MAY 17,1913

NEW TIP TOP
WEEKLY

_ An Ideal Publication for the AmericanYouth

S eamwor

Frank Merriwell, Juniors,

 

 

 
 

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An Ideal Publication For The American Youth

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Issued Weekly. Entered as Second-class Matter at the New York Post Office according to an act of Congress, March 3,1879. Published Ay
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No. 42. NEW YORK, May 17, 1913. Price Five Cents.

 

I got tangled up in making the short cut.

 

Frank Merriwell, Junior’s, Teamwork;

Or, THE RIVER ROAD TO DADE’S.

By BURT L. STANDISH.

CHAPTER I.
CLANCY AND THE STRANGER.

“For the love of Mike! If this is the road to the Ten-

derfoot Mine, it’s a cinch that it isn’t traveled much!’

Owen Clancy, slim, wiry, and freckled as ever, drew
up his horse at the crest of a ridge. He was hot, dusty,
and weary, while his steed showed signs of hard riding
and scraping through bushes and undergrowth. Clancy

‘shoved back his hat in perplexity and ran his’ fingers

through, his fiery-red hair.

“Either I got a mighty bum steer,” he reflected, ‘or else
Let’s see. That
liveryman said to take the first trail off the road—but
did he say to right or left? Blamed if I remember!
Anyhow, I’m here, and here’s a smoke ahead, so we'll
go on.” ;

His searching blue eyes had taken in a slender trickle of
smoke far ahead against the blue sky. It might be miles
away, but he himself was miles off the road, and it was
his best chance, he concluded,

Upon arriving at Hobson’s Choice early that morning,

Clancy had made the surprising discovery that Merriwell

had also struck town the day before. From what he
could gather, Frank had set out for the Tenderfoot Mine
and had not returned. As Clancy’s business also con-
cerned the Tenderfoot Mine, he had promptly obtained a
horse and set out right after breakfast.

The liveryman had given him directions by which he
could make a short cut to reach the mine, but the red-
headed lad had been so excited over the prospect of find-
ing Merriwell that he had failed to pay close attention.

“Asa result, he had wandered off on a blind trail, had

pushed ahead for several hours, and had awakened to

the realization that he was lost in the hills—and was also
hungry, and extremely thirsty.

“He said I’d strike the river near the rapids,’ com-
mented the puzzled Clancy. “But rivers look a whole lot
scarce around here. I took a trail off to the left, and I'll
bet a jew’s-harp he said to take the right. By golly, I
could just about drink that river up if I had it handy!”

He pushed forward, guided now by that faint tinge of
smoke against the blue. There was no sign of trail, and
he had to break his own path through thick bushes and
low growth, keeping an eye out for holes and treach-
erous pitfalls by the way. :

It was no easy task, for the sun was burning down
with noonday heat by this time, and only increased the
lad’s thirst and hunger. That thread of smoke had shown
him that there was some life in these lonely hills, how-
ever, and he pushed ahead with determined energy.
Where there was a cabin there must be a trail, and in this
locality all trails finally led to Hobson’s Choice.

As he struggled along, Clancy wondered what on earth
Merriwell could be doing at the Tenderfoot Mine. Was
it possible that they had both come to Hobson’s Choice
on the same errand? But that was most unlikely, he re-
membered.

“All I sent Chip was a telegram saying to meet me at
Monterey,” he mused. “He seems to have started from
Juneau, all right, and got sidetracked. What landed him
here? I wish I’d stopped over in town long enough to
ask questions,”

His eagerness to meet his chum once more had pre-
vented his lingering in. Hobson’s Choice. He knew that
the Tenderfoot Mine was‘owned by a man named Dade,
so he started out for “Dade’s” at the earliest possible mo-

 
  

eee NEW TIP. TOP WEEKLY.

ment, Now, instead of meeting Chip, he had blundered
into a wilderness of untracked hills, and had absolutely
no idea of where he was or of the location of Dade’s
mitie. e

[t had occurred to him that by giving
the animal might lead him back to town. But it seemed
that the beast was equally at a loss with himself. To tell
the truth, Clancy had pursued an erratic. course since the
blind trail petered out, and beyond heading north in a
general way, had made little effort to keep his sense of
direction. At the moment when he made out the smoke
against the sky, he was rather closer to Juneau, on a bee
line, than he was to Hobson’s Choice.

Bitter disappointment surged through him as he gained
the slope of another hill, only to find that the smoke had
vanished. However, he knew the general direction in
which it had been, and kept on desperately in lieu of
aught better to do. Had he but known it, that smoke had
proceeded from a fire in the cabin-of Mark Raynor, and an
hour before this Frank Merriwell himself had been in
the cabin.

But Clancy could not know this, and he urged his stum-
bling horse along in the blind hope that sooner or later
he would come to some road or trail. For half an hour
he plunged ahead, and then emitted a whoop of joy. His
eye had caught a thin ribbon of dust ahead, that rose in
a little cloud, as if stirred by feet.

“Hooray! . Somebedy’s there, and it’s a road!
along, you rack-boned old cayuse!”

He‘ raised his voice in a shrill, high yell that seemed lost
in the still air. Now the horse, too, seemed to feel that
they were near a road, for the beast picked up its droop-
ing head and stepped out as best it could over the bad
ground. Five minutes later, Clancy beheld the road itself
ahead of him, and let out another yell.

Get

He had reached a road, sure enough. Better than that,
he had reached two roads. He had come to what seemed
a main road, while off ahead of him wound another that
was a mere track. Near the junction of the two there
stood an old, half-ruined cabin of logs, and, as Clancy
made for this, a voice halted him.

“Was that you yellin’, stranger?”

Clancy drew rein, to see a man emerge from the shel-
ter of a group of bushes. It struck him at once that if
this was the one who had raised that dust, the man
must have been afraid of being seen by some one, else he
would have remained out on the road.

The man was very large and muscular, with a coarse,
black beard that flowed down over his chest. At. first
glance Clancy would have taken him for a prospector or
miner, until his eyes caught thé glitter of a diamond as the
man’s hand moved in the sunshine, He sat his horse,
waiting till the other drew near,

“Ves, I was doing that yelling, right enough,” Clancy
replied, with a laugh. “I caught sight of the dust you
raised, and hoped I could make some one hear me.”

“You did,” chuckled the other. “Only I thought it was
Indians broke loose, or something 0’ that kind, so I slid
for cover.”

Clancy did not think much of the man’s abilities as a
liar, at hearing this explanation. But it was not to be
long before he completely reversed that opinion.

“Where am 1?” he inquired. “I left Hobson’s Choice,
and got lost——”

,
*

the horse its head’

the country !”

   
 

“Mean to say you've come across them hills? From
town?”

“T’m sure] didn’t come under them,”
with a grin. “Am I anywhere near town now?
the dickens am 1?’ ay

“Just about midway between THobson’s Choice, Juneau, ; aq
and Canuck’s claim, stranger. I ain’t curious, of course, 7
but I’m plumb anxious to know how you got off the road
into them hills. You don’t look like a drinking man, *
exactly.” 9

“Thank you kindly,” chirped Clancy. “If I ever want
a job, I'll apply to you for a recommendation! I’m too
thirsty to talk longer than a few hours, but I started out
to make a short cut from the road to the Tender foot
Mine.”

“Huh?” broke in the other quickly, his dark eyes flash-
ing to Clancy’s face and resting there with a keen glance
that was almost frightening, so intent and purposeful was »
it. “Going to the Tenderfoot? Why?”

“That’s my business,” snapped out Clancy, not relish-
ing such close questioning. Instantly the dark face of the —
man cleared, and his white teeth flashed out.

“Of course, of course! No offense, | stranger. ¥ee
kinda surprised me, ’cause I’m a heap interested in that
claim myself. -If you’re lookin’ for old man Dade; he’s
up to my shack now, with some more fellows.”

“lm not after Mr. Dade,” laughed Clancy, oid
“T’m looking for a’ chum of mine, young Frank Merriwell, —
who ought to be at the Tenderfoot Mine. I just got .
into Hobson’s Choice, and heard that he had left for
the mine, so I dug right out. I guess I hit the wrong
trail off the road.” eit

“What?” The man looked up with a gleam in his eyes
that startled Clancy. Then the red-haired boy fancied
that he must have been mistaken, for the next instant the .
fellow’s features relaxed into an expression of wild de- =
light, and one great hand shot up toward his. cz

“What? You’re a-pal of Merriwell’s? Well, of all
things! Shake, strange, shake! What's your title?” —

“W hy-=do you know Chip?” cried Clancy, reaching
down and gripping the man’s hand in surprised | joy.
“Where is he?”

“Do I know Frank Merriwell, junior?” laughed “the
big man jovially. “Well, ask me something easy! Why,
stranger, if it hadn’t been for Mark Raynor he'd never
have come to Hobson’s Choice!” }

The black eyes were searching Clancy’s face, dnd as the
man gave his name they seemed to light with relief as. a
Clancy betrayed no knowledge of it. Bat

“My name’s Clancy, Owen Clancy, Mr. Raynor,” eet
claimed Clan delightedly. “Mighty glad to meet you! Is _
Chip anywhere around here?” Kee

“Sure he is! At least, he and Dade were up at my
shack, a few miles along this trail, when I left. We're
figuring on buying the Tenderfoot, you see, and ee
well came up to the shack this morning. I—er—I ‘came _
down here to meet the stagecoach, and after it passed fi
found that my horse had taken the back trail.” ess :

“Stagecoach!” exclaimed Clancy, surprised. “Why, I i
didn’t know there was such a thing left in this part of

returned ‘Clancy,
Where in ae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
   
  
    
 
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
  
  
 

“Oh, there’s an old one that runs up in the hills a piece,”
returned Raynor carelessly. “Well, friend Clancy, I s'pose
the best thing you can do is to come up to the claim freee
mé and met your friend, ain’t it? oY ;

  
   
 

     
 

   
   
   
  
   
  
   
     
  
   
  
 
  
  
  
  
 

_hosses,”

_ don’t want to learn to like it.

_ to sell out—on their terms.
can get Lew real pickled, he’ll sign anything. So they’ve

 

NEW

“I should ‘say yes!” ejaculated Clancy excitedly. © “I
didn’t know Merry was figuring on buying a mine, though.”

“He ain't, exactly. He’s kinda helping us out. Say, do
you reckon you could swap hosses with me a ways?
These boots of mine have got my feet all riled up.”

Clancy was only too glad to get out of the saddle and
stretch his legs for a few miles. It never occurred to
him that if Raynor had met the coach at that point, he
would hardly have done enough walking to affect his
feet. In fact, nothing much did occur to Clancy except
the surprising fact that he had stumbled on a friend of
Chip Merriwell’s, and this caused him to overlook a num-
ber of conflicting statements on the part of Mark Raynor
as they wended their way toward the latter’s shack.

CHAPTER II.
THE SNARE IS SPREAD.

On the way from the fork in the roads to the claim
of Mark Raynor, Owen Clancy found out some things
which surprised him very much. One surprise came when
Raynor admitted that the “few miles” were in reality about
twelve, and as the other made no second offer to “swap
Clancy hoofed it along in silence.

Another surprise came when Raynor, in response to his
request for a drink, handed over a pint flask of whisky,
and seemed much astonished when Owen curtly refused it.

“T don’t never carry water myself,” stated the man, help-
ing himse]Jf from the flask. “You don’t know a good
thing when you see it, son.”

“I know a bad thing when I see it, though,” retorted
Clan. It always stroked him the wrong way to be termed
“son” by a patronizing stranger. Raynor perceived his
mistake.

“There’s a brook comes along pretty soon,” he said
quickly. “Don’t get all up in the air when a man offers
you a drink, Clancy. It don’t go in this country.”

“No offense, Raynor. You see, I’m popularly supposed
to be an athlete, and drinking is the worst thing in the
world for condition. Besides, I don’t like the stuff and
There’s the brook, I guess.”

A tiny trickle of water crossed the road, and both Clancy
and his weary horse had a refreshing drink. Another two
miles had been covered before he thought to ask the nature
of Chip’s business, for Raynor was keeping up a running
fire of talk on the country and its prospects, seemingly de-
signed to keep Owen’s mind off unpleasant topics.

“What’s that you said about Chip’s helping out, Mr.
Raynor? I’d like to get the hang of this thing, now
I’m here.”

“Helping out?” repeated the man blankly. “Oh, sure!
Why, it’s all about this here Tenderfoot Mine, Clancy.
You see, it’s owned by Lew Dade. Lew’s always been a
pretty shiftless sort of cuss, but the Tenderfoot looks like
a lope aig and he’s made a hard fight to get straight
again.” /

Raynor glanced down at the figure beside his saddle, and
Owen nodded. He could well understand that Chip would

_ be glad to extend his help to a man who was trying to
“find himself,” such as Mark described Lew Dade.

“Well, other parties have got wind that the Tenderfoot is
showin’ real color, and they’re plumb anxious to get Dade
They figure out that if they

been tryin’ to get hold of him for some time.

 

  

TP Oi Way; 3

“I went down to Juneau the other day, tryin’ to raise
some money to buy the mine with, legitimate. I got it,
all right, and on the train comin’ back I met your pal
Merriwell. I was tellin’ him the story, and he gets real
interested. Finally he offers to stop off at Hobson’s Choice
between trains, and help me see the thing through, which
was real decent of him, considerin’.”

“It’s just like him,” interposed Clancy, his eyes shining.
“Why, he’s HoHe more to help fellows out—but go ahead
with the yarn.”

“We got hold of Dade,” resumed ‘Raptor after a mo-
ment. He seemed to have a little difficulty in speaking, at
first, as if he were repressing some strong emotion. “The
poor chap was pretty drunk, an’ we just come in the nick
of time. We couldn’t do much there in town, and didn’t
want to take him out to his old lady in that condition, so
we totes him up to my shack. There you are.”

Clancy nodded in comprehension.

“It’s mighty fine of you, Raynor, to do so much for this
chap Dade! I tell you what, it makes a fellow feel good
to run up against men who are willing and ready to lend
a hand to other men who are down! I’m sure glad I
met you.”

As he glanced up, Raynor grunted, and a flush stole over
the swarthy face. Mark Raynor had almost deceived
himself while telling that plausible story. He could al-
most believe that he had been the one to save the Ten-
derfoot Mine from the clutches of vultures, instead of
being the vulture himself.

So, the breezy speech of Clancy caught him off his
guard, and the realization made him angry. Clancy, how-
ever, did not know this. He thought the flush sprang
from sheer todesty, and the incident only served to re-
move any distrust which the proffer of the flask might
have aroused in his mind.

After all, he considered, men were not bad simply be-
cause they carried whisky. It is much better to be open
and frank about such a habit than to nurse it in secret,
for sooner or later the world will find it out. Clancy gave
credit to Raynor for such frankness, and yet, despite
the offhand geniality of the man, there was an indefinite
something in his attitude that puzzled Owen.

He was thankful when Mark finally declared that the
cabin was only a mile ahead, for the long tramp in the
hot sun had not been exactly pleasant. A little farther
on, Raynor swung out of the saddle and motioned to him
to get up.

“I don’t know’s you had better go right up with me,”
stated the man doubtfully. “You see, I got a partner in
this deal who’s putting up some money, and he’s right
shy of strangers. Mebbe I’d better go on ahead and tell
him who you are.” |

“I don’t/ see the necessity for that,” returned Clancy.
“I don’t look like a sheriff, do 1?”

Raynor laughed, a trifle uneasily.

“Oh, it ain’t that. But I let a lot of fellows use my
shack—fellows what ain’t exactly in with the law, you un-
derstand. None of ’em very bad, and most of ’em needing
a bunk and some grub once in a while. I’m up here by
myself, and ‘twouldn’t be healthy very oe if I refused
to help the boys occasionally.”

Clancy could very well appreciate that fact, although to
his eyes Mark, Raynor ‘did not look like the sort of man
to be bluffed by a fugitive from justice. Still, he thotight
it better to comply with the request.

  
  
  
   
    
   
   
   
  
     
  
  
  
  
   
    
   
  
   
   
  
   
   
   
  
     
       
 

NEW TIP

  

“There’s the shack,” and> Raynor pointed to a dark
building in a clump of trees a few hundred yards ahead.
“Now, if you'll set quiet here, [ll run up and either send
out Merriwell, or else wave you to come on.”

“Go ahead, I’ll wait here.”

Raynor strode on up the trail, and Clancy watched him
vanish inside the log shack. Could Clancy haye watched
the scene that ensued inside its walls, he would speedily
have satisfied himself regarding Raynor’s real character,

The interior of the log building was in wild disorder.
The fire had died down upon the mud hearth, chunks of
wood were scattered about, a knotted and tangled
reata lay near the door, Raynor’s eyes took in all this at
a glance, then rested on two figtres, near an old and shat-

,tered hair trunk.

“Well,” he growled harshly,
his entrance, “you’re a nice pair o’ fools! Had him and
the chink right here, then let ’em get away! What’s more,
[ met them going down the trail, and Merriwell tore up the
deed before my very eyes. What happened up here, any-
way ?” 2

“Why didn’t ye come to see fer yourself?” snarled
Morgan, with some difficulty, as he got to his feet. His
features looked distorted, his breath seemed to come with
effort, and Raynor stared at him in astonishment.

“What's the matter with you? What are you looking
for there?”

“We was lookin’ for the deed,” answered Lew Dade,
his immense, whisky-soaked body settling down comfort-
ably against the shack wall. “We went out fer wood an’
come back just in time to nab the chink—dropped him
with a stick o’ wood. While we was tryin’ to make him
talk an’ give up the paper, that derned Merriwell butted in.”

“What'd he do—look at you?” Raynor’s sarcastic tone
bit deeply.

“Looked at me with another stick o’ -wood,”
Morgan vindictively. “Knocked my gun away, and pretty
nigh busted my arm. Lew started after the gun, but the
chink got him by the neck and threw him out while Merri-
well knocked the daylights out o’ me.”

“Nice, easy pickings you are, Morgan!
lick a kid like him ?”

“Lick him? Say, I could. lick a dozen like him—with
my fists. But he didn’t use his fists. No, sir—he jest grabs
me by the neck an’ digs in his thumbs. I don’t know how
he does it, but before I can squeal I’m a-layin’ on the
floor. I knew what was goin’ on, but I couldn’t lift a
hand.”

“So our friend knows jujutsu, eh?” commented Raynor
quickly, “I seen that trick pulled off once, down on the
Barbary Coast. You'll be able to talk in a few hours; I
reckon he give you a pretty light dose, at that. Anyhow,
the deed’s done gone plumb to glory, but I’ve got a new
frame-up. Now,’ Lew, are you goin’ to hand over that
five hundred I give. you for the mine, or not?”

The heavyrset man, fumbling his rainbow mustache,
stared at Mark almost tearfully.

“Me? None whatever! Fur’s I’m concerned, the claim’s
yours. All you got to do is to get the ald lady’s fist to
the papers.”

and

as they straightened up at

rasped

You couldn’t

heap. She knows what I’m after now, so she won't trust
me any more. I can’t turn the trick on her again with-
out her knowin’ what she’s doing, but now I’m Teady to
kill two coyotes with one bullet. I'll get her signature,

   

Sie

“T got that once, but Merriwell knocked us all of a any partner o’ young Merriwell, and specially with Claney.

WEEKLY.

  
 

and I’ll teach this kid Merriwell that he can’t cross’ the
trail of Mark Raynor without gettin’ held up good and
plenty. His boyhood chum is down the trail a ale waitin’ i :
trustful and innocentlike for Mister Mark: to him to
the, slaughter.’’

“What you givin’
ing his neck,

“That kid’s a whirlwind,
lessly. “So’s the chink—
of that yaller cuss!”

“You'll get your wish,” returned Raynor, with a
“This other kid is named Clancy, and he’s the surest
0 tenderfoot. Got lost comin’ oyer from Hobson’s. I’d
met: Merriwell, as I said, but seein’s he had my cayuse I
judged I'd walk back to the road an’ mebbe meet up with
some of the boys on their way to town. This red-headed
kid comes out o’ the hills and allows he’s lookin’ fer Merri-
well an’ the Tenderfoot Mine. Soa I steers him right
along up here, tellin’ him how innocent and good I really
was, an’ how I loved his old pal Merriwell.
fellers listen mighty close.”

His voice lowered, and for ten minutes he spoke rapidly.
A glance at the trail showed Clancy still waiting.
“Looks good to me,” asserted Dade finally.
the situation all right, but a
Mark.” 4
“Morgan, better get out o’ that window right quick.”
said Raynor, as he-handed his flask to Dade. “Make

tracks for Canuck’s claim—an’ don’t fail this time!”

“No danger,” wheezed the ruffian, scraping through the
small window, which was innocent of glass. As he dis-
appeared, Raynor stepped outside the door and waved his
hat. A moment later Clancy clattered yp and slid from the
saddle with an eager look.

“Where’s Chip?”

“Come on inside, Clancy. We'll explain there.”

Puzzled, Clancy entered the shack.

lead

us?” exclaimed Morgan, tenderly feel-

 

Mark,” added Lew Dade hope-
and I’d like to wring the neck

grin.
kind

Now you

T got
drink might help a whole lot,

 

 
   
   
   
       
             
     
     
       
   
           
       
     
     
     
       
     
     
     
       
     
     
     
     
     
  

CHAPTER III. ; i
CLANCY WRITES A NOTE.

“Why, I thought Chip was here, Raynor?” ;

Black Mark’s face expressed the keenest disappointment
as Clancy turned to him in startled surprise. The con-
fusion which preyailed inside the shack betrayed’to the
mind of Clan that something unusual had been going on
here, and his suspicions were awakened at once, ; a

“He left only an hour ago, Clancy. By the way, shake —

hands with Lew Dade, Make yourself at home, and we'll —
explain matters.”

It was a poor place to make himself at home in, thought
Clan grimly, He was not greatly reassured when he clasped
the hand of Dade, to find it soft, cold, and ‘decidedly un-
pleasant to the touch—and Clancy was a great believer in
handshakes as exponents of character. é

“Glad to know you,” he said, without enthusiasm,
“You're the man that owns the Tenderfoot, I take it?”

“You take it right, son.” Dade’s yoice was still hoarse
with whisky, but he tried to assume a benignant air, failing —
dismally. “Lew Dade’s allus glad to shake hands with |

 

a

How often has my friend Merriwell spoke of Glanogd.
How often has he said to me, ‘Lew, old chap, | ain’t a
Dita: ”?

“Shut that hake in your face!

   
        

yp?

exclaimed Raynor, wit
    

NEW. TIP

  

  

a vicious twang to the words that Owen had not heard
before. “Where'd you get that liquor?” :

“Why--why, a feller give it to me,” whined Dade.
“Then he went on up toward Canuck’s claim, That’s why
Merriwell went after him.”

“Now see here,” said Raynor, striding across the shack
and seizing the large man by the shoulder with a shake.
a “I don’t want no fooling from you, Lew Dade. Hand out
) - that story, an’ hand it out straight! This gent’s come

some miles to see young Merriwell, and I ain’t- in no
. jokin’ mood myself.” :

a Claney stared in contempt and pity at the big figure of

: Dade, which shook like a leaf in the grasp of Raynor.
The mine owner, grasping his rainbow mustache for sup-
port, managed to blurt out his story, after several false
starts.

“Test after you went down to meet the coach, Mark,
two fellers come down from the Canuck’s shack. Jules
/* was one of ’em. Seems that old Dug Smiler, placering up
, three mile beyond the Canuck, was murdered last night,
4d While they was here, Jules slipped me a drink, Well,
| Merriwell an’ Morgan goes off with ’em, leavin’ me to
tell you.”

