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No. 91.

NEW YORK, April 25, 1914.

Price Five Cents.

 

Owen Clancy’s

“Diamond”

Deal;

Or, The Motor Wizard’s Five-thousand-dollar Game.

By BURT L.

BY BURT L, STANDISH.
CHAPTER I. -*

CAST ON THE SHORES OF CHANCE.

A chorus of startled cries, a hurried attempt on the
part of passengers in both cars to escape disaster, and
then—a thunderous crash!

It all happened very suddenly. Clancy, who was riding
with Billings in the little roadster called the Hornet, had
just finished saying: “Most accidents are caused by the
féllow in the other car, and, no matter how careful you
are yourself, there is nothing that will save you from
the blunder of a careless driver.” Then the accident hap-
pened.

The Hornet was not involved in the smash. The re-
marks Clancy had made had been inspired by the behavior
of a touring car just ahead.

_ This was a big machine, and’ four men were aboard.
The driver was either intoxicated, or else he did not know
his business. The car lurched and swayed from one
-side of the road to the other, and now and then it
seemed as though it must surely run into the ditch.

The Hornet and the big six-cylinder were traveling in
the same direction, but Clancy was very careful to keep
in the rear. Ahead of the other car, however, a limousine
suddenly appeared. It was proceeding i in the opposite di-
rection.

Then it was that Clancy thade his remarks about care-
less driving. These remarks were dreadfully emphasized,
the next moment, when the six-cylinder machine ran into
the side of the limousine.

The closed car was lifted from its wheels and hurled

t

STANDISH.

from the road into an irrigation ditch. The six-cylinder
car seemed to stand on its head for a moment, and then,
with its bonnet smashed and motor put out of business, it
fell on its side, gasped once or twice, and expired.
Exclamations of horror escaped~the two youths in the
Hornet. Halting the roadster as quickly as possible,
Clancy leaped out and ran to the scene of the accident.

Billings followed close behind him.

There were six people involved in the crash, but only
one of them. was seriously hurt. This was a man who
had been sitting beside the driver of the touring car.

Clancy and Billings helped two men out of the limou-
sine. By the time they had finished that, the friends of

the injured man had carried him to the roadside, and

stretched him out on the grass. “This group from the

touring car was presently joined by a white-haired, pep--
‘pery little man from the limousine.

hed

“It was all your fault!

“You ran into us, and knocked us out of the right of

way! Why didn’t you keep to your own side of the trail?

Was your driver crazy—or drunk?”

“He was neither crazy nor drunk,” said the large man,

who was moodily binding a handkerchief around an in-
jured wrist.

I’m here to shoulder the consequences.

and I will settle it.”
These words rather mollified the peppery person.

“I’m Frederick Holbrook, of the government reclania=

—

¢

    
   
  
     
  
  
  
       
  
   
  
  
 
  
   
   
 
    
   
  
 
 
    
   
  
  
    
   
 

-

piped the angry ‘one from the - 5
closed car, wiping the muddy ditch water from his face.

“He had never managed a car before, and |
wanted to try his hand. The machine belongs to me, and —
My name’s Lo-
renzo Baker. Send the bill for repairing your car to nies

 
  
   
  
  
   
 

 

 

 

 

  
 
 

 

  
  
 

  

. ' NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

tion service,” said he. “The least you can do, Mr. Baker,
is to pay for having our automobile repaired. You were
guilty of criminal carelessness in allowing a raw hand
to drive your car—but I don’t want te be nasty about it.”

“J. shouldn’t think you would,” answered
caustically, “particularly when the ‘raw hand’ is the only
one in the crowd to get laid out.” He turned to a com-
panion who was kneeling beside the amateur driver.
“How is he, Fox?’ ;

“Can’t tell how badly Rattleton is hurt, Baker,” Fox
answered. “He’s still unconscious. We ought to get
him into the hands of a doctor as soon as possible.”

“We want a doctor, and we want some repair men,”
said Baker. “How far is it to the nearest telephone, I
wonder?”

At that, Clancy pushed forward.

“T am from the Square-deal Garage,” said he. “My
friend and I happened to be close by when the smash-up
happened. It’s only three miles to town, and I think
my roadster would carry the injured man and one more
of you to the Phoenix hospital.
go on to the garage, pick up another car, and some help-
ers, and return here.”

Baker and Holbrook gave Clancy their full attention.
“Your name?” queried Baker.

“Owen Claney,” was the reply.

tA look of surprise and satisfaction crossed Baker’s
face,

“Thunder {” he exclaimed. “I’ve heard of you. You're
the fellow they call the ‘motor wizard.’ Therg isn’t any
one I would rather turn to in this emergency... ll ride
to town with you, and.we’ll take Rattleton with us. 1
want you to take complete charge of: my car, Clancy,
and do what you can with it.”

“Do the same with the limousine,” said Holbrook; “and,
Clancy, get some one here to take us on to town as soon
as possible, My friend and I are badly braised, and in
need of a bath,” ‘

“We'll spot be long, sir, + ll teat wizard answered.
_ “Billings,” and he turned to his comrade, “you'll have to
wait here until I get back from town.” is

“Never mind me, Clan,” Billings answered.’ “I’ll- just
stick around the scene of the accident and wait for the
Square-deal crowd to show up. Get busy—I'll take care
of myself.” @

Clancy turned the roadster the other way along’ the
‘road, then Baker took the seat at his side, and the limp
form of Rattleton was lifted into the small machine.
Making’ Rattleton comfortable was out of the question.
Baker, however, supported him across his knees, ad
Clancy started for town at a rapid pace.

In haif an hour he had left Baker and Rattleton at the
hospital, and had reached the garage and reported the

accident to his partner, Lafe Wynn. For a quarter of an '

hour the garage was the scene of feverish activity.

: A large car was backed out of its berth, loaded with
_ tools and other material, and Barton,’ the boss mechanic,
and his helper, Jimmie Fortune, were drafted to follow
‘Clancy to the place where the two cars had come to-
- gether. “a | |
A quick run was made to the spot ‘glk the accident
chad occurred. The arriving party found Lew Billings
alone in the vicinity of the damaged automobiles. |

“A big machine came along,” Billings explained,
y ‘took the rest of the i to town?)

 

hand

py

I could drop you there, ,

Baker

pocketbooks, * and. things like that.

“Glad of it,” said Clancy briskly.
bother with them, and can get right to work at the
wrecked cars.”

While the tools were being unloaded, Clancy made a

“We'll not have to

close examination of the two machines. Baker’s car was
badly damaged, but the limousine did not appear to be
very seriously injured. With quick, sure judgment he
developed ways and means for dealing with the
emergency, and gave his orders to Barton.

In a few minutes all three of the garage men were
hard at work. Billings seemed to be laboring under sub-
dued excitement. He made no move to help Clancy and
his men, but walked up and down the roadside, head
bowed and hands clasped behind his back.

He came out of his reflective mood for a little to
watch the big car from the garage haul the limousine out
of the ditch. When this had been successfully accom-
plished, Clanty stepped to Billings’ side and looked at him
narrowly.

“What's on your rand, Billings?” he asked.

“Call me Lucky Lew,” chuckled the other.
a find.”

“You're always making finds,” said Clancy, smiling. “I
never saw such a fellow for picking up lottery tickets,

prize?”
Billings drew a;,card, about the size of a tudes: aed
from*his pocket, and turned it over to his red-haired

friend. On one side there were marks of erasure, where .

the name and address of some business firm had been
scratched out. On the other side, finely written with 4a
and ink, was the following:

“You can clean up $5,000 as easy as falling off a log.
The lower court has decided the ownership of the Man-
hattan Mine, and I can give you a straight tip: A man
from Denver and a man from New York are’both com-
ing here to buy the Manhattan. See the owner and get
an option,
Yorker. It’s legitimate brokeragé, and you ought to make
a bit of a stake. Don't lose any time, but go to it”

Clancy gave vent to a Jong: whistle, then looked at & Bi a 4

lings keenly.
“What are you intending to do?” he ede.

mein

“T've made

What's the pretta

  

 

 

 

then play the Denyerite against the New

   
    
   
  
  

. “With a.gilt-edged tip like that cast up on the shores ae

of chance,” answered Billings, breathing hard, . “what

would any ambitious chap do? This: find comes in mighty :

pat--seems almost too good to be true. [ve got. to get

five thousand dollars together inside of a week. Doesn’t =|
this chance look to you as though it had been made, a tage

order ?”
Clancy did: not commit himself on that. point.
“Where did you find this, Billings?” he queried. |
“Over there by the fence,” Billings answered, pointing.
“Then you haven’t any idea whom it bélongs to? e
“Not the slightest. It may have dropped out of the

pocket of one of the men who was mixed up in the |
automobile smash, or it may have nothing at ail: ‘to do rig

  
 
 
 

with any of that crowd. There’s nothing on the card to
give a hint as to who did the writing, or as to who lost
it.” Billings pulled himself up to his full height and
flourished one hand. “In the circumstances, Clancy,” he

added, “I believe it is my right to appropriate ™ tip for é

my own use and benefit.” «= RL
"I should think so,”"’ Clancy answered,

. tebe aj

   
   
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
 

 
  
     
   
     
  

  
 
       
  
 
 
 
  
 

 

 
 
 
  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

mesh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thoughtfully.
tip?”

“By getting an option on the Manhattan Mine.”

“Options cost money. How much have you to shell out
for this one?”

Billings winced.

“Don’t be a wet blanket,” he begged. “I’m going to see
if I can’t gather in this option without paying over a
nickel.”

“You don’t even know who owns the Manhattan Mine!”

“T can’t be of any help to you hert, so I’m going to
borrow the Hornet and run back to town. By the time you
get to the garage with the two machines—maybe I'll have
the option on the Manhattan Mine, and be ready to ‘play
the Denverite against the New Yorker.” ~

“You're welcome to the Hornet,’ said Clancy.

With a hasty good-by, Billings ran to the roadster,
turned over the.engine, climbed to the driver’s seat, and
started enthusiastically back toward town. Clancy watched
with a dubious smile until he had disappeared.

“How do you intend to make use of the

CHAPTER IL.
CLANCY GETS AN IDEA.

Billings was lucky in having dazzling openings; which
seemed to point directly toward fame and fortune, un-
fold themselves in his path; but he was unlucky in find-
ing that each and every chance had a recoil, and that. this
recoil always left him worse off than when seeming good

fortune had first come his way.

- All his life Billings had felt that he was * aicedd with

en fire” which played havoc with all his opportunities.
eheecces he happened upon a piece of luck, it had be-
come a habit with him to expect a back fire which would
knock the luck to smithereens. And his Senecanens were
never disappointed.

Left an orphan early in life, Billings had gone to live
with his Uncle Barkley, in Denver. Uncle Barkley was
the proprietor of a wholesale grocery house. Having no

children of his own, he had planned great things for his

brother’s son. It was his great desire that young Lew
should succeed him in the grocery business. To this end
he had put his nephew to work in the wholesale estab-
lishment.

There young Lew’s evil genius had got in its fell work.
Just as Uncle Barkley would congratulate himself on
some lucky stroke of his nephew’s, along would come a
hoodoo of such prodigious proportions that Uncle Bark-
ley’s pride would turn to sorrow and disappointment.

Uncle Barkley came to think, at last, that there must be
something constitutionally wrong with his nephew. So he
turned. him out into the world, to grapple with his destiny

and get the upper hand of his hard luck.
But Uncle Barkley did not send Billings forth to the

fray unarmed. He gave him twenty-five hundred dollars,

and said that if he would return to Denver within a year
with five thousand dollars in cash, he would find an in-

terest in the wholesale house awaiting him; and, as a

bonus, a mere bagatelle of twenty thousand dollars’

On the other hand, if Billings could not plant his twen-

-ty-five hundred and make it grow into five thousand in

twelve months, he was never to return to Denver, or

me darken his uncle’s doors again.

 

   

 

A week more, and the year would be up.

Billings

        

   

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY, 7 oe

had not only spent the twenty-five hundred dollars, but he
had nothing whatever to show for it. He had not a penny
to his name, and, for two weeks, only the generosity of
Owen Clancy had kept him out of the poorhouse.

Chances had come Billings’ way, but Clancy had not
kept the deadly back fire frorm.getting in its work. Two
weeks before, hope had led off with the affair of the lost
strong box of the Walnut Grove Mining Company.

The mining company had thrown a dam across Walnut
River, and backed up the waters so that a. huge lake had
been formed. One night the dam had broken, the com- »

‘pany’s camp below the dam had been swept away, lives

were sacrificed, and a big safe containing fifty thousand
dollars in gold dust had vanished mysteriously.

The strong box, with its weight of treasure, had been
tumbled along the river bed by the tidal wave from the
broken dam. Finally the safe had lodged against the
bank, far down a stream, and the waters had covered
it with sand. There it remained for twenty-five years,
defying the many, attempts that were made to find it.

By devious ways, and after many thrilling experiences,
it fell to Clancy and Billings to recover the gold from
that lost safe. There were eight bags of the treasure—
one hundred and sixty pounds—and its value was upward
of fifty thousand dollars.

Billings felt that he had cause for congratulation. For
unearthing all that gold, he was sure that he, on his
part, would receive at least five thousand dollars, and
could return to Denver in triumph within the year speci-
fied by Uncle Barkley.

But Judge Pembroke, Clancy’s lawyer friend, dashed
Billings’ hopes. ‘The survivors of the old Walnut Grove
Mining Company, and the heirs of those members of
the company who had died, were the owners of the
gold in the safe. These owners would have to be
brought together so as to take action regarding the gold,
and vote on how much was to be turned over to Clancy
and Billings for recovering it. Pembroke believed that
to corral the survivors and heirs of the old company
would require months of time; and he stated decidedly
that not a penny of the recovered wealth could be touched
until the scattered owners had met in Phoenix and given
their authority for dividing the treasure and disbursing it.

If Billings could not get that five thousand dollars with-
in the year specified by his uncle, it would not help him to
make good in Denver. So his hopes of a reward coming
in time to assist him with his uncle went glimmering.

With two weeks of the year left, Clancy and Billings
discovered and nipped in the bud a plot for breaking into
the bank, where the eight bags of gold were stored, and
making away with the treasure.
rose, only to go down to zero when the bank officials
presented him and Clancy each with a gold watch, suitably :
inscribed.

Now, with one more week of the year left, Billings was
ready to grab at any straw of luck Fate might blow across
his path. The writing on that card looked like a chance.
The card was the straw, and Billings had grabbed it.

It was about two o’clock in the afternoon when Clancy, —
Barton, and Fortune returned to the garage with the two
cats that had figured in the accident. The limousine |
came under its own power, but the touring. car had to be
towed. See

“Seen anything of Billings, Lafe?” the motor wizard
inquired, as he stepped into the office.

Again Billings’ hopes
  

Hornet,” “and

seen

“He brought in the Wynn answered,
then dug out: I haven't him since.
don’t seem to be in stich very bad shape.”

“All the limousine needs is an overhauling, but a solid
week’s, work can be put on the touring car. Barton is
getting at it right away: How’s Rattleton, the fellow
Baker and I brought to the hospital?”

“Haven't. heard.”

Clancy called up the hospital on the phone, and was
told that Rattleton had a broken bone or two, but, on the
whole, was better off than Baker had expected to sie him.
He would get well, but it would take time.

After washing the grime off his face and hands,. and
getting into his other clothes, the motor wizard went out
for his dinner, which had been badly delayed that day.
As he returned to the garage, half an hour later, he saw
Billings and Ed Blake—a chauffeur for one of the garage
patrons—pitching and catching a ball in the street in front
of the office. )

Claney’s attention, at first casual, intensified as he
watched Billings’ work. He threw a ball so fast that
Blake dropped it and howled for mercy; then he threw
a ball that curved, and Blake took it in only with the
utmost difficulty. After that he threw a drop which
caught Blake in the shins—Blake’s hands being waist-
high to catch the elusive sphere.

“Say,” yelled Blake, “what’re you tryin’ to do to me?
T'll_ be lame for a week!” ;

“Why,” laughed Billings, “you said I could not put over
a ball you couldn’t catch and hold—providing it didn’t go
wide.”

“Well,” eteatled Blake, “I hadn’t a notion you was
Christy Mathewson in disguise.”

“Where did you learn to pitch, Billings?” Clancy de-
manded.

“Oh,” was the fionchalarit reply, “I used to pitch for a
Denver club. But,” he added, “T don’t claim to be any
great shucks at the game.”

“T’ll catch you, for a while’ Show me what you got.
Burn me with ’em—don’t be afraid!”

Blake retired and limped to the curb, where he sat

' down.

“Go for Clancy same’s you went for me,” he called.

Blake, howevet, was not in Clancy’s class as a catcher.
Neither curve nor drop puzzled the red-headed chap for

_an instant, and, even with unprotected hands, the balls
could not come fast enough to scorch. In about fifteen
minutes, both pitcher and catcher were conscious of a
great and growing admiration for each other.

eyes glistening, “and I never knew you could pitch like
that!”

“And you,” returned the delighted Billings, “why, I
never dreamed you were good for anything but tinkering
_ with motor cars! Say, Clan, you ought to be backstop

in the big league. It’s a wonder some scout sini copped
you out long before this.”

. Blake got up with a grunt, and taped into a garage.

Clancy and Billings put away the ball, leaned against a
_ fence near the garage; and felt as though they were

aes beginning to get acquainted with each other.

  

"growing as the conversation proceeded. Each went into
the past for various exciting episodes of his own in con-
iection with the national game. Suddenly the motor

  

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

Those cars.

“We've been together for two weeks,” cried Clancy, his .

- For some fime they talked baseball, their enthusiasm’

   
  

é

  

wizard had a thought which brought him back to earth
with a bump.

“Did you firid the owner of the Manhattan Mine, Bil-
lings?” he inquired. | I

The smile faded from Billings’ lips, and his face grew i:
long. 1 (

“T did,” he answered.

“Did you get the option?”

“Fe did not. I got ordered out of Rigdale’s office.”

“Rigdale!” Clancy cried. “Well, great Scott! Say, is
he the owner of that Manhattan Mine?”

“T reckon he is. The mine was in litigation, some time
ago, but Rigdale was decided by the lower court to be the
owner. I asked him for an option, and he laughed in
my face. I told him he owed me something on account
of letting me draw a bear at his raffle—but he couldn’t 2
see the joke, Finally he told me to hike, as he was busy.
So I hiked. I reckon,” Billings finished, “that I'll not play
the Denver man against the New Yorker. My hopes of
corralling five thousand by the last of this week are
blasted.”

“I don’t know about that!” 1

Clancy was showing traces of excitement. Tt was not ee 4
often that he let his feelings get out of control, but that) | |
seemed to be the case just then. Pe Cae

“What do you mean?” Billings asked curiously. as, ty

“This is the funniest happenchance I ever heard of. |
Why, Rigdale is a baseball fan! He owns a club, here - Ad
Phoenix !” ee ie

“He was talking baseball isiat I butted in on him,”
said Billings. “Maybe that is what made him so short
with me. His talk gave me an idea that possibly I could oe
forget my troubles with’ a little pitch and catch. Blake one xs a4
had a ball, and we went at it.” : ae R i ae

“You can pitch, all right,” went on Clancy, still ex- -
citedly ; “and Rigdale owns the Manhattan Mine, and he’s |
a baseball fan, and in trouble, and—and——- Oh, hang é
it!” broke off Clancy, jumping away from the fence, “all
this gives me an idea, too, and I’m going to carry it out.
Hang around here until I get back, Billings!” Shoe’

Billings tried to get a little further information out of
Clancy, but the latter was going down the street at a run,
and would not stop to answer questions,

“What in blazes took hold of Clancy, all at once?” mur
mured the puzzled Billings. “I'll be darned if I ever saw
him go off the handle like that before! There is some-
thing important in the wind , pnd no mistake !” :

   
  
   
    
   
  
  
   
   
  
   
   
 
   
  
  
  
  
    
    
   
  
  
  
   
  
 

AS 6A

2 a ae te Poe aa Teg eee Ses

“4e

 

 

 

      
       
       
         
    

CHAPTER III.

CLANCY’S

     

PROPOSITION.

     

The’ motor wizard, on leaving Billings at the garage,
made his way at once to Rigdale’s pool room. Although —
well along in years, and. bald-headed, Rigdale affected
“loud” clothes, and posed as a “sport.” He not only
owned and managed the baseball team known as the
“Panthers,” but he also posed as a fight promoter, and Ay
had staged many a fistic combat, ee

He was not a man with whom Clancy, for his pict
would have cared to have any dealings. But the motor
wizard, that afternoon, was giving more attention to the
needs of his friend than he was to his own’ inclinations. ®

Rigdale was in a little office partitioned off at one cor-
ner of the pool room. He had just received a telegram,

       
      
      
 

  

      
       
   
  
        
   

NEW

 

 

and, as Clancy faced him, he was reading the message
and frowning over it savagely.

