in a month.

Pneumonia Cured by Condition of Blood.

Professor A. R. Dochez, of the hospital
of ‘the Rockefeller Institute for Medical
Research, has been making a special study
of pneumonia, some of the more important
results of which are announced in the
Journal of Experimental Medicine.

One of the great mysteries of pneu-

 

monia is the so-called crisis, which is fol-

lowed either by death or recovery. Physi-
cians and physiologists have been puzzled
for centuries to account for the underlying
cause of the change in the condition of the
patient, either for better or worse, that
comes at the time of the crisis—a change
that often bears no apparent relation to
the patient’s general condition before the
crisis.

After numerous experiments, in which he
inoculated white mice with the serum of
human pneumonia patients, Doctor Dochez
concludes that some sort of “protective
substances” are usually present in the blood
of persons recovering from pneumonia of
the lungs. As a rule, he asserts, the ap-
pearance of protective bodies in the blood,
when demonstrable, coincides rather sharply
with the period of critical fall in*tempera-
ture and the disappearance of the symp-
toms of the disease.

These substances, he says, are not pres-
ent in the blood in any measurable degree
before the crisis, but afterward they may

reach a considerable concentration. The
experiments suggest, he adds, that these
protective “bodies,” whatever they are, play

a part in the recovery of the patient.

The nature of these protective bodies—
these microscopic life-savers—where they
come from, why they develop, all are mys-
teries for future solution.

The question was also taken up as to
whether pneumonia is primarily a blood dis-
ease, of which the condition of the lungs
is but a sign or a consequence. Doctor
Dochez reports that in thirty-seven cases
of pneumonia at the hospital of the insti-
tute the so-called pneumonia germ, or pneu-
mococcus, was not found constantly present
in the blood.

In certain cases of pneumonia, he says,
it seems that the pneumococci either in-
vade the blood in large numbers or else,
having arrived there, grow so actively that

ticemia, before any considerable area of
lung has become involved.

Elephants Are Cheapet, Anyway.

ing off in the demand in Siam.
contractors in that country are securing

fewer animals to do the work. Now is

purchase of a few pets.

Order 1,000 Railroad Cars for Autos.

The Pennsylvania Railroad has just
placed an order for 5,000 more freight cars.

transportation of automobiles, while the re-

In June the road contracted for 4,875
cars, making a total addition to rolling
stock this year of.nearly 10,000 cars.
cost of rolling stock this year will pass
$20,000,000.
ven sent to the scrap heap.

of the freight cars will be built at once

remainder will be built by the Pen
at its Altoona shops.

The company announces an active cam-
paign to overcome car shortages. To d
this the road is preventing as far as pos-

 

ports.

   

longer leases, have more time to get their
logs to the floating creeks, and so require

the opportunity of those contemplating the

Of these 1,000 are intended solely for the —

mainder are of the standard box car type. —

In the year 8,000 old cars have —
‘he thousand automobile cars and 3,000.

by the Pressed Steel Car Company, and the ©

sible the eee of loaded cars at sca~

death ensttes from blood poisoning, or sep-

The British Trade Journal informs us
that elephants are cheaper, owing to a fall-
The forest

 ®

    
       
    

 

 

RGF cape ical ee

ay
z
et

ae.
2

i
M

 

8
ar
oe

 

The 4

    
     
 
 

  
    
       
       
       
     
  
 

    
    
       
     

  

          
  
   
   
     
  
   
   
  
  
     
    
  
   
   
   
 
  
   
   
   
   

 
 
ALL OF THE BACK NUMBERS OF

TIP TOP WEEKLY

THAT CAN NOW BE SUPPLIED

 

589—Dick Merriwell’s Debt.
590—Dick Merriwell’s Camp Mates.
591—Dick Merriwell’s Draw.
592—Dick Merr iwell’ s Disapproval.
astery.
594—Dick Merriwell’ 3s W arm Work.
595—Dick Merriwell’s “Double
Squeeze.”
596—Dick Merriwell’s Vanishing.
597—Dick Merriwell Adrift.
598—Dick Merriwell’s Influence,
599— Frank Merriwell’s Worst Boy.
Frank Merriwell’s Annoyance.
- _F rank Merriwell’s Restraint.
€02—Dick Merriwell Held Back.
603—Dick Merriwell in the Line.
604—Dick Merriwell’s Drop Kick.
606—Frank Merriwell’s Auto Chase.
607—F rank Merriwell’s Captive.
608—Dick Merriwell’s Value.
609—Dick Merriwell Doped.
610—Dick Merriwell’s Belief.
611—Frank Merriwell in the Mar-

e
612—Frank Merriwell’s F ight for
Fortune.
613—Frank Merriwell on Top.
614—Dick Merriwell’s Trip West.
615 < Merriwell’s Predicament.
616—Dick Merriwell in Mystery
Valley.