“What! Ol Dug Smiler murdered?” cried Raynor. He
turned a horrified face to Clancy. “That's bad business,
partner. No wonder your pal slipped off to help; poor ol’

- Dug was one o’ the mildest chaps you'd ever see! Blessed
if I know what to do, Clancy!”

Clancy~ stood reflecting. There was something queer
about the whole proceeding, something that he could not

fathom. He did not like Dade a little bit, and he was
just beginning to feel some doubts about Mark Raynor.

 

2”

 

j ee suspicions.

eh Raynor had certainly told a plausible story. He seemed
to know Chip and had been hearty in his praises, on the
way to the claim. Besides, Clan considered, Merry might
have been thrown into a bunch of miners who looked
tough on top but were all right at heart. A man such
as) Raynor, who would spend so much time and effort
over the reformation of a friend, must of necessity be
above the average.

Of course, Raynor was trying to buy the Tenderfoot;
but at a legitimate figure, and for a higher purpose than
money. This appealed to Clancy, and in the glamour of
the thought fle forgot his misgivings. Moreover, he was

   
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
  

trust that things would turn out right.

_“There’s no use loafing here, anyhow,” he said, his cheer-

_ ful smile flashing out. “Do you suppose any one would

_ murder me up along the line?”

_ Somewhat to his surprise, Raynor looked troubled at

_ this suggestion,

“1 don’t know, Clancy. It’s pretty rough’ country—here,

I'll give you the layout. About four miles northeast of

here is Canuck’s claim. Jules Benoit, an old Frency, hangs
out there, arid gets back and forth from Hobson’s Choice

by eanoe, His claim is right near the river, you see. Well,
‘Dug lived up in the hills hack Of Benoit’s place.”

“Why couldn’t I go right to Benoit’s and wait there for

  

   
  
   
 
 
   
   
   
  
  
  

“You might,” pondered Black Mark.
t wait considerable. Merriwell might take a canoe
and drop down the river while you was on the way. The
oes close to the Tenderfoot, though there’s rapids

   
   

       

TOP

 

 

Yet, he had nothing definite upon which to found his ©

in the hands of Raynor for, the present, and could only.

“Then again, you

  

WEEKLY. a

in hetween where Jules has to portage. Do you think
the trip would be’a safe ene, Lew?”

Dade stroked his heavy mustache, trying vainly to curl
the ends, while his watery eyes resolved themselves into
what was meant to be a thoughtful expression.

“I dunno, Mark. After what them fellers said, I should
think it’d be a heap risky. They said as hew ol’ Dug got
blowed to smithers with a shotgun, then finished up with
an ax. After that his shack was burned, and

“Never mind the story,” interjected Raynor hastily, with
a covert wink at his tao eager assistant. “The main point
is, could young Clancy, here, find his way up to Benoit’s
claim without danger? We've only got one horse, which is
his,”

“I don’t reckon it’d be safe,” began Dade, when Claney
interrupted impatiently.

“Nonsense! JI can find my way ahout, once I hit the
right trail, Raynor. Just you set me en the right road and
I guess I can take my-chance of getting shot or axed er
burned or dynamited or something else. Who's this Mor-
gan, that went off with Chip?”

“He’s a pal of mine,” explained Mark. “Nate Morgan,
who wants to buy the Tenderfoot with me. Him
Merriwell ‘have taken quite a liking to each other,” he
added cunningly, * ‘so they'll prob’ly stick together.”

Owen Clancy rapidly reviewed the situation in his mind.
If there really had been a murder of some lonely miner
in the hills, it would be just like Merry: to rush off and
lend what help he could in bringing the murderers to jus-
tice.

On the other hand, he had wired Merry to hasten to
Monterey, and it was not a bit Merry’s style to disregard
such a summons from a friend. There were other men
within reach who could run down the murderers.

 

and

His doubts were not very deep seated, however. Little
as he was attracted by the rambling words of Dade, it
never occurred to him that the entire tale might have
been a false one, concocted for the occasion by the cun-
ning brain of Mark Raynor. He had trusted this black-
whiskered pirate this. far, he told himself, and it would be
foolish to let any suspicions appear now. Besides, he
must connect with Chip without further delay.

“Looks to me as if I’d better travel right along, Raynor.
I’m a whole lot anxious to get hold of Chip, and if he’s
gone down river by canoe, I can follow by the same route,
I guess. How far is Benoit’s shack—about four miles, you
said? It’s right on this same trail, | suppose?”

“Sure,” said Raynor. “But he wouldn’t be there now.
Merriwell left here only a couple of hours ago, so he'd
probably be up in the hills at Dug’s claim. By the way,
did he know you were coming to-day?” j

*T should say not!” answered Clancy, with a laugh.
He did not see the relieved: look which swept into the
eyes of Black Mark at the words. “No, I blew in unex-
pectedly, but I guess he'll be mighty glad to see me. I've
got some big news for him, you see, and it has to be at-
tended to right off.”

“Frankly, I don’t like your going off into the hills by
your lonely,” and there was a ring of honest doubt in Ray-
nor’s voice. Mark had guessed that the more he dissuaded
Clancy from going, the more eager Clancy would be to
go. “It’s all right for an old cyss like me or Dade, but
you might get held up somewheres.”

“I haven’t much to lose,” and Claney grinned cheerfully.

   

       

 
NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

me a landmark or two to steer by,
Is Benoit’s shack the first one I'll

“Now, if you'll give
I'll mosey right along.
come to?”

“Tt’s the’ only one you'll come to,” chuckled Black Mark.
“The trail ends there, at the river—say, hold on a minute!
You could never get up to Dug’s by yourself, and you might
have a powerful long wait at Canuck’s claim. Now, I’m
just as anxious as you are to see Merriwell, and maybe
a whole lot more. Why couldn’t I take your horse and
push ahead to get hold of him, while you come on to
Benoit’s? Lew can guide you there, and four miles ain’t
much to hoof. I’d likely have Merriwell there by the
time you reached the place!”

“Hey!” broke out Lew Dade indignantly. “D’you think
I’m a-goin’ to risk my hide up there, Mark Raynor? Not
by a jugful! Why——”

“Shut your pesky mouth!” snapped Raynor. Then he
turned to Clancy with a chuckle, and lowered his voice.
“You'll have a heap of fun out of Lew, if you take him
along! If he gets cold feet, you can keep right on, for
you can’t miss the shack. Well, what do you say? Want
to do that?”

“Tt seems the best way,’ Raynor. It’s mighty good of
you to take all that trouble to get hold of Merry, too.”

“Nonsensé, my boy!-. I assure you that I want to see
y 'y ¥

him as much as you do, about this deal of my own, so,

you needn’t feel under no obligation. Well, I'll get along.
Oh,” and here Raynor turned with a frown, “hadn’t you
better write Merriwell a line? He might think I was
putting up a joke on him if I said Clancy was here.”

“Why, I don’t know that it’s necessary,” Clancy hesitated.
His doubts were returning full force once more, but the
prospect of that four-mile walk with Lew Dade, and the
opportunities it might present for a little fun, had offered
a strong inducement.

“Still,” urged Mark, “he didn’t know you were coming
here, and a few lines telling him to meet you at the Ca-
nuck’s claim would settle it. Besides, I may not be able to
reach him myself. I may have jto send the word on to
him by some one else, and your name might have more
effect with him than would mine. It ain’t so easy to locate
a feller up there, you can take it from me.”

“I guess you're right,” admitted Clan slowly. “Got
anything to write with?”

After much rummaging about, Black Mark produced the
stump of a pencil and an old letter. He carefully tore
off part of the latter, and Clancy scribbled a brief note on

the back, as follows:

“Hello, Chip! Got a little surprise party for you here!
Say, I'll be waiting for you at Canuck’s claim, so get
there as soon as you can, and connect. I know all about
this Tenderfoot Mine business, and that’s one reason that
brought me to Hobson’s Choice unexpectedly. Get a
move on, old man! CLAN.”

‘

The

He folded up the paper and handed it to Raynor.
latter carefully placed it inside the band of his Stetson,
left the cabin, and a moment later Clancy saw him gallop

up the trail. He himself emerged with Lew Dade at his
side, and began the four-mile tramp.
Clancy did not watch the hoofprints in the trail, or he

would have seen that they vanished abruptly at the first
bend. As he and Dade walked on, the black beard of

the train must be ‘nearly due in town.

Raynor protruded from the thick bushes at one side, and
ten minutes later Black Mark was sending his horse at
full gallop on the back trail—toward the Tenderfoot
and Hobson’s Choice.

CHAPTER IV.
A SURPRISE FOR CHIP,

“No likee lide holse.
liminunt, huh?”

“Never mind, Hop Wah.” Merry glanced through the
open window, and his eyes fell on two horses grazing con-
tentedly on the long grass of the bluff.

“I'd better ride that horse of Black Mark’s, Mrs. Wade.
It would be a good chance to return him without delay.”

“Why, you aten’t thinking of leaving so soon, are you?”
asked the gray-haired little woman anxiously. “I wish
you'd stay for a bit, Mr. Merriwell! You’ve done so much
for me, it don’t seem right to let you ride off so quickly. I
haven’t even had a chance to thank you yet!”

“Don’t bother, Mrs. Dade—and please remember that
I’m just plain ‘Fran’!” Merry flashed a cheerful smile ©
across the table. “If Hop Wah had not fooled me: into
getting off the train at Hobson’s Choice, I’d be in Monterey
by this time. I have to meet a chum of mine there with-
out delay, and I may be able to catch the eastbound train
if I get right down to Hobson’s Choice with Raynor’s
horse.”

“No can do,” struck in Hop Wah, with decision; as
he poised a load of dishes on his arm. “To late for makee

catch tlain. Mebbeso catchee to-mollow—no can-do to-
day.”

“I’m afraid he’s right, Frank,’ smiled Mrs. Dade hap-
pily. “We’ve spent a good deal of time over dinner, you
know, and going over the story. It’s after two now, and
You could never
cover the ten miles from here in time to make it.”

Merry looked at his watch, and saw with dismay that
the little woman was right.. He was extremely anxious to
be off on the road to Monterey and to meet Clancy, but it
was too late now to start for town, which was ten miles
from the Tenderfoot Mine.

“Well, I think I’d better ride down with Raynor’s horse,
at any rate. It might have seemed a bit high-handed, to
take it away from him as I did, but he started proceedings
himself. Nothing could have been more high-handed than
the way in which he walked in here with his drawn gun,
after hitching the horses to the window sill, and gave you
notice to quit the claim.”

Mrs. Dade nodded. “It was the only thing you could.
have done, of course. And to think that you ran nearly
thirteen miles! It seems wonderful that you should have
beaten Raynor, for I couldn’t hold him back so very long.”

“Don’t forget that Hop Wah ran from the halfway shack
clear up the trail to Raynor’s claim,” added Frank, with a
smile at the brawny young Chinaman. “If it hadn’t been
for him, that deed would never have been recovered. I just
got there in time to save him from being tortured.” |

“Makee one first-chop sclap,” Hop Wah struck in, with a_
broad grin. “Melliwell catchee Molgan in blead basket, me
puttee Missul Dade outside, velly gentle, plenty nice.

Makee plenty stiff, need plenty

,

iny Clismus—lettee go, quick!” :
With a wink at Mrs. Dade, Merry had slyly cadet th
leg of the excited young Chinaman, and felt for a musc]

 

Melli-
well makee catch Molgan, stickee thumbs—whoosh ! ie hi
 
  

  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*

a
ak

 

 

 

 

  
 

 

55
ee ae

 

_and simple.

 

Se

NEW TIP

He found it, and Hop Wah let out a wild yell of pain and
terror, then fled for his kitchen in all haste.

Merry chuckled, and Mrs. Dade laughed heartily. As
Hop Wah described the fight in Black Mark’s shack, Chip
had seen the little woman’s face cloud over at mention of
her husband’s name, and he had resolved to distract her
attention. His éfforts were highly successful, and from
the kitchen came a series of dire threats that. moved the
two listeners to further laughter.

As he thought of how Hop Wah had ousted Lew Dade
from the shack, “velly gentle, plenty nice,” another chuckle
seized Merry. Hop Wah’s toe had sent the big man reeling
and staggering into the bushes in a very ungentle manner,
if the truth were known. cea

“There’s just one thing, Mr.—Frank,” said Mrs. Dade,
her worn face softening at the name: “You know, before
Black Mark obtained my signature to that deed, he paid
Lew five hundred dollars for the mine. Well; Lew never
gave me any of that money, of course, but at the same
time it ought to go back to Raynor... Don’t think that
I’m ungrateful, Frank, but don’t you think you were just

“a little hasty in tearing up that deed?”

“Well, perhaps I was,” admitted Frank slowly... “But

the fraudulent manner in which your signature was ob-
_tained sure got my goat, Mrs. Dade.

believe in meeting fraud with fraud, or anything of that
“sort, ‘but the only thing I could see was to destroy that
paper at once, for your sake. Legally, it was all ship-
shape, but I don’t take much stock in legal technicalities.
According to all moral law the thing was fraudulent, pure
You.thought you were signing a paper which
would prevent your husband from buying liquor in town,
and the entire way in which Black Mark took advantage
_of you was a low-down proceeding.”

Mrs. Dade smiled at the earnestness with which Merry
defended his action, He had torn up the deed after Hop
Wah had secured it from Black Mark’s shack that morn-
ing, for the deception which Raynor had practiced on

~ Mrs. Dade had served to thoroughly arouse his indigna-

tion. As he said, he might be technically wrong, but. he

knew that!morally he was in the right, and was ready to

starid up for it,
“Well, I’ve kept the arastra going pretty steadily,” re-
turned Mrs. Dade. She nodded toward a little buckskin

! bag. on the table. “Hop Wah has helped me wonderfully,
‘and in the last week I’ve taken out just a little more

than the five hundred I need to pay back to Raynor. It’s
all weighed out and ready. I thought I’d send Hop Wah
with it, but if you will be good enough to take it into

-.. town to-morrow, it will save him the trip.’y

_ “Certainly, Mrs, Dade. I’ll be glad to do it, but it seems
pretty hard that you should have to hand over that dust
to a scoundrel like Black Mark. You neyer saw any of

_ the money he gave your husband,”

'“T know,” responded the gray-haired woman, with a
determined little shake of her head, “But that doesn’t
matter, Frank. Lew is my husband, and he was mighty
good to me before he took to drink. He’s the half owner

of this mine, whether he works it or not, and I'll stand
_by him.” x :

Merry nodded.’ He had a high admiration for Mrs.

 

 
  
 

_ Dade, who had worked her primitive mine in the face of

tremendous difficulties, even against the opposition of her

worthless husband, who was ready to sell it for a song.
_ Through all her trouble the young Chinaman, Hop Wah,

TOP

Of course, I don't ..

    

WEEKLY.

     

had stood by her manfully, and it was largely owing to

7

him that Black Mark had not seized on the mine ere
this.

Now that the deed had been destroyed, Merry thought
that Black Mark would give up his. efforts. He might
still buy out the half interest held by Lew Dade,’ but Ray-
nor would not be content with this.

Suddenly Frank started to his feet. As he gazed idly
out of the open door, his quick eye had caught a mov-
ing dot on the road from Hobson’s Choice, that wound
past Tenderfoot Hill. He called the attention of Mrs.
Dade, for riders were not common on that trail since the
building of the railroad. Mrs. Dade pulled down an old
spyglass that hung on the wall, and peered through it,
while Hop Wah joined them.

"It’s that greaser, Loco Tony,” she exclaimed.
a claim on the river, down near Hobson’s Choice.
der what he’s doing up this way?”

“Looks like he’s coming here, Mrs. Dade:”

“Him plenty bad,” asserted Hop Wah darkly,. screwing
up his eyes. “Makee catch Hop Wah, go bang-bang, makee
dance allee same cowboy. Plenty bad.”

“IT euess he’s coming in here, all right,”-said Merry. The

“He has
Il won-

{

rider drew rein at the foot of-the bluff, and then turned

aside. from the road to the trail leading up-to the shack.
A moment later he rode up before the door, dismounted,
and howed with a flourish of his sombrero to Mrs. Dade.

“Eet ees el Sefior Merriwell?” he inquired, his. swarthy
face set in a smile that showed gleaming ‘teeth, while a
corn-husk cigarette drooped from his lips.

“IT am Mr, Merriwell,” returned Frank, wondering in-
wardly what this Mexican could desire with him. “Sure
you wanted me?”

“So eet ees written, sefior,” and the man fumbled in his
serape. He drew out a folded serap of paper, and handed
it to Frank with another graceful bow. '

Wondering what it could be, Merry opened the paper.
As he read the note, a low cry of astonishment broke
from his lips; then he looked up at the Mexican.

“Where did you get this? Who gave it to you?”

“El Sefior Clancy, so ’e say hees name. ’E say, “Take
ze carta to el Sefior Merriwell, at ze Tenderfoot. So,
senor, I breeng heem. Eet ees done.”

“That’s mighty funny!” Merry turned and handed the
note to Mrs. Dade. “Here’s a note from my chum, Owen
Clancy, whom I was to meet in Monterey!” He turned
back to the Mexican, frowning.

“What kind of a looking chap was he, Tony?”

“Ver’ handsome muchacho, sefior! Ze hair, eet ees red
like ze fuego, ’e spik ver’ queek, laugh much. Eet ees ze
same, si?” /

“That’s Clan to a dot,” assented Merry. “So he’s at
a place called Canuck’s claim, eh? Where is that, Mrs.
Dade?” 5

“It’s straight up the river from here, Frank. But to
reach it by road you have to go around by way of Ray-
nor's claim, which is a pretty long ride.” There was just
a trace of anxiety in Mrs. Dade’s voice as she spoke.
“Don’t you think you could send for him to come here?”

“I don’t see how,” replied the puzzled Merry. “Can
you guide me to the place, Tony?” :

“Si, Sefior Merriwell! So Sefior Clancy’ say.”

Hop Wah had been fingering over the note, and now
he looked up with suspicion in his crafty face.

  
8

“Mebbeso him fake note, Melliwell! How you savvy
him from Classy, huh?”

“Why, by. the handwriting—Clan writes a fist that
couldn’t fool me in a thousand years. Besides, Tony de-
scribed him pretty straight.”

Hop Wah turned the note over. One end of the paper
had been torn away, but there was nothing to confirm his
evident suspicions beyond a line or two of writing. At
this he looked for a long moment.

“Him say, ‘got shipment,.and will send fol mole velly
soon.’ No likee.”

Mrs. Dade peered over his shoulder.

“That writing looks kind cf familiar, but I can’t place it,
Frank. Do you think you had better go with this greaser?”

“I can’t see anything else to do, Mrs. Dade. That’s
Clancy’s fist, beyond any doubt, and Tony seems to know
him. It sure beats me, though, how, Clancy could have
gotten over here from Monterey! Can we get there before
dark, Tony?”

“Si, senor, eef we vamos muy pronto.”

“Then we'll vamos,” decided Merry, with a laugh. “T’ll
leave Raynor’s horse here, Mrs. Dade. You can send him
into town by Hop Wah, with the money. Hop can ride
out another cayuse and I’ll take it back with me in thé
morning. Well, Tony, I’m all ready. Good-by, Mrs. Dade,
and good luck! So long, Hop Wah!”

“Good-by, Frank! You'll drop in on your way back,
of course?”

“T should say I will!” replied Merry.
of those frijoles ready, Hop!”

“Have some more

If Merry had known just how he would “drop in on his
way back,” he might not have been quite so willing to
follow Loco Tony on an unknown trail.

CHAPTER-V.
TRAPPED!

As Merriwell drew out to the main road below the bluff,
’ he turned and sent a wave of his hand toward Mrs. Dade
and Hop Wah, at the door of the shack. With the Mexi-
can slightly in the lead, they ‘turned the corner of the
bluff, passed the primitive flutter wheel and arastra, and
started on the road to Juneau.

Thirteen miles out, they would come to the deserted cabin
and the side trail that led to the claim of Black Mark,
twelve miles up in the hills. As Canuck’s claim seemed to
be still farther on, Merry guessed that he had a good after-
noon’s ride ahead of him.

Only that morning he had run the i miles to the
old cabin, pursued by Black Mark on horseback. At the
cabin, Hop Wah had picked up the race while Merry de-
layed Raynor, and as a result the plans of the latter to
obtain the Tenderfoot Mine seemed to have been defeated
utterly.

Merry did not know that chance had flung a weapon
into the hands of Raynor, just when the villain seemed
beaten beyond hope. Black Mark had sworn that he
would have vengeance on Merriwell for his interference
in behalf of Mrs. Dade, and the opportune arrival of
Owen Clancy had shown him the method of exacting such
vengeance, %

Despite his hatred, Black Mark would not dare proceed
to extremes. The day of the bad man had passed forever
in that locality. His remarks to Clancy on the subject of

~

NEW. TIP. TOP. WEEKLY,

  

outlaws were entirely made up for the occasion, as there
were no fugitives from justice in these hills. There might
be disorder and rough dealings, but Juneau and its sheriff
were-too near at hand to permit of much open lawlessness
in those parts.

Therefore, Black Mark was forced to resort to cunning
to gain his ends. Had it been possible, he would have
simply run off Mrs. Dade from her claim and jumped the
mine, but even Black Mark hesitated at that. The storm
of public. opinion would have proven too strong for him.
Backed by the law, however, he would be safe enough, and
with the help of Lew Dade he had obtained a deed to the
mine, which was, finally destroyed by Merry before it
could be recorded.

Merry’s parting words of contempt had stung him bit-
terly, for the youngster had laughed at his threats. Merry
had no fear of Black Mark, and considered the question
of the Tenderfoot Mine settled once for all when the deed
was destroyed.

How Clancy could have arrived at Hobson’s Choice was
a puzzle for Frank. As he rode along he tried to pump
Loco Tony on the subject, but the Mexican’s English
seemed to fail him at times, and he could gain little
satisfaction. Finally Merry was forced to conclude that

Clancy had come on to meet him at Juneau, and had fol- ~

lowed him here.

But that was not satisfactory. How could Clan have
Rnown all about the Tenderfoot, as he said in his note?
And what business connected with the mine could have
brought him on from Monterey, a hundred miles to the
east? Merry himself had not intended to stop off at Hob-
son’s Choice, so Clancy could not have known he was
there.

“This thing sure has got my goat,” Merry observed to
himself, at last. “If this Mexican hadn’t described Clan so
well, and if I wasn’t so sure of the writing, I’d have thought
the note might be some kind of a frame-up. But that
seems absurd, too. . If it was a scheme of Black Mark’s,
I can’t see what he’d have to gain by leading me some-
where out of the way. He'll never get Mrs. Dade’s signa-
ture to another deed, that’s one stire thing. And he said
himself that he didn’t intend to shoot me up or anything
of that sort. Well, it’s by me. I’ll have to sit tight and
see what happens.”

As they rode along Merry eyed the little-used stage road
with interest. Along this very track he had run early that
morning, and his present mode of travel was a great deal
more comfortable. Loco Tony lounged easily in his saddle,
Mexican fashion, smoking innumerable cigarettes, which
he rolled deftly as required. .

“Mrs. Dade said that you had a claim down near Hob-
son’s Choice,” said Merry, renewing his efforts to extract
some information. “How’d you come to be away up by
Raynor’s shack? Did you meet Clancy up there?”