“What do you want?” he snapped, scarcely looking at
his caller.

j “The Panthers have a game on for next week Satur-
day, haven’t they, Rigdale?” Clancy asked.

Rigdale lifted his wrathful eyes at that, and demanded:

“What’s it to you?”

“The game,” went on Clancy, “is with the Panthers’ old
enemies, the Prescott Grays. The Grays have been beat-
ing your team right along, so that the Panthers have be-
* . come a good deal of a joke——”

_ *D’you come here to insult me?” roared Rigdale, half
rising from his chair.

“Certainly not,” Clancy returned. “I came here to make
a proposition to you. The Panthers’ stock will slump
pretty low if they can’t win that Saturday game from the
Grays. But the Panthers are in pretty poor shape. Both
of your backstops have quit, and one of your pitchers.
You have two pitchers left, but they’re neither of them
as good as Duveeny, the Prescott man. You-——”

“Where in the nation did you get next to all that?” de-
manded Rigdale.

behind the bat in the next game with the Grays.”
Rigdale’s ratlike little eyes measured Clancy, and. finally
came to a rest on his fiery thatch.
“Then you must be Clancy,” said he, “the fellow they
call the motor wizard?”

“T’m Owen Clancy,” he answered. Gler
“Garlock said you wouldn’t help us out,” sourly.
“ve given up baseball and gone into the automobile

business. I’ve been thinking the matter over, however,
Ay and have a proposition to make you.”

b “Make it.”

|. “First, let me know whether you own the Manhattan
}. Mine”
nt Distrust arose in the other’s eyes.
| “The lower court upheld me in the ownership of the
_ Manhattan some time ago,” was the answer. “What's
that got to do with your proposition ?”

— “T'11 tell you, in a minute. As your team is now, the

 

ae Grays will beat the Panthers to a standstill, Isn't, that
i Pigaee
ae Rigdale scowled, and gurgled in his throat.

“Suppose,” continued Clancy, “that I volunteer to go be-
hind the bat, and suppose I bring a pitcher along with
; me?” :

Rigdale began to take deep interest.
“You'll catch?” he asked* eagerly; “and you'll bring a
: pitcher—a mound artist that can hold Duveeny?”

 

 

  
 

“Yes,” was the deliberate response, “I’ll come, and Til
bring a pitcher—for a consideration.”

  
 

     
     
 
   

“T’ll give you a hundred dollars for the game,” Siked
- Rigdale, “and you can make your own deal with the
pitcher; either split even with him, or keep the. lion’s
share of the hundred for yourself.”

_ *That’s not what I want. Fact is, Rigdale, if we lose
the game I don’t want anything; but if we win, it will
be the pitcher and I who will tarn the trick, and I’m
going to come down on you hard.”

 

     
    
      
   

taken a turn which made him very curious.

] “Garlock, your captain, was trying to get me to play’

that proposition of yours, Clancy.

Clancy, handing back the paper.

_Rigdale was still distrustful, but the conversation had

 

TIP TOP WEEKLY. : 5

“Here's tle proposition. If the game with the Grays is
lost, the pitcher and I are to have nothing; if the game
is won, then you are to give the pitcher a six months’
option on the Manhattan Mine at forty thousand dollars
—and that option is not to cost the pitcher a cent!”

Rigdale nearly fell out of his chair. As he recovered
Himself somewhat, he rubbed his bald head slowly with
a gay silk handkerchief, and studied Clancy’s face.

“You got a nerve!” he muttered. “Why should I give
a six months’ option at forty thousand, eh?”

“That is the price you have been asking for the mine.
You're asking it now, but no one wants to buy.”

“A chap was in here only to-day, and wanted an op-
tion! I reckon the Manhattan’s prospects are looking up.’

“The chap who was in here to-day is the one I’m trying
to get this option for. He is the pitcher.”

Agaitt Rigdale was startled.

“So that’s your game, is it?” he mused. “You think you
and this pitcher can win the game for the Panthers?”

“We wouldn’t be inthe game at all if we didn’t think
so,” Clancy answered, with confidence.

Rigdale bowed his head- and rubbed his chin thought-
fully.

“That’s about the same as giving yod and the pitcher
a thousand dollars,” he grumbled, “which is some pay
for a couple of hours’ work on the diamond. But”—he
hesitated, looked at the telegram that lay on his desk,
and his little eyes sparkled queerly—“I’m going to accept
Go out to the park
and practice with the boys, you and the pitcher. I'll put
Garlock wise. You’re right when you say I’m eager to
have the Panthers win the forthcoming game. If we nail
that, the townspeople will take notice, and their interest
will revive. It’s bad for the sport, in any town, to have
the home team make a poor showing continually. I can
depend on you?”

“Yes,” said Clancy, “but put the agreement in writing.
That’s the only businesslike way to handle the matter.”

“A verbal understanding is as good as a written agree-
ment,” hedged Rigdale. ;

“Not always,” insisted Clancy.

Rigdale pulled himself reluctantly up. to the desk and
made ready to write.

“What's the pitcher’s name?” he queried.

“Lew Billings.”

Rigdale wrote for a few minutes, then blotted the writ-
ing, and handed the paper over to the motor wizard. The
latter read as follows:

“In case the forthcoming game between the Phoenix
Panthers and the Prescott Grays is won by the Panthers,
I hereby agree to give Lew Billings, pitcher for the
Panthers, an option on the Manhattan Mine for six

months at forty thousand dollars, the option to cost said

Billings nothing. Dave Ricpae.”

“Just put in the date the game is to-be played,” said
“That point seems a
little indefinite.”

Rigdale did as requested. Clancy folded the sheet and
thrust it into his pocket: His face was beaming as he

bade Rigdale good-by, and hurried out of the pool room. :

“T made this diamond deal’ the red-headed chap —
chuckled, “by keeping informed of what was going on, en
and by discovering, at the last moment, that Billings —
       
    
     
  
   
   
   
   
 
   
  
  
  
  
   
   
     
  
     
  
 
 
    
 

  

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6 | , NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

 

could pitch. Talk about your happy ideas!
that one was all right.”

Billings was waiting for Clancy outside the garage.
So curious and eager was the Denver lad that he ran to
meet his friend the moment the latter hove in sight.

“You've pulled off some scheme or other, Clancy!” de-
clared Billings. “I can see it in your face, What is it?”

“Cast your eye over that,” and Clancy pulled the agree-
ment with Rigdale from his pocket.

Billings read the paper with a happiness not unmixed
with surprise and apprehension. f

“Well, strike me lucky!” he gasped, peering at Clancy.
“You must have been pretty well informed regarding

baseball matters, Clancy, in order to go at Rigdale in

this sort of style.”

“l’m bug on the national game,” Clancy laughed. “I
always keep informed regarding matters pertaining to the
diamond. I knew. Rigdale’s club was up against a hard
proposition in the fight with the Prescott Grays, and I
knew Rigdale was moving heaven anc earth in the at-
tempt to get a new battery. I had been approached to fill
the. position of backstop. When I happened to find out
that you had some pitching tricks up your sleeve, Billings,
I thought I saw a chance to get that option from Rig-
dale. So I worked the scheme through, and that agree-
ment is the result.”

Billings grabbed Clancy’s hand.

“By George,” he cried, “if I win out on this proposi-
tion Uncle Barkley batted up to me, it will be because I
had Owen Clancy plugging on my side! That’s right. I
had about lost hope when I blew into Phoenix and asked
you to help me, but you shaped me around and gingered
me up. You would put heart into a turnip, Clan! I have
had two tries to make good with Uncle Barkley, here in
Phoenix, and each of them failed. Now your ‘diamond
deal’ is offering me a third chance, and I’m going to jump
in for all I’m worth, and make it pan out.”

“That the stuff!” exclaimed the motor wizard ap-
provingly.

Suddenly a worried expression crossed Billings’ face.

“Am I good enough to pitch’ against the Grays?” he
asked. “What sort of a pitcher have those Prescott fel-
lows got?”

“He’s a good pitcher, all right. His name is Duveeny,
and I’ye seen him work. He isn’t any better than you,
Billings.”

“What sort of support will the Panthers give me?”

“We'll get busy with that bunch and find out, before we
are many days older. We-will go to the ball park
and

Just at that moment, Lafe Wynn came out of the street
door of the office and looked around searchingly. His
face cleared when he caught sight of his partner.

“T say, Clancy!” he called. ' “Judge Pembroke just
phoned. He wants you to come right over to his office,

 

and to bring Billings if he’s handy. I see he is handy, and

you can skip right along.”
“What does he want with us? ” the motor wizard asked.
“He didn’t say. From the way he spoke, though, I
think it must be important.” | ,

Clancy and Billings turned their faces at once’ in the

__, direction of the judge’s office. — \

“Wonder what.this business has to do with me?” Bil-
lings: muttered,

Say, I guess”

oo.

CHAPTER IV.

_ CONCERNING A MINING COMPANY.

Ever since Owen Clancy had come to the Southwest,
and had gone into business with Lafe Wynn, Judge Pem-
broke had been his friend and adviser. Naturally, the
gold recovered for the Walnut Grove Mining Company
constituted a problem which Clancy had turned over to
the judge for solution.

Pembroke was sitting at his desk writing, when Clancy
and Billings entered the room. He laid down his pen,
welcomed his callers, and smiled genially as he waved
them to seats...

“I told you, when the safe of the defunct Walnut Grove

Mining Company was found, and the gold recovered and.

stored in the bank,” said the judge, “that nothing could
be done with those -eight bags of nuggets until the sur-
vivors of the original company, and the heirs of those who
had passed away, had been notified to meet and take action
regarding the treasure.”

“Isn’t that the way of it?” spoke up Billings excitedly.
“Can the gold be disposed of without waiting for the mem-
bers of the original company, and the heirs of members,
to engineer the matter?”

The judge shook his. head.

“No,” he answered, “not an ounce of that gold dust can
be legally touched until the representatives of the old
company meet and decide what is to be done with it. That
is not the point I have raised, Billings. When you and
Clancy léft the gold at the bank, and asked me to take
charge of the matter and round up the rightful owners
of the treasure, I told you it would: probably be months
before a meeting of the claimants to the gold could be
brought about. I find that I was wrong in this. I have
been unexpectedly successful in locating all the members
of the old company, and the heirs of those members who

re dead. There are not so many as I supposed. Orig-
inally, six men formed the company. Two of the six .

have passed to the great majority, and one of these left
two children, and another four. Altogether, as you see,
there are ten claimants.
Denver, one in Prescott, and all the others are within a
short ride of Phoenix.”

“Bully!” exclaimed Billings.

“When are the claimants going to meet?” naked Clancy.

“Next week Saturday, in the forenoon,” Pembroke an-
swered. “I have had responses from all ten of the hejrs
and original members of the company.”
a laugh to Billings. “So,” he went on, “it is altogether

likely that you will know what you are to receive as one rt

of the finders of the treastire in ample time. for your
needs.”

“Next week Saturday is the last,day !” cea Billings.
“If something doesn’t happen then, my goose will be
cooked.”

“My data is not very complete so far as the minor de-

tails of this get-together meeting are concerned,” pro-
ceeded the judge. “I am positive regarding the number of
claimants, however, and the meeting will be lawful and in
due form. It transpires,”
“that a man named Billings, who lives in Denver, is one
of the claimants.” :
Billings caught his breath.
astounded.

“Strange,” mused Billings, ‘

One of the original six lives in

and Pembroke’s eyes twinkled,

Clancy was likewise cs

‘that any one of that name

     

 

      
       
       
      
       
       
       
   
       
       
   
   
     
     
   
     
     
     
     
   
       
 

He turned with

    
  

  

i should be mixed up in this! What is the full name of
this Billings who has a right to part of the treasure,
judge?”

“J, Barkley Billings!”

Billings went pale, and put up his hands weakly.

“Unele Barkley!” he whispered. “Can you beat it?

Everything like that happens to me because I am Lucky

Lew. I’ll bet Uncle Barkley makes me look like Back Fire

Billings, though, before he’s done with this bag of tricks.”
Clancy drew a dazed hand across his eyes,

. “It--it doesn’t seem possible that Billings’ uncle should

4 be one of the original mining company,”

“Things don’t turn out that way in real life, judge. Of
all the millions of people in the western half of the coun-
try, Billings’ uncle happens to be one of the ten who
own this gold Billirigs and I recovered!”

“There may be a mistake,” went-on the judge, “and an-
other Billings may be the rightful owner of a part of the
treasure, but-—~”

“That’s the way of it, take it from me,” cut in Billings,
, nodding his head sagely. “Uncle Barkley isn’t the Bil-
\lings—it’s some other Billings.”

“Tf that is so,” returned the judge, “then vi didn’t
your Uncle Barkley refuse my ‘invitation to. ¢conie here
and meet with the other claimants? He seemed to know

all about the fost safe; and he didn’t*say a ‘word about

| not’ being the person who had a right to’ some of ‘the
safe’s contents. He'll be here, all right, and meet with
the other owners of the gold on Saturday morning.”

“Even if it is a mistake,” laughed Billings, “I’m mighty
glad Uncle Barkley is coming to Phoenix, Like enough,
Tl be able to hand over ten thousand dollars to him in-
stead af five thousand.” —

Fi - “You'll be lucky, I think,” said the judge, “to vet five
thousand for yoarselt out of the representatives of the
mining compaty.”

“T don’t have to depend on them, Thanks to Clancy,
a have another string to my bow.”

“Ph?” The judge lifted his brows and cast a quizzical
kee at the motor Wit e. _ “What's fhe ‘second string,
~ Clancy?” oe Ba) s

Clancy explained ai the: Rigdale option. The: judge,

- who had been passing out surprising statements for some
time, was now astonished in. his turn.

“Well, by Jové!” he exclaimed. » ‘

ws "What's wrong’ with my astecméat with Rigdale’ Pr

ee “Claney asked fearfully.

“The judge had the agreement in his francs

' “Nothing,” said he, “only coincidences’ are. aie it

pretty’ strong in this neck of the woods, jtist about now.

I was just about to close a deal with Rigdale for an op-

r aes :

it

iar

7

Came
PO Pn

  

 

 

   
     
   
       
         
      
     
       
     
     
     
       
     
     
     
     
     
     
        
  
    
     

  

re

Us linger, another Denver man. Rigdale wanted rather more

* for the option, though, than I cared to give. You are
a very clever chap, Clancy, and that option, in the natural
course of events, should easily earn ei thousend yen
for Billings”

Va Sean to a joyful cry.

“TE reckon I’ve got a double cinch on ehat proposition
of Uncle Barkley’s, eh?” said he.
and get a rake-off from the representatives os the old
mining: company! Some head!”

“Clancy seems to have furnished most of the hhead-
ms ate Pp meenes ene dryly.) 22>

  

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

he muttered.

tion on the Manhattan Mine—in the interest of: Grol-

"Billings threw up his head, slapped his chest, and gave

“Tl get the option —

“Sure, he did!” answered Billings.. “And Clancy is
going to get good pay for all the help he’s giving me. We
understand each other, judge. Eh, Clan?” and he turned
to the red-headed chap.

Clancy smiled and nodded.

“Before you secure the option from Rigdale,” he cau-
tioned, “don’t forget that we have got-to beat the Prescott
Grays.”

Billings, remembering that, was suddenly dashed.

“That’s so,” he said. “I’m to be in the box, and you're
to be behind the bat—and you're taking a long chance with
me, Clancy !”

“I. shall make ita point to see that game,” averred the

judge, rising to indicate that the interview was over..

“Rest assured that I shall do what I can to see that you
both get a square ical from the gold claimants .who meet
Saturday morning.”

Clancy and. Billings left the judge’ s' office.

“Feel. as though I was walking on. air!” babbled Bil-

lings. “I’m mighty sure, now, of. pulling down: the. five
thousand for. Uncle. Barkley, and that will feather’ my nest

for: keeps. Clan, let’s go and celebrate.”
“Don’t celebrate toe seon,” -Clancy answered, as. they
walked along the street. ae S many a slip *twixt the

-ecup-and- the lip, old. man.”

Gloom filled Billings, for the moment,

“Sort of strange to hear: you talk in: hat wey,” re-
marked.. sich
. “Tye ie a hunch, ” Claney sanunbia,

“What sort of a hunch?”

“Why, that the unexpected is. going to hit our ptentic
tions and. knock ’em galley-west.”. ;

“You mean you have a hunch that your. diosnigi Gua
is going -to fail ?’’-
. “No, Billings, I, believe that diamond deal. is-. going to

. succeed, I feel positive that you and I are going to. help.

the Panthers clean-up on the Prescott Grays; and I anr
almost certain . that. Rigdale will fulfill his agreement
and give you the option.”

“And. you think I can’t realize on. the option i in 1 time to
make. good with Uncle Barkley ; oe

“No,” Clancy answered, an odd, puzzled light-i in his eyes,
“T hadn’t thought of that.
there are two different people after the Manhattan. Mine,
you'll not have much difficulty realizing on the option. I

don’t know just which direction trouble is coming fram,
_ but I have a foreboding that it is on the way.’

“Darn! ¢ grunted Billings. “I was feeling’ confident, for

the first time in a_ month of. Dine, moons, and now your

hunch takes all the pep out of me.” :
“TI don’t want it to take pep out of yeu,” said (Siaty
earnestly, “but to put pep into you.

Understand? You're not sure of the five thousand, Bi
lings, until you get it right in your hands.”

Billings emitted a long breath of relief.
“Now, I get you,” said he. “You havé a notion that I

will lie down, during the ball game, because I feel so
certain of copping out what I need from the meeting on
Saturday morning. Don’t worry. I’m going to work both iy

ends of the game for all Iam. worth. I know, Clan, that
I’m not sure of anything until I get it right in my © mitt.

I'll pitch as I never pitched before, and Duveeny wit

have to go. some if he puts it over me. It’s. pleasant.

»

If you get the-option, and if

Don’t be so confident
of getting five thousand from the representatives of the
old mining company that you won’t try to beat the Grays.

    

Se ee cae hk et se ea en eS
 

 

   

 

 

ae NEW

ALE

know, though, that if we do lose the game and the Rig-
dale option, there’s the gold in the bank to fall back on.”

Clancy was afraid that Billings would- not be on his
mettle for that ball game. Billings, however, seemed to
appreciate the uncertainty of affairs, and to be deter-
mined to do his utmost to cover both points, in order that
neither opportunity might fail through overconfidence on
his part.

“T am mighty glad,” banarced Clancy, “that your Uncle
Barkley is going to be in town. His presence will help
to keep: you on your toes.”

Billings looked ominous.

“The old gentleman is a man of his word,” saidy he.
“He'll either take me in his arms, or kick me out of
town—next Saturday evening.
stack up. _He——”

Billings broke off his remarks. A young, stockily built
fellow was crossing the street toward them, waving one
hand, and callin, Clancy’s name.

“It’s Garlock,” murmured the motor wizard,
“He’s captain of the Phoenix Panthers:”

halting.

CHAPTER V.
PRACTICING WITH THE PANTHERS.

“Howdy, Clancy!” Garlock called. “Rigdale “just. told
me you have promised to help us out in our next game
with the Grays.”

“Tm down for that one game, Garlock,”
swered.

’ “Wish you were goin’’on with us permanently,” said the
captain of the, Panthers, in a vere voice. “Wouldn’t
consider that, would you?”

“Hardly,” Clancy laughed.
might object.”

“I see. Rig said you had a pitcher for us, too.”

“Here he is, Garlock. Shake hands with Lew Billings.”

Garlock and Billings greeted each other. Clancy saw
them look each other over with sharp, appraising eyes.
Garlock seemed disappointed, for Billings’ appearance did
not suggest the athlete. It was a case, however, where
appearances were deceitful.

“Can you give a few afternoons to practicing with the
rest of the team?” Garlock asked.

“Certainly,” the motor wizard answered. “The Grays
are a pretty good handful, and we want to get so we can
work together. When do you want us?”

“Tuesday aftersipott, at three o’clock, dt the ball park.”

“We'll be there.”

The captain strode off down the street. Out of dike tails
of his eyes, Clancy could see him looking back, and evi-
dently trying to figure out just how much of a fellow
Billings was, anyhow.

“Garlock looks like a bruiser,” remarked Billings, “and
while he was talking with us I could see that he had a
chew of tobacco in his mouth.”

“Never mind that, old man,” said Clancy soothingly.
“We're only working with Rigdale’s crowd because we.
have to in order to get the option.”