617—Frank Merriwell’s Proposition.
618—Frank Merriwell Perplexed.
619—F rank Merriwell’s Suspicion.
620—Dick Merriwell’s Gallantry.
621—Dick Merriwell’s Condition.
622—Dick Merriwell’s Stanchness,

Dick Merriwell’s Match.

Frank Merriwell’s Hard Case,
- ee Merriwell’s He sIper,

‘rank Merriwell’s Doubts.

Prank Merriwell’s **Phenom.”
628—Dick Merriwell’s Stand.
629—Dick Merriwell’s Circle.
630—Dick Merriwell’s Reach.
: 31—Dick Merriwell’s Money.

6: 2—=Dic k Merriwell Watched.
633—Dick Merriwell Doubted.
634—Dick Merriwell’s Distrust.
635—Dick Merriwell’s Risk.

636—F rank Merriwell’s Favorite.
637—F rank Merriwell’s Young
Clippers.

639—T rank Merriwell’s
Breakers.

640—Dic!: Merriwell’s Shoulder.

641—Dick Merriwell’s Desperate 7
Work.

642—Dick Merriwell’s Example.
643—Dick Merriwell at Gale’s Ferry.
644—Dick Merriwell’s Inspiration.
645—Dick Merriwell’s Shooting.
646—Dick Merriwell in the Wilds.
647—Dick Merriwell’s Red Comrade.
649—F rank Merriwell in the Saddle.
651—F rank Merriwell’s Red Guide.
652—Dick Merriwell’s Rival.
653—Dick Merriwell’s Strength.
654—Dick Merriwell’s Secret Work.
656—F rank Merriwell’s Red Visitor.
657—Frank Merriwell’s Rope.
658—F rank Merriwell’s Lesson.
659—Frank Merriwell’s Protection.
660—Dick Merriwell’s Reputation.
661—Dick Merriwell’s Motto.
662—Dick Merriwell’s Restraint.
663—Dick Merriwell’s Ginger.
664—Dick Merriwell’s Driving.
665—Dick Merriwell’s Good Cheer,
666—F rank Merriwell’s Theory.
667—F rank Merriwell’s Diplomacy.
668—Frank Merriwell’s Encourage-

ment.

669—Frank Merriwell’s Great Work.
670—Dick Merriwell’s Mind.
671—Dick Merriwell’s “Dip.”
672—Dick Merriwell’s Rally.
673—Dick Merriwell’s Flier.

Record

674—F rank Merriwell’s Bullets.
675—F rank Merriwell’s Cut Off.
676—F rank Merriwell’s Ranch Boss.
677—Dick Merriwell’s Equal.
678—Dick Merriwell’s Development.
679—Dick Merriwell’s Eye.
680—F rank Merriwell’s Zest.
681—F rank Merriwell’s Patience.
682—F rank Merriwell’s Pupil.
683—Frank Merriwell’s Fighters.
684—Dick Merriwell at the ‘‘Meet.”
685—Dick Merriwell’s Protest.
686—Dick Merriwell in the
thon.
687—Dick Merriwell’s Colors.
688—Dick Merriwell, Driver.
689—Dick Merriwell on the Deep.
690—Dick Merriwell in the North
Woods.
691—Dick Merriwell’s Dandies.
692—Dick Merriwell’s Skyscooter,
393—Dick Merriwell in the Elk
Mountains.
694—Dick Merriwell in Utah.
695—Dick Merriwell’s Bluff.
696—Dick Merriwell in the Saddle.
697—Dick Merriwell’s Ranch
Friends.
698—Frank Merriwell
Lake.
699—F rank Merriwell’s Hold-back.
700—F rank Merriwell’s Lively Lads
701—F rank Merriwell as Instructor.
702—Dick Merriwell’s Cayuse.
703—Dick Merriwell’s Quirt.
704—Dick Merriwell’s Freshman
Friend.
705—Dick Merriwell’s Best Form.
706—Dick Merriwell’s Prank.
707—Dick Merriwell’s Gambol,
7O8—Dick Merriwell’s Gun.
709—Dick Merriwell at His
0—Dick Merriwell’s Master
1—Dick Merriwell’s Dander.,
2—Dick Merriwell’s Hope.
3—Dick Merriwell’s Standard.
4—Dick Merriwell’s Sympathy.
5—Dick Merriwell in Lumber
Land.
—Frank Merriwell’s Fairness.
—IFrank Merriwell’s Pledge.
Merriwell, the Man of

Mara-

at Phantom

Jest.
Mind.