“Beesiness, sefior,” answered Tony carelessly, with a
graceful wave of his hand.
pect in ze hills, si? Sometime’ I strike be mucho dinera,
ze ver’ reech mine, quien sabe?”

Frank was not interested, however, in Tony’s dreams”

of golden wealth.
“Well, where’s this place we’re going to—Canuck’s claim?
Whose is it?” :

“Ah, you not know zat, sefior? Ze Canuck, hees name —
Jules Benoit. Mucho hombre, zat man. Does ’e make to —

ESRD &s ae ee ee Le. Oe ee

“Sometime’ I go on ze pros- —

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

m

\

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 
 
  
  
   
  
 

w

7

   

 
     
 

 

i
4
ay

 

 
   
   
  
 

ride ze caballo? No! See, sefior, ’°e make ze canoa, ze
canoa de corteza de arbol——”

“You mean birchbark canoe?” broke in Frank, with
new interest. Tony nodded happily. “He makes them to
sell, or does he have that claim, too?”

“No sell, sefior—e use zem for to come to La Ciudad,
to ’Obson’s Choice. Ze camino—how you say, road—ze
road ees a gran’ distance from hees mine. So Sefior Benoit
come by ze rio, ze which ees more short. Comprende
usted?”

Frank nodded. The mixture of English and Spanish was
not easy to make out, but he understood that this Jules
Benoit must be an odd character. From the name, Merry
guessed that he was a French Canadian who had wan-
dered down from the North, just as Tony must have
wandered up from the South, drawn by the universal lure
of gold.

It was easy to comprehend that such a man would be
appalled at the prospect of a thirty-mile ride every time
he came to Hobson’s Choice, and that the proximity of the
river would appeal to his instincts much more strongly.
There was plenty of white birch scattered about through
the hills, and for one who knew the art it would not be
hard to construct the light canoes.

Such a method of traveling, reflected Chip, would be

‘far more suited to a man by the name of Jules Benoit than

would the use of horses. The thought attracted him, and
added a new spice of interest to the end of his journey.

As they reached the trail, Frank looked about for the
figure of Black Mark, but was refleved at seeing nothing
of the man.
the way, and it occurred to him that if this was a ruse of
Black Mark, by any chance, the shack would be an ideal
place at which to attack him.

He scouted the idea with a laugh, however, and rode
at the side of Tony without voicing his doubts. The sun

was creeping down toward the western horizon, and the

Mexican increased the pace slightly,

“I guess this lonely country is getting on my nerves,”
thought Merry, with a grimace. “There’s no use trying to
connect Black Mark with this affair. I know what Clancy’s
writing looks like, and Tony knows what Clan himself
looks like, so there’s no use fussing like an old woman just
because a fellow’s chum turns up when he isn’t looked
for.” é

With this Frank gave over thinking of Black Mark, and
devoted his attention to Jules Benoit, the “Canuck” of
Canuck’s claim. On this subject Loco Tony seemed: fairly
ready to talk, but Merry could still get no connection be-

tween Benoit and his chum.

Benoit, as he gathered from the Mexican’s talk, had
settled down on an old claim, abandoned years before.
The claim was staked on a bluff near the river, and al-
though the main’ shaft which had been sunk into the

bluff had failed to show any pay ore, Benoit had managed
_to eke out a living by placer work in the vicinity.

“Well,” said Merry finally, “I don’t see any reason why

Clancy and I can’t return to the Tenderfoot in his canoe,
or one of them, as you say he keeps several there.

You
could take my horse back with you to town, and——”

“Tmpossible, sefior!” ejaculated Tony. There seemed
to be an unwonted earnestness in the swarthy face, for
which Frank could not account. “Las rapidos—ze water
ees muy malo; impossible for los estrangeros!” ‘

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

They would have to pass Raynor’s claim on»

    

   

>

“You say
Why should the river be any more
impossible for strangers than for Benoit? Doesn’t he have
to portage around the rapids?”

“I don’t,quite get you,’
there are rapids?

and Chip frowned.

“Si! But ’e sabe ze water. Jules’—or “Hooles,” as
Tony pronounced the name—‘“ees un hombre grande, sefior !
Strong, muy fuerte, sehor! Ver’ beeg man.”

“Humph!” grunted Chip. “That’s no special recommen-
dation, Tony, for a canoeist. Put a champion strong man
into a, canoe and he’d be liable to turn over every time
he drew a breath. No, sir! It takes, brains to handle a
paddle. I think Clancy and I’ll have to take a whirl at
this muy malo river of yours. It sounds interesting to
me, and we might get back to the mine to-night if we
hustle. Hello! There’s Raynor’s shack.”

As they approached the shack, half hidden amid its
clump of treés, Merry eyed the place narrowly. But it
seemed closed and deserted, and no’ curl of smoke ap-
peared from the wide chimney at the side.

“T guess Black Mark must have come on up here,”
thought Merry, “and the whole bunch has lit out for a
while. Probably Dade is scared out by fear that Hop
Wah will set the law after him for that attempt at tor-
ture. I hope I didn’t press too hard on that brute Mor.
gan, just the same. I tried to give him just enough to
make him helpless, but that, pressure is liable to paralyze
a man before you: know it.”

He asked Tony if he had not met Raynor in the vi-
cinity, on his trip down to the Tenderfoot. Tony, how-
ever, was seized with a sudden loss of all English, and
Merry could get nothing out of him whatever.

The sun was tipping the edge of the western hills when
Frank’s eye caught the gleam of water ahead, and he
gave a cry of joy.

“Ts that the river, Tony?”

“Si, senor.”

A few moments later Merriwell drew rein and stared

at the scene before him. The French Canadian had evi-
dently picked out his claim more from a. sense of beauty
than from any financial reason. A large shack stood half
surrounded by trees on the bluff above them. This
stretched gently to the river, which was of fair size and
betrayed no ripples to mark hidden rocks or rapids.
_ Merry’s eyes took in three long, dark objects lying
among the bushes at the river’s edge, and he knew them
for canoes. The trail led gently up to the shack, and
at a word from Tony he urged his horse forward. To
his surprise, the cabin remained silent and lifeless.

As they drew nearer, he saw that the windows were
curtained, but a slow thread of smoke was winding up
into the evening sky from the chimney of wattled work.
Merry slid from his saddle, as did the Mexican, and they
approached the doorway together. Tony drew: back at
the threshold, with a smile on his face. &

“You firs’, sefior!”

Merry pushed the door open, wondering that Clancy had
not met him. As he took a step into the dark interior,
the door was slammed behind him, and he whirled to
look into the face of Black Mark Raynor.

“Tough luck, Chip!” came the voice of Clancy. “This
is a ffame-up, but I hadn’t a notion of it when I wrote
that letter!”

Then, and.for the first time, Frank realized exactly
what was going on. With the unwitting aid of Clancy, he
had been neatly and effectively trapped.
  

CHAPTER VI.

BLACK MARK’S PLOT.

“Hello,
A hand seized that of Merry almost as he spoke.

Clan! Are you here?”

At the
same instant, the curtains were pulled away from the
window and the glow of the setting sun was-admitted into
the shack.

It was a strange room in which Frank found himself.
The floor was roughly boarded, while on the walls shung
one or two skins. In a corner stood two or three long
paddles, which had seemingly been made by the owner of
the shack himself, who stood at the side of Black Mark.

Jules Benoit was a tall, stoop-shouldered man, with
quickly shifting eyes and a dark mustache twisted at the
ends, Instead of wearing the usual careless dress of the
others, he wore long moccasins that came halfway to his
knees, and his trousers were cut off at about the same
point. His shirt he had apparently made himself, for on
one shoulder appeared the trade-mark of a popular brand
of flour.

This strange figure caught Merry’s attention at once, but
his eyes passed on to the threatening shape of Morgan,
who stood revolver in hand beside the window. Near
him was Lew Dade,. regarding Merriwell with a leer of
triumph on his bloated face. .

Beyond that first quick cry, Clancy had said nothing.
Merry knew that explanations could come later, and with
a nod to his chum, he turned toward Black Mark, his eyes
flashing.

“This is rather a surprise, Mr. Raynor! This is a re-
ception committee in my honor, I take it?”

ppomething of that sort,” returned Black Mark cheer-
fully. “Any weapons on your person, Merriwell ?”

“That depends,” returned the youngster. “I never carry
a gun, if that’s what you mean. That seems to be rather
an affectation of your local bad men, I've noticed. By
the way, Morgan, I’m rather sorry now that I didn’t give
you enough this morning to hold you for a while.”

“T’ll show ye yet, ye young whelp!” snarled Morgan
viciously. Raynor silenced him at once.

“Shut your head, Nate. I'll take your word for it that
you have no gun, Merriwell, but if you or your. pal tries
any funny work, Morgan has orders to plug you. Other-
wise, you'll not be injured.”

“Well, I’d like to know the meaning of this outrage !”
declared Merry curtly. “I came up here ‘to meet my chum,
and——”

“Well, ain’t you met him?” answered Raynor, with a
chuckle. “Meet Mr. Clancy, Mr. Merriwell!”

“You can’t pass this thing off as a joke, Raynor,” ex-
claimed Merry hotly.. “I was at the Tenderfoot when
Loco Topy brought me that note.,
Hop Waff know where I went and whom I went with. If I
don’t show up by the morning, you can gamble on it that
yowll be in hot water mighty quick!”

“That's all right, son,’”’ laughed Black Mark, who seemed
to be in high good humor, “I figgered they’d get next
to the note—every little bit helps in this case. But before
we have any argument, I guess we ‘Nl remove Mr. Clancy
from our midst.”

He signed to Jules, and the latter took a step for-

ward, a length of reata in his hand. At the movement

ancy stepped out, his fists clenched, and Mor gan 's weapon
_ covered him.

y

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

Both Mrs. Dade and ,

   

“Now said Black Mark quickly.> “I
give you my word that you won’t neither of you be hurt

hold on, boys,”
unless you make a scrimmage, in which case Nate will be
forced to shoot. Now, boys, I don’t aim to hurt you none,
and that’s straight goods. If anythin’ of the sort happens,
it'll be your own fault.”

Merry was convinced by the earnestness of the ruffian
that he meant what he said. He caught Clancy by the
shoulder, speaking quietly.

“Better be good, Clan. He’s got us dead to rights here,
and it’s no great concern of yours, anyhow, so ee J

“I guess it is some concern of mine, Chip! Didn’t I -
write that blamed note that got you into this mess?”

“Never mind that, Clan. I don’t know what Raynor
wants to get out of me, but you aren’t to get mixed up in
it. Come along and tie him up, Jules.”

The owner of the claim approached, his high cheek
bones and dark face proclaiming that he was more half-
breed than French. As he passed the rope about Clancy’s
hands, he grinned up at Merry. q

“I tink me dis boy she’s been one ver’ safe young ~~
fellair pretty soon! We put heem in fine cache, M’siew 1
Merriwell, keep heem from getting los’ on dé trail, eh?” Sa

The point of the joke was lost on Frank, who knew |
nothing of Clancy’s earlier adventures that day, but Clan =|
himself flushed darkly as the others laughed. He answered
nothing, however, until his feet were tied together and
Dade approached to help carry him.

“So long, Chip,” he said calmly.
got you into this!”

“See you later, Clan,” and Merry’s cheerful tone gave
no hint df his secret misgivings. “So long!”

Dade and Benoit carried Clancy out between them, and
Merry ‘faced Raynor, determined to get to the bottom of
this mystery.

“Now, come outwith it, Raynor. What do you expect
to do with me? Don’t you know that this business will
put the sheriff after you as sure as shooting?” ,

“Maybe so, and maybe not, son. Keep your shirt on and
I’ll elucidate. In the first place, you butted into this game —
after bein’ gently asked to stay out. That kind of work
don’t hardly pay.”

“T butted in, as you call it,” retorted Chip, “to help a poor
woman from being cheated out of everything she had in
the world, I’d do the same thing’ to-morrow, if I had a
chance, and so would any one else who had an atom of
decency.”

“Decency ain’t the question, in this case, but the Ten-
derfoot is. I may’ s well tell you flat, son, that I’m a-goin’
to own that mine, and right sudden, too.” ie kawed

“You won't if I can help it,” flared Merry spas rae eos
you hadn’t worked on that poor specimen of a Lew Dade
by giving him liquor and helping to pull him down, his
wife woitldat t be working her head off trying to hang on
to that mine.”

“Now there you hit the nail plumb on the head,” :
joined Black Mark, with a nod, “I feel downright wee
for thdt poor woman, I do that. Look at that flutter
wheel 0’ hers! Look at that poor no-account, one-hoss-
arastra! It’s a shame to see them tools used on such a
good claim as that there Tenderfoot. Honest to Jake, ft,
makes me feel bad, Merriwell !” | ie 2

“Tt séems to” answered Frank bitterly. . “Males, yeit i
feel so bad you want to cheat her out of it, doesn't it?
You’re a kind-hearted cuss, you are!” f

 

“T’m almighty sorry I

 

 

   
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
   
   
  
  
   
 
   
  
  
  
  
  

    
 

- evOr,

 

 

NEW. TIP TOP’ WEERLY.- + it

“You ain’t got it straight, son.” Black Mark waved
hisshand airily in the gathering twilight. “There ain’t no
question of cheating. Why, I’ve paid Lew his coin afore
I even got his fist to the deed! If that ain’t pure benevo-
lence an’ good-heartedness, I don’t know what is! Five
hundred iron men is a lot o’ coin to part with at once,
son!”

“Cut out that ‘son’ talk,” and Merry felt himself grow-
ing angry in earnest. “The man who has a right to call
me that is something better than a low-down crook like
you, and I don’t propose to have the name sullied by your
lips.”

“Oh, you don’t, eh?” The assumed urbanity of Black
Mark was gone in a flash, and he glared at Merry with
uncloaked hatred. “You're so all-fired high an’ mighty,
ain’t you? Comin’ into a man’s shack when he ain’t there,
stealin’ his private papers, and then tearin’ them up! You
hypocritical young cub, don’t give me none of that soft
talk; it don’t go down with me.”

Frank, deadly pale, restrained himself with an effort.
That it was no time to lose his head, he knew well.

“That sounds fine, Raynor, but you know better. It’s
true that I tore up that paper, but that was the only way
of saving the mine from your clutches. If you had ob-
toined Mrs. Dade’s signature in any other than the way you
cid, I would have kept out of the whole matter.

“You went to her, telling her that you were trying to
Lelp her husband by ordering the Hobson’s Choice saloons
to refuse him drink, You said her signature was neces-
sary to the order. You fooled her into signing away
her right to the Tenderfoot. It was about the rankest
piece of fraud that I ever heard of!”

“Oh, it was, hey?” Black Mark stopped abruptly as
Benoit and Dade reéntered the shack. The pause served
to lend him self-control, and he continued in a milder
tone,

“IT told you this morning that you’d be sorry for crossin’
my trail, didn’t I?, Well, I didn’t think then that my
chance was comin’ so quick, but here she js, an’ here you
are likewise. By this time to-morrow I'll be in possession
of the Tenderfoot Mine, kid, and it won’t be done by way.
o’ fraud, neither!”

Merry calmly looked Raynor in the eye, inwardly won-
dering just what game the other was playing. He was
soon to know, for Black Mark continued after a_ brief
pause,

“TI s’pose the old lady thinks a heap o’ you about now,
don’t she? She’d do ’most anything for such a noble-
hearted kid as you, wouldn’t she?”

“What do you mean?” cried Frank.

“IT mean that to-morrow mornin’ I goes to her and asks

her to execute a new deed, open an’ aboveboard, con-
veyin’ to me the Tenderfoot Mine, et cetery: As I said, I
don’t aim to harm’ you none—if she proves reasonable. I
guess there ain’t no doubt about hér provin’ such, how-
She’ll be real glad to get out of a hole.”

_ At this Morgan and the others gave a harsh laugh, as

at some subtle joke beyond the intelligence of Frank.

Merry instantly perceived, however, that Black Mark had
the whip hand. The plan was a cunning one, and had been
well carried out. Clancy was a prisoner, and he himself
was helpless to resist. That Mrs. Dade would refuse to
give up the mine for their release, he never doubted.
“Fire ahead, Raynor,” hé said quietly, giving no sign of
his inward dismay. “You seem to have planned every-

-well.

thing out pretty well. But you needn’t think that you'll
escape the law for this. Once I get out of your power,
I’ll spread the story of this whole business through the
country.”

“You may an’ you may not,” responded the other easily.
“Will you yield peaceably?”

Frank nodded. An instant later Morgan and Benoit
were binding his wrists and ankles. No sooner was this
done than Black Mark advanced, removed Merry’s watch
and carved leather belt, the latter a gift from Clancy,
and paid no heed to the youngster’s angry protests. These
were cut short by a cloth that was thrown over his head,
and Merry felt himself carried out into the open air.

After some rough traveling, a rope was tied about him
and he was conscious of being lowered down, down, until
his heart leaped in alarm. Then he struck rock that
dripped with water, the rope jerked away, and a moment
later the voice of Clancy sounded in his ears.

“T’ve got you, Chip! I'll have your ropes off in a
jiffy, old man, but I guess we’re up against it pretty hard.”

CHAPTER VII.

IN THE OLD SHAFT.

‘

From above, the voice of Mark Raynor came floating
down in mocking: farewell.

“Pleasant dreams, Merriwell!
morrow night.”

Merry did not answer. It was pitch dark in the place,
whatever it was, but the hands of Clancy were fumbling
at his ropes, and a few moments later Chip rose to his

l’ll be back about to-

feet, grasping the hand of his chum.

“Well, old man,” he cried encouragingly, “we're not so
badly off! Wait a minute!”

Searching through his pocket, Merry found a match or
two. Trailing one of them across his trousers, he held
up the flickering splinter and looked about. A cry of sur-
prise from Clancy echoed his. own exclamation.

They were standing on the bottom of what seemed to be
an old shaft, sunk straight down through the rock. There
was a space of some six feet across, with a dark hollow
at one side; on every hand the walls rose straight and
smooth, dripping with wet, and about as scalable as walls
of glass.

“What’s this?” Clancy started toward the dark cham-
ber, but the match fell from Frank’s fingers. Swiitly
lighting another, he followed Clancy. The light disclosed
a small level worked off the main shaft for some ten
feet. It ended in blank rock, and Clancy gave a groan as
the darkness fell upon them once more.

“Regular Joseph stunt, Chip! I wonder if the Egyptians
will happen along?” |
* “No use trying to get out of here, that’s certain, Clan.
Here's a dry spot over by me—settle down and take it
coolly. I’m just about crazy to know what you're doing
in this neck of the woods, when you’re supposed to be
over in Monterey on some mysterious business!”

“Keep cool!’ grunted Clan sarcastically, as he settled
down uncomfortably on the hard rock at the side of. Merri-
“T guess that’ll be an easy matter down here, I’m
glad I got a good supper at that robbers’ roost upstairs,
before you came. Say, they’ve been handing me the great-
est line of talk! Wow!”

“Stringing you, were they?” and Merry grinned. It

‘was a new thing to have any one put something over on

 

 

 
NEW

 

Clancy with success, and in spite of the predicament they
were in Frank could not:keep back his laughter,

“Oh, you can laugh,” growled Clan. “It was real artistic,
though. Your friend Raynor is a peach.’ I think I'll take
some lessons from him.”

“Better profit by this lesson and let it go at that, Clan!
Yes, Raynor’s a slick proposition when he wants to spread

himself, but how you got in with him is what beats me.
You don’t seem very hard to suit in the way of com-
pany |”

“Speak for yourself, please. I noticed that you seemed
t6 know each other pretty well, considering you haven't
been here so blamed long yourself, old scout! I sure do
admire your friend Dade, also. By the way, hear about
the murder?”

“No,” said Merry quickly. “What do you mean?”
“Seems that an old chap named Dug Somebody got
badly injured last night up this way. First some one un-
loaded a shotgun on him, then the perpetrators went after
what was left of him with axes, and finally they burned
him up in his shack. Maybe they blew up the remains with
giant powder—I ,don’t know. Hardly seems like they’d
take any chances of his getting away, though.”

“Say, you didn’t hit your head getting down here, did
you?” inquired Merry, with miock solicitude. He heard
the red-headed chap chuckling to himself in the dark.
“What’s all this stuff you’re handing me, Clan?”

But Clancy had his own way of arriving at a desired
end, and he paid no heed to the inquiries of his chum.

“Solid fact, Chip. While you and Raynor were trying
to save the unregenerate Lew Dade from his alcoholic
slumber, the news arrived and you started hotfoot after
the dastardly criminals, or wordy to that effect. That’s
why you weren’t at the shack of the virtuous Mr. Raynor
when I arrived.. So we sent on that note to the scene
of the outrage, or thereabouts, and I came on to meet
you here. Isn’t that a pretty pipe dream?”

“Oh, I get you now!” replied Chip, with a laugh. At
‘length he was beginning to seé light on the subject of
Clancy’s presence at this out-of-the-way spot. “You mean
that Raynor handed you this story, and you swallowed it
whole ?”

“T didn’t swallow itI just gulped it down and begged
for more,” stated Clan disgustedly. “If I thought I was
as soft as that right along, I’d go and let myself hang
over the back fence till the sun hardened me up. Chip,
I am stung.”

“First time you ever admitted it, so it mitst be pretty
bad,” and Merry grinned to himself. “Where did you meet
friend Raynor in the first place?”

Clancy hesitated for a moment. He had so much to
say and so many things to tell that he was not quite sure
where to begin. »

“Qh, shucks!- We might as well work backward, i"
spose, I met him down on the main road, by an old,
ruined cabin, just after the stagecoach had gone by.”

_ “Stagecoach?” repeated Merry, “Why, there hasn’t been

a stagecoach around here for ten or fifteen years, not since
the railroad went through!”

A short silence ensued. Finally it was broken by a
‘dismal groan from the red-haired chap. _

“Have mercy, Chip! Honest, I’m. so dog: goned balled
up that I don’t know whether I’m here or somewhere

else. I wish it was somewhere else, but I’m afraid it’s
here,

oe RAE OWED

Yes, I said stagecoach, and Ti say. it again. I>

  
 

didn’t see any stagecoach, and neither did I see old Dug
What’s-his-name get scattered, | neéd
to, ‘cause Raynor told me so. Get the point?”

“[ guess so, Clan. You seem to have had considerable
conversation with your friend. Any more news items to
report before you get down to business?”

“One or two, but I’m not. quite sure they could be veri-
fied, so we'll let them pass. I s’pose you aren’t thinking
of buying the Tenderfoot, specially? And, of course, you're
in sympathy with the noble-hearted efforts of Raynot to
redeem Lew Dade and save his mine from the grip of
the villyun?”

“See here, Clancy, you get down to cases! I don’t
give a whoop what Mark Raynor filled you full of,
come across with the real stuff. What'd you go to Mon-
terey for?”

“Same reason I came here—to find a fellow,’ came the
voice of Clan. “Did you ever meet a fellow in Blyfield
named Horton—Rufus Horton?”

“Not that I know of,” answered Merry.
academy ?” 4

“Shucks, no! He’s a man—an old Yale man. Used to 7
be in athletics with your dad. He was away from home |
when you were in Blyfield, and got back a day or two
after we blew for Arizona. He used to be in amateur
athletics until he got hurt one time.