“T have always been told that tobacco, in any form, is
bad for athletes. That isn’t the reason I keep away from
it—I dislike the stuff on general principles.” 7

“Same here. I guess Rigdale isn’t very particular

Clancy an-

“My partner in the garage

‘whether his men smoke, chew, or drink, just so they’re out

for practice and don’t miss any of the games.”
, |

‘

 

It all depends on how I

    

TOP. WEEKLY.

   
 

“Pretty lax, Clan. No wonder the Prescott Grays are
winning all the games.”
Clancy chuckled.

“When it comes to chewing, smoking, and drinking,”
said he, “the Grays are as bad as the Panthers—not much
to choose between them. I understand that players for
the two clubs are picked up wherever they can be found.
Rigdale, at least, isn’t the sort of man to look very closely
into a man’s character. Whisky and tobacco users, ho
doubt, can play tolerably good ball for a time—but they

_ don’t last, like the abstainers, and they are never quite

so good physically.”

Tuesday morning, a couple of uniforms were sent
around to Clancy’s lodgings. A little after two, the
motor wizard and his friend got into the uniforms and
were driven out to the ball park by Gard Benner.

About a dozen of the Panthers were assembled, and,

with these, there were enough outsiders to form two |

nines. Rigdale was in the grand stand, clad in‘a light
suit of tweeds, and wearing a carnation in his buttonhole.
The brim of a panama hat was ‘pulled down over his eves,
arid he was watching the players closely. :

As Clancy and Billings passed the grand’ stand on the
way to the diamond, Rigdale got up and called’ to the
motor wizard.

“What* is it?” Clancy asked, moving closer to Rigdale.
“There’s another pitcher here for a work-out,” Rigdale
answered. “If I like the other man better than I do-
your friend, it'll be all right if I scratch your friend’s
entry for the Saturday game, eh?”
“Tt will not be all right!” Clancy cried. “You have
agreed to use Billings and me for your battery during
the game, and are to give Billings an option in case the
game is won by your/team, If Billings doesn’t play, then

I don’t.”

An ugly gleam shot from Rigdale’s ratlike eyes. _

“You’ve got me tied up to beat four of a kind,” he
said. “Say, do you know I was offered two thousand
cash for a thirty-day option on the Manhattan Mine at
forty thousand dollars? That happened this morning, but
you had me lashed to the mast with that agreement, and ~
I couldn’t do a thing. Tl give you five hundred dollars
if you'll give me that paper I signed, and let. me tear it
up?”

“No,” said Clancy firmly. “We are going to bad by
that agreement, and you will have to.” :
He went, on into the field with Billings. The latter. had
overheard the conversation, and hardly knew whether to.

be cast down or elated.

“That agreement for the option i already worth some-
thing, Clancy,” said he, “but do you think Rigdale would
try to throw the game to the oe so he wouldn’t have —
to give me the option ?”

Claney looked very serious, and a bit doubtful. —

“Rigdale is out for the coin, Billings,” he returned. “I
think he wants his club to win, but I also think he would
do all he could to present the Grays with the game if he
could clean up a few thousands on that option. Already
he’s sorry he made that agreement.”

“Who do you suppose offered him two diitnead dollars
for an option?”

“Rither the man from Denver, or the man from New —
York. They are fighting each other, you know, and are
anxious to do what they can to get an advantage. But

4

  

 

 

 

 

 

 
   

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sea Fah tsa ee dee i ait
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in from the field when sides were changed.
give the rest of the team something to do, though, you'll

in the grand stand and glared wrathfully.

we'll sit tight until after the game. If the Panthers win,
you'll be in a position to sell your option to either the
Denver man or the man from New York.”

“But we’ve got to win!”

“Yes, we’ve got to. If necessary, we'll have to fight our
own team in order to make it win.”

Garlock introduced Clancy and Billings to the different’

players. After sizing them all up, Clancy decided that
Garlock was the best of the lot.

“The boss has a man he wants to try out as a pitcher,
Clancy,” said the captain of the Panthers, “so I- reckon
Til let your man. sit on the benches for an inning or
two.” :

“Then Til sit with him,” said Clancy. “I don’t want to
catch any other pitcher. Billings and I have our signals
—and I haven’t any time to waste on any one else, any-
how.” :

Garlock did not like this, but he had to stand it.
The scrubs went to bat, in the first inning, and penton
the new pitcher for six runs.

“T reckon that’s enough for you,”
to the crestfallen mound artist. “Maybe you can pitch
hay, but when it comes to a horsehide, you’ve a lot to
learn. Good- -by.”

The scrub pitcher held the regular team to a goose egg
during the second half of the first, and Rigdale sat back
In the first
half of the second, matters began to brighten for the
regulars.

Billings was pitching, and Clancy was behind the bat.
Billings tried out his balls warily on the«men at the
plate.

The fast one, he curve, and the drop—all these were
put through in splendid style. And then there was a
fourth one—Clancy called it the “bowknot?—and it cer-
tainly was a teaser.

Billings had the same method of delivery for all the
balls. Thus, no batsman could ever tell, by the way the
sphere left Billings’ hand, what sort of a ball it was
going to be.

Either it came through like a bullet from a gun, or it
curved, or dropped, or twisted itself uncannily around
the ash club—the delivery never varied. Garlock watched,
wide-eyed and breathless, while Billings struck out the
first three men up. Rigdale chewed at an ‘unlighted cigar,
and tried to hide the admiration he felt. ~

“Tf that’ Billings pitches as he’s doing now on next
Saturday,” he’ muttered, “and if Clancy is the sanfe kind
of a backstop, it will be a pitchers’ battle, any the Grays
won't be m it!”

“Good work, Lew!” whispered Clancy, ‘as Billings came
“If you don’t

“never find what sort of support you have.”

  

_ wide one.
the shortstop’s hands, then, by a whim, Garlock told Bil-
_ lings to take a stick and get busy.

“Tl allow a little hitting, next time,” returned Billings,

“but Pll try and make it anything but safe.”

Clancy was the first man to bat for the regulars. He
lifted the ball mto the deep blue, and was roosting on the

third bag before it got down and into hands where it was

liable to prove dangerous.

The next man struck out, and Clancy came home on a
The third man to bat dropped a pop-up into

growled the captain |

 

 

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. ‘9

Billings was at the tail-end of the line-up, and he was
batting out of turn. Garlock, perhaps, was anxious to
see what he would do in the batsman’s box before he
went again to the pitcher’s mound.

As a rule, a good pitcher is usually a poor batter, There
are certain notable exceptions to the rule, but they prove ~
the rule rather than set it aside.

Billings astonished everybody, even Clancy, by lifting
the ball over the fence for a home run..

“He’s a wonder, Clancy!” murmured Garlock.

“Watch him run the bases!” returned Clancy. “He’s
passing the bags like a scared coyote’ making for home
and mother.”

Billings was easily the star of that afternoon’s work-
out. Even Rigdale arose to his feet and applauded him.

The Panthers, at first inclined to treat Billings with
loftiness and contempt, were all admiring him, and try-
ing to court his favor before the third inning had passed.

“You're some player, bo!”

“Wisht I could swat ’em out all same you!”

“What’s that funny ball you hand out which nobody
can’t come within a yard o’ hittin’? Say, it gives me the
blind staggers jest to watch it!”

_ These were a few of the friendly comments wih
greeted Billings every time he came in from the field or
finished a round of the bases.

Only six innings were played during that practice
game. When they were over, and Clancy and Billings
were about to leave the ball park, a tall gentleman came
around the end of the grand stand, halted at a distance
from the diamond, made a trumpet of his hands, and
shoutéd for “Lew! Oh, Lew!”

At the, first sound of that voice, iauaige ‘tien above the
chatter and — of the players, Billings gave 4 fright
ened jump.

“What’s the matter with you, Billings?” Clancy asked.

“Oh, snakes!” was the answer. “There’s Uncle Bark-
ley, over there, and he’s calling for me!”

“Why don’t you go over and see what he wants?”

“Come. along, Clancy,” returned Billings, reaching out
his hand ; “I don’t like to tackle it alone.”

CHAPTER VI.
DINNER WITH UNCLE BARKLEY.

“How are you, Lewis?”

Uncle Barkley. put out his hand in a friendly way
toward his nephew. Clancy, who was not far off, thought
the. wholesale groceryman’s eyes scrutinized young Bil-
lings rather sharply.
# “Oh, so-so,” Billings answered, in some confusion.

Uncle Barkley had gray hair, wore tortoise-shell. nose
glasses, and had flinty blue eyes. His face was creased
with hard lines. It was a commercial face—the face of a

man who loved success and hated failure.

In spite of his friendliness, Uncle Barkley’s attitude was
noncommittal. He was not yielding an inch of. the posi-
tion he had taken almost a year previously. Clancy could
see that plainly enough:

“Who is _ your friend, Lewis?’ asked Uncle Barkley,
nodding toward the motor wizard.

“Ah—er—Uncle Clancy, ‘shake hands with Owen Bark-

ley. That is—I mean—— Hanged if I know what I mean! oq

Shake hands, anyhow.” :

 

  
  

Billings was badly rattled: The cold stare of those flinty
eyes was enough to rattle anybody.

, A dry’smile curled the lips of the wholesale Srocery-
man. He put out his hand:to Clancy.
“We know what he means, Owen Clancy; even if he
doesn’t say it,” said Uncle Barkley.

To his surprise, Clancy found the handclasp warm and
cordial. There was some warm blood in Uncle Barkley,
after all.

“T’ve heard about you,
Billings; “in fact, J
exhaustive inquiries
pleased me very much.

young man,” said the elder
have taken pains to make rather
concerning you. The result has
It was a good thing for Lewis
that he found such a friend.” He turned to his nephew.
“I. want you and Claricy,” added Uncle Barkley, “to take
dinner with a friend of mine and myself at the Glad-
stone, this evening. You'll be there?”

“Sure we'll be there!” declared Billings. “Mighty nice
of- you, Uncle Barkley. I’m delighted to——”

“Don’t slop over, Lewis,” cut in Uncle eee turning
away.

He strode through the gutta, climbed into an automobile,
and: was: whirled off down’the road. Billings stood took-
ing after-his departing relative a bit ruefully.

_ “Phat’s the old pirate,” said he. “What do you think
of him, Clancy?”

“Strikes me as being a pretty fine old chap,”
answered,

Clancy

hands.

“Ouch!” he whimpered.
flushing, Clancy!” ;

“Of. course I mean it!” asserted the motor wizard.
“Your uncle is one of those men who knows what he
wants, and gets right after it.”

“That’s not the worst of it,” groaned Billings. “He
knows what everybody else wants, and gets right after
that, too. Whenever I’m around, Uncle Barkley he gets
on my nerves so that I can’t tell whether to-day is yester-
day or to-morrow. Gosh, but he does have a queer effect
on me!”

“Do you mean it?

Benner came after them with the Hornet,
drove straight to Clancy’s lodgings. There they got out
of their uniforms and into their best clothes, and at six
o’clock went to the Gladstone and met Uncle Barkley
and the friend. ‘This friend proved to be another. sur-

prise.
“Grollinger, my nephew, Lewis Billings; and my
nephew’s very good friend, Owen Clancy. Boys,” he

added, “Mr. Grollinger is the friend whom I want you
to meet.” . Poi

Grollinger was a daaoae little man, but he had a habit
of talking under his breath, so that it was difficult to
catch his drift at times. Uncle Barkley led the way into
the magnificent dining room of the very exclusive hostelry.

“Say,” whispered Billings, trailing along at Clancy’s
side, “isn’t Grollinger the name of the man Judge Pem-

; to get that option on the Manhattan Mine?”

“Yes,” Clancy answered, “All this is getting mighty in-
teresting, Billings.”

They were seated at. a table by aie hemmed in
by tubbed palms, so that they were quite apart from the .
other diners. Soft strains of music floated through the

\

Dee

NEW “TIP TOP WEEKLY.

|
Billings stagkerdd and grabbed at his breast with both —

No four-.

and they |

_ broke mentioned—the one for whom the judge was trying

    
    
  
   
  
    
  
     
   
 
    
  
   
 
   
    
 
    
     
   
  
  
 
 
    
    
 
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
    
  
   
   
   
   
  

room, and they were all so snug and comfortable that at 1i
young Billings was soon feeling more at his ease. than- Wt
had ever before been the case when he was with’ his op
Uncle Barkley. me: yd

Uncle Barkley did the ordering; and, over the orebers, 3
he began a conversation aimed entirely at Billings, The 4
direct talk caused the nephew’s comfort and eas¢ to take i

 

Bet metas
Se
——s

 

wings, f

“Next Saturday, Lewis,” said Uncle Barkley, in an in-’ i
cisive tone, “the year I gave you to accomplish a certain. 4 S
mission will have expired.” “ c

“Yes, sir,” was the faint response. “At seven o'clock ‘ d
Saturday evening, sir, the year will—er—be up, as you : s
say.” r

“How much of the five thousand dollars have you now
in the bank?” 7 3 t

 

“A-hem!” coughed Billings, his face .growing very real” 4
“Not in the bank, Uncle Barkley—I haven’t got any mS
money in the bank!” ; :

“No? I hope you are not so careless as to carry a large 4 é

stm around with you, in your pockets?” ae —

“Well, I should say not!” Bos

“Don’t beat around the bush, sir! Tell. me outright bow
much you have got together?”

Billings choked—or pretended to choke—on. the hot
oyster cocktail. He managed to dodge the’ pointblank
question. .

“What would you say, uncle,” he queried, leaning toward
his relative; “if I had the good fortune to hand over ten
thousand dollars to you, before sevén o'clock to-morrow
evening, instead of five? Eh? What would you say to_
that ?”

“T should say that such a supposition is absolutely im-
possible. Knowing you as well as I do,” Uncle Barkley
added, with a slight curl of his upper lip.

The soft-footed waiter took away the empty dishes |
and began putting the next course on the table. Billings § |
straightened in his chair. (ol

“Have you heard about the Manhattan Mine, uncle? pe
he asked.

Grollinger flashed him a quick look. Uncle atk
stared hard.

“T should say I have heard about it,” said he. aan

“The owner of that mine, Dave Rigdale, has prongs
me an option on the property at a price of forty thou-
sand dollars, providing Clancy and I help his Panthers win
next Saturday’s game from the Prescott Grays.”

A look of contempt crossed Uncle Barkley’s face. t
“Then it’s true, Grollinger!” he exclaimed. “This man
Rigdale was really such a fool!” }

“It hardly seems possible!”

Grollinger said something that sounded like that, vale a
though his voice was so low it was hard to be sure just : ; a
what the remark was. pis

“You have ah agreement with Rigdale, Lewts' ” asked
Uncle Barkley.

“Yes.” a

“Were you | thoughtfat enough ito have it put in vite -
ing ?” 4

“Certainly, sir.”

“I am surprised! Let me see the agreement.” _.

Billings drew it from his pocket and handed it to his. be
uncle. The latter adjusted his glasses, read the paper — ;
carefully, and then passed it along to Grolicaget: Grol- _

 

 

   

i?
es

   
        
     
        
    
    

‘vy ty ww

 

 

offered two thousand dollars for a thirty-day option.

 

 

 

 

  
 
 
 

 

yours is pretty deep, Billings.
you a boost toward that five thousand, if he can help it, ©
 althouigh I'll bet he’d be the happiest man in the country f
a you managed to get the money.”

linger mumbled something, and handed the paper over to
Billings.

“Did you make this arrangement _ Rigdale, tenet’
demanded the wholesale groceryman, “or was it Clancy?”

“Tt was Clancy,” replied Billings.

“I thought so. I heard you two were practicing with
Rigdale’s ball players, with the ideg of winning a game
from the Prescott Grays, and getting an option on thé
Manhattan Mine—but I hardly thought Rigdale could be
such a fool. This morning, Grollinger went to him and
Rig-
dale said he was tied up, and could not make a deal. I
see, now, that Rigdale told the truth, and was not trying

merely to put Grollinger off.”

Uncle Barkley directed his whole attention toward the
red-headed fellow across the table from him.

“Clancy,” said he, “what are the chances of the Panthers
winning that game?”

“We're going to teal debs the patie wizard, his
eyes snapping.

we guess you will, all right, if that’s your spirit!
are you in this for?”

_ “To help Billings get his option!”

' Uncle Barkley turned to his nephew.

“What are you going to do with the option when you
get it?” he asked.

“Sell it,” was Billings’ prompt reply,

“To whom?”

»“To the man from New York or the man from Den-
ver; I don’t care which, so long as I get five thousand
for it.”

Uncle Barkley scowled, and his flinty eyes sparkled as he
leaned toward his nephew.

“Do you mean to say you’d hold up a friend of mine for
five thousand dollars?” he demanded. “I told you Grol-
linger was a friend of mine, didn’t 1?”

“Didn’t I hear you say once, Uncle Barkley,” inquired
Billings, “that friendship has no place in a business af-
fair ?” ,

Clancy thought he heard Grollinger chuckle. The whole-
sale groceryman leaned back suddenly, and he did not
pursue the topic any further. Instead, he directed the

What

conversation toward the finding of the old safe belonging

to the Walnut Grove Mining Company.

It was an exciting story, and Uncle Barkley got it all.
He learned, too, how Clancy and Billings had saved the
eight bags of gold from being stolen by safe-crackers,
and how they had each received a watch as a reward, when

Billings had hoped to get five thousand dollars.

All this talk made a very profound impression on Uncle
Barkley. That was clear enough to Clancy,

When the two youths left the Gladstone, that night,
Uncle Barkley shook hands with his nephew in a manner
altogether different from his usual style.

“You're a long way from being out of the woods,
Lewis,” said he dryly, as he bade his nephew good-by.

“What do you suppose he meant by that, Clan?” in-
quired Billings, greatly bothered, as he and the motor
wizard made their way toward their lodgings.

“Hanged if I know!” was the answer. “That uncle of
He don’t intend to give

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

CHAPTER VII.
A VOTE OF THANKS.

Clancy, during the three days that followed, took
rather more time from the garage than he felt justified in
doing. At three o’clock on Wednesday, Thursday, and
Friday afternoons, Benner drove him and Billings to the
ball park, and there they practiced with the Panthers un-
til time to go to supper,

Both Clancy and Billings made up their minds that the
support the team was to give them would be very ragged.
Garlock was all right, but he was only responsible for
first base.

“We're going to have our hands full, Clancy,” sighed
Billings, as he and Clancy ‘met at their lodgings at noon
Saturday. “If we win from the Grays, it will be because
we have all sorts of luck.” :

“Never can tell what will happen,” said Clancy, “but
my hunch is to the effect that we win, and you get your
option.”

“I wish 1 had your bright ‘Sid Jlorious confidence—but
T haven’t. More and more I find myself pinning my faith
on the actions of the Walnut Grove fellows at that meet-
ing, this morning. Any minute, now, I am expecting some
one to come and hand me five thousand dollars in cash.
Then,” loftily, “I’ll take it and throw it in Uncle Bark-
ley’s face!”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be rough!” said Caves with a laugh.

“Are the ten-claimants of the recovered gold in town,
do you know? bid they really have that meeting, this
morning?” Rix"

“Suppose we call up Pembroke and find out?” Clancy
asked. “I was busy at the waraue all the forenoon, and 1
didn’t hear a thing.”

“Call him—and let’s get a little relief from the strain!

Clancy had a telephone in his room for convenience in
calling him from the garage. He knew there was no use |
calling the judge’s office, at that hour, and so he called,
his residence. The judge was at home, and the person who
answered had him come to the phene.

“This is Clancy, judge,” said the motor wizard.

“Hello, Clancy! What can I do for you?”

“Billings and I are a little bit anxious to hear if the
Walnut Grove fellows had their meeting this morning?”

“Yes, they had it. All ten of them went into executive
session at oné of the hotels.”

“What did they decide on?”

“Really, I can’t begin to tell you. They'll let you know.

aven’t they called to see you and Billings yet?”

“No. ”

“That’s queer! I understood they were going to pay
you a visit right after the meeting. They——”

Just at that moment there was a scraping of feet on
the front porch, and then the doorbell rang sharply. Bil-
lings was looking out of the window.

“Gee whiz!” he suddenly exclaimed.
gang—with Uncle Barkley at the head!”

had

“Here’s the whole

“I guess they’re here now, judge!” said Clancy, over
the wire. Good-by!” ’

He hung up the receiver and turned away, just as the
-maid announced a delegation to see Clancy and Billings.

“Have them come up,” said the motor wizard. “Here
are the Walnut Grove fellows, Billings,” he added, after
the maid had gone.

  

 
12 3 3 NEW

“They're bringing the five thousand!” murmured> Bil-
lings, almost’ overcome with happiness. “Thunder! I
wish I had time to prepare a speech! What’ll I say when
they hand over the money? You will make a good speech,
Clancy, when you get your wad of dough, but I haven’t
your head, and I know I'll talk like a fool.”