1
1
|
1;
1
1

16-
17-
18—F rank
Grit.
719—Frank Merriwell’s
Blow.
720—F rank Merriwell’s Quest.
21—!'r ink Merriwell’s Ingots.
22—F rank Merriwell’s Assistance.
8—Frank Merriwell at the
Throttle.
724—Frank Merriwell,
Ready.
725—Frank Merriwell
Land.
726—Frank Merriwell’s Desperate
Chance.
727—Frank Merriwell’s Black

728—F

teturn

pF
(2
72

the Always

in Diamond

Ter-
ror.
rank Merriwell Again on the
Slab.
729—Frank Merriwell’s Hard Game
730—Frank Merriwell’s Six-in-hand
731—Frank Merriwell’s Duplicate.
732—Frank Merriwell on Rattle-
snake Ranch.
—Frank Merriwell’s Sure Hand.
4—F rank Merriwell’s Treasure

99
or
2
0

Prince of
of

Map.
735—Frank Merriwell,

the Rope.
736—Dick Merriwell,

the Varsity
7—Dick Merriweli’s Control.
8—Dick Merriwell’s Back Stop.
9—Dick Merriwell’s Masked En-
emy.

740—Dick Merriwell’s Motor Car.
741—Dick Merriwell’s Hot Pursuit.

Captain

€

>
°
°
ore
°
o

808—

Frank Merriwell's
Warriors.
811—F rank Merriwell’s Appraisal.
812—F rank Merriwell’s Forgiveness
813—F rank Merriwell’s Lads.
814—F rank Merriwell’s
Aviators.
815—Frank Merriwell’s Hot-head.
816—Dick Merriwell, Diplomat.
817—Dick Merriwell in Panama.
Rock- 818—Dick Merriwell’s Perseverance.
819—Dick Merriwell Triumphant.
820—Dick Merriwell’s Betrayal.
821—Dick Merriwell, Revolutionist.
822—Dick Merriwell’s Fortitude.
823—Dick Merriwell’s Undoing.
57—Dick Merriwell’s Rescue. 824—Dick Merriwell, Universal
758—Dick Merriwell, American. Coach.
759—Dick Merriwell’s Understand- 82 25—Dick Merriw 4 s Snare.
ing. i—Dick Merriwell’s Star Pupil.
760—Dick Merriwell, Tutor. 897 -Dick Merriwell’s Astuteness.
761—Dick Merriwell’s Quandary. 828—Dick Merriwell’s  MResponsi-
762—Dick Merriwell on the Boards. bility.
763—Dick Merriwell, Peacemaker. 829—Dick Merriwell’s Plan.
764—Frank Merriwell’s Sway. 830—Dick Merriwell’s Warning.
765—Frank . Merriwell’s Compre- 831—Dick Merriwell’s Counsel.
hension. -Dick Merriwell’s Champions.
766—Frank Merriwell’s Dick Merriwell’s Marksmen.
Acrobat. 33 —Dic k Merriwell’s Enthusiasm.
767—Frank Merriwell’s Tact. 83! = k Merriwell’s Solution.
768—Frank Merriwell’s Unknown. > ick Merriwell’s Foreign
769—Frank Merriwell’s Acuteness. 3 ae oe the
770—Frank Merriwell’s i g iste ; oe
(70—Frank diag els ~=—- Young go¢__pick Merriwell’s Battle for the
; Burtt slue
—Frank Merriwell’s Coward. t beck TW en cet aes
Frank Merriwell’s Perplexity. Siete ide heh eee
—Frank Merriwell’s Interven- > nse ; «, : 7
841—Dick Merriwell’s Princeton Op-
tion.
ponents.
4— Frank Merriwell’s Daring Deed 8429-—Dick Merriwell’s Sixth
i—Prank aS er s Succor, 843—Dick Merriwell’s
76—F rank Merriwell’s Wit. , Clew. : :
eta ween pee ae ae alty. ‘ 844-——Dick Merriwell Comes Back.
778—Frank Merriwell's Bold Play. 45—Dick Merriwell’s Heroic Crew.
head age ay ye peat NE ae hppa omy 846—Dick Merriwell Looks Ahead.
780—F rank Merriwell’s Guile. 847—Dick Mertiwell at the Olym-
pics.