“Anyhow, he got after me to know if you’d consider

his ashes didn’t

 

 

 

“Ts he at the

 

  

“

getting an amateur bunch together and making a tour. I 7
jumped at it, you bet! He used to know your dad, and
said he'd write him, so in the theantime he got me on 7

the trail of a fellow we ought to pick up. I went to Mon- 7.
terey, and chased him here; anyhow, that don’t matter
just now. The point is, we’te going on tour, Chip, as 7
an amateur bunch! And Horton’s going to pay ex- |
penses
“We'll have to see about that, Clan,” broke in Merry. 1a
It was certainly exciting news that his chum had brought, 7
but .at the present moment he was more anxious about
the hole they were in, both literally and figuratively.
“Let that slide for the present, and tell me how you met
Raynor.”
Clancy did so, whereupon Merry related the events that
had transpired since his parting with Clancy. The latter |
had been kept in ignorance of the trap set for. Merry al- —
most to the last thoment, but his suspicions had steadily
increased during the afternoon, and when Raynor had —
rejoined them at the shack of Benoit the mask was Rohe a
off altogether. te
“This is a pretty bad business, Clancy,” said batik:
gravely, when their talk had aula down. Seen the |
time? They swiped my watch.” é afte
It proved to be after twelve, much to their surprise.
“f had no idea we'd been talking so long, Clan! Now
look here, I’m afraid Mrs, Dade is going to be in a bad
fix on account of this. She’s just the kind to feel so.
grateful to me that she’d give up the mine sooner than 3
have Raynor harm me, Isn’t there some way that We e
can get out of here?” {
“Don’t look like it, Chip.” Clancy lighted a. match ses
they gazed hopelessly at the smooth walls of rock. Far
overhead, perhaps fifty feet, was the mouth of the shaft,
and above this glittered stars in the patch of dark sky
“Even if we got out of here we ‘d have no horses
get away with,” fs

“That wouldn't matter, Clan.

 

 

  
  
  
   
   
   
  
   
  
 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  
  
   
 

Didn't you ‘iad a abs a

      
   

¢
    

 

SBS, eee
S aa -_ a

 

   
  
   
  
  
   
   
 

 

  

 

  
  
  
    
    
   
   
   
  

 

claimed Owen, in disgust.

| _ plained Merry eagerly.

that old French half-breed and his canoes? We could
hit the river with a canoe and drop down to the Tender-
foot easy enough, I should think. The greaser who
brought me here tried to tell me about a lot of rapids and
things, but I guess that was all bunk.”

“Well, no use talking about it,” sighed Clancy, with an
air of finality. “We're here, and it doesn’t look as if
we'd see that old river again till Raynor comes along
to haul us out. I’m going to sleep.”

Merry tried to follow his example, and he was so weary
that he managed to get a few hours of fitful slumber, in
spite of the discomforts of the hard rock beneath them.

When he opened his eyes again, the patch of blue above
seemed slightly dimmer than it had been, and he guessed
that the day was nearly at hand. Clancy was still sleep-
ing soundly, but Frank could not drop off again.

His thoughts flew back to Mrs. Dade and Hop ‘Wah, at
the Tenderfoot Mine. In a few hours from now they
would be receiving the exultant Raynor, He could imagine
the plight of the little gray-haired woman, and he groaned
to himself at thought of the problem she would’ have to
face.

Knowing the character of Raynor as she did, she would
no doubt make every sacrifice to spare Merry the things
with which Raynor would threaten him. Now Merry un-
derstood why Black Mark had taken his belt and watch.
They would serve to prove that Frank was in his hands,
and Mrs. Dade would recognize them, for she had par-
ticularly admired the belt of Mexican leather.

“IT guess this is a case where Hop Wah will be up a
stump, right enough,” thought Merry. “It’s a good thing
that he’s on the spot, however. He may be,able to do
something to help matters out.”

Unable to sleep, Frank finally rose softly and stepped
from the recess of the level into the main shaft. Taking
out his matches, he made a vain attempt to find a spot
where he could scale the smooth walls. The noise only
served to awaken Clancy, and with bleeding knees and
elbows, Frank was finally forced to desist.

“No use scraping your hide off that ‘way, Chip,” ex-
“We're in pretty deep, and I’m
beginning to wonder if we'll get any breakfast.”

“Pretty near day, Clan. I don’t

Merry broke off abruptly and stared up, while Clancy
clutched at his arm with a gasp. Something dark was
hiding a portion of the sky patch above, and a few words
came floating down in a voice that was almost a whisper.

“Missul Melliwell! You savvy Hop Wah?” . ,

 

CHAPTER VIII.
A BREAK FOR THE RIVER.

“Hurrah!” cried Merry softly, catching Clancy in a de-
lighted hug. “That you, Hop Wah? Send down a rope!”
A faint grunt sounded from above, and the dark form

' vanished from the sky.

“It's Hop Wah, Mrs. Dade’s faithful China boy!” ex-
Claricy was just beginning to say
something when the head, appeared once more above them.
“You all lite, Missul Melliwell?”
“All right, Hop Wah! Where’s that rope?”
_.“Makee catch! Can do!”

- & moment later something touched Frank’s shoulder,
Grabbing at it, his hand closed on a rawhide reata, and

he gave a mutter of satisfaction.
A F ;

 

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. 13

“It’s going to be a hard pull for him, Clan. You're
lighter than I am, so maybe you’d better go up first.
Then you can give me a hand, for it’s impossible to do
any climbing on these walls.”

Claney nodded and seized the rope. There was a noose
at the end, and through this he set his leg, first making a
careful padding of his coat, to prevent the rope cutting.
Then he gave a jerk, and Hop Wah began to pull.

Merry got a new idea of the strength in those broad, yel-
low shoulders as Clancy rose slowly but steadily above him, ,
fending himself off from the wall as well as he could by
the way. Frank watched excitedly as the figure of his
chum blotted out the patch of graying sky overhead.

There was still a chance! If they could find any horses
about, they could make a dash for the mine by road.
If not, there was the river trail to fall back on. But as
he remembered the paddles standing inside the shack, Frank
repressed a groan of dismay. Without paddles, a canoe
would be useless to them. As it was, they would prob-
ably have to race to get ahead of Black Mark.

Gradually the dark figure of Clancy’ grew smaller.
For a moment it seemed to hang at the verge of the shaft,
and a muffled gasp came down to him. Merry held his
breath, dreading that the slender rawhide would slip from
the grasp of the young Chinaman, but a moment later he
saw Clancy vanish suddenly and drew a breath of relief.

When the two heads reappeared above, Merry was wait-
ing for the rope that fell into his hands. He imitated
Clancy’s- example of padding the noose with his coat, then
jerked the reata. Almost immediately he began to rise,
bumping and twisting against the sheer wall, but man-
aged to fend himself off with hands and feet.

Five minutes afterward, he was standing on the brink
of the deserted shaft and gripping Hop Wah by the hand.
The first words of the Chinaman were typical.

“My tellee you gleaser man no good, huh?
egg!”

“Right you were, Hop Wah,” Merry replied, with a laugh.
“How’d you get here, and where are we?”

The other made a gesture of caution. Frank saw that
they stood a few hundred yards above the shack of Benoit, '
which could plainly be made éut in gray light of dawn.

“You lide off with gleaser man, Missy Dade she say
go, too. Me makee catch holse, lide chop-chop, no catchee
you. Bimeby me see tlacks come past Laynof’s shack,
go velly slow. Makee catch this place, hide holse, cleep
up. See Missul Laynor put you down shaft, allee samee
sack of coln. Me listen him talkee-talkee velly long time.
Him lide back with Molgan, makee stalt ats daybleak for
catchee Missy Dade. Hop Wah wantee help you, him
stay velly quiet. Bimeby Molgan walkee back. Him
in shack now—Canuck, Molgan, Missul Dade. How we
gettee back, huh?” \ \

“Let’s get this straight, Hop Wah. By the way, shake
hands with my friend Owen Clancy. You followed Tony
and me here, eh? You saw them put us down that shaft,
then you heard their plan,-so you must know what they

Heap bad

‘mean to do?”

Hop Wah nodded energetically.

“Then Raynor and Morgan rode off and Morgan came
back on foot. Your horse is still around, but I suppose
there’s no use in trying to get any others.”

“No can do; Makee Missul Classy stay here, mebbeso
you an’ me lide holse.”

“No, ‘Classy’ goes with us,” and Frank gave Clan a

  

 

 
  

dig with his elbow. “The only thing to do is to take one
of Benoit’s canoes, fellows. If Black Mark was to start
at daybreak for the Tenderfoot, he’s just about starting
now.”

Merry pointed to the sky above the eastern hills, which
was tinged with the first faint flush of dawn. Hop Wah
stared in grave anxiety.

“Well, let’s get down to the river and get started,
then,” said Clancy.

Without voicing his fears, Merry led them well away
from the shack itself and down toward the shelving shore
of the river. A short search showed them that the canoes
were still lying where Merry~had seen them the afternoon
before. There were’ three of them, and at sight of the
frail craft Hop Wah gave a click of alarm, seizing the
arm of Merry.

“No can do!” ‘he exclaimed earnestly, pointing to the

river. “Him velly bad, Melliwell! Makee dlown, one
piecee plenty bad!”
“What do you mean? Rapids? Is there really rough

water farther down?”

“Velly bad,” assented Hop Wah, with a nod. “Makee
dlown. Lettee Missul Classy go, velly good; you lide holse
with me, huh?”

“Aren't much'stuck on Clancy, are you?” broke out that
individual indignantly. “Let him drown, eh? Say, you
wall-eyed specimen

“Hold on, Clan!” said Merry sternly. “He’s just pulled
us out of a bad fix, and you never can tell what he means,
anyway. I’m afraid that he’s right, according to what I
heard from Loco Tony. I thought the greaser was trying
to string me, but perhaps he was telling the truth.”

“Plenty lapids,” asserted Hop Wah. “Him Canuck makee
go hop-skip, allee same piecee wood, bob-bob. You no
can do. Makee dlown.”

“T don’t know about that,” spoke up Clancy. “If Benoit
can run them, I don’t see why we can’t! Let’s take a
shot at it, anyhow, Chip. It’s the only thing there is to
do, that I can see. Otherwise we'll have to give up trying.
Better to fail than to quit!”

“T guess youre right there, Clan. Skirmish around and
see if you can find any paddles under these canoes, while
Hop and I get one launched, Ever ride in one before, Hop
Wah?”

“Makee lide some time,”
likee. ’Flaid makee dlown,
plenty wet.”

A hurried search by Clancy failed to reveal anything
in the nature gof paddles among the bushes, and consterna-
tion settled down over afl three. Hop Wah alone pre-
served some semblance of his calm confidence, owing to
his strong desire to avoid closer relations with the birch-
bark canoes.

“Just as I though,” observed Merry, with a shake of his
head. “Didn’t you see those paddles in the shack last
night, Clan? A canoe’s no use without the paddles, and
Benoit knows it.”

“Never thought of that, Chip,” returned Clancy dole-
fully. “It looks a whole lot as if we’re. stuck. Why
couldn’t you take Hop Wah’s horse and ride for the

mine? You might beat Black Mark to it, at that!”

“I might,” admitted Merry slowly, “but it would be pretty
- uncertain. I couldn’t very well slip past Raynor, and
there’s no other road to take. I don’t think he’d hesitate

 

assented the Chinaman. “No
mebbeso. Makee bob-bob,

NEW... TIP TOP) WEEKLY,

 

to shoot when he saw me—he’d either shoot me or the
horse.”

“More likely the horse, Chip. That’s right, I guess it
wouldn’t do. Well, here we are, with a canoe and no
paddle. The obvious thing to do is to get a paddle, so I
guess I’ll get it, as I’m responsible for this whole mess.”

Merry caught Clan’s arm as the red-haired chap turned.

“What do you mean?” .

“What I say! There are paddles up in the shack, aren’t
there?”

“Don’t try any Ssehiahites like that, Clan! That’s a
one-room place, and there are three men sleeping in it.
Probably they’re waking up now, for the sun’s nearly up.
You'd get a bullet through you in a moment.”

Hop Wah came forward and thrust a smiling face be-
tween them.

“Lettee go, Melliwell,” he said blandly, “Lettee Missul
Classy wake ’em up, mebbeso go bang-bang. Then me
makee catch paddle, huh?”

Clancy stared for a moment, until the comprehension of
Hop Wah’s words swept over him. Then he shook a fist
under Hop Wah’s nose belligerently.

“Look here, Hop, if there’s any dying done scot here,
itll be you! Just get the notion out of ‘your head that
Missul Classy is aching for a martyr’s crown. He’s ach-
ing to punch your head just about now, take it from me!”

“This won’t do, Clancy,” Merry interfered with an anx-
ious glance at the shack. “We can’t afford to be wrangling
here. Isn’t there some way you could swipe one of those
paddles, Hop Wah?”

The young Chinaman nodded imperturbably, a slow
grin stealing over his face.

“Mebbeso can do, Melliwell.
makee catch paddle, makee dlown in lapids.
Missul Classy, huh? Plenty good!”

With this final shot at the indignant Clancy, Hop Wah
turned and began to. climb toward the shack above. Merry
shrugged his shoulders hopelessly. Hop Wah could turn
the’ trick if any one could, but it seemed impossible that
he could enter that one room and secure paddles without
awakening the three men who slept there.

“Let’s get aboard, Clan. If Hop Wah does get out all
right he may come in a hurry, and we don’t want to lose
time in any case, if we’re to beat Raynor to the Ten-
derfoot.” ;

They launched the canoe, which was rudely built, but
balanced perfectly, and Clancy got in the bow while Merry
stood waiting to shove off,
anxious eyés, but the door was not in sight, and Hop Wah
had disappeared around the structure.

Without the slightest warning there suddenly came an
ear-splitting screech from the shack above, followed al-

You get all leady. Me
Makee dlown

most instantly by six revolver shots that echoed dully ©

from the hills around. Clancy and Frank stared with
startled gaze, but before they could speak the figure of
Hop Wah appeared at the corner of the cabin.

Hop Wah was in a hurry. Half of his silk blouse was

torn away, but under his arm he was carrying two of the’

long paddles. An angry roar of muffled shouts rose from
behind him, but no pursuers appeared, to Merry’s wonder.
Just before Hop Wah reached them, he stubbed his toe and
went down flying.

“Hully up!” he gasped, as he struggled erect. “Missul
Molgan-wakee up, me yell, catchee gun, flighten ’em plenty
good, huh? Makee bar door.”

  

He watched the shack with |

   

 

“ans

 

 

 

 

 

   
  
 
 
   
 
 

   
   

  
  
   
   
  
  
  
 

 

 

      
   
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

“Jump in here,” commanded Merry quickly, flinging one
of the paddles to Clancy. “Get in and keep still, remeém-
ber!”
Hop Wah scrambled into the canoe, all but upsetting it.
As he did so, the figures of Benoit, Dade, and Morgan
tushed around the corner of the shack.

“Good-by, gentlemen!” cried Merry, shoving off.
gan emitted a roar of rage.

“Git the paddles, Jules! We'll foller in the other canoe,
an’ catch ’em at the rapids, sure!” é

And just as Merry sent the frail craft darting out, the
angry pursuers tan down to the other canoes.

Mor-

CHAPTER IX.
THE RIVER ROAD.

Merry’s blood thrilled as he swung his shoulders to the
paddle and felt the swift birch leap under his touch. The
crisp, keen air of the early sunrise was a spur to exertion,
and the river, winding between the hills, was still lightly
fleeced with the night mist.

The stream itself was larger than Merry had thought,
and seemed of ample depth for heavier craft than birch
canoes. The sun was just lifting its red disk over the
eastern hills.as they shot out into the river, and from be-
hind them came the voices of their pursuers, who were
clustered about the remaining canoes. So close were they
that every word carried distinctly to the ears of Merry
and his companions.

. “Tt’s that dad-burned chink again!” came the voice of
Morgan, “I thought there was an Injun raid on when he

_ yelled an’ cut loose with my gun!”

“Hurry up with them paddles, Canuck!” called Dade.

Merry chuckled to himself as he fell into swing with
Clancy, Hop Wah was seated in the center of the ‘canoe,
flat on the bottom, with his hands firmly gripping either
gunwale. Plainly, he was, taking no chances in this kind
of a conveyance.

“That was pretty good work, Hop Wah,” said Frank.
“I suppose Morgan dwoke and grabbed your blouse, eh?
Then you knew it was all up, and threw such a scare into
em that you got away with the goods.”

“Plenty flighten,” assented Hop Wah without daring .to
turn his head to look at Merriwell. “Mebbeso Classy ho

good to paddle, makee all dlown at lapids, huh?”

“Oh, he’s pretty good, Hop Wah. You just watch him!

Now, Clan, I guess we'd better make, her walk along

downstream. Those chaps are just pushing off.”

Clancy flung a swift Jook over his shoulder. Behind
them, Benoit was just shoving the canoe out, with Dade
and Morgan each grasping a paddle. A faint yell drifted
over the water to the three youngsters, for they had al-

ready secured a start of some five hundred yards.

“Too bad Hop hasn’t a paddle,” grunted Clancy. “I
hate to see him sitting there doing nothing. Besides, it
makes dead weight for us to carry and the canoe’s harder
to handle, being so much’ deeper in the water. This craft

~ wasn’t made to carry three. If we drop the chink over-

hoard we might be able to negotiate the rapids. Let’s do

ate
si “You ‘tend to business, Classy,” ordered Hop Wah
quickly. “Make talkee-talkee, catchee plenty dlown bimeby.”

“Yes, and if it hadn't been for Hop we wouldn’t have

the paddles now,” Chip reminded his chum laughingly.

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

 
 

15

“Dig in, Clan—got to hit tp some speed now against three
paddles. They’re off!’

The pursuers were indeed off, and they were digging in
their paddles with a vicious energy that bodéd ill for the
three in the other canoe. After one startled glance over
his shoulder, Clancy settled down to his work in good
shape.

“You keep your eye on them, Hop Wah,” advised Merry,
searching the water for any hidden rocks or snags. “Don’t
be scared to turn around—they won't bite! I’ve got all
I can handle right here.”

Hop Wah turned his head gingerly and obeyed, reporting
progress to the other two. Benoit was in the stern of
the following craft, and under his expert hand it was
driving along at a great rate. Dade was awkward at the

_ work, and Hop Wah’s keen eye did not overlook this

‘fact. »
“Missul Dade makee lose bleath plenty chop-chop !
up, Classy! Jiminy Clismus, they makee catch up!”

“Great guns!” ejaculated Clancy. “Who’s running this
craft, you or Chip?”

“Shut up, Clan,” advised Merry quietly. “We've done
some pretty stiff canoe work before this, and I guess we
can do it again. There are three of those fellows back
there, but Benoit is the only one.we really have to fear.
Dade and Morgan can put up a hard fight, but all we've
got to do is to hold ’em off. They're in no condition to
last after the first spurt. Dig in, old man!”

Clancy smothered his inclination to retort on Hop Wah,
and threw all his strength into the paddle. He realized that
it would be a long and a hard race, for not only were they
racing the canoe behind, but they were also endeavoring to
beat Black Mark, by this time probably well on his way
toward the Tenderfoot Mine. It was a double race, and
upon its result hung the ultimate fate of the Tenderfoot.

But there was nothing wild and reckless about the way
in which Clancy .set the pace. There was no hurried
splashing to his strokes. Each lift of his paddle sent a
swirl of water leaping back, and Merry fell into perfect
unison with his chum’s stroke.

“Rock ahead, Chip!”

“T’ve got you, Clan.”

Merry’s eyes took in the half-hidden rock, which would
have ripped the frail canoe open like a knife. A little
drag on his paddle, a turn of the blade, and they passed
it with a foot'to spare. Frank, of course, was the steers-
man, but both he and Clancy kept their eyes open for
hidden dangers.

Merry’s mind leaped ahead. What were those rapids
like? he wondered. It would be a desperate game to
try’ and run them if they were very bad, but then they
were in a desperate position in any event. Their only hope
was to reach the Tenderfoot Mine ahead of Black Mark,
and Merry vowed to himself that it should be done at
any risk.

“How are we coming, Hop Wah?”

“Plitty good.. No makee catch, no makee lun away.”

As Hop Wah replied, confidence in his voice,-a shout
came to them from behind, and Merry recognized the
tones of Jules Benoit.

“Hey, dere! Dat canoe,
tief!”

“Let ’em “waste their breath,”
chuckle. “Holding our own, Clan.

Hully

she’s belong to me! Stop,

said Frank, with a
Doing fine, old man!’
“T can hit up this pace all day, Chip,” came the confident

 
     

  
=

16 / » NEW TIP

tones of his chum. “Look out—we’re aiming straight
for a ‘deadhead’!” .-

Merry observed the danger barely in time to give his
paddle a twist arid send the canoe shooting along near
the sunken. log, one end of which was hanging just under
the surface of the ‘water. It was a close call, and Hop
Wah’s eyes blinked rapidly.

“All right,” Frank said, grinning at the. young China-
man. “We'll make it yet, Hop Wah. I wish these were
regular paddles, Clan! Benoit certainly didn’t use sand-
paper on ’em when he.whittled them out.”

“They’re plenty strong, Merry. Isn’t this canoe a bird,
though? I wish we could take her back with us! That
Canuck must be an old woodsman to make such a craft as
this. How does she steer?”

“Pretty hard, with Hop Wah in her,” answered Merry.
The eyes of Hop Wah flitted to his face anxiously, and
he returned a cheerful smile. “Don’t worry, old man. We
won’t drop you overboard yet a while.”

“Huh!” grunted Hop Wah scornfully. “Classy make
plenty joke, mebbeso. Thlow Classy overboard, shoot
lapids topside, huh?”

Frank laughed, and flung himself hard on the paddle as
they swept past a floating stump. He and Clancy were
swinging along together in perfect unison now, and a
hasty look showed that the other canoe was barely holding
its own. Benoit and Morgan were doing pretty good work,
but the great form of Lew Dade was holding them back,
and Dade was not making up for it by his paddling. He
was digging far down, now on one side and now on the
other, and his mouth was wide open, fighting for air.

“T guess Mr. Dade won’t last very long,” thought Merry
erimly, as he turned back to the dork in hand. - “If he
would only give out pretty soon, things would be on a
more even basis!”

The river seemed sluggish along here, and there was no
sign of the dreaded rapids. But Frank knew that at
any moment it might make a shoot into some narrow
place, where the compressed volume of water would tear
along at a frightful rate. Mere rapids he did not dread so
much, but if they were complicated by shallow water it
would be a bad thing.

As he had said, the canoe was hard to steer. Built for
two people, the weight of Hop Wah, which was by .no
means inconsiderable, brought the gunwales down too near
the water. Fortunately, the stream was smooth as far
as they had gone, but rapids which Jules Benoit could
guide himself through alone might prove very different to
a heavily weighted canoe. Weight counts for a good deal
in such places, and even the skillful paddling of Clancy
and Merriwell might prove unavailing in a tight place.

_ This fact worried Merry, though he gave no sign of it.
Considering the issue at stake on this race, he was quite

‘willing to attempt unknown rapids with Clancy for a

partner. But with Hop Wah’s added weight, it would
be hard to give the canoe that buoyant lightness, that quick
darting from side to side, which would be necessary at
any moment,

“Where do those rapids come in, Hop Wah?” he asked,
straining his eyes ahead toward a wide bend. Before the
Chinaman |could answer, a hoarse shout came to them in
the voice of Morgan.

“Hold on, you young fools! You'll drown in them rap-
ids, sure! We ain’t goin’ to hurt ye none—get out o’ that

”
current ! i.

 

TORY AWE RIOR:

For the first time Frank perceived that the heretofore
sluggish stream was quickening its pace. They were shoot-
ing along more rapidly, and there was no doubt ‘that they
were in the grasp of a current bearing them forward.