” said Clancy, “and let it go at

ee

Just say “Thank you,’
that. Here they come!”

The tramp of many feet was heard on the stairs. A
hand knocked at the door,

“Gee,” whispered Billings, “I’m all of a shake!
happy, Clan, that my teeth chatter!”

He got over and stood by a chair.

“We want to pretend as though we were taken by sur-
prise,” he went on, “as though we weren’t expecting any-
thing—sort of ‘Oh, this is so sudden ’—like an old maid
getting a proposal of marriage.”

Clancy was at the door, by then, and pulling it open.
Uncle Barkley was very much in evidence on the threshold.
He was smiling broadly, and a film of good nature soft-
ened his flinty eyes.

“Ah, Clancy!’ How are you? Here’s quite a delegation,
Clancy. Have you room for all of us, in there?”

“Sure!” the motor wizard answered, throwing the door
wide. “Come right in, all of you!”

Four rather aged men followed Billings, then five young-
ish fellows brought up the rear. All were suffused with
pleasant smiles, '

“Clancy, Mr. Blingers, Mr. Hart, aid Mr.’ Chase, all
otiginal members of the Walnut Grove Mining Company,
Mr. Ackerson, a brother of one of the original members.
And here are the three Budlongs, sons of an original
member, and the two Kalispells, also sons of one of. the
pioneer placer miners in the Walnut River, Lewis, =
the gentlemen!”

_.The wholesale groceryman ‘ended to address the date
-ants collectively.

. “Friends, here are Clancy and Lew Billings, the two
young men who recovered eight bags of gold, so long lost
in the old safe belonging.to the mining company. I have
_ told you their story—and a most remarkable story it is.”

“Most remarkable!” said Mr, Blingers, —

- “Strangest yarn I, ever heerd!” commented Mr. Acker-
son,

“Beats anything I ever had dished up to me!” assev-
erated Mr. Hart.

“Tt sure does!” beamed Mr. Phe,

“That’s right!” chorused the Budlongs.

“Sure!” declared both Kalispells, as one.

“Tn executive session assembled,” proceeded Uncle Bark-
ley, “we decided that it was no more than right. that we

_ should tender to Clancy arid Billings a testimonial of our
appreciation.”

“That’s what we done!” clamored Blingers.

“We want to be squar’, by gorry!” declared Hart.
“Ts no more’n right!” put in Chase.

“We're in honor bound!” said Ackerson.

“You bet!” from the Budlongs.

“Straight goods!” remarked the Kalispells.

_ Billings, his face red with embartassment and happi-
- hess, stepped to the front.

_ “Friends,” said he, in a stifled voice, “we don’t deserve
all this—er—generous treatment.”

“Hear, hear ” shouted Ackerson, pounding on the
nes table,

I’m so

‘TIP ‘TOP

‘of paper.

WEEKLY.

“If you know the story, then you understarid it wasn’t
Clancy and I who found the safe. Abner Carey did that.
But Carey was a rogue, and he planned to steal the gold.
Clancy and I kept ‘Carey from stealing your property.
If we’re entitled to any credit, that’s where we get it.
You’re more than kind to us, but”—and here Billings
puffed up and looked righteously just—‘1 feel that we
can’t let you be too generous.”

“Spoke like a man!” boomed Blingers.

“He’s some kid, that feller!” averred Hart.

“T knowed that’s the sort he was!” cried Chase.

“He couldn’t be a Billings and say anythin’
snorted Ackerson.

“All wool and a yard wide!” roared the Budlongs.

“Take it from us!” seconded the Kalispells.

By that time, Clancy had noticed that Uncle Barkley’s
smile was of the dry variety. The motor wizard won-
dered what it might mean, and grew a little cautious.

“Lewis,” said Uncle Barkley, “your sentiments do you
great credit! I did not venture to think that you would
feel that way in this most important matter. Some young
men would try to gouge the owners of those eight bags of
gold out of a large sum; some young men, I repeat, would
not be content to take what the claimants thought best to

else!”

give them, I'am very, very glad to find you in so areca ;

a mood.”

“You ought to know me pretty well, bide Barkley !”
returned Billings.
your”

“No, my boy,” was the answer, “I don’t think I ever
found you able to grasp very much.”

“Of course,” Billings went on,
as to refuse whatever you feel you ought to give me for

“my part in recovering the lost gold. I am pretty sure |
For whatever youdo |.

Clancy feels the same way about it.
for us, rest assured that we gre more than grateful!
“No two-tongue talk about that!” said Blingers,
“Hear! hear!” shouted Ackerson.
“T call that mighty fair ”" averred Hart.

1"?

Sao es

“You never found me grasping, did

/
“I won't be so unkind

oe

peep Oe SSE

.

 

=e eS

“Does both of ’em a heap o’ credit!” exclaimed Chase, |

“Fine business!” spoke up the Budlongs.
“Bully!” came from the Kalispells.

Uncle Barkley pulled something from his ce “The
He held

“something” proved to be two long envelopes.
them in his hand for a moment. (

“Tt is with great pleasure that I tender you, Clancy”— |

here he’ gave one of the envelopes to the motor wizard—_

“and you, Lewis”—the other envelope was passed over to
Billings—“this tangible proof of our appreciation, What
you have done, my lads, is written’ on the hearts of each
and every one of us. We will now file past you, shake
each of you by the hand, and bid you good afternoon.”

“You're a couple o’ heroes!” asserted Blingers, as he

door and down the stairs.
“You acted plumb noble!” was acl eaii ecsit:

gtipped the two friends by the hand and passed out of the “

“What we give you, comes from the heart !” murmured —
; Chase. ee

And so, with some ities remark, the ten shook. dials ee
and left the room. Before the last one of the party had —
passed out of the door below, Billings had pulled a folded .
sheet out of his envelope. There was no check, and no _
money, inclosed. He looked into the empty envelope and

on the floor; then, wonderingly, he examined the shee

 
 

NEW

It contained a vote of thanks, suitably engrossed.
was all.

Billings, emitting a hollow groan, toppled into a chair.
Clancy also fell into a chair—but he was shaking with
laughter so he could hardly stand.

“A vote of thanks!” howled Billings. “That’s all we
get! By thunder, this is Uncle Barkley’s work!” and he
shook his fist in the air.

CHAPTER VIII.
“PLAY BALL.”

A silence fell over the room, broken only by the angry

mutterings of Billings, and the gasping’ chuckles of Clancy.
Billings was too much wrapped up in his own troubles to
pay much attention to his friend just then.
Jumping from his chair, he rushed over to a bureau,
yerked open a drawer, and snatched out of it the watch
which had been given to him as a testimonial by the of-
ficials of the bank. He dropped the watch on the “vote
of thanks.”

“One is about as valuable as the other!” he cried, his
voice pitched in a high, mocking falsetto. “Mighty gen-
erous of those fellows, I must say! We risk our necks
to save fifty thousand dollars’ worth of gold for ’em, and
they reward us with a vote of thanks! Then we prevent
robbers from stealing the gold from the bank, and are
handed a couple of fifty-dollar watches! Somebody has
got a bad case of enlargement of the heart—I don’t think.
It’s enough to bring tears to a pair of glass eyes!”

Billings began running up and down the room, shak-
ing his fist and mumbling to himself. Finally he halted
in front of Clancy.

“Uncle Barkley is back of all this, and I’ll bet on it!” he
fumed. ‘ “He’s trying to make things just as blooming
hard for me as he can! I wish there was some way I
could get even with him, or——” Billings'paused. “Clan-
cy!” he exclaimed. “What in the deuce are you smaghing
about? Can you see anything funny in this?”

“It’s the funniest thing I’ve run up against for a long
time!” answered the motor wizard, in a smothered voice.
“You—you were expecting a piece of good fortune in the
shape of five thousand dollars, and—and you get a sheet
of paper with some pretty writing on it. But then,”
Clancy giggled, “we didn’t want to let that crowd be too

generous, you know! ‘For whatever you do for us, rest

assured that we are more than grateful!’” he mimicked,
returning to Billings a little of the talk he had recently
given his uncle. “Old man, you are showing anything but
a grateful spirit!”

Billings went back to his uate and threw himself didi:

Presently the funny side of the matter also took hold of
him. Like his friend, he rose superior to the vexations
of the moment and enjoyed the situation. Their merri-
ment blended. After they had'had their laugh out, Clancy
straightened his face, leaned over the arm of his chair,

and inquired:

“What effect is this going .to have on your pitching

arm, Billings 4

“It's going to make it invincible!” declared Billings.
“Watch that. arm when it gets down to work, this after-
_ noon! I think, Clan, it is going to surprise you.”

1 “Good!” the motor wizard exclaimed. “I was afraid
this disappointment would raise Cain with you. When a
fellow can make the hard knocks spur him on toward suc-

That °

dif TOR “WEEKLY. : 13

cess, he has got the spirit that is bound to make him
win.”

“This back fire came pretty near laying me out for a
minute, but I’ve got over that,” :

“That’s the way to talk! Don’t let it bother you. That
outfit of heirs and miners haven’t the look of a close-
fisted lot, but they certainly tightened up when it came
to settling with us for the work we did.”

“Take it from me, Clan, Uncle Barkley is the man be-
hind that vote of thanks!”

“What was his object?”

“He wants to hamper me as much as possible, just to
see me squirm.” ;

“I don’t know about that. Strikes me he is heaping
difficulties in your way just to see how you take them.
It’s the spirit a fellow shows, rather than what he ac-
complishes, that counts.”

“Not with J. Barkley Billings!” declared the other,
shaking his head. “Uncle Barkley’s coat of arms is the
dollar mark, and his slogan is ‘Success with Honor.’ ‘What
does he care for the spirit that animates a fellow?; Nota

~~ whoop!”

“But if the right kind of spirit crops out in a chap’s na-
ture,” argued Clancy, “ ‘Success with Honor’ is boutid to
come !”

“Uncle Barkley doesn’t go that deep. All he wants to

. see is the goods, marked and delivered.”

“Well,” returned Clancy, “you'll have to deliver the
goods this afternoon. If you make good with your uncle,
it Will have to be by means of that ‘diamond deal’ of
mine. If we land the option, it is a cinch that Grollinger
will give you five thousand dollars for it.”

“That’s my one hope, now!” Billings returned. “Let’s
get into our uniforms, and then sneak over to the
restaurant and eat our noon meal. I’m like a war horse
that scents the battle. afar off—champing the bit and
pawing the earth. I’m going to get five thousand dollars,
somewhere, to-day, if it takes a leg.”

“It’s the last day of your year, Billings,”
“the last day, and in the afternoon,”

They commenced to shell off their street clothes and to
get into their uniforms. Clancy had premonitions of evil,
but he was not speaking about them. He was deeply
impressed with the idea that something of tremendous
importance was going to happen. What this event was
going to be, Clancy had not the slightest idea. With an

said Clancy,

effort of the will, he turned his back on the vague sur-

misings and gave undivided attention to the wotk in hand.

The game was called for three-thirty. A very slim
crowd went’ out to the ball park to see the contest. The ©
Panthers lately had been doing very poor work, and the —
townspeople were disgusted. .

It was this unfavorable opinion of the public which
made Rigdale eager to have his club take that game from |
the Grays. He believed that a good showing would work

a change in popular sentiment.

Clancy, who realized all this, was trying to Sales out
what Rigdale would do. Would he value the standing of
his team above the money he could secure from a sale
of the option on the Manhattan Mine? Or would he try ~
to throw the game to the Grays so that he could oe the |
option to Grollinger?

Rigdale was a “slippery” customer. There was no tell-
ing what he coe do. Clancy wanted to win that yemee?)

 
 

  

a

not alone to help Billings out, but also because he and
Billings were playing with the Panthers.

Grand stand and bleachers were not. nearly half filled
when the Panthers reached the grounds. A faint cheer
greeted Rigdale’s team as its members trotted out on the
diamond. The club was warming up when the Prescott
Grays came galloping upon the scene.

There were a few Prescott rooters among the spec-
tators, and they turned loose a jubilant yell through their
megaphones. Clancy, who was off to one side with Bil-
lings, observed the visitors with interest.

“They don’t look any better than the Panthers, Clan,”
said Billings, coming up to the wizard.

“That’s so,” agreed Clancy. “You can’t tell from the
looks of a frog, though, how far he’s going to jump,”

“Which is Duveeny?” /

“That big fellow, over there—the one who is giving you
a sizing, right at this minute.”

‘Duveeny was a powerfully built chap, and it was evi-
dent that he could shoot a ball through like a bullet. As
a matter of fact, he depended more on his build and his
swift ones to scare opposing batters than he did on his
drops and curves to fool them.

Clancy, while Billings was adjusting his glove, walked
over to the official scorer, and looked at the line-up. It
was as follows: .

PANTHERS. GRAYS.
Garlock, captain and istb. Petusky, captain and ad b.
Haviland, ss. Homer, c.
Clancy, c. Davis, 3d b.
Leffler, 3d b. Fifield, 1st b.
Jiggs, 2d b. Smithson, ss.
Ee RET paihe oe - Lee, c.
Seemore, |. f. Henry, t. if:
Podbury, c. f. Jakes, 1. f.
Billings, p. Duveeny, p..

The motor wizard went back to help Billings limber. up
his arm. As they worked, the two watched Duveeny and
his catcher.

The pitcher for the Grays slammed his balls thraugh sO
that they smacked into Homer’s, mitt like the explosion of
cannon crackers. Duveeny looked very fierce as he “wound
up,” and his delivery was well calculated to make a timid
batter’s hair stand straight up on his head.

“That spectacular stuff doesn’t get a pitcher anywhere,”
remarked Billings calmly.

“Trying to be the bogy man seems to be his long
suit,” Clancy chuckled. “I’m glad you’re not afraid of
the dark, Billings.”

-“Duveeny ‘hasn’t anything but fast ones.
an eye on him, and I haven’t.seen a curve or a drop
yet.” Sites

“He must have something in the shop besides just plain,
speedy ones, but he can’t uncover anything to worry you,
at that.”

“Look!” whispered Billings. “Uncle Barkley !”

Uncle Barkley was in the grand stand. Just at that
moment he was standing at the rail, beckoning to Billings.
The latter took the ball under his arm and started toward
his uncle. The wholesale groceryman then beckoned to
Clancy, who seemed to be keeping in the background. Both
Clancy and Billings thereupon went forward.

“Just wanted to say a word to you, Lewis,” remarked
Uncle Barkley. “If you win this game, you'll get the op-
tion from Rigdale.”

/

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

off your hand

I’m keeping |

  
   

about it,

“Yes,” returned, Billings. “There’s Ho ar

though. I’ve got that option sewed up.”
“Why are you so confident?”

“It’s a case of must, that’s why. I had two strings to
my bow, but you busted one string with that pretty vote
of thanks.. Now I’ve got to make the most of the other
sring.”

The flinty blue eyes twinkled.

“I want to say to you,” Uncle Barkley continued, “that
if everything. is all right, Grollinger will take the option
s, when you get it, for five thousand dollars.
Will you give him the refusal of it, on those terms?”

“Providing he hands over the cold cash before seven
o’clock this evening,” Billings answered.

“He’ll-do that if, as I say, everything else is in due
form,”

“Tf he doesn’t do it, Uncle Barkley, I’ll deal with the
New Yorker. That is* something for,your friend Grol-
linger to think about.”

The Grays had gone out on the diamond for a little
snappy warming up. They were called in to give way to
the Panthers. The umpire came forward and announced
the opposing batteries, and Clancy and Billings hastened
to their stations.

Cheers greeted the names of ‘Conicy and Billings.
cheers, given by the townspeople, formed a personal tribute
to Clancy, for no one was better or more favorably known
in Phoenix than the motor wizard.

Trotting to the center of the diamond, the umpire pulled
a white ball from its box and tossed it to Billings. Then
he called: “Play ball!”

\

CHAPTER IX.
_ HARD SLEDDING.

Uncle Barkley and his friend Grollinger sat side by side
in the grand stand. They*had secured places directly back
of the catcher, so they could see the balls as they came
through.

“That nephew of yours looks pretty good | in UA AOLee
remarked. Grollinger, in his muffled voice.

“One fault I have to find with him,’ answered Uncle
Barkley, “is that Lewis has never been as good as he
looks. Maybe he’s different now. He has been shifting
for himbelf for a year, and that may have helped him
some.”

“Was he in a temper over that vote of Hagin}

“Didn’t seem to be. He says the Panthers have got
this game sewed up. I like confidence—but confidence
isn’t worth a hang unless there is some foundation for it.
By the time this game is finished, I’ll know whether Lewis
was talking foolishness or sound sense.”

“There’s the first ball!” exclaimed Grollinger.

“And the batter struck at it!” chuckled Uncle Barkley.
“Wonder if Lewis will fan him?”

Retusky, who was then at bat, was one of the best
stick workers in the ranks of the visiting team. He
seemed surprised as he swung at the sphere and missed.
It was a pretty drop. _

The next ball was a straight one. Billings delivered
it just as he had delivered the drop, however, and Pe-
tusky struck under the darting horsehide.

“Great work!” cried Uncle Barkley, as the home crowd
began to wake up and show some enthusiasm.

Two strikes had been called on Petusky. He nerved

5
%

 

‘Thess

  

 

 

Se aa i SAR tar ot

 

 

     
   
 

   

    
   
 

 

 

 

himself for a quick decision on the next ball, and for a
‘swing accordingly. He thought’ the balf would be straight
and swift. It proved to be a curve, and slipped through
a hole in the bat.

“Striker out!” shouted the “ump.”

“Good boy! Good boy!” yelled Uncle Barkley, waving
his hat. ~ i

His voice was drowned in the uproar of delight that
ran. through the Phoenix detachment among the spectators.
The game was starting off in a most promising way for
the Panthers:
Petusky been treated in that’ summary fashion by a
Panther pitcher!

Petusky went to the bench, his face red-and flaming,
and Homer took his place. Homer was the catcher for
the Grays. He was good behind the bat, and he was so
good with the stick that the name of “Homer” appeared
to fit him very nicely. :

“Homer! homer! homer!” yelped the Prescott root-
ers, meaning that the batter was to knock out a home
run, or “homer.” The catcher nodded loftily, rubbed: his
harids in the dirt, and prepared to do things with the
club.

While he was preparing, Billings fired a ball through.

It was right over the plate, but it came before Homer
was. ready. —

“Strike!” howled the umpire,

‘Homer looked down the field and started to protest.
While he was protesting, Clancy got the ball hurriedly
back into Billings’ hands, and Billings fired another across
the plate. A second time Homer was caught napping.

“Strike two!” whooped the umpire.

The Phoenix crowd laughed until it was blue in the
face. The Prescott outfit began to show temper.

“Wake up there and attend to your knitting, Homer !”

“Stop chewing the rag and hit the ball!”

‘Homer jerked the front of his cap down over his eyes
and planted himself savagely by the plate. Stealing strikes
on him, eh! Well, he’d show ’em!

Both Uncle Barkley and Grollinger were chuckling.
ox “Oh, I reckon that boy is as good as he seems, Bark-
ley,” Groflinger remarked.

Denverite. “Tt’s almost too good to be true—I’m afraid
it won't last.” ~ f
Clancy signaled for the “bowknot.”
out. Homer took a whack at it.
into the attempt that, his bat or he spun around like
- a top.
“Batter out!” announced the cold-hearted /autocrat.
Homer wound up his performance as a whirling dervish,
slammed his bat of the ground, and marched off in high
_dudgeon. He passed Davis, who was just coming to bat.
“Kill it!’ he growled huskily; “knock it a mile! That
pitcher’s a pirate—let’s get to him.”
_. Davis went to the plate with the intention of distin-
- guishing himself. But he was extinguished in short order.

Billings brought it

The Grays had been retired in one-two-three fashion by

_ the Panthers’ battery. — f
Up in the grand stand the Phoenix people were heart-
_ ened mightily. It seemed like old times when the Panthers
bi could really play ball.
-. *Clancy and Billings! Clancy and ee Clancy and
4 - Billings | ip

ye The two names were foarat out in a kind of ihe.

  

It

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. | S

Never before had the great and only ©

“He certainly showed headwork!” admitted the other

He put so much ginger |

 

   

 

   

proved that the Phoenix people knew where to give the
credit for what had happened, at least. —

“By George,” said Uncle - Barkley, stretching out in
smiling content, “I’m going to enjoy this game.”

“We'll both enjoy it, but from different causes,” re-
turned Grollinger. “You are glad to see your nephew
making good, and I am glad*to see him winning that
option, inasmuch as he has promised to turfi it over to
me.”