781—Frank Merriwell’s Campaign.
782—Frank Merriwell in the Na-g4g_-pick Merriwell in Stockholm.
tional Forest. j 849—Dick Merriwell in the Swed-
788—Frank Merriwell’s Tenacity. ish Stadium.
784—Dick Merriwell’s : Self-sacrifice. 850—Dick Merriwell’s Marathon.
785—Dick Merriwell’s Close Shave.
786—Dick Merriwell’s Perception.
787—Dick  Merriwell’s Mysterious
Disappearance, 1—F rank Merriwell, Jr.
Veet eae ee Detective 2 oe eee Lt
ork. 38—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’
789—Dick Merriwell’s Proof, 4—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Skill.
790—Dick Merriwell’s Brain Work. 5—Frank Merriwell, Jr., in Idaho.
791—Dick Merriwell’s Queer Case. 6—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Close
792—Dick Merriwell, Navigator. Shave.
793—I nck, Merriwell’s Good Fellow- 7—Frank Fao a
ship. ing Orders.
794—Dick Merriwell’s Fun. 8—Frank Merriwell,
795—Dick Merriwell’s Commence- 9—F ere ea
ment. arathon
796—Dick Merriwell at Montauk 10—Frank Merriwell,
Point. Bar Z Ranch.
797—Dick Merriwell, Mediator. 11—Frank Merriwell,
T98—Dick Merriwell’s Decision.
799—Dick Merriwell on the
Lakes.
Dick Merriwell
ping.
801—Dick Merriwell in the Copper
Country.
802—Dick Merriwell Strapped.
803-——Dick Merriwell’s Coolness.
ahn ni k Merriwell’s Reliance.
805—Dick Merriwell’s College
806—Dic k Merriwell’s
Pitcher.
807—Dick Merriwell’s Prodding.
—I'rank Merriwell’s Boy.
Frank Merriwell’s Interfer- 20
ence, 21

~Dick Merriwell at Forest Lake 810— Young
—Dick Merriwell in Court.
—Dick Merriwell’s Silence.
—Dick Merriwell’s Dog.
—Dick Merriwell’s Subterfuge.
—Dick Merriwell’s Enigma.
8—Dick Merriwell Defeated,
9—Dick Merriwell’s ‘‘Wing.”’
50—Dick Merriwell’s Sky Chase,
51—Dick Merriwell’s Pick-ups.
52—-Dick Merriwell on the
ing R
—Dick Merriwell’s Penetration.
54—Dic k Merriwell’s Intuition.
»y—Dick Merriwell’s Vantage,
56—Dick Merriwell’s Advice.

ee

3-
4

)
6
bi
(

Young

74°
74:
74
4!
4
+
4
4

AAAIIAAAA -]-

53

°
be
TF

aaa
(e

_
ps
TE

a6
o
2H
oF

Young!

Foe.

2
3-
4
5—
6—
Pak Car-

S:

71-

tv 2
2
o>

Sense.

7:
AS Strange
Ti

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY

8, Struggle.

Jr., on Wait-

JY.’S,
dt.'6,

ITiy
stems

Jf.'S;

Danger.
Relay
at the
Golden

Great 12 J—I"'r eal Merriwell, Compet-

itor.
183—Frank Merriwell,
ance.
14—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s,
mage.

15—F rank Merriwell, Jr., Misjudged
16—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Star

Play.
17—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s,
JY.’S,

— ‘ : J
s00— Caught Nap- Jr’s, Guid

Scrim-

Blind
Mate. Chase.

Young 18—Frank Merriwell, Discre-

tion.
care: «7 Merriwell, Jr.’s, Substi-
ute.
—Frank Merriwell, Jr., Justified.

Frank Merriwell, Jr., Incog.

809—

 

PRICE, FIVE CENTS PER COPY

If you want any back numbers of our weeklies and cannot procure them from your news-dealer, they can be obtained direct

from this office.

Postage-stamps taken the same as money.

STREET & SMITH, PUBLISHERS, 79-89 SEVENTH AVE., NEW YORK