“Plenty lapid,’ returned Hop Wah, with a startled look
into Frank’s eyes.. “We catchee chop-chop velly quick !’

“Prob’ly around that bend, Chip,” struck in Clancy, with-
out turning. “She makes a wide sweep to the left there.”

Suddenly Merry saw Hop Wah’s hands. relax. their
grip on the sides of the craft, and the young Chinaman
leaned far back until his head was almost on Merry’s knees.

“Melliwell!” he murmured. “Makee catch bank—me
jump out, huh? You tly lun lapids, savvy? Mebbeso you
come out topside.”

Frank nodded, and his eyes went to the bank, twenty
yards away. The water seemed to sweep in close, and
he knew that if they could drop Hop Wah their chances
would be increased 'a hundredfold.

With a wide sweep of his paddle he sent the canoe dart-
ing in, Clancy gave a startled look, saw Hop Wah half
kneeling with muscles tense, and comprehended. From be-
hind there came a yell, and a moment later the canoe
drove in past the bank, in shallow water.

Without waiting for the word, Hop Wah made a careful
dive over the side. The frail canoe rocked and lurched,
but Frank drove his paddle down against the bottom and
held her steady. The next moment they were past, and
he glanced back to see Hop Wah scrambling up the bank,
while Benoit’s canoe was still coming down in midstream.

“Now, Clan,” cried Merry, “go to it! There they are—
right ahead!” :

A cry broke from Clan, and small wonder. For as
they swept around the bend, there lay ahead of them a
stretch of wildly tossing and tumbling water in which it
seemed that no canoe could live for a moment, and the
rapid current was bearing them swiftly toward the danger.

CHAPTER X.
IN THE RAPIDS.

“Good for the chink!” yelled Clancy appreciatively, with
a flourish of his paddle back at Hop Wah. The latter
had climbed to the top of the bank, where he stood watch-
ingy them.

Merry stole a glance at the canoe of Benoit. Dade was
sitting motionless, and it seemed that Benoit had deter-
mined not to attempt the rapids, for he was steering in
toward the shore as he rounded the bend.

Suddenly it occurred to Merry that without Hop Wah)
he would have no means of knowing when he reached
the Tenderfoot Mine. The river passed within a few hun-
dred yards of Tenderfoot Hill, and was fed by the little
creek near the cabin.

“Well, we may pass in sight of the place,” he thought,
quickly. “Anyhow, there’s no going back now.”

Nor was there. Benoit and Morgan were just landing on
the right-hand shore, opposite the bend, and Merry gave.
them no more attention. His own canoe was caught in the
grip of a swift and powerful current which bore them
straight for the tumbled mass of waters ahead.

hrough the foam could be made out black specks—
rocks strewn about the channel. Even had they wished,
there would have been no time to. portage around the
rapids, for this would have given Morgan his chance to
catch them. Their only hope lay in such quickness of |

 

 

 
 

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eye and wrist as would enable them to avoid the dangers
in their course.

“Hold. her back, Clan!” shouted Frank, to make his
voice heard above the rushing and roaring of the waters.

Clancy nodded, and they managed to slow the advance
of the canoe while Merry sought for an opening ahead.
He could see none, however. The water seemed to rush
over a wild jumble of rocks, which had been flung into
the river bed by some landslide. from the hills above.

One place seemed as bad as another to his eyes. Then
he remembered the swift current which was bearing them
along: There must be some unseen opening which drew
_ the water, and Merry finally determined to trust to this.
Everything would depend on Clancy’s quickness in making
out the dangers, but amid those tossing waters they would
have to stake a good deal on sheer luck.

“Let her go, Clan!’

With a rush, the canoe darted ahead. On every side of
them lay rocks, some jutting out above the foam, others
hiding their treacherous surfaces within an inch or two of
the swirl. In and around them the water rushed in
eddies and foam breaks, and in another minute they were
among the rapids themselves.

Cool of eye and brain, Merry set himself to the work.
No use shouting now! The red-headed chap in the bow
had no need to look around. He knew that Merry was
watching every move, that if he made a gesture it would
be noticed at once and. understood, that between him-
self and the steersman there was a unison of perfect team-
work.

Merriwell knew this also, and the knowledge gave him
fresh confidence. Clancy and he would need no words ex-
changed to realize what had to be done. They w6uld work
together as if by instinct, and well it was that such was the
case. *

Hesitation for the fraction of a second, and they would
be lost in this vortex of swirling waters. A jerk of
“Claney’s head, and Merry caught sight of a black rock
peeping out almost under their bow, half smothered in
foam. As if actuated by the same brain, the two paddles
swept down together, the canoe swerved slightly, and
Merry felt the sweat stand out on his brow as ape
scraped the bark under his thigh.

His judgment in trusting to the current was well Lonne
out. As the rapids closed them in, he could see that. they
were being tossed onward through a twisted channel that
required every ounce of strength and skill he possessed
to» keep the canoe straight. Now a bowlder would jerk
clear of the foam, just in time to be avoided by a swing
‘of the paddle; again, the current would sweep them toward

jagged black teeth that threatened to rip them from bow .

to stern,

It was swift, exciting work that kept every muscle taut
and every nerve on edge. Time afteratime they seemed
lost beyond redemption, and time after time the team-
work of the two brought. them through safely. Had the
channel been a straight one; it would have been an easy
matter to keep clear of the rocks, but they twisted from
side to side of the river, following the course that the
water had carved out for itself.

Once a back wash broke on them without warning, al-
most swamping the canoe as it struck, and flung them back
against a ripple of foam and rock. Merry plunged down
his paddle, felt it splinter on the rock bottom, but it held

until Clancy had swung the head of the canoe around again
and they were past.

Then an eddy caught them and brought them into graver
danger still, for it tossed the light canoe end for end,
bearing them backward. Frank had a brief glimpse of
the river behind, and caught no sight of the canoe of
Benoit. The next instant he was engaged in a desperate
struggle to get the craft twisted about once more.

It seemed all but hopeless. The end of his tough paddle
was splintered into shreds of ash from digging against
the rocks, and vainly Frank tried to stem the fierce current
while Clancy swung them around, until the stout ash bent
in his hands. It did not break, however, and a second
later Clancy got his paddle hooked about a needle of
rock. Instantly Merry joined his forces, the bow swung
out, and a moment later the current caught them and
swung them around once more, bow first.

Dangers followed each other in rapid succession. No
sooner were they right end first than they darted straight
for a flat bowlder in midstream. In the very nick of time
the two paddles went down as one and swerved the canoe
clear. As they did so, something caught the birchbark
at Frank’s side. There was a ripping, tearing sound, and
Merry felt the water as it rushed through the opening.

He did not dare take his eyes from the vortex at their
side, however. His heart jumped into his throat for a
second, then he realized that no more water was coming in.
The fragment of rock had caught the canoe high up, for-

» tunately, ripping a foot-long rent in the birch, but at a

point above the water level.

“Nearly through!” j

Clancy’s exultant yell shrilled above the rush of the »
waters. Then for the first time Merriwell realized that
the river had bent back on itself in a loop, and‘ that they
had come around a sharp bend once more. They were not
yet through the rapids, but ahead could be seen the glim-
mer of still water, and it was an encouraging sight, a
sight that gave new strength to their arms.

Now there came a brief respite, followed by another
plunge into the seething mass ahead. It seemed as if
the river had but drawn breath in order to make a last
desperate effort to overcome these two youngsters whose
remarkable skill and more remarkable teamwork had pulled
them through so far.

The canoe was tossed high on the crests, naked teeth
of rock waiting for them below, but still they careered
onward without further injury. Suddenly, when it seemed
that they were on the very edge of safety, another eddy
caught them and flung them end for end. This time they
could not turn. Looking over their shoulders, working
frantically with their ash paddles, they grazed the dan-
ger, and a moment later shot into still water. As they
did so, Merry uttered a yell of warning, but in vain. A
jagged bit df rock caught them amidships, under the gun-
wale, and ripped the frail birch clear to the stern.

“All right!” yelled Clancy, with a flourish of the paddle.
“She isn’t taking in any water, Chip! Let her go!”

Fortune had favored them once more. Although the
rip was a bad one, it was also above the water line, and
Frank leaned back, panting from his tremendous exertions.
/He had small time to rest, however, for as he looked at the
passing shore -his eyes took in a sight that drew a gasp of
amazement from his lips. i

Jules Benoit and Morgan were just launching their

 
18

canoe, abreast of Merry and Clancy,
feet away!

“They portaged over!” cried Merry quickly.
bered how their pursuers had drawn in to the shore, how
the river had bent back in loop shape, atid guessed at once
that the two men had left Dade behind and carried their

canoe over the tongue of land.
“Steady stroke, Clan!” he exclaimed.
man!”

Neither Benoit nor Morgan were wasting any breath
in shouting this time. They leaped into their canoe and
set out in a converging line to intercept the two young-
sters. That they would do it seemed probable, until Merry
turned the canoe in toward the opposite shore. His only
hope lay in distancing the pursuers at the start and keep-
ing the lead, for how far away the Tenderfoot Mine
was by the river he had no idea.

The plan worked. The slight additional distance which
both canoes had to cover just gave Merry and Clancy
time to draw away from Benoit. As Merry swung his
craft about downstream, the other canoe was only twenty-
feet behind.

Now it was a race, on almost even terms, as it would
appear at first sight. But both Merry and Clancy were
wearied by their exertions, and in the bottom of their
craft the water was swashing about, while they had pitted
against ‘them a man who was an expert at such work.

The race was silent, deadly, intent with purpose. Morgan
and Benoit knew that they must stop Merriwell if, Black
Mark was to win his play, and they strained every nerve
to cover the short distance that separated the two canoes.

and hardly fifty

He remam-

“Hit her up, old

But Merry was equally determined not to be stopped.
Clancy had flung himself into the work with savage energy,
and their two paddles flashed up and down, sending the
black swirls of water far behind, the light craft quivering
with their efforts to escape. A cry broke from Merry as he
saw the water pouring into their canoe; heading down-
stream as they were, a light wind from the left sent the
ripples against the torn and ripped side of the craft.

Desperately, Frank swerved their course toward the
other bank. On this tack he found that they could gain
on Benoit, but upon reaching the bank he had to turn
downstream once more, and again the water came swish-
ing around them, Clancy felt it, and turned with a startled
look, Merry’s earnest, tense expression threw him back
to his work with renewed vigor.

Benoit soon understood their plight, as a shout apprised
Merry. Looking back, he saw that they were gaining,
slowly but surely. Now, however, Benoit did not follow
them as they turned in to avoid the waves, and perforce
Merry had to head straight downstream and take what
came.

‘He watched the banks intently, searching for some sign
of their goal, Suddenly, through a break in the trees on
the high right bank, he caught sight of a shoulder of hill
ahead and downstream. It:was the Tenderfoot!

“Nearly there, Clan!” he gasped hoarsely. ‘We'll have
. to run for it!”
“T'll hold ’em,’

’ returned Clancy. “You run.”

A moment later they flashed by a small creek that:

emptied into the river, and Frank guessed that this was
the creek which wound past the mine. Catching sight of

a favorable landing place ahead, he drove the canoe for it.
As he did so, he looked back and saw that Morgan had

  

 

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

stopped paddling. In the hand of the ruffian was some-
thing that glinted in the sunlight.

“Hold up or I’ll plug ye!” came the hoarse shout. The
next instant the nose of Merry’s water-logged canoe buried
itself in the mud of the bank.

CHAPTER XI.
THE DEED TO THE TENDERFOOT MINE.

“Mrs. Dade, I come up on another little matter 0’ busi-
ness, but mostly out of friendship for you,”

_ As Black Mark swung down from.his horse, Mrs, Dade
barred the doorway to her shack with hands on her hips. _
“T don’t want your friendship, Mark Raynor,” she re-
torted. “The sooner you get out of my sight, the better

pleased I’ll be.”

“Now, Mrs. Dade, ma’am, I’ll go in jest two shakes.
But, as I said, I got a little matter o’ business to straighten
out first.”

“What is it? Another paper on behalf of my husband, I
s’pose?” :

“Tt’s a paper—yes, ma’am. Another conveyance of this
here mine, from you an’ Lew to me.”

With these words Raynor drew the blank. deed from
his pocket. His grin seemed to infuriate the gray-haired
woman, for she took one swift step forward and brought
up her open hand against his cheek, with a slap that rang
out like a pistol shot.

“You low-down coyote!” she snapped.
your impudence, and get off my place!” >

Raynor staggered back, more from surprise than from
the’force of the blow. The grin vanished from his face,

“Take that for

and in its’stead there appeared an expression of evil feroc-

ity, well in keeping with his next words.

“Sassy old cat, ain’t you? Look here, Mrs. Dade, you're
a-goin’ to sign this deed and get off this here claim real
pronto. You owe me five hundred dollars——’

“T got it here ready for you,” came the quick reply.
“Tf IT was a man I’d shoot it plumb into your pesky hide!”

“T reckon you would, ma’am, and I’m real glad you
ain’t a man, believe me! But I don’t want the dust, Mrs. |
Dade. I want the mine, and I’ve give’ your husband
a fair price for it. Now look-a here, ma'am, you ain’t
treated me fair! I hand over the money, and your chink

comes along and swipes the deed. Then this kid Merriwell f

tears it up. That ain’t square dealin’, whatever way you “
look at it.” .

“Vl give you two minutes to get off this claim,” snapped
the angry woman. “I iia a gun in here, and I’ve used it
before. You hike, and hike quick, or I’ll use it on you!”
. “All right, ma’am.” Black Mark’s face flashed into an
evil grin once more, as he dug into his pocket. “I told you
I come here out o’ friendship, didn’t 1?
look familiar to you—and this?”

He held out the Watch and belt which he had taken from
Merriwell the night before. Se

Mrs. Dade looked scornfully at the articles for a moment;

then her face changed. A quick step, and she seized the ©

watch. No sooner had she opened it than F ‘rank’s name, —
engraved on the inner case, verified her suspicion. A glance
at the belt, and she did not need to hear the eee
words of Black Mark. _

“Two little tokens of esteem, ma’am. Your young friend
is up the hills a piece, and the only thing that, will Tet.
him loose is the sight of that deed, properly sts by
you. Get the idea?”

 

 

 

 

Well, does this é

 

  
 

 

 

  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
 
  
  

 

 
 
 
 
 

eyes, and without a word began to write.
came a startling interruption.
- “Stop, Mrs. Dade!” \

 
  
 
 
 

  
 

lips of Raynor.

The woman stared at him, surprise and horror in her
face.

“You—you would not dare harm him!” she broke forth,
at last. “Not even you would dare do that, Black Mark!
You needn’t think that folks around here are going to
stand your ways much longer. They’re just about sick
of your doings!”

“They’d be a heap sicker if they butted in,” rejoined the
man grimly. “That’s what I told young Merriwell, and
he’s findin’ it out about now. He’s down fifty: foot in
Canuck’s old shaft, and he stays there—unless you come
across and put your fist to that paper. I ain’t runnin’
no bluff, ma’am.”

“And how do I know you'll let him go, even if I sign
this?”

“You'll have to take my word for that, ma’am. He'll
have to agree not to prosecute, of course. But I’m not
wastin’ any time.’ I want that signature now.”

“’ll put the law on you for this, Mark Raynor!”

“Too bad, ma’am, if you do. It might hurt me some,
but before I got gathered in I’d see to it that you wouldn’t
see that kid—nor his chum, either, any more.”

“So it was a fake letter that took him away?” As
Black Mark beat down her defenses one after another,
poor Mrs. Dade weakened perceptibly, and Raynor grew
bolder in proportion.

“No fake about it. I’ve got Merriwell and that fool
chum of his dead to rights. If I don’t ride back with
that deed this afternoon, they’ll get-all that’s comin’ to ’em.
I don’t aim to give you a chance to get the sheriff, you
see.”

“But why don’t you buy the mine at its real value?”
protested the woman helplessly. “You know perfectly well
it’s worth a great deal more than five hundred. Why, I
took that out of it only last week myself!”

“Glad to hear it, ma’am!
you see.
I reckon I give Lew as much as he'll ever get out o’ this
place. Now, Mrs. Dade, I’ve got a fountain pen right
here—brought it a-purpose. It’s gettin’ on toward noon,
and I’ve got a thirty-mile ride back.”

The gray-haired woman stood in silent dismay. She
knew the character of man she was dealing with, and
the thought of Merriwell being at his mercy was too
much for her. Her debt of gratitude to Frank was
already great, and the fact that she alone could gain his
freedom by the surrender of her property moved her to
bow her head in bitter assent. .

“T’ll do it, Mark Raynor. That poor boy. got into all
this on account o’ me, and I'll see him out of it, But
remember this—you’ll be the one to pay! You may make
a pile of dust out of the Tenderfoot, you may think you’ve
put it over mighty slick, but I’d a heap rather be in) my
boots than in yours, any time! Oh, I’m not talkin’ threats ;

I’m talking about something you couldn’t understand if

you tried, but as sure as there’s a Heaven above us, you'll

pay more bitterly for this than I will!”

With a slight sneer, Raynor handed her the fountain pen
he had been holding ready. She turned and spread out
the deed against the doorway boarding, tears blinding her
Suddenly there

Man and woman whirled about, and an oath fell from the
Running toward them, without hat or

NEV: DIP: TOP. WEEKLY.

But machinery costs money,
You don’t work this claim right, but I will. No,

   
  

   

19

coat, and dripping with water, was Merriwell. With a sob
of joy, Mrs. Dade dropped pen and paper, and ran to
meet him.

Black Mark sidled toward his horse, but Merry reached it
first and flung up a hand.

“Hold on there, Raynor!
little buckskin bag?”

With tears of joy running over her furrowed cheeks,
the little woman brought out the bag, handing it to Merry.
He took a step forward and held it out to Raynor.

“There’s your dirty dust, Mark Raynor! That removes
every legal and moral claim you may have on this mine,
so now get off the place before I throw you off!”

For answer the ruffian struck the bag of dust down
viciously, and leaped forward with a snarl of rage. Merry,
still panting, stepped nimbly aside and his right hand shot
swiftly out.

Black Mark, caught by the open-handed blow squarely
in thejineck, staggered forward, but managed to regain
his balance. As he whirled savagely, a cool voice came
from the shack.

“Get on your cayuse, Mark Raynor! You don’t get any
two minutes this time!” :

Raynor ground his teeth, but Mrs. Dade held her old
revolver with a steady hand, and he was forced to gulp
down his wrath as best he could. Merry kicked the bag of
dust toward him, he gathered it up, and without a word
more swung into his saddle and took his leave.

“I really didn’t need your interference, Mrs. Dade,
Frank, with a smile.

“Tt was a good thing you didn’t, Frank,” she exclaimed.
“That gun hasn’t been loaded for about five years, ii
guess!”

Mrs. Dade, will you get that

” said

CHAPTER XII.
. CLANCY GETS HIS MAN.

“Well, I’m awful glad that neither of you boys got hurt!”

Mrs. Dade, smiling as she had seldom done of late, pre-
sided over the supper table. Merry and Clancy were on
either side of her, while Hop Wah was conveying plate,
after plate of golden brown tortillas and steaming beans
to the table.

“T was afraid they were going to shoot when we got
to land,” admitted Clancy. “But I s’pose they saw that the
game was up. They ‘didn’t even stop to get what was left
of the ane, but went right on down to Hobson’ s Choice,
I guess.”

“Well, we're through with Raynon now,” exclaimed
Merry. Suddenly he turned to Clancy. “Say, do you re-
member when we were down there in the old shaft, and
you were telling me about Rufus Horton? J was kind of
interested in getting out of there at the time, “and didn’t pay
much attention. But if I remember, you said something
about chasing a man from Blyfield to Monterey, and
then on to Hobson’s Choice. What was that?”

“You've got it,” returned Clan, with a grin. His eyes
were snapping with mischief, and he tipped Mrs. Dade a
daring wink. “Only I wasn’t chasing a man sMt was a
boy, and some boy, take it from me!”

“Well, give us the yarn, Clan.”

“After Mr. Horton put up his idea to me of forming

-an amatetr crowd of fellows, I began to look around. I

knew you'd take to the plan, especially if he fixed things
up with your dad. We heard about a fellow over at Mon-

  

 
terey who was doing all kinds of stunts for the Y. M. C. A.

there, so I went over to look him up. I[ t thought maybe I
could get him to join the crowd, you see.’

“Good eye, Clan,” and Merry nodded. He noticed that
Hop Wah was standing at one side and eying Clancy with
a peculiar expression, but thought nothing of it. The
young Chinaman had walked home, reaching there early
in the afternoon. “Of course, I can’t say about such ‘an
organization, until I hear from my father, but it looks good
to me,”

“Of course it does, Chip! Well, you'd be surprised if
you heard what this fellow at Monterey could do. He’s
an immigrant and hadn’t been long in the country, but he
seemed to bring athletics with him. Honest, I thought
at first they’d been getting him mixed up with you! He’s
a whopping good pitcher, but plays everything on the in-
field. When I got there they were still talking about a
track meet where he'd pulled off all the weights, some of
the runs, and then had copped a marathoty on top of it all.”

“Well, where is this marvel, Clan? You don’t mean he’s
in Hobson’s Choice?”

“You bet he is—or at least, he was. Just at present
he’s dishing up frijoles, and powerful good ones, at the
Tenderfoot Mine, and his name’s Hop Wah!”

“Hop Wah!”

Merry turned and stared at the grinning figure of the
young Chinaman.. He remembered the remarkable stunts
that ‘had been pulled off by Hop Wah, and with a shout he
leaped up and grabbed the hand of the other.

“Bully for you, Hop! Say, Clan, this is the greatest
ever! Rod will be with us, and Billy Dill—oh, we'll have
a glorious old crowd!” ;

To his amazement, the grinning face of Hop Wah sud-
denly lost its exultant expression, and the other shook
his head.

“Velly solly, Melliwell, ” said Hop Wah determinedly.
“No can do,”

“No can do?” repeated Merry and Clan together.
Wah shook his head,

“Me stop along Missy Dade.

' back, what she do, huh?”

There was no denying the earnestness in the face of the
young Chinaman, but Mrs. Dade broke in quickly. .

“Nonsense, Hop Wah! I'll be all right here, and you
can’t afford to miss such a chance. Of course you'll go
with Frank.”

“No can do, Missy Dade.”
his lips set stubbornly,

Frank felt a thrill of quick dismay. Already he had
seen a glorious vision of what could be done on stich a

_ tour as that proposed by Horton, and Hop Wah had
. loomed large in that vision. He’ saw, however, that the
, other was deterinined to stick by Mrs. Dade, and that noth-
‘ing could tempt him away from her.

“Well, ’'m sorry, Hop Wah, but I must say I think
you're right. Just the same, I admire you for your choice.
Isn’t there some one you could get to take his place, Mrs.
Dade? It really isn’t right that you should stay up
here all alone, you know! yp

The little woman shook -her head, but peters she could
reply, a yell broke from, Hop Wah, and he sprang ‘for-
ward, \

“Wait! Jiminy Clismus! Can do plenty well! Me
makee catch cousin in Monteley, makee wlite chit-—him

can do fine! Me go!”

Hop

~Mebbeso Laynor come

Hop Wah shook his head and

  

NEW TIP TOP: WEEKLY.

   

“Bully!” cried Clancy, enthusiastically shaking “the hand

of Hop. “Got a cousin in Monterey, eh? Well, you get
him here real quick, understand?”
“Me send: teleglam,” and Hop Wah fairly beamed.