“I didn’t think the conquering spirit of the Billings
family. could peter out completely, as it was threatening
to do in Lewi:,” remarked Uncle Barkley. “Something
has wakened Lewis up, and I’ll bet money it has been his
association with that red-headed Owen Clancy. Clancy
does things. He struck Phoenix, a few months ago, with
hardly a cent to his name, and now he has made himself
comfortably well off, Yes, I’m giving the credit to Clancy.
I’m only waiting, now, to see how well Clancy has done his
work.

Garlock led off the batting list for the Panthers. He
got to first on a muffed fly, and Haviland sacrificed him
to second. Clancy came up strong and smashed ‘a two-
bagger into deep right.

Garlock should have gone home on that two-bagger,
but he was badly coached. Clancy went down to second.
Garlock got halfway from third, and the coacher fran-
tically called for him to come back. He turned. The
ball was in the hands of Davis, the third baseman, and
Davis met him and touched him out. It was such a fool-
ish misplay that Clancy could have wept.

Up in the grand stand somebody groaned. It was a
Phoenix man, of course, and that groan peree a ‘whole
chorus of dismal sounds.

“If that’s a sample of the support Clancy and Billings
are going to get,” said Grollinger, “there'll be no option.
in this for me.” é

“Tt’s awful!” murmured Uncle Barkley. “Why don’t
they take that fellow on the coaching lines out and —

~ lynch him?”

With Garlock and Haviland out, and Clancy on second,
Leffler came to the bat. - His first blow ended in a pop-up
which Duveeny managed to get under. Clancy died on
second, and the score for the first was nothing to nothing.

In the next inning, Fifield started things for the Grays.
He landed on the ball for a fly which Tucker, out in
right field, had directly in his hands. But the sphere had -
no date with Tucker’s fingers, and slipped through them.

Clancy pounded his mit with his'right fist, and Billings
gritted his teeth. Fifield was on first, and he was taking a
long lead toward second. Smithson, the second man up,
failed to strike at the first. ball. As soon as Clancy got
it, he made a beautiful throw to second, but Jiggs, the sec-
ond baseman, was not looking. The ball went past him,
and Fifield went on to third.

With no one down and a man on third, it looked as
though the Grays would certainly score, and the Prescott’
crowd went wild.

“Don’t you mind, Billings!” roared the Phoenix root-_
erg; “don’t you mind, Clancy! You can’t play the whole
game!” .

Clancy went down for a word with Billings. wat

“Keep your nerve, old man,” he begged. “Things can’t 2
go like this for the whole game—tuck’s bound to turn.”

“Look at the étrors!” grunted eee Thay re
awful! i A cal

   

 

   
   
    
the game, but they received no assistance from the batters

 

 

 

16 NEW ‘TIP

Just to prove that he was not rattled, in spite of the
tide of disaster, Billings struck out Smithson. Lee flied

out to Haviland, at short, and it began to look as though

the support was taking a brace. But, in another minute,
things went crosswise again. Henry hammered one down
the field just inside the third-base line. The ball got away
from Leffler.

The fielder on that side went after the ball, and Pod-
bury from center also made an effort to get it. They
came together with a crash and fell back, dazed and be-
wildered. Meanwhile, the ball was lost; and, meanwhile,

_ too, Fifield scored and Henry made a tour of the bases
and brought in a second tally.

It was a farce comedy, all the way through. The Grays
had not a shadow of right to those two scores. When
the confusion was finally straightened out, Jakes went to
bat.

“Everybody hits!” yelled Garlock.
the run, fellows! Everybody on his toes!
get:a dozen runs out of this!”

The Panthers were unmercifully guyed, although not a
jeer was directed at Clancy or ‘Billings.’

“Hard sledding, Barkley!” muttered Grollinger.

“T shold: say so!” was the reply. “But neither Lewis
nor Clancy had a thing to do with that awful bit of work.
Those chaps deserve the best kind of support, and the way
they are being backed up is rotten! Still, I’m glad of it,
ina way. It will.enable me to watch Lewis with the odds
against him, If he lets down in his own work, I shall be

.badly disappointed.

Jakes came to bat, smiling eae ents That confident
smile lasted just about two minutes. Billings fanned hin.
Uncle Barkley laughed. delightedly.

“He’s keeping his nerve, he’s keeping. his nerve!” he
murmured, to himself. “I’m mighty glad he doesn’t get
‘rattled! We'll see. That boy is a Billings—and he’s
proving it”

“We've got "em on
We ought to

' The score was two to nothing in favor of the Prescott
Grays, and the Panthers were coming to bat. Would the
unexpected happen? With Jiggs leading off in the stick-
work, could the home team tie their rivals?

‘Jiggs was to be followed by Tucker, arid both had inade
- glaring errors in the first half of the inning. It would: be
the “unexpected,” sure enough, if they happened to
score,

CHAPTER X.
A STROKE OF LUCK,

~The unexpected did not happen. Duveeny, delighted at
the way things were going, must have frightened Jiggs,
Tucker, and Seemore. Not one of the ‘three saw first.
Jiggs and ‘fucker struck out, and Seemore got a start for
first, but the ball beat him to it.

From that point on, Clancy and Billings fought a game
battle right up to the last half of the ninth. Almost by
their unaided efforts they kept the Grays from doing any
more scoring, There were tight pinches and close calls,
but clear judgment and steady nerves brought the
Panthers’ battery safely through them all.. .
- But the Grays still had their two scores, and the last
half of the ninth found the Panthers with no runs. Clancy
and Billings, when at bat, had made gallant efforts to tie

 

 

TOP WEEKLY.

on their side, and their efforts came to nothing... Once
Clancy lost a score bya close—and, he was sure, incorrect
—decision, but he registered. no protest himself, and he
kept’ Garlock from doing so.

So far as the Phoenix people were concerned, the result
seemed a foregone conclusion.

“The Panthers can’t win! They struck the toboggan
two Bch hy ago, and have been going steadily downward
ever since.”

This remark struck the keynote of prevailing sentiment.
Grollinger was depressed.

“T guess your nephew was too confident,” said he to
Uncle Barkley. “He and Clancy have been doing all the
playing for the Panthers, and the job is too much for
them. If I get that option, Barkley, I'll have to deal with
Rigdale for it.”

In the last half of the ninth inning, Podbury went to
bat. Podbury had not. been starring himself very. much,
that afternoon, and he kept-up his poor record by fanning.

“One, down!” cried Petusky. “The game is ours, fel-
lows! The Panthers’ will never tie the score!”

Duveeny was overconfident. He was puffed up like a
pouter pigeon, and doing a little. “grand-standing” in the
box. Billings followed Podbury at bat, and Billings had
been hitting right along. _Duveeny should have .remem-
bered this, and cut out the fancywork. rn

The pitcher for the Grays was not careful. - The second
ball over. was landed on by Billings, and. proved a safe
single. A faint cheer. fluttered up. fromthe Phoenix
crowd,

“There’s a chance! !” ctied Gcollinges,

“The next man up will kill it,” grunted Uncle Barley.
“T wish to thunder it was Clancy’s turn with the stick.”

It was Garlock’s turn, however, and Garlock did not kill
Billings’ ,chances. Instead, the captain of the Panthers

lined out a two-bagger, sending Billings to third, and get-_

ting himself to second.:

“By George!” gasped Uncle Barkley. ‘“That’s the first
time I’ve seen that fellow do anything since the game
started !”

“He’s doing something now, all right,” chuckled Grol-

linger, finding his voice as he grew more hopeful. “It’s
possible the Panthers will tie the Grays, and that the
game will go another inning.” ‘
. “Prospects are certainly brightening,” agreed Undle
Barkley, “with two on bases and only one down. If a
decent coacher will go down to third. to take care of
Lewis, very likely the boy will bring in a run.”

A mood of tense expectancy settled over the grand
stand and bleachers. Both Phoenix and Prescott rooters

were wondering what the next few minutes were to bring

forth. '

Haviland, the shortstop, picked up a bat and stepped to
the plate.
going to strain a point to make good.

“Now, Hav,’ roared the Phoenix rooters, ' “let's see
what you are good for!”

“Wait for a good one—let the wide ones go by!”

“Mind your eye, Haviland, mind your eye!”

A fretful voice from the Prescott quarter of the stand

put in a word of advice for Duveeny.
“Cut out the didos, Duveeny!

Haviland let the first ball pass.

He wore a determined look, and was evidently —

 

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NEW

“Ball one!” cried the umpire.

“Good eye, Hav!” clamored the rooters.

The next one over, Haviland struck at and missed.

“Strike!” boomed the umpire.

“Aw, hit it, hit it!”. implored. the crowd.

Haviland tried twice more to make good, but swung
fruitlessly each time.

“Striker out!” said the umpire.

Billings, on third, had had no chance to steal home.
Billings was doing some rapid-fire thinking, and was not
taking any chances with the score over which he was pre-
siding.

He knew that if Haviland struck out, Clancy would
follow him to bat. And Billings would rather trust
Clancy to bring him home, than take any risks. Garlock,
blocked at second by Billings being frozen to third, fret-
ted and fumed, for he could not understand what Billings
was about. It was only when Haviland walked off toward
the benches, and the motor wizard came to the plate, that
Garlock began to sabe what Billings was thinking about.

Two on bases, two down, and Owen Clancy at the bat!
The game—Billings’ option and chance to make good with
Uncle Barkley—all seemed to Han on the red-headed
chap’s. work.

But he- was not rattled by his pe of responsibility, nor
by the bedlam of yells that came to him from the grand
stand,

“That red-headed fellow is as calm and collected as
you can imagine!” observed the admiring Uncle Barkley.
eat I was down there in his place, I'll bet a farm I'd go to
pieces.”

“A little while ago you were yelling yourself black in
the face for your nephew to come home,” said Grollinger.
“But Lew’s wits were working. He figured that Haviland
would strike out, and that Clancy would come up ‘for
the grand finale. Lew would rather trust his red-headed
comrade in a pinch than to take any chances. It takes two
runs to tie with the Panthers, and three runs¢o beat them.
Clancy, take fe from me, is figuring on bringing in that

/ winning run,’

“Tf steady nerves, cool judgment, and sheer ability will
bring the run in, it’s already chalked up to Clancy!”

“A stroke of luck is needed,” insisted Grollinger ; “cool-

ness and judgment haven’t got it all their own way.”

Meantime, if a crowd could rattle a fellow, the Phoenix
crowd would have rattled Clancy.

“Lace it out, Reddy!”

“Win the game, right here!

“You're not tinkering with a motor now, Secneniber) but

y?

handling a bat!”
@ “Turn on the gasoline and let ’er flicker !”

Duveeny was now doing his utmost to: smash the batting
rally. He was alert and steady, and was determined to
strike out Clancy, and leave nothing but a shut-out for
the opposing side. It was a large order he had given him-
self, but he had made up his mind to fill it.

The first ball went through.
but the umpire’s eye was bad.

Strike !”

There were those in the grand stand who could see
that the umpire should have announced a ball, and at once

It was wide of the plate,

these indignant ones began to howl.

“Rotten!”
“The umpire’s a robber!”

od

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TEP OP WEEKLY.

    

had

“He’s trying to do up Clancy!

“The Panthers are playin’ ten’ men!”

It was the usual line of talk when the umpire makes a
bobble, or when some of the spectators think he does.
Clancy knew a strike had been called in place of a ball,
but it did not anger him. There was plenty of time lefty

The next ball he struck at viciously. The result was a
foul which Homer tried hard to take in out of the wet,
but his efforts were futile. The grand stand held its
breath.

“Foul—strike two!” yelled the umpire.

There followed a brief silence. Duveeny, with the ball
in his hand, held the sphere for a moment before winding
up. His eyes traveled over the diamond. Billings ran
back toward third, and Garlock started back toward sec-
ond. :

“One more, Duveeny!” implored a Prescott
“Catch him again and the game’s ours.”

The next ball was not exactly what Clancy wanted, but
he dared not keep away from it for fear the umpire
would call the third strike. With all his strength he let
drive, throwing himself slightly over the plate in order to
make sure ‘9f reaching the sphere.

Leather hit wood with a crack like that of a rifle, And .
the ball—oh, where was the ball? Eyes strained to fol-
low it in its course, but few eyes were sharp. enough or
quick enough to keep the vanishing horsehide in sight.

gg rooter.

“Go!” yelled Uncle Barkley, jumping to his feet;
body. go!”

And everybody did go. Billings came in.

“One!” howled the twisting, writhing crowd.

Garlock crossed the plate.

“Two!” came thunderously from the grand stand.

And then, with wonderful speed, Clancy circled the bases
and beat the ball to the plate. ~

“Three!” whooped the exultant Phoenix ronterd.

The game was won. The Panthers owed their success
to Clancy and Billings. The motor wizard’s “diamond
deal” had been successfully carried out—and the five-thou-
sand-dollar game had been won in the ninth.

“every-

The moment Clancy crossed the plate, bringing in his
home run, Billings fell on his neck and almost blubbered
from sheer joy. ;

CHAPTER XI.
ANOTHER RESULT.

“By thunder,” remarked Uncle Barkley, passing a hand
across his eyes, “that red-headed chap and Lewis won their
game! It—it was superb! Grollinger, I am nearer being
proud of that boy than I ever was before in my life! He
is altogether different from what he was a year ago. It
hardly seems possible that twelve months could make such
a change in him. If I’m any judge, though, most of the

change has been wrought in the last three weeks, and

young Clancy is responsible for it.”

“Young Clancy is certainly a splendid fellow!” declared
Grollinger, heaving a long breath. ‘Now, I suppose, I’m
to get my option.”

The hubbub and confusion were indescribable. Only a
few people left the grounds to’get seats on the waiting
street cars. Most of them lingered to yell their admira-
tion and delight.
Petusky,

\
\

Duveeny, and the rest of the visiting team —

  

  

   
   

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escaped from the grounds as soon as they could get around
the crowd. They were followed by the melancholy dele-
gation that had accompanied them from Prescott.

Clancy and Billings got out of the press as quickly as
possible. As they moved away toward a spot where, the
crowd was not so thick, they met a’ telegraph messenger
yelling for “Mr. Grollinger !”

“Here,” said Clancy, grabbing the youngster by the
arm. “Mr. Grollinger is up inthe grand stand. Look!”
and he pointed. “See him?”

The boy saw the gentleman and started toward him.
Clancy turned away to find Billmgs engaged, in conversa-
tion with Dave Rigdale.

“Well,” said Rigdale; “you won the game, you and
Clancy. Good work-—as firie as any that was ever pulled
off on this diamond. I congratulate: you. By winning,
you knocked me out of two thousand dollars.”

“The amount Grollinger was to pay you for the op-
tion on the Manhattan Mine?” asked Billings, getting into
his sweater,

“Yes. I could have corralled that coin if I hadn't. aii
too quick to enter into that agreement with Clancy.”
“You ought to be satisfied,” spoke up Clancy. “By win-
ning to-day, Rigdale, your club will prove more of a
drawing card in the games to come.”

Rigdale did not seem particularly delighted.

“It’s money that talks,” said he, “I'll be a igng time
getting two thousand dollars out of the Panthers.”

“Where’s the option?” asked Billings. “Did you bring
it with you?”

“I did,” was the reply, “but I've got something I want
to tell you before I turn the option over. Come away
somewhere, so we can be out of this confounded racket.
These fools are making so much noise you can ne
think.”

Billings shot a vague, uneasy glance at Clancy. “The
motor wizard was himself considerably perturbed at the
way Rigdale was expressing himself. Was there some
kind of a string to that option?” |
Rigdale made his way around one corner of the grand
stand, Here the grounds were deserted, and he and
Clancy and Billings could -have comparative quiet.

“'m not so blamed easy as you fellows think I am,”
said Rigdale. “As a rule, I’m not in the-habit of stak-
ing valuable options on the result of ball games. I did it
in this case because 1 didnot ‘think the option was so
blamed valuable. Just before you came to see me,” and

he turned with, a guileful grin ,to Clancy, “I had received
a telegram. If it had not' been for that telegram, my buck,
would would meen have Poser the agreement for the
_eption from me.”
Billings was going hot and cold. So was Clancy. ‘What
was Rigdale trying to get at?

“As you may know,” proceeded the owner of the
Panthers, “T secured title to the Manhattan Mine through
a decision of the lower court.
carried the case to the supreme court. The other day the
case was argued, and, when the arguments were finished,
_ the court reserved decision for a day or two. My attorney
- sent me a telegram—and that was the message | that
prompted me to enter into an agreement to given a ‘option
_ to Billings. in case the Panthers won to-day’s game.”
“Let's see the telegram,” said Clancy.

_ Rigdale drew the yellow sheet from his pocket jo
passed it over to the motor wizard. om the latter read the

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. 3 '

The man I was fighting  preme court decides who owns the Manhattan Mine.”

message, Billings looked over fis sh ioulder and read with
him: ;

“RIGDALE, Phoenix. ;
“Arguments presented ‘das:
for few days.

‘Court reserves’ decision
Be prepared for. the worst.

Te

“St awson.”

ae
a

“So the option may be worthless!” exclaimed Billings, in y
a hollow voice. @

“It may be—and it may be as good as the wheat.
There’s a chance. It all depends on which way the su-
preme court decides. Your cue, Billings, is to sell that
option to Grollinger before he finds out my title to the
property is in danger.”

Indignation flamed in Clancy’s face. He looked’ at Bil-
lings to note how he took the suggestion. i

one

 

 

“Dé you take me for a: thief?” cried Billings. “Pm no .
two-faced skunk! Tf the supreme court decides you don’t od
own the Manhattan’ Mine, then I'll take my medicine. TH i,
not saddle Grollinger with a worthless option, though. a

Hand the option over, and I'll \ireep it until we. ew
who owns the Manhattan proper ty.’

“What's this?” called a voice. “What's happened; Lew?
Haven't you learned how to keep your temper: ors

The. speaker was Uncle Barkley. He and Grollinger,

 

at that moment, joined the little group at the end of, the a
grand stand. 3

“Rigdale has played it low down on me {” fumed. Bil- }
lings. i

“IT have not,” protested Rigdale. “I have an option here
for Billings—and it may not be worth the paper it’s writ-
ten on. . That’s nothing ‘to me, so far as he is concerned.
If he wanted me to give him an option on the crown of \
England, and thought I was empowered to do it, ’'d oblige (aS
him—if he made it worth while.” :

“You mean to say that you don’t own the Manhattan
Mine?” demanded Uncle Barkley.

“T don’t know whether I do or not. The title is in dis-
pute. I wow, out in the lower court, but the case was car- m
ried up.” | eitare

“He was telling me to go ahead, sell the sonia to 3
Grollinger, and then let him run the risk of being gold-—
bricked,” put in Billings. “That’s the thing that ae me
mad. ae 8

Uncle Barkley peered steadily at his nephew. iia eyes
Were just as flinty as ever, and they made Billings just: as
uncomfortable,

“So,” growled the wholesale groceryman, “you would
sacrifice the large sum of five. thousand dollars for a
mere sentiment! That is why you have failed, I suppose,
to fulfill the work I laid out for you when you left |
Denver.” ee

Billings whirled on his uncle.

“Sentiment!” he flashed. “It’s a matter of common hon-

esty. I can’t sell this option to Grollinger until, the su eae

 

 

aa aE,

 

 

 

      
    
  

~~ Ae :s 2.

  
       
      
         
 

“Tf that decision doesn’t come to hand before seven |
o'clock this evening,” said Uncle Barkley, “you and T are pe
done with each other.” EE

“Let it go at that! You'd think a hips of me, wrantdn’e i
you, if I came to you with five thousand dollars; arid you, ee
discovered that I was no better than a thief?”

Clancy could not understand the attitude J. Barkley. :
Billings was taking. If he was a man who set so. much _
store by honorable success, why was he finding fault with ‘

      
       
        
     
   

    
     
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his nephew for refusing to force the option upon Grol-
linger ?

“Well,” said Rigdale, “whether it 1s worth something
or nothing, Billings, there is the option.”

He handed over a folded paper.

“These young men worked hard for that Sabon, Rig-

_ dale,” said Uncle Barkley.

. “They did well,” said Rigdale. “I’ll admit that. If the
option is valuable, they are well paid; if it is worthless,
then they have only themselves to blame. I didn’t tell
them I owned the mine beyond a shadow of a doubt—no
one knows about that, yet.”

“Yes, they do,” spoke up Grollinger.

Rigdale whirled on the Denver man.

“What do you know?” he demanded.

“T have just recetiae a telegram—it was delivered to
me only a few moments ago. The supreme court has re-
versed the lower court, Rigdale. You do not own the
Manhattan Mine, and the option you gave Lew Billings
is valueless.”