“You likee?” he asked Mrs. Dade, a glimmer of anxiety

in his eyes.

“Why, of course! I’m-real glad, Hop Wah, and you
needn't wait till he comes, either.”

“There’s no great hurry,” said Frank, laughing happily.
“You can wait till he gets here, Hop Wah, then come
on and meet ts at Blyfield. We’ve got some work to put
over there, first thing we do, eh, Classy? Say, won’t we
have a whale of a time? Hurray! Clan, we'll dig out for
Blyfield to-morrow !”

“And if. you hadn’t been sidetracked here, you wouldn’t
have got together,” said Mrs. Dade, “Frank,
I guess I’d better not try to say it.”

But Frank looked into her eyes and understood.

THE END.

In “Frank Merriwell, Junior’s, Stop-over; or, Foul Play
at Frenchman’s Fork,’ Mark Raynot’s son, Ernie, con-
spires with his father to “get even” with Chip Merriwell.
From what you have read of Mark you will surmise that
his methods of getting even are not what might be called
fair. And it is a case of “like father, like son,” with
Ernie Raynor. Then there is another new character in-
troduced in this story, Villum Kess, a German boy. . You
will like Villum, and he will make you laugh, too. The
issue is No. 43, and it will be out May 24th.

+++

WOMEN AS PEARL DIVERS.

Whereas in Australia and India pearl fishing is con-.

ducted by men, in Japan it is the women who dive for
the precious pearl oysters.

In the Bay of Gokasho, province of Ise, as well as a severe
other places of the country where pearl fishing is carried

on, women are employed almost exclusively in gathering _

the oysters which contain the pearls from ‘the ocean bot-
tom.
a belief that women can work better and remain longer
under water than men, and the women pearl divers of Ise
are frequently mentioned in the classic literature of. the
country. Some of them can relate stories of stirring fights
which they have had in the depths of the ocean with the
octopus and other monsters of the deep while gathering the

pearl oysters or attending to the beds, and many off the

older divers at the farm on Totokujama Island will show

you scars on their arms and legs as a result of these

encounters. Indeed, the profession is one that calls for

special qualifications, and not every Japanese woman would _
make a successful pearl diver,
They are recruited from the villages and towns upon

the seashore, and before they adopt their strange voca- if

tion are well acquainted with the sea, and know) ste
about the art of diving. They commence work at the age
of 13 or 14, and ate in the water almost all the year |
round, except during the coldest seasons, from the end oP)
December to the beginning of February. Even during
this inclement weather, however, they sometimes dive for
pearls, The women wear a special dress, consisting of

 

white knickers, short skirt and vest, while the hair is —

 

twisted up on the head in a hard knot. The eyes are pro-

[—I—well,

It seems that from time immemorial there has been —

 

   

    
    
 
  
  
   
  
    
    
 

 

     
  
 
   
  
  
  
  
 

   

 

   
  
   
 
  
  
  

 
 

  
    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

  
 
  
  

  

  
  
  
  

 

   
   
  
   
   
 
  
  
 
  

  
   
  

_ tected by glasses to prevent the entrance of water. Tubs
or pails resembling barrels complete their diving outfit.’

A boat commanded by a man is assigned to every five
or ten women, and carries them to and from the fishing
grounds. When the divers réich the scene of their la-
bors they land upon the rocks or islands and at once
plunge into the water and begin their search for the
oysters. These are dropped into the tubs, which are fast-
ened by a rope to the women’s wrists. When the tubs
are about half filled the women pull them toward the
boat, help to lift them in, and return to the shore.

ent

Tom Armstrong, Cop.

By MARVIN MERCURY.

 

SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS.

Tom Armstrong, a young college man, forced by cir-
cumstances to give up his studies, becomes a member of the
New York police force.

On his first day on patrol, he meets the girl he had

- hoped to marry, Miss Carolyn Howard, who tells him that
he must resign at once or she will have nothing more to
do with him; he refuses to give up his chosen profession,
and later in the day sees her motoring with his rival, a
lawyer named Wilton Sayres, who he believes to be
crooked. i
_ That same night he catches Sayres attempting to enter
a house with a skeleton key, and arrests him. The lawyer,
however, shrewdly turns the tables on the inexperienced
“cop,” proves that he simply made a mistake in the house
number, and is allowed to go by the desk lieutenant.

Armstrong, however, convinced of Sayres’ guilt, goes to
the house the lawyer had tried to enter, but the inmates—
an old man named Cyrus Maxwell, and his daughter—
claim never to have heard of Sayres.

Through his political pull and misrepresentation, Sayres
causes Armstrong to be reprimanded by the commissioner,

and transferred to the toughest beat in. New York, wh€re
the young policeman has some unpleasant experiences.

' Tom finally decides to strike at the root of matters, and
challenges “Red” Carson, the leader of the gang which
ie and practically rules the district, to a finish

fight. '
2a Carson accepts, and against the advice and protests of

his friends, Armstrong meets the gang’s leader at a low

_ saloon on Tenth Avenue. |

_. Carson takes Armstrong to a barn in Hoboken, where

his gang is assembled, and in the fight that follows the

, policeman knocks the gang leader out. He is given a

square deal, however, and is allowed to leave without

‘interference, | Me ae

While saying good-by to Carson, Tom picks up a piece

of paper dropped by the gangster, and in returning it

notices that it beats the address of Maxwell.

_ Believing that Sayres has hired a member of Carson’s

gang to rob the old man, Armstrong goes to the house,

only to find he is too late, and that Maxwell has already
been robbed of papers relative to a certain patent worth
$100,000. eh

The only clew is a bit of cloth, caught on the desk, an
evidently torn from the burglar’s clothing. ais

With this he departs, and on the street meets Carolyn

Howard, who he warns against Sayres, telling her his rea-

sons for his suspicions, but she refuses to believe him.

 

   
  

 
 
  

  

 
 

CHAPTER XVII.

“FOLLOWING a CLEW. 6 0) 0 N:

  

_As Tom had confidently expected, his victory over Red
tson in the ring won him the respect of the gang.
No longer, when he patrolled his’ beat, did the groups
f young toughs on the street corners make jeering re-

  
 
 

ad ae

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. Bt

“Tm quite satisfied in my mind, my boy, that you didn’t

_ “Thank you very much, sir,”

  
  

 
 

marks at his expense; no longer did they defy him when
he ordered them to move on. :

While they did not like him any the more for defeat-
ing their leader, they paid him the compliment of regard-
ing him with the awe which brutal natures always feel
for physical prowess.

“Here comes the cop who licked Red Carson,” they
whispered whenever he approached; and moved respect-
fully aside to give him plenty of room to pass.

In other words, Tom Armstrong, in spite of the fact
that he was a green policeman, was now “boss of his
beat”—a beat which older members of the force had desig-
nated as the toughest in New York.

He was highly gratified when, three days after his vic-
tory over Red Carson, the captain of the precinct called
him into his private office and complimented him on his
good work. hs

“When I sent you over to that beat,” said the captain,
with gruff frankness, “I fully expected that we’d have to
call the reserves out of bed three times a night to go to
your rescue.

“T’m glad to see that you’re making good. I took a
walk over your post last night, and was sutprised to find
how well you’re keeping order over there. You appear
to have them gorillas under control. Keep on as you've
started, young feller, and you’re bound to rise in the de-
partment.”

Tom flushed happily at these unexpected words of
praise—unexpected becatise he realized that his captain,
acting under orders from the, police commissioner, had
sent him to the undesirable beat as a punishment for his
supposed unjust treatment of Wilton Sayres.

Captain McBirnie was a big, gruff man, with a square,
bulldog jaw and a very red face, which always wore a
scowl; but in spite of his grouchy appearance, he was one
of the best-hearted commanders in the police department
and very popular with his men, who could always look
to him for a square deal. :

A patrolman who did his duty. conscientiously could look
upon Captain McBirnie as his friend, and, therefore, al-
though he had received orders from headquarters to as-
sign Tom to the most unpleasant beat in the precinct, the
worthy captain did not hesitate to pay the young policeman -
the compliment which he felt that the latter’s good work
merited. .

He gazed admiringly at the clean-cut young man befor
him.

- “You look like a pretty decent young feller,” he re-
marked; “the kind I like to see getting on the force.
What the divvle was it you did to get the old man down-
town sore on you?” of ae

Tom told him in as few words as possible how he had ~
caught Sayres trying to get into old Maxwell’s house
with a skeleton key and had placed him under arrest,
and how the lawyer had succeeded in prejudicing the
police comimissioner against him and in bringing about
his transfer. :

“That’s too bad,” exclaimed the captain sympathetically.

 
     
       
     
         
       
     
     
       
     
       
     
   
         
   
   
     
       
         
   
       
     
   
       
       
     
   
 
      
       
     
       
       
 

      

        
 
     
        
     
     
 

get a square deal. It can’t be helped, however. In this
business a feller has got to grin and bear whatever comes
along—whether it’s just or unjust. You must do your oF
best to turn the tables on that crooked lawyer. If I can

help you in any way I shall be glad to do so.”
said Tom, and, encour-

      
      
      
 

 

22 | NEW TIP? TOP: WERERLY.

aged by this. kind offer, he added impulsively: “I think
there is a way that you can help me, captain, if you
will.” :

“What is it?”

“For the past three days I have been looking for the
burglar whom Sayres hired to break into Mr. Maxwell’s
house after he, himself, failed.

“T haven’t got the fellow yet, but I have good reason to
believe that he’s a member of the Red Carson gang, and
I feel sure that I’ll unearth him before long.

“But when I do get him,” Tom went on, “I shan’t be
any better off than I am now, for I’ve got to get a confes-
sion out of him—a confession implicating Sayres—and
I’m afraid that is where I am going to fall down on the
job. If you could do anything, captain, to make the
fellow talc"

“Sure,” interrupted the skipper confidently. “You bring
the right man to me, my boy, and I’ll guarantee to make
him squeal, all right. There’s mighty few crooks can
keep their mouths shut when I make up my mind that
they’ve got to talk. Find that burglar and bring him to
the station house, and I’ll promise to have a confession
in black and white inplicating that lawyer. inside of half
an hour after he enters this room.”

Tom stepped out of the station house and walked to his
post highly elated at this unexpected piece of good fortune.

He knew that Captain McBirnie was one of the greatest
exponents of the “third degree” the police department
had ever known. He had once been in command of the
detective bureau, and the manner in which he extorted
confessions out of criminals during his incumbency of
that position had made him famous throughout the coun-
try.

“Success is now assured if only I can find that burglar,”
muttered: Tom joyously; “and by Jiminy I’m going to
find him!”

CHAPTER XVIII.
FOLLOWING THE CLEW.

An hour later, as he was patrolling his post, an in-
spiration came to him. It was a sign in the window of a
small tailor’s shop which gave him the idea. The sign
read: “Repairs made neatly while you wait.”

Ever since Miss Maxwell had discovered that shred of
gray cloth adhering to her father’s desk, Tom had been
keenly and constantly on the lookout for a member of
Carson’s gang who wore a gray suit with a tear in it.

Thus far this clew, which had appeared so promising,
had proved unavailing. “Evidently the burglar had dis-
carded the suit which he had worn on the night he had
stolen the patent papers from Mr. Maxwell’s desk, for
Tom failed to discover a single one of Carson’s followers
whose clothing was of the same material as that tiny par-
ticle of cloth which had been left behind.

Tom was just on the point of deciding that this clew
was worthless, and that he would have to adopt some
other method of hunting for the man he wanted, when
- that sign in the tailor’s shop caught his eye.

“Ah,” said the policeman to himself, “I think I see a
way. I’m a juggins not to have thought of it before.
That fellow probably went to a tailor shop, the morning
following the burglary, to get that tear fixed. I’ll visit
every tailor in the neighborhood until I find the one who
can remember repairing a tear in a gray suit within the

past few days. In that way I ought to get a line on my
man.”

Tom realized that to carry out this plan would be no
light undertaking, for there were many tailors’ shops in
the neighborhood, and to vi8it all of them would be weari-
some work. .

The worst of it was that the chances of his labor being
crowned with success were not very strong, for it was
quite possible that the burglar had not gone to a tailor
to have that torn suit fixed. He might have had his wife
or mother make the repair at home, or he might have
discarded the suit without bothering to have it mended.

Nevertheless, the policeman decided that the plan was
worth trying. He told himself that if he wished to be-
come a great detective he must not shrink from a task
because it was difficult or because it did not hold out a
positive promise of sticcess. He had studied the lives of
the greatest detectives the world has ever known, and he
realized that they had made their reputations as mych by
patience and persistence in following up a clew as by bril-
liancy in discovering it.

“T’ll start right away with this tailor here,” said the
young policeman to himself, and, suiting the action to the
word, hé entered the store.

“I see by that sign in your window that. you claim to
be able to make repairs neatly,” he said to the tailor by
way of an opening.”

“Certainly,” replied the tailor, “I don’t want to boast,
Mr. Policeman, but if you’ve got a tear in your uniform,
I bet I can fix it so that your inspector will never notice
it when you appear before him at the next clothes in-
spection.”

“It isn’t a uniform that I want fixed,” said Tom. “It’s
my best suit which I wear on my day off. I got caught
on a nail the other day, and made a bad tear in it. The

material is light gray, and I’m afraid it wouldn’t be
possible to fix it so that the stitches won’t show.”

“Don’t you worry about that,” replied the tailor confi-
dently. “Believe me, I can fix light suits as well as dark
ones, The color don’t make no difference to me.”

Tom drew from his pocket an envelope containing the.
fragment of cloth from the burglar’s clothing. “This is
the material my suit is made of,” he remarked. “Ever
do a repair job on a suit exactly that shade?”

“Sure,” replied the tailor, squinting at the sample. “I’ve
fixed up lots of suits just like that, and, believe me, Mr.
Policeman, after I got through the customer couldn’t tell
where the tear had been.” :

“What was the last job you did on a suit of exactly this
material?” demanded Tom eagerly.

“Well, let me see! Only the day before yesterday Mr.
O’Brien, one of my best customers, brought in his coat -
made of just such cloth as that, and asked me to fix the
sleeve, which had a rip in it five inches long.”

“Ah!” exclaimed Tom, endeavoring to conceal his ex-
citement. “Where does this Mr. O’Brien live? I think

I’ll ask him to let me see that coat and find out what _

kind of a job you made of it before I decide to trust
you with mine.”

“Sure,” replied the tailor, handing Toma slip of paper.
“He lives right around the corner. Here’s the address.”

Tom stepped out of the store, saying to himself exult-
antly: “Gee whiz! Can it be possible that I’ve hit upon —
the right place at the*very start? That would indeed be
rare luck.” ; ‘

  

*

 

 
 

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. 23

His joy was’ short-lived, however; for, when he stepped
around the corner to interview Mr. @’Brien, he discov-
ered, greatly to his disappointment and chagrin, that the
latter was an honest old Irishman, one look at-whose face
was quite sufficient to convince Tom that its owner was
neither a burglar nor a member of Red Carson’s gang.

Tom hada strong sense of humor, and he could not help
laughing at his own discomfiture.

“J might -have known that. I wouldn’t succeed as easily
as all that,” he said to himself. “This teaches me a les-
son. I must expect to meet with many such disappoint-
ments before I find the right man.”

He went back to the tailor and inquired of him whether
he had any other customer who, within the past few
days, had given him a gray suit to repair. The man re-
plied in the negative, and Tom went to another tailor
shop .on his beat. . ‘

Here he repeated his fictitious story about having torn
his best .coat, and being in doubt as to whether cloth of
such light material could be repaired so that it would not
show.

‘This. tailor, like the first, declared confidently that he
could fix light suits just as sticcessfully as dark ones, and
when the policeman declared he was “from Missouri” and
would have to “be shown” before he wotld consent to. trust
his fine coat to his tender mercies, the tailor willingly gave
him the name and address of a man in the neighborhood
whose light gray suit he had * ‘made a fine job of” only the
previous day. |

Tom went to see this man, who lived on his beat, and
found that he was a perfectly respectable baker with
wife and nine children,

“Stung again,”
of the bakér shop. “I’m going to keep right on trying,
though, until I land my burglar, I suppose I’ll have to
give up the hunt for the present, for there aren’t any more

tailor shops on my beat, and, of course, I can’t leave my
but as soon as I’m off duty I'll continue the search °

post ;
and visit a hundred tailors, if necessary.”

‘CHAPTER XIX.

GETTING WARM,

As soon as his tour of duty was up, Tom) donned his
citizen’s clothes and. started on a tour of all the tailor shops
in the neighborhood,

In every instance he went about his, inquiry: in the same
roundabout way, adopting the ruse he had used with the

first two tailors. Of course this got very tiresome after a
time; but, nevertheless, the patient young man stuck reso-
 lutely to his method, for he was afraid that unless he ob-
 gérved the greatest precaution in pursuing his investiga-

tion, the man he wag after might receive warning and |

escape beyond his reach.

Many a man would have been thoroughly disheartened
_ by the number of disappointments which Tom Armstrong
received and the many wild+goose chases. he Was sent on;

but there was a lot of the bulldog in our hero’s make- “UP;

and the idea of -quitting never. once occurred to him.
_ At length, after he had visited at least fifty: tailor shops
without success, the luck turned, and his patience and per-
_ sistency received their reward. :

He entered a tailor shop on Ninth Avenue’ ‘conducted by
a man named Levinson, and was about to repeat. the old
_ story about having a torn suit of light gray material which

laughed the policeman, as he came out,

he wished to have repaired, when, before he uttered a
single word, a gray coat hanging on a rack among a score
of ‘finished jobs” caught his eye.

The material of this garment, the policeman noted,
was identical with the fragment of cloth in his pocket.

“Who owns that coat?” he demanded of the tailor, too
much excited by his discovery to observe his usual cau-
tion,

Levinson, the tailor, looked at his questioner suspiciously.

“For why you want to know that?” he retorted.

Tom realized immediately that he had made a bad break
by blurting, out that question, and could have kicked him-
self for his carelessness. He hastened to make amends.

“It takes my fancy,” he explained, “and if it’s for sale
and will fit me I’d like to buy it.”

“It ain’t for sale, mister,” replied the tailor, his manner
becoming much more friendly. “It belongs to a customer
who brought it in here, the other day, to have it fixed,
and ain’t called for it yet. I could make you a suit to’
order just like it, though, very reasonable.”

“T'll think it over,” said Tom. “Are you a pretty good
tailor ?”

“There ain’t any better in the city,” declared the man of
shears, who did not believe in being modest in business.
“You can ask any of my customers. You won't find one
who ain't satisfied with my work. I’ve got some pretty
swell dressers, too, among my trade. There’s Mr. ate
son, for instance. I’ve been making his clothes for years.”

“Red Carson?” exclaimed Tom, trying to speak calmly.

“Yes. You know him, of course? There ain’t anybody
in the neighborhood that’s a more stylish dresser than him
or more particular about the fit of his clothes, and I’ve‘al-
ways given him satisfaction.”

“Does that coat belong to him?” inquired Tom, making
a desperate effort to keep any trace of eagerness ott of
his voice as he pointed to the gray garment on the rack.

“No, but it belongs to one of his friends,”

“Ah!” Tom had all he could do to refrain from dane-
ing a jig on the floor of the tailor shop. He knew that
he had “struck oil” at last.

“Did you make the suit?” he inquired, as soon as he
could trust himself to speak.

“Yes. I made it for the gentleman six months ago,”
declared the tailor proudly.

The policeman pretended to be incredulous.

“You make a swell suit like that. I can’t believe it.”

“T swear it, mister,” declared the tailorman, raising his
right hand toward the ceiling, “I made every stitch of it.
That’s the kind of work I turn out. -Believe me, you
won't be makin’ any mistake if you give me an order.”

“T’ll tell you what I’ll do,” said Tom. “Prove to me
that you really made that fine suit and I'll let you take
my measure right now for one just like it.”

“That’s a bargain!” cried the tailor. “I'll give you the
name and address of the gent that owns it, and you can
go around and ask him.”

“That's the idea!” exclaimed the policeman.
his name?”

' “Mr. ‘Spider’ Griffin, and he lives a - doors up the
street—over the barber shop.”
“Ah!” exclaimed Tom.

him.” ~ :

“Won't you let. me take your measure before fou go,
mister ?” pleaded the tailor. .

Although he was not in the habit of buying his clothes

“What's

“TT “go right away and see

 
  

  

24 NEW TIP. TOP WEEKLY;

frorn such a cheap tailor, Tom felt so grateful to Levin-
son for the information the latter had given him that he
felt disposed to give him an ‘order.

“All right,” he said.
quick about it, I’m in an awful hurry.”

The tailor flew for his tape measure and applied it to his
customer’s big frame.

“Yes, mister,” he said, as he encircled Tom’s waist with
the tape measure, “Spider Griffin will tell you that that
suit has given him very good wear. He’s worn it for six
months, and it’s pretty near as good as new. The only
reason he’s brought it to me now is that he tore it on a
nail last Wednesday night. Quite a bad tear it was, but
I’ve fixed it so that it can’t be noticed. That’s the kind of
a first-class workman I am.”

Tom was delighted to hear this. It removed his last
doubt. He was positive now that Mr. Spider Griffin was
the gentleman who had broken in the home of the Max-
wells and stolen those patent papers. All that remained to
be done was to place him under arrest, march him to the
police station, and have Captain McBirnie apply the third
degree and force a confession from him.

“And with that confession,” he said to himself exultantly,
as the tailor continued to measure him, “I’ll put that crook
Sayres in jail and get that hundred thousand dollars for
the Maxwells. I can’t fail now.”

He was aroused from his reverie by a sharp exclamation |

from Levinson.

There was such a look of suspicion and alarm on the
tailor’s face that Tom thought, first of all, that uncon-
sciously he must have spoken his thoughts aloud,

“What’s the matter?” he demanded anxiously.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you are a cop?” gasped
Levinson.

“How do you know that I am?”

The tailor pointed to the police badge pinned to Tom’s
suspender which had been revealed when Levinson threw
back the policeman’s coat in order to measure his chest.

“Darn it!” was Tom’s unspoken thought. “What a
careless idiot I am!”

He turned to the tailor with a reassuring smile. “Well,
suppose I am a policeman, my friend—what difference
does that make?: Isn’t a cop’s money as good as oo other
man’s?”

“Yes,” growled the tailor suspiciously, “but you can’t
fool me like that, Mr. Policeman. I know now that, for
some reason, you’re after Spider Griffin.”

/

CHAPTER XX, |
CARSON SENDS A TELEGRAM.

Red Carson was standing outside Dolan’s place, sur-
rounded by a dozen of his followers, when an excited
little man rushed breathlessly up to him.

““Mr, Carson,” tie gasped, “do you know where I can
find him Mr. Spider Griffin right away, quick?”

The gang leader scowled at his agitated questioner.

“What do you want with the Spider?” he demanded.

“I want to tip him off, Mr. Carson, that the police are
lookin’ for him for somethin’. A big cop in plain clothes
»is standin’ outside the place where he lives, right now,

waitin’ for nim to come home. I want to warn him to keep’

away.”
The excited little man was Levinson, the tailor. Tom
Armstrong’s efforts to reassure him had proved futile.

“Go ahead and measure me—but be,

 

&

He had pretended to be convinced by the policeman that
the latter did not have any. desires upon the personal
liberty of Mr. Spider Griffin, and Tom had left the shop
satisfied that he had succeeded in disarming the. tailor’s
suspicions; but as soon as the policeman stepped out Levin-
son hurriedly locked up his store and followed him.

He saw Tom enter the tenement house in which Griffin
lived, and then, ten minutes later, saw the policeman come
out again, a look of disappointment upon his face, and
station himself in a dark hallway across the street.

Guessing that Griffin was not at home and that the po-
liceman had made up his mind to wait for him, the tailor
had lost, no time in going in search of his customer to
warn him of his danger.

Breathlessly he how told Red Carson of Tom’s visit
to his store, and the policeman’s mysterious curiosity con-
cerning the ownership of the gray coat.

A frown came to the gang leader’s face as he listened.
He was puzzled by the tailor’s recital. He could not °
imagine what that gray-coat incident meant, for he was
not aware of the fact that his friend and faithful fol-
lower, Spider Griffin, had left that telltale fragment of ,
cloth adhering to old Mr. Maxwell’s desk. The Spider
had not mentioned to his leader that he had torn his coat
while engaged on that little housebreaking job. He had
deemed it too trivial a matter to be worth talking about.

Carson turned to the little group gathered around him.

“Has anybody here seen the Spider this evening?” he
inquired.

They all answered in the negative. :

“Well he must be found and tipped off to keep away
from his home,” declared the gang leader. “You fellows
had better scatter right away and go look for him. If
any of you run across him tell him to meet me at two
o'clock this morning at Dunleavy’ S saloon « over in Brook:
lyn.” |

The crowd ‘dispersed to carry out hare fenders com-
mand. Carson, with the little tailor at his side, strolled
leisurely in the direction of the tenement in which Griffin
lived.

As they neared the place, the tailor halted.

“IT guess I'll be leaving you, Mr. Carson,” he said tim-
orously. “I don’t want that cop to see me with you or he'll
know that I tipped off Mr. Griffin. I don’t want no trou-
ble with the police if I can help it.” oad

“All right, Levinson,” said the gangster; “I’m much
obliged to you for the good turn youve done us, I’ll men-
tion it to the Spider when I see him.”

Carson continued on alone, and when he seeds the
barber shop over which Griffin had rooms he glanced into
the hallway across aoe street and saw Tom patiently wait-
ing there.

‘The gang leader was surprised. He had not “suspected,
that it was the patrolman who had vanquished him in the
ring who was looking for Griffin. He had supposed, until
now, that it was one of the detectives from the central

_ office who was after his friend.

“I wonder what in blazes this means?” he muttered to
himself, tay
Obeying an impulse he crossed the street and addressed
Tom. Ea
“Hello!” he said, in a friendly tone. “Lookin’ fs some; + >
body ?” 2 ff .

“Yes,” said Tom, convinced’ that the gang leader knew _
very well whom he was looking for, and that it was no _

 

 

 

   
 

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NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. : 25

for *he had caught sight of Levinson,

use. dissembling—
the taildt, parting company with Carson up the street—

“I’m looking for Spider Griffin. Have you seen him to-
night ?”

“What do you want him for?” ;

“For stealing a horse and wagon,” replied Tom. He
spoke sarcastically, for he supposed that Carson was well
aware of the mission on which he was engaged.

But the gang leader did not notice the sarcastic inflec-
tion, and took the statement quite seriously.

“You’ve got the Spider wrong,” he declared earnestly.
“Horse stealin’ ain’t in his line at all. Take a friendly tip
and beat it. You’re wastin’ time pickin’ up Spider if
that’s all you want him for.”

He went off chuckling to himself at what he supposed
was the green policeman’s stupidity.

Walking over to Broadway, Red Carson entered a West-
ern Union office and wrote a brief note which he handed
to the clerk behind the counter.

“Please have a messenger boy deliver this right away,
partner,” he said.

The note was addressed to Mr. Wilton eee and it
read:

“Sée me without fail at the same place at pa to-
night.”

This. missive was unsigned, but its recipient evidently

“had no difficulty in understanding whom it came from

and what. its laconic message meant; for promptly at mid-
night Mr. Wilton Sayres, counselor and attorney at law,
met Mr. Red Carson, gang leader, in a private room of a
second-rate hotel on lower Sixth Avenue.

CHAPTER XXI.
A GENTLEMAN ’S AGREEMENT,

The tide began the conversation, smiling at the gang-
ster, as the two sat face to face at a little round table on
which were glasses and a bottle of whisky. “I suppose
the reason you’ve sent for me is that you’re getting im-
patient for your money, eh?” he said.

“Yes,” replied Carson, in an injured tone. “We've de-
livered the goods, Mr. Sayres, and I don’t see why we're
being kept waiting for our pay. I ain’t used to being

treated in this manner by gents I do business with.”

“I am sorry to have kept you waiting, old fellow,” said
Sayres smoothly. “The delay was unavoidable, I assure
you. However, I have brought the money with me now.
Count that.” .

He threw down on the table a me roll of bills, which the
gang leader picked up and counted slowly.

“Five thousand dollars. That’s exactly right, Mr.
Sayres,” he said, thrusting the roll into his pocket. “I
hope the job turned out as profitable to you as you, ex-
pected.”

_ “Oh, yes,” replied the lawyer quietly.
to be dissatisfied. Of course, Carson,’
anxiously, “now that you have been paid you will regard
the incident as entirely closed? There is no danger, I feel
sure, of your ever recalling the little transaction be-

“T have no reason

tween us.”

- “Of course not,’ declared the gang leader in an ag-
- “You don’t have to worry about

me or my friends ever squealin’. We know how to keep

’ he went on, a trifle ,

ravated tone, as though he considered the question a re-.
flection upon his honor.

 

our mouths shut, and we’re always square with those
that treat us square.”

“So I was told by—er—a certain party who recom-
mended you to me,” said Sayres. “He assured me that I
could rely upon your discretion and loyalty. Otherwise,
of course, I should have hesitated to take you into my
confidence on such a—er—delicate matter.”

“You don’t have to worry,” the gangster repeated.
“Your secret is as safe with me, Mr. Sayres, as if I didn’t
know it.”

“But how about your friend?” inquired the lawyer anx- .
iously.

“You can rely absolutely upon the Spider,” declared Car-
son confidently. “He’s the squarest fellow I know, and
the most careful. That’s why I selected him for the
job.”

“But suppose he should be arrested for that—er—
job?” suggested Sayres. “Do you think they’d be any dan-
ger of¢his implicating us?”

“I should say not,” replied the gang leader. “Spider
would let them kill him before he’d open his mouth. He'd
prefer bein’ a dead one to bein’ a squealer any time, and
so, for that matter, would every member of my gang.

“But, of course,” he went on confidently, “there ain’t
the slightest danger of the Spider bein’ pinched—at least,
not for that job. He’s too good a workman to leave a
trail behind him.”

“I’m glad to hear you say ie
of -relief,

“There was a. funny ithe! happened to-night, though,”
went on Carson, with a reminiscent chuckle. “I thought
for sure, at first, that the Spider had slipped up for once,
and that they were on his track—for I found a cop watch-
in’ his home, waitin’ for him to show up.”

“Ah!” exclaimed Sayres, in a tone of alarm.

“But when I spoke to that cop,’ continued the other,
with another chuckle, “and asked him what the game was,
I thougl# I’d have died laughin’ at his answer. What do
you suppose the big mutt was lookin’ for the Spider for?”

“T haven’t the slightest idea.”

“For stealin’ a horse and wagon,” Carson laughed
noisily. “Imagine any one suspectin’ Spider of bein’ a
horse thief. But, of course, this was a green cop—only
been on the force \a few days.”

Sayres suddenly straightened up in his chair.

“A new policeman,” he exclaimed anxiously. “You didn’t
happen to learn his name, did you?”

“Yes. His name is Armstrong. Why do you ask?”

The lawyer’s face turned pale. His hand trembled as
he refilled his glass from the bottle on the table.

“Carson,” he said, “you’re mistaken. If Tom Arm-
strong is looking for Griffin you can be sure ve it isn’t
‘for horse stealing.”

“What’s it for, then?” demanded the gang leader, in
an astonished tone.

“For that job of the other night.” ;

“Rats!” exclaimed Carson incredulously. “What does
Armstrong know about it? It didn’t happen on his beat.”

“Armstrong knows everything about it,” declared Sayres,
“and I can assure you that even though it didn’t occur
on his: beat, he is very much interested in-it. I guess he’d°
give his right hand to be able to prove that Ae papers
were stolen at my instigation.”

said Sayres, with a look

©

“Well, he won’t never be able to prove it,” declared
Even.

Carson, “so. you don’t: have to worry about that.

   

  

    
leader

lace, and still other scissors for cutting paper, finger nails,

  

NEW. TIP

Spider he won't be able to get a word
out of him. As I said before, he’d rather die than squeal.”

“T sincerely hope that your confidence in your friend is
not misplaced,” said-Sayres earnestly. “I wonder how
Armstrong managed to get on his track? I thought you

if he pinches the

said that the Spider was too. careful a workman to leave’

any trail behind.”

“He always has been,” replied the other. “He must
have slipped up this time. That fellow Armstrong must
be some class as a detective to have found out who did
the job. I don’t know how he managed it, but I guess
something about the Spider’s coat must have given him
away, for Armstrong was around to Levinson, the tailor’s,
to-night, inquiring about a gtay coat which Spider wore
when he did the job.”

He went on to repeat to the lawyer what the tailor had
told him about the young policeman’s mysterious curiosity
concerning the burglar’s coat.

Sayres’ superior intelligence immediately grasped the
significance of that incident which had struck the gang
as being so mysterious.

“T understand now how Armstrong got on your friend’s
trail,” he said, with a frown. “Griffin must have torn
his coat in that house and left a fragment of the cloth
behind. “By means’ of that clew Armstrong has managed
to run him down.”

“Gee!” exclaimed .Carson,
must be a regular Nick Carter.
for bein’ so smart,”

“Oh, he’s stnart enough,”

in an admiring tone. “He
T didn’t give him credit

growled the lawyer, “A darned

‘sight too smart for us to feel safe while he’s on the job.”

He leaned over the table so that his face was very close
to that of his companion, and said impressively ;

“Carson, my friend, one thing is very plain; “we've got
to get Armetrong out of the way. He’s dangerous to all
of us.”

The gang leader turned this utterance over in his mind
before he answered. At length he nodded his head.
“Perhaps you're right,” he said. “I kind of like that cop,

‘but as you say, he knows too much and is liable to be

dangerous, so [ suppose we'd better get rid of him. Which
do you reckon it had better be—morgue or hospital ?”

“Neither,” exclaimed Sayres, unable to repress a shudder
at the cold-blooded question. “I didn’t mean anything of
that sort, Carson. I don’t like violence, if ‘it can be
avoided,” . Ayt8

“What, then?” demanded the gang leader, making no
effort to conceal his astonishment at such squeamishness.

“I’ve got a plan,” said Sayres. “A plan which should
prove as effective as knocking him on the head, or stick-
ing a knife into him, and is much more to my taste. I
shall need your help, Listen!”

Speaking scarcely above a whisper, he proceeded to ex-

plain his scheme to his companion, who nodded his head’

approvingly.
“It’s a good idea,” exclaimed Carson,
sure that we can put it across.”
TO BE CONTINUED.

“and I’m quite

HGH

SCISSORS POPULAR FOR CARVING.
“I thought I knew all about scissors,” said the man. “I
had seen tailors’ scissors for cutting heavy cloth,
dressmakers’ scissors for cutting flimsy fabrics and

   

SOP

 

So a
WEEKLY.
grapevines, all kinds of- metals, and even for shearing

sheep; but in spite of that wide knowledge of*scissors |
was puzzled when I saw the large, peculiarly shaped pair
of scissors lying in the show case.
“What are these scissors for?’ | asked the clerk.
‘Carving meat,’ he said, smiling at my look of in-
credulity. ‘With scissors of this kind carving becomes

‘mere child’s play.’

“*T never saw anybody use them,’ said I.

“*Nobody does use them,’ said the clerk. “That is, only
a very few. In Europe carving scissors are popular be-
cause they cut right through meat, gristle, bone, and all,
but it takes a little practice to learn to manipulate the
things, and nobody in this country has patience enough
for that.”

RP et Be erence

IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

The first duty to be performed in connection with burns
or scalds will be the removal of clothing from the affected
part. The clothing should be cut off and suclr portions
as may adhere to the burning surface should’ ‘be éither
floated off by immersing the burned part’in a bath of tepid
or warm water, of, in lieu of this, the part should be thor-
oughly soaked with olive oil’so as to loosen the portions:
of clothing which may be ‘attached to the burned surface.

After the removal of clothing from the burn, the dressing
of the injury forms the next step. Any form of oily
dressing which can be had may be used for the ‘treatment
of burns. A typical application consisting of equal parts of
linseed oil of thick consistence may be used, ranging from

castor oil to, ordinary olive oil or to vaseline or lanoline.

The pain of the burn is sometimes eased by soaking

‘the burned part in a bath of warm water to which a little
bicarbonate of soda has been added, this measure being

carried out before the application of the dressing, Whiere
oily dressings cannot be found, the surface of, the burn
may be dusted witlr flour or flour and water made into a-
paste, or even painted with ink or whitewash, the main
principle to be followed out, as has been noted, being the

‘exclusion of air. Over the dressing a layer of cotton wool

should be placed and secured in position by a bandage.

A PROBLEM FOR ORCHARDISTS AND MATHE-
MATICIANS.

“Tt had not been a good year for apples, and Adam Buia
expected to do pretty well with those that he had. picked
from. his orchard.
evening, Eve, his wife, said to him:

“Mr. Green, of Pudley, has been in, and he says he will
give you fifty-two cents a bushel for those: five bushels of
cookers.” Mi

“Will he?” said Mr. Brown. “No, thank you, “i shal do 5
better than that.” ute

Sure enough, next day he 1 a ‘third of the apple’ at $75
60 cents a bushel. ni

But after that his luck went wrong. Days passed ea
there was no further bid. A quarter of a bushel of apples
went bad and. had to be. thrown away. Adam was very
glad to take 48 cents a bushel for the remainder.

“You'd have done better to have taken Mr. Green’s of-
fer,” said. Eve, “But you never would listen to advice,’

“Shouldn't have done so. well,” arouses ‘danny seid

Which of them was right? 2 asses aos

 

 

When. he.got back from work i in-the fe

 
 
 
 
a
Rs
5
1
ae
1
54

eo

NEW. TIP TOP WEEKLY.

NEWS ITEMS OF INTEREST.

 

A Job that Would Take One Man Three Hundred Years.

The greatest count of money and sécurities in the history
of the world began at the treasury department on April 1,
when John Burke, former governor of North Dakota,
took the oath of office as treasurer of the United States,
succeeding Carmi A. Thompson.

To protect the nation’s wealth Uncle Sam requires that
the retiring treasurer’s record of the transfer of funds
be verified by a count of the notes, coin, and securities
in the treasury. Secretary McAdoo appointed a com-
mittee to take charge of the vaults, and each vault and
safe was sealed on April 1 in preparation for the count.
Only enough money to keep the wheels of government re-
volving was laid aside for daily use while the counting is
in progress.

It generally requires from two to five months to make
the count. A government’ mathematician has figured out
that it would take one person 300 years to verify Mr.
Thompson’s records. Ordinarily every note, bond, and
other security is counted. Unless a shortage or error is
discovered the gold and silver, stored in bags contain-
ing $1,000 each, is usually weighed, a test bag being bal-
anced against all others for verification.

Armed guards stand over the counters and workmen
to protect them from interference.

Losses have seldom been found in these counts. When
the treasurer was changed some years ago $600 was stolen
during the official count. A laborer engaged to lift the
heavy bags of coin substituted leaden disks for silver
dollars in several bags, involving a five months’ count of
every dollar of the $115,000,000 in the big silver vault.
The laborer was convicted of the theft and the retiring
treasurer relieved by Congress of the responsibility for
the loss.

When Carmi Thompson succeeded Lee McClung as
treasurer he received over $1,400,000,000. He must ac-
count for every cent of that amount, plus the millions he
has since received, minus expenditures.

While the treasurer of the United States handles no
money personally, he\is the only bonded official in his
office. His $150,000 bond covers every subordinate, and
for many years treasurers have urged Congress to order
the bonding of the employees who actually handle the $6,-
000,000,000 which pass through the treasurer’s office an-
nually.

 Dadeiitied Explosion of a “Bomb.”

Theodore Edison, the fourteen-year-old son of Thomas
A. Edison, had an experience in his father’s laboratory,
in West Orange, N. J., that reminded his amused father
of something that happened to him when he was about the
same age. Theodore was experimenting with explosives,
in an effort to invent a floating bomb. The contrivance
exploded: when Theodore did not expect it. A, doctor
picked pieces of glass out of one of Theodore’s
_ the lad will get over it, just as his father got over all his

- mishaps.

» The incident in the life of the inventor which Theodore’s
mishap recalled was the explosion of his chemical labora-
tory which Thomas A. maintained while he was a news-

nds,, but -

boy on a train, utilizing the baggage car for the purpose.
Thomas had to remove the outfit to the cellar of his fa-
ther’s house after that experience, for the railroad could
not view with complacency the burning of a baggage car
every time the boy hit upon some new idea.

Theodore lately got the idea into his head that he
could manufacture a bomb that would float on the water
and explode with tremendous power. whenever it hap-
pened to be touched by a hostile vessel. Friendly vessels
would, of course, be wise, and avoid touching the bomb.
To Theodore’s mind the best way to shape up the device
would be to inclose it in an air-tight bottle and put the
bottle in a casing of cork, so that it would be sure not to
sink.

He had proceeded as far as mixing the explosive and de-
positing it in the glass bottle, when the explosive went off.
Theodore had the bottle in his hand.

Mrs. Edison has decreed that Theodore’s future experi-
ments with explosives shall be under the supervision of
his father.

Price of Young and New Baseball Blood.

There are five ways by which a big league ball club can
get a new player—in a trade or deal, while he is a free
agent, such as a collegian or sand lotter; by purchase,
the player going to the highest bidder; by repurchase, and
by draft.

The number of players secured by these different means
may run all the way from ten to thirty a season, and
as a club cannot carry over thirty-five players at any time
during the season, nor more than twenty-five after May
15, it will be seen that there has to be a liberal pruning of
the new material every spring. :

If out of the new men annually rounded up a club
finds two who prove of big-league caliber, it considers
itself fortunate. Frequently only ene is found, and some-
times none. Some clubs depend almost entirely on pur-
chases for their new players, while others trust more to
the draft.

However, each club spends a good deal of money in its
pursuit of new talent, and it is often the case that the
net result of the outlay of lucre is one player of the first
class. Although there is no standard of expenditure for
new men, the experience of one or two clubs may be said
to approximate the experience of all. Last year one big-
league club expended approximately $22,000 for purchased
and repurchased players, making no drafts. Another spent
$17;500 for purchasing, repurchasing, and drafting.

Say that these are average cases, about what other clubs
expend, and that one new man makes good, then the
price [per year of a new man who makes good would be
from $18,000 to $20,000. If two men make good, why,
each costs just half that much, and the club is doubly for-
tunate, however shrewd may have been the judgment of
its scouts. Add scouting and spring training expenses and
salaries to the outlay and the price of the new blood
still remains big, and that, allows for players returned.

There are exceptional cases, such as $22,500 paid for
O:Toole and the $11,000 paid for Marquard, but there are:
instances. of alleged big sums paid for a minor leaguer

;

 
28 NEW. TIP

about which there is a good deal of humbug—that is, play-
ers figure in the transaction, players who go to the minor-
league clubs along with money for the recruit and who
are figured in the deal as so much money.

Hid in Sack With Loot.

An ingenious ruse led to the arrest of three thieves in a
Paris suburb. Two policemen met three suspicious char-
acters, who dropped a heavy sack and ran off when the
policemen approached.

The two policemen ostentatiously got in a passing ipati
Way Car,
the sack. They emptied it of its contents—a number of
stolen copper fittimgs—and one ‘of them got into it while
his comrade hid near. Presently the thieves returned, and,
seeing the coast clear, grasped the sack to carry it off.
A hand with a revolver emerged through the mouth of the
sack, and in a moment the men were handcuffed.

-It was afterward discovered that in wrenching off the
copper fittings during a raid on a wine shop the thieves
had allowed about a thousand gallons of wine to run
away.

Child Dies After a Slight Shock.

Somebody rang the doorbell to deliver a package at the
home of. Policeman Frank B. Gardner, of East Orange,
N. J., and the result was that the death of his daughter,
Eleanor, 13 years old, was hastened. The child had been
a sufferer for weeks with nervous and heart affections,
and was barely able to get about the house. She was de-
scending the front stairs when the bell rang.

It gave her a start, and in a few minutes she had fainted.
A doctor was unable to restore her to consciousness.

First Ship Built in New York Just 300 Years Ago.

Just 300 years ago, in 1613, occurred the first shipwreck
in New York Bay, and the same year saw the erection
of the first ship ever built by white men on Manhattan
‘Island.

‘Some time after the Half Moon had returned to Hol-
land a company of merchants in Amsterdam sent out five
vessels loaded with goods to be traded with the Indians
in America for furs. Among the skippers. of this fleet
was Adrian Block, commanding a ship called the Tiger.
The other ships having gone to various parts of the new
continent, Block, who had visited Manhattan Island in
1610 or 1611, decided that the lower end of the island was
‘a good place to land and trade. ©

Some time in the latter part of 1613 the Tiger caught
fire and was completely destroyed. In order to continue
‘their trading and the exploration of the surrounding
country, the captain and crew immediately started to build
a new vessel. It may have been that the necessary rig-
_ ging and ironwork for this new vessel had been sayed
from the Tiger, for the work progressed so rapidly that it
was finished and launched early in the following spring.
The ship is generally supposed to have been built on the
site of what is now Fraunces Tavern.

Not only was this the first ship built on Munhasas
Island, but it was the third one built by white men on
the American continent. The first had been built a little
more than 100 years before by Spaniards in California,:
and the second in 1608 by a party of Puglishatea on the
Kennebec. River.

Just what the first two ships: were named is not known,

TOP

but got off again immediately and returned to

WEEKLY.
but Manhattan’s first was called the Ourust... This -name
has been variously translated as ‘‘Restless,” ‘“Restlessness,”
“Strife,” and “Trouble.” It would seem that the latter
would be more in harmony with the feelings of a captaii
and crew who had spent “the long, dreary, and cold
weeks” of an unusually severe winter in building a vessel
without the necessary tools, and -with the most unsatis-
factory material, surrounded by an unknown number of
savages with whom they could not even talk. The more
poetic “Restless,” though, has generally been retained as a
better translation. ox’
The captain, fully as restless as his ship, set out as
soon as it was possible to “explore the bays and shores
of Long Island, into which the larger ships of the Dutch”
had not ventured. Thus the Onrust was the first ship
that ever sailed through the terrifying tide rips between
Manhattan and Long Island, to which Block gave the
‘name of “Hellegat,”’ or Hell Gate, and then sailed on
through Long Island Sound, across ‘Narragansett and
Buzzard’s Bay, coasting Cape Cod, and “made his highest
northing in Pye Bay, which is now called Nahant Bay.”
Such was the first ship that was built on the ground
that later became one of the greatest shipping centers in -
the world. When one considers the size of the vessels
of to-day it is hard to imagine the pride that captain
and crew must have taken in their vessel, which, in spite

of its ability to sail through the most dangerous waters
near where they had settled, was only 44 feet 6 inches
keel, 11 feet 6 inches beam, and about 16 tons burden.

Damages for Result of an Operation.