Rigdale staggered. It was evident he was hard hit.

“Have you any objection to my seeing that message?”
he asked.

“Certainly not.” ,

Grollinger gave him the message to read. Slowly Rigdale
passed his eyes over it, and then calmly handed the yel-
low slip to its owner.

“You are right,” he remarked quietly. “Pophagan owns
the Manhattan Mine. If you want the property, Grol-
linger, you will have to get an option from him.”

“T have already done that,” said Grollinger, with a
“IT wanted an option from you merely to cover
both horns of the dilemma, as it were. You see, I wanted
to be in a position to take over the property whicheyer
way the cat jumped. -I was even willing to throw away
several thousand dollars in order to make sure of ul-
timately owning the Manhattan Mine.”

“You win!” grunted Rigdale, and he whirled on his heel
and disappeared.

“Yes,” mourned Billings, “and I lose!”

Slowly, sadly) he tore up the option and scattered the
pieces to the winds.

“My ‘diamond deal’ fell flat!” growled Clancy. “That
five-thousand-dollar game wasn’t worth five thousand
y??

cents !
ep. ”
ardon me,

”

spoke up Uncle Barkley, “but you are

wrong, Clancy. Your ‘diamond deal’ was a very fine

affair, and your five-thousand-dollar game was worth every
cent of it.”

Uncle Barkley did not pause to explain, but went hur-
riedly on:

“Again,” and his voice lost none of its hardness, “I want
you young men to come to dinner with me. . Come
promptly at six”” The dry smile wreathed his lips as he

added: “You and I, Lewis, may as well have a final
meal together before our paths divide. Will you accept the
invitation ?”

“Sure—if Clancy will.”

“How about it, Clancy?”

“I'll be glad to come,” the motor wizard answered.

“Promptly at six, then—don’t forget.”

Uncle Barkley turned away. The next moment he and
Grollinger had left the grounds'and were speeding toward
_ town in their automobile, —

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

    

   

Benner was _praiting for Clancy and Billings with the
Hornet. * :

“It was a great game!” declared Benner, as the run-
about started off. “Everybody is talking about it.”

“For a winner,’ growled Billings, “it. was certainly a
losing proposition.”

CHAPTER XII.
THE CAPSHEAF.

“How much do I get if I go to work for you. in the
garage, Clancy ?”

The two friends were taking cold plunges in Clancy’s
rooms, and making ready to get into their street clothes.
Billings was trying to look the future squarely in the
face, and that is what prompted the question he asked his
friend.

“We'll start you in at fifty dollars.a month, Billings,”
motor wizard answered.

“Then you can count on having a new man Monday.”

“You've given up?”

“Why shouldn’t 1? There’s no use being foolish about
this business. It is five-thirty,.and I have only an hour
and a half left in which to amass the vast sum of five
thousand dollars. That’s more than I can do, even with
your help. The back fire was too strong, and it bowled me
over. Did you ever,' in all your days, see anything like
it?”

Billings was getting into his best clothes for the din-
ner with Uncle Barkley. Wonder at the relentless na-
ture of the misfortunes that had overwhelmed him
seemed to have left no place for anger. He marveled,
but he was not particularly out of temper.

“Til luck has certainly crowded you pretty hard,”) said
Clancy.

“Tf any other fellow but myself had recovered that gold
for the Walnut Grove crowd,” continued Billings, “those
fellows would have tumbled all over themselves to fork
out several thousand perfectly good dollars. The vote of
thanks would have gone along with the money. But that
didn’t happen to me—it couldn’t happen to me.
born under the wrong sign of the zodiac.

the

“And then, again, if any one else but Lew Billings had
helped prevent the theft of that gold from the bank,
wouldn’t the bank officials have remembered him with

something more than a fifty-dollar watch? Sure, they
would!”
Clancy laughed. /

“T don’t believe much in luck, Billings,
was with you in both those occurrences you mention. My
treatment was the same as yours, wasn’t it?”

“Why, yes. You see,” the other ingeniously explained,
“I hoodooed’ you. In the natural course of things, any
one would have thought your ‘diamond deal’ was a cinch,
so far as the option and getting five thousand dollars were
concerned. Fate had to twist around a good deal in order
to beat us out of that, but it ‘never would have done to

y?

allow Back Fire Billings to make good!

By six o’clock they were at the Gladstone again, and once
more they were met by Uncle Barkley and conducted to the

I was.

  

” said he, “but I

dining room. As before, Grollinger was one of the din-

ner party.
“By seven o'clock,” remarked Eanes, “T suppose our
trails divide, eh, Uncle Barkley ?”

3
20 , NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

“Why shouldn’t they djvide?” snapped the wholesale
groceryman. -

Billings must. have’ thought his uncle showed ‘a temper
that was wholly uncalled for. He made a movement as
though he would rise from the table.

“They can divide right now, if you want it that way,”
growled Billings.

@lancy reached out a quick and restraining hand. Uncle
Barkley turned away his head. Claricy fancied he saw a
shadowy smile cross Grollinger’s face.

“Don’t be in such a hurry to get away from me,” said
Uncle Barkley finally. “You kept your tempet well in hand
while you were pitching at the ball park, and your team
was giving you miserable support. I don’t see any reason
why you should get cross and ugly now.”

“Don’t come down too hard on the boy,” came the
smothered voice of Grollinger.

Uncle Barkley turned on him sharply.

“You're a good friend of mine, Grollinger,” said he, “but
I want you to distinctly understand that this is a family
affair. Lewis believes in luck. He thinks he is’ being
victimized by the supernatural. He has an idea that some
demon of perversity is always dogging his footsteps. It
was this foolish belief of his that caused us first to fall
out in Denver. I sent him forth to learn the truth that a
man succeeds according to what he has within him, and
not because of any forces without.”

Uncle Barkley shifted his eyes to his nephew.

“Have you learned the lesson?” he inquired.

“I have learned that the back fire is too much for me,’
answered Billings.

“Back fire!” repeated his uncle, in contempt. ‘“That’s a
fool name for your own incompetency. Look back over
the ill fortune that has happened, and you wil find where
you yourself were to blame for it.”

“Was I to blame for that vote of thanks?” queried
Billings.

Uncle Barkley smiled.

“Yes,” he answered. “You could have been at the
meeting, with the rest of us, and you could have driven
a hard bargain.”

“And ‘lost some of miy self-respect!” commented Bil-
lings. “Was I to blame because the bank officials gave me
a fifty-dollar watch for saving the eight bags of gold? I
suppose, according to you, I should have gone to them
and tooted my horn. Maybe they would have come across
_ with a hundred-dollar watch instead of a fifty-dollar one!”

This talk of Billings’ seemed very amusing to Uncle
Barkley and Grollinger. The eyes of both men twinkled,
and Grollinger had to bite his lip to keep back a laugh.

“To go on,” continued Billings, “where was I at fault
when Clancy’s ‘diamond deal’ went wrong?”

“The ‘diamond deal’ did not go wrong,” said Uncle
Barkley.

“The option wasn’t any good, was it?”

“No.”

“Then why didn’t the deal go wrong ee

“We'll come back to that in a few minutes, Lewis.
' Will you tell me what your plans are for the future?”
“l’m going to work for Clancy in his garage.”

“So Clancy continues to stand by you, eh?”
Billings put out a hand and rested it affectionately on

~ Clancy's arm.

_ “He’s the best friend I ever had,” he declared, with:

ts ‘feeling. “I came to him three weeks ago, and asked him

to boss my fortunes. I explained that sometimes I was

Lucky Lew, and sometimes Back Fire Billings, and I
wanted him to engage to help out Lew and keep away the
back fire.”

“And what did Chaney say?” queried Uncle Barkley.

“He said. I was foolish, but I guess I have come pretty
near proving to him that my Billings hoodoo is too much
for the luck that comes my way.”

The motor wizard pretended to be busy with his din-
ner. To his mind, that meal was a farewell feast which
marked the parting of the ways between uncle and
nephew. Clancy felt like an outsider.

“You haven’t told me, yet, how much money you have
saved up, Lewis,” said Uncle Barkley.

“I was ashamed to tell you, the other night, but there’s
no use of being ashamed of anything now. I haven’t
saved up a cent. Clancy, here, has been paying my board
and lodging for the last three weeks.”

Uncle Barkley sat back in his chair. His flinty blue eyes
snapped.

“Grollinger,” he pad. looking at his friend, “do you
hear that?”

Grollinger nodded.

“A year ago I sent Lewis out with twenty-five hundred
dollars,” continued the merchant prince, “and I told him
not to come back to Denver if he couldn’t turn his stake
into five thousand dollars inside of a year. Now he hasn’t
a penny to show for his twenty-five. hundred dollars.
Between all his gorgeous schemes, he has come to the
ground in poverty. It hardly seems possible, in this day
and age of the world.” ;

“It’s a quatter of seven,” muttered Billings, sities at
his fifty-dollar watch, “and I’m not feeling very hungry,

anyway. I guess I’ll bid you a fond farewell, beets Bark- -

ley, and take my departure.”

“Wait!” said Uncle Barkley. “Were you surprised to
find mé here in Phoenix?”

“Not after I knew you were one of the heirs to the prop-
erty left by the old mining company.”

“You thought I was an heir?”:

“Not an heir, exactly,” qualified Billings, “but one of
the original six who formed the old company. I got that
from Judge Pembroke.”

“What did the judge tell you’ pressed Uncie Barkley.

“He told me that a man named Billings, who lived in

Denver, was one of the mining company. Of course, a

knew that was you.”

Uncle Barkley sat back in his ia and chuckled
audibly.

“T have been keeping track of you, Lewis,” said he.
“During all your wanderings of the last year, I have had
a trusted agent watching you., I knew when you came
to Phoenix, and I was apprised by etter of the recovery
of the gold by you and Clancy. When Pembroke got into
communication with me, his statement that the old safe

‘and its treasure had been recovered was no news. I came

on, in compliance with his request, -all the more readily
because it was getting near the end of the year of proba- —

tion, and I wanted to be around to find out what you ‘had .

accomplished.”
Uncle Barkley’s manner underwent a change. His Ainty

eyes softened, and his bluff voice lost some of its hargh- A a

ness,

“Tam a childless old man,” he rink on, “and you. aye 8

been with me for a good many years, Lewis. I have

 

 

 

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Uncle Bark

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myself, was

Walnut Gr
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and Clancy
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nephew. Af

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that is exact!
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upon giving |
Clancy wa:
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and the moto

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part with you for a year?

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. | aT

builded. my hopes upon your taking over the wholesale
house, some day, and continuing the business under the
name of Billings. Did you think it was easy for me to
‘And have you any idea that
it would be easy for me to part with you for all time?
I don’t know what there has been in my conduct to give
you that impression.

“In this life, however, many difficult tasks fall to us.
I saw, a year ago, that I should have to turn you out into
the world and make you realize that there was a heavy
responsibility upon your shoulders. Much as I hated to
do this, yet I carried the plan through. Now, within a
very few minutes, the year will be up.”

Billings was touched by these words of his uncle. His
fingers made a ridge in the tablecloth, and hé kept his
eyes averted,

“The year is almost up,” he muteered brokenly, “and I
have proved myself a failure.”

“See here! Does this look like it?”

A bundle of crisp bank notes lay on the table where

Uncle Barkley had dropped it.

“What—whom does that money belong to?” asked Bil-
lings breathlessly.

“To you. I am your guardian. Your father, and not
myself, was one of the original six men forming the
Walnut Grove Mining Company. I came down here
from Denver to safeguard your interests, Lewis. You

and Clancy recovered from the schemes of Abner Carey,

gold in which you held a sixth interest. There are eighty-
five hundred dollars in front of you. And it is all yours!”
Then, somewhere in the hotel, a clock struck seven.

CHAPTER XIii.
CONCLUSION.

A silence, intensely dramatic, followed the remarkable
statement of Uncle Barkley. Neither Billings nor Clancy
was able to speak, Grollinger had nothing to say, and the
merchant was waiting for some expression from his
nephew. After a time, Billings managed to gasp:

“And I—I was one of the heirs—and did not know it?”

“You were,” replied his unck. “That, to my mind, is
the strangest part of the many things that happened to

you, here in Phoenix. It is a most remarkable coinci-

dence that you and Clancy should become entangled with
treasure, a part of. which belonged to your father. Yet
that is exactly what occurred. The other claimants of the
money knew your status, but I asked them to keep it secret.
Otherwise,” and he laughed, “they would have insisted
upon giving you something more than a vote of thanks.”
Clancy was breathing fast and hard. He was as happy

over the outcome of, the affair as he would have been

had the good fortune come to him,
“Shake, old chap!” he whispered, reaching out his hand

to Billings.

The two youths shook hands affectionately.
“T’'ll trouble you for Clancy’s hand, Lewis, when you

a are done with it,” said Uncle Barkley.

Then he, in his turn, clasped the motor wizard’s palm—

“and the motor wizard wondered why. Uncle Barkley, di-
 yining the/ question, explained.

“I did not give you this money after the meeting of

- the owners of the gold and their representatives,” said he,
“because I wanted to see, with my own eyes, just what

t t of a fellow the year had made of Lewis, For that

reason I went to the ball park and saw him pitch against
the Prescott Grays.

“Now I am Boing to. tell you what I mean by insisting
that Clancy’s ‘diamond deal’ has not been a failure. It

. convinced me that you, Lewis, had come to be a good deal

of a man. I saw you fighting a good fight with no sup-
port worth mentioning from most of your team; I saw you
keeping your temper admirably, and clear-headed judg-
ment showing more and more as the coils of defeat tight-
ened. You behaved splendidly: I was proud of you. If it
had not been for Clancy’s ‘diamond deal,’ I should never
have seen you brought to that grueling test. For that
reason, I say that the ‘diamond deal’ with Rigdale was a,
stunning success. And it was worth to me many times five
thousand dollars.”

“I’m mighty glad it did some one a little good,” laughed
Clancy.

“I consider, Lewis,” continued the big merchant, “that
you have done well with your twenty-five hundred dol-
lars and the year:I gave you to double it.
Clancy has been of tremendous help to you. And that
is why,” he finished, his gaze on the motor wizard, “I was
anxious to shake hands with you.” ;

“Lew Billings,” returned Clancy earnestly, “is a fine
chap, and a credit to his family. I suppose he is going
back to Denver with you.”

“He is, most assuredly.”

“Then he’s lucky, but he’s only getting his due. I'll
hate to part with him, but he’s going to help boss the
wholesale grocery house—and that’s his proper place. We
have had some exciting times together, and I don’t be-
lieve either of us will forget them.”

“Certainly we won't!” cried Billings. “There’s some-
thing else I’ll not forget, Clan, and that is what I.owe you
for steering me through to success,”

“You don’t owe me anything,” protested the motor
wizard, “and if you don’t want to sacrifice my friendship,
you'll drop that matter right here.”

“Tl get even with you somehow!” dedlared Billings.

“Try it,” said Clancy, grinning, “and you'll tangle up
with more back fire than you'll be able to take care ae

“['m going to drop the nickname of Back Fire,” re-
turned Billings.

“Tt’s high time,” said Uncle Barkley.

“Hereafter,” laughed Clancy, “you are to be Lucky
Lew!”

“ ‘THE END.

“Qwen Clancy and the Claim Jumpers; or, The Motor

- Wizard’s Running Mate,” is the title of the story that you _

will find in the next issue of this weekly, No. 92, out May
2d. The story is the first of three closely connected nar-
ratives which will conclude the series of eighteen stories
telling of Owen Clancy’s efforts to make good in the bread- _
winning class. This story introduces, a new and mighty te
interesting character. You will be sure to like him, $:

PECULIAR ETIQUETTE OF THE HAT.
It is customary in the town of Quito, when @ visitor —
takes off his hat upon entering a room, to beg him to put

it on again; and, in the absence of permission, leave is

generally requested. This, it is said, rises from appre-
hension that cold will be taken by remaining uncovered.
The same persons, upon going out-of-doors, take off their

 

T.am sure that.
22 NEW

hats to flashes of lightning; no matter whether rain is

falling; and, when the streets are busy and lightning is _

abundant, a grotesque effect is produced by these saluta-
tions, which seem to be regarded as a duty by well-behaved
' persons, and are performed as punctiliously as the homage
which is paid to religious processions when they are in
sight.

The Snapshot Mystery.
By BERTRAM LEBHAR.
CHAPTER XIX,

AN INSPIRATION.

Gale made an attempt to argue the matter with the cam-
era girl, but she refused to listen, and the two men finally
went out, shaking their heads deprecatingly at the stub-
bornness and unreasonableness of the other sex.

Ten minutes after they had gone, the police matron came
once more to the barred door of the camera girl’s cell,
and informed her that there were two more visitors out-
side,

“And one of them is the party you mentioned before,”
she added, with a smile. “I believe you said ‘Hawley,
didn’t you?”

“Yes!” exclaimed the girl eagerly.
Oh, please let me see him.”

Once more she was taken from the cell, and Seacietel
to the room at the end of the corridor, where the Senti-
nel’s camera man greeted her cordially.

“Miss Hastings,” he said, “I have come to introduce my
- friend, Mr. Robinson. He is a lawyer, and, if you will
permit him, he will be very glad to represent you in
court.”

His companion, a quiet-looking young man, who was
in every way a decided contrast to Mr. Sugarman, bowed
his acknowledgment of this introduction.

“Before I accept this kind offer,” said the girl, with a
sad smile, “I must ask a question. On what lines does
: Mr Robinson purpose to conduct my defense? Is he
going to suggest emotional insanity or anything of that
sort?”

“Why, of course not,” replied Hawley, in a surprised
tone. “Mr. Robinson is not goingyto offer any defense at
all—because none will be necessary.”

“T am here merely to represent you at the preliminary
_ hearing in the magistrate’s court this morning, Miss Has-
tings,” explained the young lawyer. “As, of course, you
will be remanded to await the action of the grand jury,
there will be really nothing for us to do except attend to
the matter of bail.”

“Do you think you will be able to get me out on bail?”
inquired the girl wistfully. “I have no relatives or
friends who own property of any great value.” /

“In that case, Miss Hastings,” said Hawley, “I regret
to say that the chances are against us. I shall certainly
do my best to get a bondsman for you, but I am afraid’
the magistrate will set the arnount of your bail at such
a high figure that it will be impossible to find anybody
who can be persuaded to go on the bond.

_ “However,” he went on cheerily, “don’t you care! It’s
a rotten shame, of course, that you should have to spend
even an hour in this wretched place, but~bail or no bail

“Ts he out there?

TIP TOP WEEKLY.

—you’re not going to remain locked up for long. I am
already on the trail of the fellow who fired that shot at
Lord Glaster, and as soon as I’ve found him you'll be
released, with apologies from Inspector McCartney and>
everybody who now believes you guilty.”

“Already on his trail?” repeated the camera girl, in
astonishment. “Surely you can’t mean that, Mr. Hawley?
Why, you don’t know who he is, do you?”.

“No, but I know what he looks like,’ answered the
camera man, with a smile, “and that’s a whole lot ac-
complished toward catching him, you know.” He took
the photograph of the bearded man from his pocket.
“Maybe it would interest you to take a look at his
picture.”

“Ts that the man?” exclaimed the girl excitedly. “Why,
he was standing right beside me when we were taking the -
wedding pictures outside the church. I remember that
he requested me to move my camera a little to one side,
so that he could get a better focus. But he seemed to be
quite cool and collected, and I didn’t notice anything at
all suspicious about his actions before the shooting. What
made you pick him out from all the rest as the guilty per-
son, Mr. Hawley?”

The camera man explained to her in detail how and why
he had arrived at that conclusion. Her eyes lighted up as
she heard of his ingenious experiment with the flash-light
picture, which had enabled him to pick out the impostor
from the group of legitimate press representatives.

“That was very clever of you, Mr. Hawley,” she said.
“T feel quite sure now that you are on. the right track,
and I begin to have hope of getting out of this all right,
in spite of the crushing mass of circumstantial evidences
which Inspector McCartney will produce against me. —

“But what do you think could have been this fellow’s
motive?” she inquired, pointing to the picture in Haw-

ley’s hand. “Have you any idea why he shot Lord
Glaster ?”

“I don’t believe that he meant to shoot Lord Glaster
at all,” replied the camera man quietly. “I have reason
to believe that the shot he fired missed its mark.” —

“Missed its mark?” She looked at him wonderingly.

“Yes. Do you remember the infernal machine which
was sent to Lord Destyn a few weeks ago, and the threat-
ening letter which accompanied it? Well, I am quite sure
that our bearded friend was the author of that viclent
warning.

“The bullet which sped from his camera was. not: in-
tended for Lord Glaster, but for his cousin, Lord. Destyn,
who, as you know, was standing close beside Glaster when
the shot was fired.”

After a few moments of thought, the girl cette:
“Yes, I think you are right, Mr. Hawley: Indeed, now
that you speak of it, it astonishes me that nobody else
seems to have remembered about that infernal machine.
I should think that the police and the newspapers would
have connected it with the shooting immediately.” |

Hawley smiled. “I presume they would have done so if
it hadn’t been for your unfortunate prejudice against
Lord Glaster. It was that fact which threw everybody
off the track and caused them to lose sight of the warn-
ing-letter incident. The strong circumstantial evidence

‘against you and the discovery that apparently you had a. |
‘motive for assassinating Lord Glaster convinced Inspector

McCartney and ‘nearly everybody else that the bullet was
really meant for the man it hit, ¥:

 

 
 

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. | By

“T, on the other ‘hand, being convinced. of your inno-
cence,” he went on, “naturally sought elsewhere for a mo-
tive for the shooting, and it soon occurred to me that
- Lord”. Destyn and not-his kinsman, Lord Glaster, was
really the man marked for slaughter.

“As soon as this thought presented itself, I went at
once to the district messenger office, from which that in-

fernal machine had been sent, and showed the manager this °

picture, which, after some hesitancy, he identified as the
photograph of the man who brought in the package.

“The reason he hesitated at first was that the fellow
at that time was clean shaven. He must have. grown
that beard within the past few weeks: The manager was
quite sure that it was the same man, however, but he
could’ give me no information concerning his identity.”

Ruth Hastings flashed him an admiring glance. “How
‘clever you are, Mr. Hawley. - You don’t overlook a single
point.

“I suppose,”
of the bearded man, “you are of the opinion that this man
must be-insane.. Surely nobody’ but a dangerous maniac
could. be guilty of such a crime.’

“Yes,” agreed the camera man. “Although the manager
of ‘the messenger office says that the man acted. rationally
enough when he was in the place, I think we shall find
that we have a madman to deal with. We can’t be too
sure of that, though. It is quite possible that the man is
sane and has a real grievance against Lord Destyn.

“He may be cunning enough to have sent that infernal
machine and threatening letter in the hope that, after the
shooting, they would direct suspicion from -himself, by
causing the police to conclude that the mysterious crime
was the work of a crank.”

“No,” declared the girl, “I am confident,‘that you will
find the man is a maniac. Isn't there any way of find-
ing out who he is, Mr. Hawley? How about the British
consulate? You have not forgotten, I suppose, that on
the wrapper of the infernal machine the words: ‘From
the British consulate’ appeared in embossed type? Maybe

2 you inquired at the consulate, they could give you some

information as to who he is.”

Hawley smiled. “I have just come from there. The
same idea suggested itself to me, so I went to the con-
sulate the first thing this morning, showed them this
photograph, and asked them if they could identify the
man.

“Nobody there remembered ever having seen his face
before. They explained that the printing on the package
may have been cut from a letterhead, which he could
easily have obtained without visiting the consulate. That
sounds very plausible.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “But there’s one other. point, Mr.
Hawley, which it seems to me is difficult to explain. If
that bullet from the camera was really intended for Lord

Destyn, why didn’t the assassin, when he found that he
~ frad missed his mark and hit the wrong man—why didn’t
he fire again?”

“Maybe he got scared,” suggested Hawley. “At all
 events——” He stopped short suddenly, and an expres-
- sion of great excitement lighted up his features.

“By Jove! Miss Hastings, you've given me a great
idea!” he cried joyously. “When I came here, I didn’t
_ have the slightest clew as to the present whereabouts of
that whiskered assassin. I didn’t know where to begin to
Igek for him. But what you have just onles has told me

she went on, pointing to the photograph

for the next three weeks.

where to find him. Now, inside of forty-eight hours, I
expect to be able to place my hand upon his shoulder and
tell him that he is wanted. Come .on, Robinson; we
can’t afford to lose a minute.” i

And without a word of explanation to the astonished
camera girl, he hurried out, followed by his still more as-
tonished friend, the counsel for the defense.

CHAPTER XX.
ON THE TRAIL.

“What in the name of all that’s mysterious are you up
to now, Hawley?” demanded Robifson, when the two
men reached the street.

“Read that!” replied the impetuous camera man, lacon-
ically taking a folded newspaper from his pocket and
pointing to a paragraph on the-front page.

The lawyer took the paper, and saw that the paragraph:
which Hawley had-indicated was part. of the account. of
the shooting of Lord Glaster. _With- growing -mystifica-
tion, he read: Se Sie a ‘

“Lord Destyn accompanied his stricken cousin to the
hospital and waited there until assured by the surgeons
that the bullet wound was not of a serious nature. Then
he returned to the church, and the interrupted wedding
was hurried through as fast as “possible.”

“I don’t see anything enlightening about this,” remarked
Robinson, looking up from the paper. “What has the
fact that Lord Destyn was married after the shooting of
his cousin got to do with finding the man you're after?”

“Read on,” commanded Hawley. “The next few lines
will answer your question. Read what it says about the
honeymoon.”

The lawyer turned once more to the newspaper:

“Satisfied that his kinsman’s condition was not suffi-
ciently serious to demand a change in the honeymoon
plans, Lord Destyn and his bride left on the six-thirty
train for Wiltingham, Joshua B. Blanchard’s country
home, their automobile being escorted to the railway sta-
tion by a squadron of mounted police.

“The couple will spend three weeks on this scent bade
estate, which Mr. Blanchard has turned over entirely to
them during their honeymoon.”

Still Robinson looked at the camera man enssliceinelly.
“T must confess that your object in getting me to read all
this continues to be as clear as mud to me, my friend,” he-
said. “What on earth has it got to do with what you said
to Miss Hastings just now? How is it going to help you
to capture the man who shot Lord Glaster?”

“Don’t you see?” exclaimed Hawley excitedly. “Lord _
Destyn has gone to Wiltingham, where he plans to stay be
Consequently the chances area _
hundred to one _ we will find our whiskered friend at
Wiltingham, ea es

“But why? . What grounds have you for jumping: eee
such a conclusion?” iu

“What grounds! Great guns, man!
in his first attempt to shoot Lord Destyn, will naturally
seek a second opportunity?” . e

“You think that he has followed his lordship out there
in order to assassinate him?” exclaimed the lawyer.

“Of course I do. I am almost sure of it.”

“But if he was not satisfied with the harm he “had

a

 

Doesn’t it oriiee: oe
you as pretty straight dope that the fellow, having failed
NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

already done—if, after shooting Glaster, he still thirsted
for Destyn’s life,” argued Robinson, “why didn’t he fire a
second shot fromehis camera immediately after the first?
He had plenty of opportunity then.”

Hawley shrugged his shoulders. “That is the very ques-
tion which Miss Hastings asked me and which first put it
into my head to look for our man at Wiltingham.

“Tt is impossible, of course, for me to tell you why he
didn’t fire more than one shot. As I said before, maybe
he lost his nerve after seeing Lord Glaster fall, or per-
haps he had never seen Lord Destyn before, and believed
at the time that he had got the right man.

“At all events,” the camera man went on, “whatever
his reasons, he didn’t make a second attempt right then,
and he didn’t have an opportunity at any time afterward,
for the bride and groom were so hemmed in by mounted
police that it was impossible to get anywhere near them,
and, besides, he was placed under arrest after the shoot-
ing and taken to headquarters with the rest of us camera
men.

“Therefore, it is a safe bet that our whiskerec friend
has gone to Wiltingham, figuring that in that secluded
spot he ought to be able to accomplish his infernal pur-
‘pose. If we do not get there too late—if the wretch
doesn’t succeed in getting to Lord Destyn before we ar-
rive, I mean—I am quite sure that we shall find him
prowling around the estate waiting for a chance to send
‘a bullet into the Englishman. There isn’t a minute to lose,
Robinson. We must leave for Wiltingham on the very
next train.”

“We?” exclaimed the lawyer uneasily.
pose’ for’a minute, Hawley, that I’m going along with

you?”
“Yes, you’ve got to come, old fellow.
need your help.”

“But are you forgetting that I have been retained as
counsel for Miss Hastings and have got to be in the
magistrate’s court to represent her this morning ?”

“Let that go,’ declared the camera man confidently.
“Miss Hastings will beable to get along all right without
a lawyer. They can’t do anything to her in court to-
day, and by to-morrow: we'll be back with the proof that
will set her free,” 5

“Well, anyway,” declared Robinson, who’ was a some-
what: timorous young man, “if you. think I’m going: out
there’on such a dangerous ‘errand, my friend, you've ‘got
another guess coming.

“We know that that fdios has a gun, aid we know
also that<he doesn’t hesitate to. shoot to kill. Your life
may. be earth nothing to you; ‘Hawley, but mine is very
dear to me.” - :

- “Bosh!” exclaimed the camera man impatiently ia bere
won’t be any danger to speak of. I’m going to resort to
strategy, if possible. In fact, I’ve got a bully plan mapped
out already. You’ve got to come along, old chap, and
_ help me put it through.’
After a lot of persuasion, the young lawyer consented
to go, his good nature overcoming his prudence.

I shall probably

On their way to the Grand Central Station, Hawley 3

stepped into a sporting-goods store and purchased a box
of blank cartridges to fit a twenty-two caliber revolver.
“What on earth are those for?” demanded Robinson,
staring at his companion in astonishment.

“They're part of the plan I’ve mapped out for the cap-
ture: of our whiskered friend,” was the only explanation

“You don’t supy

the camera man would give him. “The chances are that
we won’t get'an opportunity to use them, but I’m taking
them along in case we do.”

“What in the name of all that’s mysterious is : this plan
of yours?” demanded the lawyer.

“Never mind,” rejoined his friend, with an enigmatic
smile; “I’m not going to let you in on it now. Wait
until we get out there, and you'll see.”

As they stepped out of the sporting-goods store, they
encountered Gale, the Daily News reporter, and his
friend, Lawyer Sugarman, who were walking through
Forty-second Street.

“Hello, Hawley!” exclaimed the former, with an
ironical grin. “Still looking for the man who shot Lord
Glaster? My good friend, Inspector McCartney, was.
telling me last night that — developed into a regular
Sherlock Holmes.”

Notwithstanding the sneer in the reporter’s oan and
the fact that he and the camera man were old enemies, the
latter smiled pleasantly as he replied: “Praise from the
inspector is praise indeed. I think, Gale, that if you'll in-
vest a penny for a copy of the Sentinel to-morrow morn-
ing, you'll see in that up-to-date journal one of the biggest
scoops that ever caused the News to turn green with
envy.”

“Ts that so?” exclaimed the News man sharply.
is it going to be, picture or story scoop?” 3

“Both,” replied Hawley, who had his camera in his
hand—he rarely traveled without it even when off duty
—*T expect to take a couple of snapshots to illustrate our
story of the capture of Lord Glaster’s would-be assassin
—for I don’t mind revealing to you that that’s the ‘scoop
which the Sentinel is going to pull off to-morrow morn-
ing.”

Gale burst into a hearty laugh. “By Jiminy! Hawley,
I must confess that you had me quite worried for a cou-
ple of minutes. I almost took you seriously—for some-
times the sleepy old Sentinel does manage to fall into an
exclusive yarn. So that’s going to be your scoop, is it—
the capture of Lord Glaster’s assailant? 1 must hurry
around and tell Inspector McCartney the stirring tidings.
I guess he'll be interested to learn that your Sherlock
Holmes methods have produced such amazingly quick

“Which

- results.”

Hawley greeted this irony with another -good-natured
smile, and he and his companion continued on their way
to the Grand Central Station.

-As. they: neared that terminal, they inhat a tall, ‘sharp
featured: man, with ron-arey hair, whom Hawtsy: pees
cordially.

“Hello, inspector!” he stetined joyously. “This i is in-
deed a: fortunate meeting. You're just, the very ma I
want.”

The man he addressed was Police Inspector Bryant.
Hawley considered this man one of the most intelligent |
on the force, and he felt confident that he would not jeer
when he heard of the errand on which the two young i
men were bound.

Hawley proceeded to narrate to the police official all
that he had learned concerning the bearded man, and. gave
his reasons for assuming gs seer Sieg os nd the fellow
at Wiltingham. \ a

Inspector Bryant listened to the ‘récital with great aud ig!
growing interest, and when it was finished placed his hand —
upon the camera man’s shoulder. RES

 

 
 

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. 35

“My friend!” he exclaimed enthusiastically, “you’ve
done remarkably well. Until now I thought for sure that
‘McCartney had that young woman dead to rights. The
circumstantial evidence against her is so strong that I
didn’t think there could possibly be any mistake. But
what you’ve told me puts a new complexion on the case.
I think you’re on the right track.”

“Then, come along with us, inspector, to Wiltingham,
and help us to nab our man,” said Hawley eagerly.

“Oh, no. I couldn’t do that.
tion and

“But think of the fine opportunity to put one over on
Inspector McCartney,” suggested Hawley, who knew of
the rivalry which existed between the two inspectors.
“Can you imagine his face when you come marching into
headquarters with the man who shot Lord Glaster hand-
cuffed to you?”

A gleam came to the policeman’s eyes. “By Jove! I
think I’ll do it. Not, of course, that I care particularly
about rubbirig it into Inspector McCartney,” he added
hastily, “but—well, no doubt you'll need me on the job.”

The inspector, who was in citizen’s clothes, was ready
to start at once, and fifteen minutes later the three men
were on a train speeding toward Wiltingham.

When, several hours later, they arrived at that ‘small

village, Hawley produced the photegraph of the bearded
man from his pocket anid asked the station master whether
he had ever seen the original.
“A fellow that looked something like him—only he
didn’t have no beard—got off the eleven-ten express this
morning,” was the encouraging reply. “He had a camera
in his hand and-——

“That’s he!” exclaimed the inspector excitedly, turn-
ing to Hawley. “He’s taken the precaution of removing
-his whiskers. Do you know which way he went from
here, friend ?” ‘

“The last I saw of him he was trudging up that there
road toward the Blanchard estate,” replied the station
master, pointing over his shOulder. “Guess he went up
there to try to. take some snapshots of the bride and
groom.”

TO BE CONTINUED.

‘THE HIDDEN TREASURE.

By VIOLA E. CARLISLE.

Almost -every neighborhood has its old house, around
which tradition weaves many a romantic tale. A dilapi-
dated structure, with loosened clapboards, broken windows,
and doors swinging drearily upon rusty hinges—and object
of curiosity to the children, of dread to the superstitious,
and of interest to all. Such a one is the subject of the

following sketch.

Jt stood alone in an old field belonging to my ‘father,
and near -it was a broad, shallow river, whose muddy
waters had gradually worn away its banks until only a
narrow strip lay between it and the housé—so narrow, in
fact, that the next freshet threatened to undermine the
building, and project its corner over the stream.

The main body of the house had been built of hewn
logs; but in the later days of its glory several wings and

/ sheds of more modern structure had been added to it.

At..the-time of which I am speaking it was all alike, in
a sadly ruined condition, uninhabitable for everything, save

It’s out of my jurisdic- |

owls, bats, and reptiles. Even the oldest residents of
the neighborhood can remember a time when it was called
“The Old House.”

It was built by an Indian trader, who had here brought
trinkets, ammunition, and fire water, to exchange with
the rude children of the forest for the skins of the bear,
beaver, and otter, and that it had been the scene of many
a wild revel and Indian war dance, in which the white
trapper seemed to vie with his more dusky brother in
drunkenness and savage pastime.

It was said that the trader was of French descent; but
none knew whence he came. It was generally believed
that he had amassed quite a fortune in his transactions
with the Indians—a belief that was strengthened by the
fact that he was one day found by some hunters lying
dead upon the floor, murdered, and doubtless robbed, as
nothing of any value could be found about the premises,
which had all the appearance of having been thoroughly
ransacked. After having satisfied themselves that no clew
to the murderers could be found, the hunters buried the
body, closed up the house, and went their way. After this
fearful tragedy the house remained unoccupied for a num-
ber of years, until the land, which belonged to the gov-
ernment, was bought by a pioneer, who, after making
a few improvements, sold it to another, and so on_ until
it was eventually bought by my father, who had sold. a
small farm at the East for sufficient money to in. part
pay for this more valflable one at the West. To pay the
remainder he was obliged to borrow, and secure the
lender ‘by a mortgage on his new purchase.

At‘ the time we took possession of our new home we
found a comfortable dwelling, which. had been . erected
by a former possessor, some distance from the old house.
This old house became an object of great interest to us
children. Hour after hour my sister Clara and myself
spent in wandering around the old building, crawling up
the dilapidated stairs, peering into dismal corners, picking
up bits of broken earthenware, and weaving our own >
romances about the man who was murdered there.

One day we scraped the dirt away from the floor in.the
room in which it ‘was said the murdered man was found,
and finding some dark spots, imagined they were stains
of blood, and derived no little satisfaction from our sup-
posed discovery.

Of course, the old house had its ghost and ghostly
revels. Many of the more superstitious country people
would make a wide circuit in order to avoid passing near
it on a dark night; and not a few were the tales they
told. of the strange sights and sounds that. had greeted their
eyes and ears at various times near that haunted locality.
But these stories troubled not us. We had never seen
anything to frighten us, and were not to be deterred from
visiting our favorite place of resort, both in and out of
season.

After the removal of our father to: the West, il luck
seemed to attend us. Our crops were blighted, our cattle
died, and, as if to prove the old adage true, that “Ill _
luck never comes singly,” sickness—that great scourge
of the Western immigrant—visited us, and laid its un-
relenting hand upon almost every member of our family.
One by one we were stricken down, and languished for
months, a prey to the bilious disease peculiar to the cli-
mate; and little Willie, our pet and pride, closed his blue

eyes to open them-on earth no more.

Thus, at the end of three years, my father, instead of

 
26 NEW

being able to take up the mortgage already on his farm,
was reduced to the necessity of borrowing more money,
and securing the new loan by another mortgage. This was
in the fall. I will not dwell upon our sufferings during
the succeeding long and severe winter. While the earth
was yet wrapped in its winding sheet of snow, we laid
our baby Eliza to sleep by the side of little Willie.

' At length spring came—not with flowers and sunshine,
but with heavy rains, freshets, chilling blasts, and miry
roads; and thus it continued until the season was far ad-
-yanced. Yet, as soon as possible, my father, although still
weak from recent illness, began to make preparations for
planting the spring crop. While thus engaged, he re-

ceived notice from the holder of the first mortgage that -

the time had expired in which the debt was to have been
paid, and that, unless the money was forthcoming within
the space of ten days, the mortgage would be fore-
closed.

It is no wonder that, under these accumulated misfor-
tunes, my father became discouraged.

One warm, pleasant day, my sister and myself started
out for the purpose of planting some flower seeds upon
the graves of little Willie and Eliza. Having accom-
plished our melancholy task, with quivering lips and
streaming eyes, we turned away, and slowly wandered
toward the old house. Many months had passed since
‘we had been there. When we last visited the place, Willie
was our companion; and under the window still tay the
block of wood upon which I had stood, in order to lift
him up so that he could look into a bird’s nest. How he

clapped his little hands and screamed with delight, when
“hé saw the tiny nestlings, and begged that he might hold
one in his hands—“Only just a little minute.” But now
the birds were gone, and a deserted nest alone remained.
“Willie was also gone, and a little mound marked his ‘rest-
ing place. This was a day of sad remembrance to Clara
and me, Everything we saw or touched was associated
with our darling little brother.

At length, wearied with our long walk and sad thoughts,
we sat down to rest upon the bank of the river near the
house. After we had been sitting there a few moments,
Clara discovered some bright shells glistening in the sand
near the water's edge, and asked me to go down with her
to gather them. We had been so employed but a short
time when I chanced to glance up the bank,’ where. ‘the

__ late freshets had washed away the: ‘dirt,’ and, sure enotigh,
one corner of the house stood out over the ‘bank. Sud-
denly my eye was arrested by something which ‘had’ the
‘appearance of a box projecting from the sand. —

“What is it?” exclaimed Clara, who ‘discovered it at
. the same moment.

“We will soon find out,” J aed: and digging around
it with our hands, we soon brought to view an iron box
_ about a foot square.

‘We soon ascertained that it was lucinaly fastened, and

almost breathless with excitement, we hurried home to —

relate to our less excited parents the story of our won-

- derful discovery. .
In a very few moments we ad wckeaitinn hoses. and

: children—returned to the old house, and stood expectantly

oS around the old box while my father, with a suitable in-

- strument, broke it open, and displayed to our astonished
gaze two bags of buckskin—the one wild with silver,
and the aioe with gold coin,

be kind to dumb animals.