Mrs. Florence Cann, of 439 Hicks Street, Brooklyn, was
awarded a $2,000 verdict against Doctor. William N.
Luckett, a Manhattan surgeon, by a jury before Justice
Clark in the supreme court, Brooklyn, on account of per-

manent injuries which resulted from an operation the de-

fendant performed on her left leg.

Mrs, Cann went to: the Marlem Hospital in the fall of
1909 for an operation on a fractured arm, and the de-
fendant cut open her leg to get a chip of goad bone to
place on the broken arm. The operation on the arm was
a success, but the one on the leg failed.

A few months after Mrs. Cann left the hospital her leg
showed signs of being infected, and a little later it broke.
Mrs. Cann was in court on crutches, and testified she had
been a cripple ever since.

Ice Steals Oysters. ‘

Long Island Sound oystermen, particularly those along
the Connecticut shore in the vicinity of New Haven and ~
New London, have had ice cakes steal hundreds of bushels —
of oysters from their beds during February and March. —

Extremely low tides have been one of the characteris-
tics of this peculiar winter, some oystermen say the low-
est in thirty years or more. When accompanied with ex- —
treme cold such tides have proved costly to oystermen —
with beds in shallow water. Outgoing tides left the oysters es
bare, and so in danger of freezing. a

When the water drifts back slowly, as it does after
these extremely low tides, it freezes rapidly, when there

‘yare cold, offshore winds, The bivalves get caught in the
grip of the ice. Each incoming ripple adds a bit to the
ice until it hecomes a cake of sufficient thickness to have :
considerable lifting power, Then, as the tide comes ins
with greater force, it lifts the ice cakes to the Anrtace, and

 
  

e

beds. .

 

deposits them wherever wind and tide may take the thief.

*

  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
   
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
   
 
  
   
  
  
  
 

Plan to Develop Iceland.

Schemes are on foot for economically developing Ice-
land by means of port improvements at Reykjavik and
the building of a railway. The port works are calculated
to ‘cost 2,000,000 kroner (about $555,000), and will take
three or four years to complete. The Icelandic , Parlia-
ment has already voted a credit for surveys for a line of
railway from Reykjavik to Thing-Valla, which can now
only be reached en horseback.

The Panama Canal.

Connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans is the func-
tion of the Panama Canal; cutting through the backbone
of the isthmus is the work that has been done at the tre-
- mendous Culebra cut, now nearing completion. On April
1, the vertebra was severed, the Culebra cut was an ac-
complished fact: It is the severing of the “great divide,”
the piercing and jrending apart of the gigantic mountain
chain which stretches from the Aleutian Islands, off the
coast of Alaska, to Cape Horn, the southernmost extremity

of South: America.

Whether one yiews the digging of the canal as a purely
material achievement, in the manner of Americans, or
whether one sees it, as do many of the natives of Panama,
as a defiance of the will of God in parting what the Al-

_ mighty has put together, the making of the Culebra cut
eae tremendous undertaking and surely without prece~
dent.
sary put the bictins of the isthmus it has been neces-

sary to remove almost 100,000,000 cubic yards of earth
and rock and stone. This includes the material of the
F numerous slides which have impeded the work. It was
not without decided and strong protests‘ from nature that
man proceeded in his set task of forcing apart the moun-
tains. He could dig and blast, but nature could fill in.
Only by means of the speed with which ‘the engineers
worked, infinitely quicker in action than the slow processes
of nature, were the efforts of the latter to undo the work
of man thwarted.

Colonel Goethals and his assistants against Mother Na-
ure! The former used steam shovel and crane and dyna-
Hse and the latter heaved and Bee and groaned. The

 

 

 
 
  

.

: is a tremendous gash in Tetuket say all observers,
a aes ago one of them ping upon the extent of

 
  
     
 
 
 
 

   

favor. :
In “The Ne’ er-do- well,” the novel o Rex Beach, which

  
 
 
 
 

   

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. 209
with that cake goes up a batch of oysters torn from their’ “human hands.

The cake floats away, carrying the oysters with it, and.

   

Jt was a mountain valley in the making.
High up ori its sides were dirt and rock trains, dezens of
compressed-air drills, their spars resembling the masts of a
fleet of catboats at anchor—behind these, grimly powerful
steam shoyels, which rooted and grunted quite like iron
hogs.

“Along the tracks, at various levels, flowed a constant
current of traffic; long lines of empty cars erept past the
shovels, then, filled to overflowing, sped away northward
up the valley, to return again and again. Nowhere was
there any idleness, nowhere a cold machine or a man.at
rest. On every hand was smoke and steam and sweat.
The drills chugged steadily, the hungry iron hogs gouged
out the trails the drills had loosened, the trains ralled past
at intervals of a moment or so.

“Lines of electric wire, carried upon low wooden ‘shears,’
paralleled the tracks, bearing the white-hot sparks that rent
the mountain. At every switch a negro flagman crouched
beneath a slating sheet of corrugated iron, seeking shelter
alike from flying fragments and the blazing sun. From be-
neath the drills came occasional subterranean explosions;
then geysers of muddy water rose in the air. Under the
snouts of the steam shovel ‘dobe’ shots went off as bowlders
were riven into smaller fragments. *

“Now and then an excited tooting of ahd: gave warn-
ing of a bigger blast as the flagman checked the flow of

_ traffic, indicating with arms upraised that the ground was

‘coming up,’ Thereupon a brief lull occurred; men hid
themselves, the work held its breath, ag it were. But,
while the detonations still echoed, and before the flying
missiles had ceased to shower, the human ants were moil-
ing at their hills once more, the wheels were turning again,
the jaws of the iron hogs were clanking.

“Through this upheaval the motor cat penetrated, dodg-
ing trains of ‘flats,’ which moved sluggishly to afford them
passage up and down over the volcanic furrows at the
bottom of the gorge or along some shelf beneath which
the foundations were being dug. At times a shovel reached
out its five-yard steel jaw and gently cleared the rails of
débris or boosted some bowlder from the paths with all
the skill of a giant hand and fingers. Up and down the

 eafion rolled spasmodic rumblings, like broadsides from a

fleet of battleships.

“Mile after mile the sightseers rolled on, past scenes of
never-varying activity, past more shovels, more groups of —
drills, more dirt trains, more regiments of men.”

Growth of the Coloted People,

A recent issue of The Crisis contains articles describing

activities of the National “Association for the Advance-

ment of Colored People, 26 Vesey Street, New York, The
total colored population of the United States is given as __
9,827,763, and the ‘aggregate value of. property owned by
negroes exceeds $700,000,000, The education of negroes
and their progress in all spheres of usefulness is noted in
The Crisis, and tabulated statements are made of lynch-
ings.
New aise Giant,
After considerable difficulty it is understood that the

Hamburg-American Line has succeeded in arranging to a

large extent the insurance on the Imperator, which will —

-make her maiden trip to New York in May.

The vessel is worth about £1,300,000 ($6,500,000) , ‘and: is
covered in London up to £250,000 ($1,250,000) against total _
30 ' NEW TIP

loss and salvage charges only. About one-third of the
value is placed with a Continental company. Therefore,
the balance of over £600,000 ($3,000,000) remains wunin-
sured.

Since the loss of the Titanic the lines owning big Boats
have found some difficulty in renewing their policies, and
have had to pay much higher premiums than was the case
twelve months ago, while the underwriters have also stipu-
lated that the lines must retain a large proportion of the
risk themselves, thereby adding further incentive to safe
and careful navigation.

It is reported that the Hamburg-American Line is en-
deavoring to forma combination with other transatlantic
companies with a view to the insurance of their fleets on a
mutual basis. Negotiations are now in progress and are
said to have had already a large measure of success.

Japanese Naval Plans,

The Asahi states that a scheme drawn up by Admiral
Takarabe for the expansion of the Japanese naval esti-
mates, based on an imaginary enemy disposing of 21 battle-
‘ ships, has been accepted. It provides at present for the
construction of 3 dreadnaughts of the most powerful type
and forthe eventual carrying out of a scheme for 8
dreadnaughts, 4 battle cruisers, 8 scouts, and 4o destroyers,
at a cost of $182,500,000. It was originally proposed to
build 8 dreadnaughts, 8 battle cruisers, 16 scouts, and 48
destroyers, costing $270,000,000, but this scheme was cut
down to meet financial exigencies.

Getmany Plans Aerial Fleet.

The German ‘admiralty’s plans for the establishment of a
big aérial navy were published officially. The fleet of air-
ships and aéroplanes is to cost $12,500,000, which is to
be spread over the next five years. The fleet is to be apart
from that connected with the army, on which nearly $25,-
000,000 is to be spent.

A bill providing for the appropriation of $750,000 as

_ the first outlay on the admiralty’s aérial fleet was intro- ,

duced into the imperial Parliament to-day. It calls for
10 naval dirigible balloons of the largest size, of which
8 are to compose the active fleet and two to be held in
reserve. Fifty-four double revolving balloon halls into
which the dirigibles will be able to enter regardless of the
weather are to be erected, and another two kept as a
reserve. A total of 50 aéroplanes, of which 36 are to form
the active fleet, and 14 the reserve, also are to be built,
and these are to be manned by a special corps of 1,452 of-
ficers and men.

The appropriations for this fleet, to be spread over the
years 1914 to 1918, comprise $8,750,000 for dirigibles and
~ $2,250,000 for aéroplanes, while $1,500,000 is asked for in
connection with the pay and maintenance of the crews.

The life of the new airships is estimated at only four
years each.

Al Sharpe Favors “Summer Baseball.”

“If a college ball player wants to devote his summer
vacation to ball playing I can see no difference between
his receiving money for doing that and the fellow who
goes out and sells something,’ said Doctor Albért H.
Sharpe, Cornell football, baseball, and basket-ball coach.
‘Doctor Sharpe said as long as colleges had rules forbidding
summer ball they should be lived up to, but he believed it
would be only fair to allow the college baseball men to

TOP WEEK ip

use their ability through the summer and let them make
just as much money as they can. “There are many poor
fellows on college teams who could materially add to their
finances by playing in summer months. And we all know
that many college men are playing summer baseball,
though not on the surface.”

Held Between Trains.

The strong arm and steady nerves of Henry Eilert, 18
years, of Moonachie Borough, near Hackensack, N. J.,
saved Victor Elsasser, of Moonachie, from death at the
Woodridge Station of the New Jersey & New York Rail-
toad.

Eilert was aboard the 6:33 east-bound train. Just after
it had started Elsasser tried to get on. He missed the step,
fell on the other track,.and lay stunned. Eilert saw an
express approaching on that track. Jumping from his
train, he lifted Elsasser from the track and held him up-
right between the two trains. After they had passed El-
sasser was carried to the station. He soon regained con-
sciousness and went on his. way.

German Army Fund Will Triple Spandau Treasure.

Details of the German army’s increase were published
in an extra edition of the official North German Gazette.
The sum of $262,500,000—$11, 250,000 more than the highest
figure hitherto mentioned—is to be spent.

The most striking new feature of the project is the
scheme to increase the “war chest,’ which has hitherto
consisted of $30,000,000 in gold, by $60,000,000. The pres-
ent “war chest” is made up of gold which formed part of
the French war indemnity. It is kept to enable Germany
to mobilize her forces at any moment regardless of exist-
ing monetary conditions. The gold, which is stored in
the famous Julius Tower, at Spandau, will in future amount
to $90,000,000 instead of $30,000,000.

The annual cost of maintaining the increased military es-
tablishment will be from $45,000,000 to $47,500,000. The
gross increase of army personnel in two years will be 136,-
000 officers and men, and 27,000 horses will be added. The
initial cost of the increase will be met by a “defense tax”
on all fortunes over $2,500 at the rate of one-half of
one per cent. There will also be a supplementary tax of
2 per cent on incomes over $12,500. The recurring expense —
will be met mainly by increasing the so-called “matricular
contributions” of the federal states toxthe imperial treasury .
at the rate of 30 cents per head of population.

The army increase also provides
development of the aérial fleet,” but no details are given.

The reason advanced for the increase of the military es- _
tablishment is the alteration of the balance of power in a

Europe in consequence of the Balkan war.

“Germany,” says the Gazette, “if war were forced upon
her, would have to defend her long frontiers simultaneously
against several enemies.” The underlying idea of the in-
crease is described as an “extension of the principle of —

universal military service in accordance withthe present

status of population.” Reigning princes are to bear the

same taxes as subjects.

Flying Boats fot Icy Zone, ax

Captain Roald Amundsen, discoverer of the south pote: 3
has contracted to buy two hydroaéroplanes, which he will

take into the arctic on his next voyage of exploration in

1914. The captain made his first flight as a passenger with

 

“fresh means for the |
NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. 31

Silas Christoffersen, and announced his plan. Before set-
ting sail from Frisco for the Northwest Passage, in June,
1914, he will study flying scientifically for three months.

Thorwald Nilsen, captain of the Fram, and Helmer
Hanssen, his aid, who accompanied him on his final dash
for the south pole, will be fellow pupils. Knute Sandbeck,
chief engineer of the Fram, will master the theory of
construction and repair of the motors.

Captain Amundsen believes the hydroaéroplane will be
useful for scouting in the summer, when there is much
open water;

French Polar Party Ready.

The end of June will see the departure from Havre of
a French polar expedition under Jules de Payer. The
ends sought, however, are purely scientific, and this expe-
dition will not be a sporting “rush for the north pole.”
The principal’ purpose is thoroughly to investigate the great
abyss which borders the north European submarine con-

| tinent, and to this everything else is to be subordinated.

The expedition, which comprises expert geologists, hy-
drographers, oceanographers, biologists, and naturalists,
will take up its winter quarters in the Franz Josef archi-

o pelago, and the members will devote the long winter to

Be. making astronomical and meteorological observations.

When summer comes the'expedition will be divided into
two parts. The first, under Monsieur de Payer, assisted by
two sea captains, a military aviator, and a navy doctor,
will push boldly northward. The second, under a navy

 Tieutenant, will survey and make soundings among the

canals, fjords, and islands of the archipelago as yet unex-
plored.

Two aéroplanes are included in the expedition in order
to determine if, and under what conditions, they can be
utilized in the polar regions.

Studied Medicine ‘Thirty-seven Yeats in Vain. _
- The oldest university student in Switzerland, Gottlieb
-Laederach, died in Berne this month at the age of 57,
having studied at the University of Berne for 37 years
without having taken his medical degree.
_ Laederach entered the university when he was twenty
years old. He studied assiduously, but, owing to a’ singu-
lar nervous temperament, he could never pass an examina-
ytion. Under the written and oral tests he became so em-
barrassed that he always failed.
_ Laederach, however, had an independent income, and
_ tenacity. He determined to pass the examinations if it
took a lifetime. Many of his student friends became dis-
tinguished doctors. Several became professors of medi-
_cine at Berne, and Laederach attended their lectures, al-
though he knew as much as they did.
Years went by, with the student still striving for his
| degree, Last week he went into the university examina-
tion room for the one hundredth time. He was engaged
3 in writing a series of answers to the questions of the ex-
-aminers when he fell forward on his desk, dead from
heart failure.

Did. Not Need Thumb Prints,
hy three thumbs adorn Harry Rosen, 5 years, of No.
81 East New York Avenue, Brooklyn, it was easy to
find -him after he had got lost recently. His elder sister
taken him to the Bronx and while she was visiting

nds he wandered from the house. Henry Brown found |

him crying at Willis Avenue and One Hundred and Thirty-
eighth Street and took him to the Alexander Avenue police
station. When sister missed Harry she went to the sta-
tion. a

“Pm looking for my little brother,” she said, “He is
easy to identify, for he has three thumbs, one on his left
hand and two on his right.”

Harry was trotted out of a rear room and a policeman
counted his thumbs.

“Three,” said the leutenant.
yours.”

“Take him away. He’s

The Ancients Had Simplified Spelling,

That the Lord’s Prayer was originally written in Arabic
verse was the assertion by Professor C. C. Torry, of Yale,
at a recent session of the American Oriental Society, at
the University of Pennsylvania. To prove his statement
Professor Torry recited a portion of the Arabic version.

Professor Martin Bloomfield, of Johns Hopkins Uni-
versity, cited the Vedic concordance as his authority for

a statement that the ancients used simplified spelling and
that it was more. simplified and sensible than that used
by the moderns.

As an indication of blue blood and of legitimate birth
the ancients used to swear on the thigh, according to Pro-’
fessor C. A. B. Brockwell, of McGill University, Canada.

Old Battleships Will Become Targets.

Within a few years all ofthe first-class battleships that
fought in the Spanish-American War, with a single excep-
tion,. probably will have been destroyed by the shells of
the great dreadnaughts and superdreadnaughts of the pres-
ent Atlantic fleet. The Texas, which Commander Philip '
caused to fight gloriously, has met her doom already in
this way, and now there is a well-founded report that the
battleship Judiana, which was one of Sampson’s first-line
ships at Santiago, is to be dismantled of her guns and
towed to some convenient spot where she can be used as
a target for the newer and mightier ships of the Arkansas,
Delaware, Michigan, Florida, and Connecticut types.

For almost two years, off and on, the battleships of the
Atlantic fleet have been firing at the hull of the old Texas
until to-day there is little of the Texas that could be made
use of as a target, and the officers in charge of the naval
target work are looking about for something to take the
place of that famous ship of 1898. And it is said that
they have about decided that the Jndiana, to build and
equip which the government spent $5,983,371, has been

tentatively ‘selected as the next ship that will be offered
as a sacrifice to show what the gunners of the great At-

lantic fleet can do.

Twenty-two years agp the keel of the Judiana was laid,
and the newspapers printed long articles descriptive of the
mighty offensive and defensive power of the ship that was
then dubbed “the coming queen of the seas.” Four years
later the Jndiana was finished and turned over to the gov-
ernment. The following April, 1896, the Jndiana steamed
for the first time into the harbor of New York, and went
to the New York Navy Yard, where she was visited by
thousands, all of whom “looked, marveled, and admired the
wonderful floating fortress.”

Then followed the Massachusetis and the Oregon, the
last named being the ship referred to as probably the only
one which will, not meet the fate of the Texas. All
America rejoiced and boasted of their country’s possession

J

 
 

32 NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

of what was then believed to,be the finest fighting trio on
any sea.

But the Indiana has long since become obsolete, and
when she goes to her last anchorage to await the bombard-
ment of the ships of the Atlantic fleet, she probably will go
under a name other than Jndiana, just as did the Te.as,
which was riddled under the name of San Marcos when
the name Texas had been given to the mighty superdread-

naught Tevras, a sister ship of the New York, two vessels '

which are nearing completion, and either of which is equal

‘in battle efficiency to a dozen vessels of the old Texas
type. Indiana undoubtedly will be the name given to one
of the superdreadnatghts that will be authorized during
the Wilson administration.

When the /ndiana is wrecked beyond use for target pur-
poses no one will be surprised to see the Massachusetts
and the J/linois and the Jowa follow her into oblivion via
the target route. Like the Jndiana, all these ships are
obsolete survivors of the battle of Santiago.

Nevet Opened Letters,

Arthur Wheeler, a postman, was, at Aldershot, England,
recently, charged with stealing 376 letters, post cards, and
_ packets at Farnborough. Packets of letters were found in
his kitchen, bedroom, and coal cellar, and in his clothing,
but there was no evidence of the letters, some of which
bore dates of more than three years old, having been
tampered with.

The Dog Cherished a Grudge.

A unique story of what is believed to be a case of a dog
carrying a grudge is being told by Louis Kimmerle, who
lives in the outskirts of Nutley, near the Morris Canal.
Kimmerle owns a mongrel dog, mostly bull, which he be-
lieves killed a ram owned by a neighbor, in revenge for
an attack the former made on the dog last fall.

The sheep was lately found dead near the scene of the
dog’s ‘former humiliation, and the dog was covered with
blood, so Kimmerle has accepted the evidence as circum-
stantial, and paid for the dead sheep. Along the canal,
near Kimmerle’s place, is a high embankment, and last fall
the dog came from the house to a field, in which Kim-
merle and several of his farm hands were working, and
to reach it he walked along the embankment.

The old ram was grazing near by, and, according td
Kimmerle, just as the dog trotted by he charged sud-
denly, and, cat Mite the dog fairly broadside, sent him
spinning into the canal below. The incident was the
cause of much merriment at the dog’s expense, and’ was
told with variations throughout the section.

Speaking of the matter now, the dog’s owner says he saw
him sneaking off toward the embankment several times
after, for it was a spot frequented by the ram,.and on
several occasions went out of his way to chase him away
from the vicinity of the sheep. He suspected the dog in-
tended attacking it, but, retaining respect for the prowess
of the woolly animal’s horns or fear of his master de-
terred him.

The ram, which was the only one kept ‘by the owner,
was left out all night, which was an unusual proceed-
ing, as he generally wandered dbout as he pleased. In
the morning he was dead near the embankment and his
owner traced the dog to Kimmerle’s yard by tracks of
blood and wool. ‘

Kimmerle is loath to get rid of the dog, for he says

he does not blame him much for resenting an involuntary
bath in the canal, and also that he never knew him to
show the slightest disposition to kill’ sheep, chickens, or

any other domestic animals during the four years he has

owned him.

Farmer’s Wife Complains of Target Practice.

That the firing of heavy guns off the Virginia capes and
in Chespeake Bay kills fowls in the shell is declared in
a letter to Secretary of the Navy Daniels. The writer is
a farmer’s wife, living on the coast near Cape Henry. She
avers that the business of raising turkeys, geese, and
chickens is being ruined by the target practice of the big
battleships off Tangier Island. A request is made that
Secretary Daniels change the dates for target practice to
midsummer or late fall, avoiding the setting and hatching
period.

The subject was referred to the inspector of ordnance
at Indian Head. He reported that chickens and turkeys
were hatched under all conditions within 400 yards of the
big guns, and that their discharge had no effect on them.
In view of this statement, the secretary held that “the

firing at a distance of ten to twenty miles from the coast —
‘ would not do the damage alleged in the letter.” a

A Wedding on a Raft.

Palm Beach witnessed a novelty in wedding ceremonies
when Frederick Kirchner, of Hamburg, a life guard at
the bathing grounds, climbed aboard a raft in the surf
with Miss Singe Lund, of Stockholm, and was married to

her by O. J. Bulenin, rector at the Scientist Church, of — >

West Palm Beach.

The rector wore conventional garb, but the bride and
bridegroom were in bathing suits. The bride carried a
bouquet of orange blossoms, and had a crown of the same
about her head. Seventeen hundred persons witnessed

the ceremony. Of these,-700 stood in water up to their me pk

necks.
Turtle Bacilli Will Immunize Infants.
Doctor Friedrich Franz Friedmann recently announced _
that he purposed to extend the scope of his work of in- —
jecting tuberculosis sufferers with his turtle bacilli in the
immunizing of infants against the disease by giving them
the turtle treatment.

He repeated the statement he made the day he landed a

in New York, that he had administered the treatment as
immunity to 350 newly born or very young infants eighteen
months ago, and that not only had there not been any ill.
effect in any case, but that he had every reason to bélieve —
that in many cases, where the infant had tuberculous
parents, the development of the disease in the child had
been averted. *

He said that through the immunization of infants tuber-
culosis could be entirely stamped out in a generation.

Queer Burial Requests. pa

The will of Florence, daughter of the late William Ogle
Hunt, and. widow of Luigi, Marquis of Rocca Gradara, —
Italy, who died recently, directed that she should be buried —
in her nightgown, and a white blanket with a red border —
which her husband used to have. ~

If the blanket was moth-eaten, her body was to
wrapped in a green- -plush table cover with embroidered
stripes.

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

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