TiP TOP: Ws

There was none, to dispute my fathet's right to this
treasure, which all united in believing was buried there by

the Indian trader, who, although he had lost his life, had
not revealed its place of concealment to those who had
stained their hands with his blood and their souls with —

murder, for the sake of its possession.

I will only add, that by the use of this money, so op-
portunely found, my father was enabled to clear his farm
from debt, and that there was sufficient left to’ secure
the remainder of his life from the harassing wants of the
past. .

NOTED AMERICAN TREES.

Some noted American trees are the following:

“Old Liberty Tree,” at Boston,. Mass.

“The Burgoyne Elm,” at Albany, N.Y,

The Ash Tree planted by Washington at Mount Veron.

The Weeping Willow over the grave,/of Cotton. Mather,
near Bunker Hill, taken. from a tree that shaded the gtave
of Napoleon at St. Helena,

“The Cary Tree,” a large sycamore near Mount Pleas-
ant, Ohio. ..-

“The Washington Elm,” at Cabidis Mase.,\-under

which Washington. tpok command of the. American army,
July 3, 1775.

The “Wawona Tres" of pias Senn Cal.,
sent feet thick.

twenty-

HAPPENED ON FRIDAY.

Here is a list of some important events that have o¢-
eurred on Friday:

Washington was born.

Shakespeare was born.

. America was discovered.

The Bastile was destroyed.

_The-Mayflower pilgrims were landed.

Queen Victoria was marfied:

Napoleon Bonaparte was born. -

‘Julius Cesar was assassinated.

The Battle of Marengo was fought.

The Battle of Waterloo was fought.
The Battle of Bunker Hill was. fought.

The Battle of New Orleans was fought.

The Declaration of Independence was signed, _

wr

x CHANGE OF TUNE.

' A furniture van stood in front of a house. im little: es a
stood ‘by the horse and gave it some bread to st. thes

driver looked on with a broad grin.

“That’s right,” said he to the young icaaiuaie: “always i
Look how the old horse enjoys —
it. But does your mother always give you big chinks,

that?”

“No,” replied the youngster, “T didn’t get that, from my |
_ mother.” cS

“Where did you get it then ?”
“Tt was lying in the van,”
Here the driver flew into a temper and bawled out:

“Why, that was my breakfast, you miserable rascal, you.”
The poor lad, doomed thus early in life to a practical

experience of the sudden vicissitudes of popular re

from the scene.

Sa i eee a

 
Books fot Trainers and Athletes,

So many inquiries reach us from week to week con-
cerning the various manuals on athletic development,
which we publish, that we have decided to keep a list of
them standing here. Any number can be had by mail by
remitting 10 cents, and 3 cents postage, for each copy, to
the publishers.

“Frank Merriwell’s Book of Physical Development.”

“The Art of Boxing and Self-defense,” by Professor
Donovan.

“Physical Health Culture,” by Professor Fourmen.

Ate We to Return to the Merriwells?

I have long been a persistent reader of your excellent
stories, so.persistent, in fact, that people on my paper

route have spoken about my reading so many of them
while carrying my papers.

I must say, I was very sorry to see you discontinue to
junior, although the Owen

write of Frank Merriwell,
Clancy stories are excellent.

I know it is hard to please everybody, but I like college
and athletic stories best, and I know several more home
boys who agree with me.

Now, what I would like to know is, are you ever going
to return to Merriwell at Fardale after you have finished
writing the other stories?

Anxiously waiting your reply in the New Tie Top
Weexty, I am, your good friend, ;

Centralia, Ill. Harotp. D. Stout.

The matter is still open, Harold, but most of our read-
ers want us to stick to the Merriwells, as you can see from
the following letters.

Would Not, Miss “Tip Top” if it Cost a Dollar.

I have been reading the New Tre Tor Weexty for just

six months, and would never miss a copy if I had to pay
one dollar. The first copy I read I found in a street
car, and ever since then I have not inissed: a copy, and
never want to. (

I think the idea was very good which you announced

jn issue No. 83, and I think all the readers will think the
same. :
But Owen Clancy’s stories are sure some class, and I
hope the next set will be as good. Respectfully yours,
Los Angeles, Cal. Ls W. ently

‘Wants to Hear More of the Old Crowd.

I am mighty glad to see the Applause coming along as_

the Compass. My point of the compass is east, near
Boston.

I like the Owen Clancy stories all right, but I hate to

hear from the old flock again.

lose sight of Frank for so long. You kind of get sick of
cake when you have it all the time, and though -your
Clancy stories are all right, I would like them better if
we got a Merriwell once in a while.

I started with the first number of the new weekly, but
I read a few of the old ones, and while I hate to be a
knocker, I think if you’d get back to Fardale and Yale
again, I’dlike it better.

Why not have a Dick, junior, and mix ’em up the old
way. As some one else said, have a serial or story run-
ning on the old bunch?

I hope you will not take offense at anything here, as I
meéan it in a friendly way, and I sure hate to be a
knocker, though now I sound like one.

The weekly did me lots of good, and I would like to
have the old sport and fun stories back.

Captain Wiley was some boy. The Society for the Pre-
vention of Cruelty to the English Language would have
nailed him if he had not died. :

I am going to write often, so as to fill up the waste-
basket, so'in the summer remember my name, Frost. I
am glad to see Professor Fourmen back; going to tell him
how good I ought to be. 5

I was only fourteen last March 3, ‘so I can’t send in any
advice to the readers about trades, et cetera.

I like baseball, running, and sports like that.

Malden, Mass.

Yours,
BERNARD W. Frost.

Mother and Son Like Metriwell- Stories Best.
As Mr. Standish has asked the readers to tell him what
they thought of the change, here goes.
I have been reading Tre Top for a long time. I have
got every one of them yet. Mother and I often get an old ~
one and read it. I like the Merriwell stories the best,
and mother likes them the best, too. We would like to
Bring in Dick, and Ches-
ter Arlington, and June. We would like to hear’ how
Dick is progressing. Hoping everybody likes the Merries
the best, I will ring off as a merry Tip Topper.
109 East Avenue, Augusta, Ga. Joun W. CARROLL.
A Constant Readet’s Suggestion.

¥

I am a constant reader of Tip Top, and have been for
For my part, there is no weekly that _

quite a few years.
can compare with it. I have always enjoyed the Merri-
well stories immensely. Now, the reason I drop these few
lines is to let you know my opinion of the Clancy stories.

Now, I like to read the stories that Mr. Standish writes —
about Clancy, but they cannot come up to the standard
of the former Frank Merriwell, junior, stories.. I would
like to see the old Merriwell stories in print again. If

 
NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY.

you must write anything but Mertiwell stories, I would
suggest you start another weekly, or write the two stories
in one weekly.

I hope this has not taken up too much of your time, but
because you ask for the readers’ opinions, I thought. I
would give you mine, and I am pretty sure a lot more of
your readers think the same. I remain, a faithful reader.

Buffalo, N. Y. W. Av TELL.

Some Suggestions from an Enthusiastic Reader,

Am not at all pleased with your announcement in a
recent issue of New Tir Tor Weexty, I can hardly
wait till you are through with the Clancy series. Frank
Merriwell, junior, is about the best character. I have ever
read about, though I reckon I fall below zero from his
standard.

Now, sir, allow me to offer some suggestions. If I
were writing the stories, I would make Frank a little less
brilliant, have him be bested by a better athlete. What
do you think of it? Do you not think it would interest
twofold?

Of course, my wishes will hardly count. against all the
other readers, unless they think as I do. If you are going
to start series of other boys, why do you not take a fel-
low that has to work on leaving grammar school? These
special academies are all very well to read about, but I
reckon a lot of readers were forced to leave grammar
school and work eight hours a day, with time for ath-
letics only on Saturday afternoons.

I have nearly all the Merriwell stories issued, and I
read the same over and over. Just finished reading “Owen
Clancy and the Sky Pilot.” It is great. Why, just from
reading the Clancy series I have got the idea into my head
to be a gasoline-engine expert.

In conclusion, will say that, no matter what series you
start, k will always be an enthusiastic reader. Yours re-

- spectfully, Wittarp Kost.
' 2139 Homan Avenue, Chicago, II1.

An Old Timer’s Views.

I, being an old-timer, having read Tie Tor for twelve
years, wish to say something about the new characters in
Tie Tor.. I think that they are just the candy. Owen
Clancy is a real, clean-cut, up-to-the-minute young man.
_ Give us some more about Owen Clancy.

I read in a recent announcement that you intended to
change the characters. I would suggest that the present
ones are O. K., and really don’t see how they can be beat.
Don’t think that I am going back on Frank or dear old
Dick, as IT am not. The word “Merriwell” means a lot
to us old-timers. Wishing you success, I am, yours truly,
- Philadelphia, Pa. Joseph BAacHMAN.

Anothet Plan.

_ T have been reading Ti Tor for about three years, and
_I like the stories very much. In a recent New Tir Top

Weexty I saw your announcement about a change in the

characters. I like the stories about Clancy.very much, but
I would rather you would keep to the Merriwells. If you
change the characters, I think it would be very nice if you
would have a set of stories about the Merriwells every
other set. Say, after you have written the set of stories
- about Clancy, you would write a set about the Merriwells,
_ then another set about some other characters, then f set
i about the Merriwells, et cetera. If you drop ‘the er-

riwells for a while; would you write stories about them

again in a few years? Still wishing for the Merriwells, I

remain, LeLranp L, Srrevy.
New Albany, Pa,

Don’t Want to Leave the Merriwells, -

In a recent issue of Tir Tor that I have just read, you
outlined a plan of leaving the Merriwell characters for a
time, for a change. Now, I have been reading Tire Top
for over five years, and this is the first time I have written
you. I enjoy reading the stories of Owen Clancy, but
as to going on to other characters, I say most decidedly
no. If you want to leave Chip Merriwell for a time, then
let’s have something from our old beloved Dick, and the
rest. I think it’s about time Dick and June were step-
ping off into the matrimonial sea of life, and if you
knew how some of us old readers thought of Dick and
Frank, you would not think of leaving them, and giving
us a lot of hashed stories about every one else.

Forgive me for criticizing, but you asked our opinion,

and I tell you that the reason we are continual readers

for s0 matiy years is because we like the Merriwells, and I

think this trio will give you enough variety without ring-

ing in a lot of new ones on us. Faithfully yours,
Rendham, Pa. Tuos. H. Barnsrivce.

Will Have Heart Failure if Merriwell Stories Stop.

After reading the plan in your announcement, I thought

the plan was a good one. But if you leave off Merriwells
for good, I will have heart failure. Yours faithfully,
Toledo, Ohio. HM. Be JC

Hates to Give Up the Mertiwells.

I am taking the liberty of writing the Compass to let
you and some of the other Tir Tor enthusiasts know what
I, who have been a reader of Tre! Tor for a long time,
think of it, since I have been pursuing the fortunes of “The
Motor Wizard.”

I hate to give up reading ‘about the Merriwells. You

have made them all model boys, and yet kept with them

that sociability which makes me think as I read of them

that I know them personally. This, I am sure, you could

not do with lads with the same originality. Yet.I like the
other stories, and am looking forward with keen interest
as to who the main character of the next series may be. |

Now, in view of this, I would not wish your present
plans for this favorite weekly to be changed, but could
you not run a serial in the backs of it, dealing with the
Merriwells. Perhaps a story now and then in my favorite
magazine, the Top-Notch, about them. We want to fol-—
low Chip through Fardale, if it must be in installments. A_
word from Dick and Frank would be in the right place
any time, too, and I want to tell you I enjoyed Captain —

Wiley’s story, too. More of them would hit the ont spot,
too.
Well, I must end this rather lengthy brief ere it venetian

clear to the wastebasket. Hoping for success to New Tip :

Top, I beg to remain, yours very truly,

Urbana, Ohio. Cuartes L, Ross.

Oil Wells in Pacific Osis:

Unique among the oil fields of the world’ is the Summer-
land group of wells in California, which extends out into
the Pacific Ocean. There are 141 producing wells in —

this group, which is situated about eighteen miles from

 

 

ae. ae Sa Ee

-_ wt Thr a
‘NEW TIP TOP WEERLY.

Santa Barbara. These wells are drilled out in the ocean
just off the coast and 100,000 barrels are taken from the
oil sands underlying the ocean bed every year. This in-
teresting spectacle of derricks built out into the sea is
visible from the train on the way from Los Angeles to
San Francisco.

Blight-killed Trees Useful.

Chestnut timber killed by blight or bark diseases prev-
alent in New England and the Middle Atlantic States, is
not less serviceable as a merchantable product, and should
be utilized instead of being permitted to decay, says the
bureau of forestry.

Poles, ties, lumber, and other valuable products may be
cut from blight-killed chestnut trees, provided the wood
is ¢ut while it is sound.

Calis Fee Doctor’s Sole Aim.

“The pathos of medicines is that most physicians have

to take a gambler’s chance and rush from one patient
to another, without giving full attention to any, in the
hope of being able to eke out an income,’ said Doctor
J. P. Warbasse, chief of the German Hospital, of Brooklyn,
before the Economic Club, of Boston. “Physicians,” he
added, “are merely business men, more concerned with
getting a living than anything else.”

Interesting Notes.

Many buildings in California and other Western States
are equipped with solar heaters on the roofs. These
heaters are glass-covered tanks and Water put in them is
raised to a high temperature by the sun’s rays. Packing
around the tanks, similar to that of fiteless cookers, con-
serves \the heat over a couple of dark days. Schools as
well as homes are using these hot-water plants.

The United States» bureau of standards has just re-
ceived from France a tiny particle of radium weighing
twenty milligrams and costing $1,500. It will be used by
the bureau as the basis of experiments to determine
standards of radium in this country. The experiments
will be similar to those used in establishing weights and
measures of the less precious metals.

_ Granulated glass is being tried as a preservative of the
surface of wood, with much success.

The eggs of the ostrich are now incubated successfully.

Artillery shells with a force sufficient to wreck an aero-

plane within 100 yards of where they explode have been,

invented for the German army.

Every Day Your Watch Stops 432,000 Times.

Every watch stops 432,000 times each twenty-four hours,
according to C. T. Higginbotham, the oldest watchmaker

in America. The large hands of a watch do not move
all of the time, but are in actual motion only two hours
of the twenty-four. The same is true of the second hand,
says Higginbotham: He explains that this is caused by
the balance wheel, which moves in a vibratory motion
causing stops at each revolution.
a watch vibrates 157,687,000 times each year.

 Mletiy “Rohud of lle Prncinean:

The government will investigate a life preserver re-
. cently invented by J. W. Buchanan, of Asheville, N. C.,
and demonstrated in the Swannanoa River for the benefit
of Congressman James M. Gudger. The congressman

The balance wheel of |

will ask the government to assign an expert to the task
of looking into the possibilities of the life preserver as
an article which will minimize the dangers of sea travel.

It is in the form of a wnion suit and is fleece-lined and
vulcanized. W. J. Staples, with a preserver on, remained
in the ice-cold water of the Swannanoa over an hour
while those who witnessed the demonstration shivered in
the cold wind as they stood in two inches of snow.

The inventor claims that the suit will keep the wearer
alive in the ocean for more than a week, regardless of
the roughness of the waves or the temperature of the
water. It has a compartment for the storage of food
and drink of sufficient quantity to last a person a week.

Twenty-seven Shot in Girl’s Appendix.

Twenty-seven birdshot were taken from the appendix
of a 17-year-old Cherokee Indian girl at Knoxville, Tenn.,
in an operation for appendicitis. The girl was not aware
of ever having swallowed any shot.

The report is that she swallowed the shot eating meat
of birds and rabbits. The shot range in size from BB
to No. 6.

Signs His Own Death Report.
A clerk examining the death and burial certificate of

’ Charles Marais, an undertaker, discovered that it bore

the signature of the dead: man. Marais was fatally in-
jured by a fall from a window, and, realizing the end
was near, he sent for a blank burial certificate and filled
it out himself. The number of years and months of
Marais’ life was given, but the space for the number of
days was left open.

Convenience for Autoists.

V. W. Gould and C. P. Fields, of Deland, Fla., have
been allowed a patent on a device intended to be attached
to the gasoline tank of an automobile, which will warn
a driver when his supply of gasoline is getting low. The
apparatus is so arranged that gasoline is taken from two
different levels, with two outlets. When the fluid is used
down to the level of the upper outlet, the driver can, “by
turning a handle under the seat, open the lower part, and
thus proceed to some place where his supply can be re-
plenished. .

Dreams of Fire; Finds One.

Margaret Bean, a pretty 18-year-old girl, of Mount
Vernon, who is a freshman at a branch school of Kenyon
College, is being hailed as a hero at Gambier, Ohio, be-
cause she probably saved the lives of thirty-five sleeping

girls. After dreaming that the dormitory was afire she _

awoke to find the building full of smoke. She ran from
room to room warning the girls. The young women clad
only in their night clothes, and many of them barefoot,
ran down the stairs and into the snow.

Officer Lassos Man After Losing Thumb.

George Hohn, of Wheatfield, Ind., attacked the police
force of Hammond, Ind., as represented by the town mar-

" shal, and when he was finally lassoed after a wild chase
about the place and locked up he commenced tearing down -

the jail. It was not until deputies armed with revolvers —
went on guard outside that he ceased his struggles fen;

freedom.

The trouble Geek when the marshal tried to arrest

 
NEW: “TIP -“TOP WEEKLY:

Hohn. He resisted and when the initial struggle was
over the marshal had a happy idea and obtained a rope.
Then began a merry game of hide and seek in which the
outlaw came off victor for some time. He was finally
captured and dragged to the county jail with a respectful
length of rope between himself and his captor,

; Gives Life to Snake Study. |
Doctor Frederick Fox gave up his life to a science

to which he had devoted many years, when he succumbed

to the bite of a krait, a highly venomous snake, at Cal-
cutta, India. Doctor Fox, who was an Australian, had just
finished treating a goat with his antidote for snake bites
to prove its efficiency, when the snake attacked him and
bit him five times. The doctor treated four of the bites,
but overlooked one until it was too late to save his life. -
f
In Fiteptoof Suit, He Defies Flames.

To prove he has a suit and helmet which is absolutely
fire-defying, Martin Panian, of Eveleth, Minn., allowed
himself to be cast into flames at Cincinnati, Ohio, recently.
Panian was engulfed by fire for five minutes, and then
stepped out through a blazing curtain of flames, cool and
calm. |

The suit Panian has invented is of flexible metal,
two layers of water and fireproof canvas inside.

with

National League Fight for Second-base Berth.
.Second base, the keystone, will be the storm center on

every team but one in the National League during the

\

iy,

coming season, and the success of a few teams will de-
pend largely upon the manager’s ability to man this sta-

tion with a star.

Larry Doyle, of the Giants, is the only seed aaie in the

otherly old league who has anything like a secure hold
on his job. The situation in other cities might be epito-
mized as follows:

St. Louis—Huggins is nearing the age limit;
way to Art Butler.

may give

Philadelphia—Otto Knabe has jumped to the Federal .

‘League. Bobby Byrne and Frankie Truesdale, now of Buf-
falo, are being considered for the berth.

Chicago—John Evers deposed by Murphy; no successor
appointed for the keystone kingship. Heine Zimmerman,
according to Hank O’Day, will draw the assignment.

Cincinnati~—Dick Egan vacates to report to eee
via Tinker trade. Job still open.

Boston—Evers threatens to crowd Boshter Bill Sweeney
off. Sweeney may go to first base for Chicago.

Pittsburgh—Jimmy Viox probably will succeed Artie
Butler, who goes to St. Louis. Viox last year played
most of his games at short.

Brooklyn—Dick Egan is after Citishawis job. With
Tinker missing, though, Romanch may reform into a
shortstop.

New York—The eee safe while Lawrence Doyle
lives.

\

Kites Save City from Milk Famine,

Kites prevented a milk famine in Los Angeles, Cal.,
recently, when, after. a record-breaking rainstorm, the city
found itself cut off from the outside world. Railroads
were demoralized, telephone connections were out of the

question, telegrams sent from Los Angeles to San Ber-
- “nardino, a distance of sixty-three miles, were sent by

_ between the dairymen and the milk dealers.

way of Chicago and relayed back. However, the storm
did not put the dairies out of business.

Los Angeles uses about 15,000 gallons of milk and cream
a day, and the bulk of the supply comes from the San
Gabriel and La Habra Valleys. The flood tore out bridges,
cutting off all communication with the city. Still the
dairymen refused to quit. In short order they rigged up
huge kites which were sent across the raging Rio Honda
and San Gabriel Rivers to men on the other shores. Each
kite carried a heavy cord, and this was used in drawing
a small rope across. Finally heavy cables were stretched
In this man-
ner 500 ten-gallon cans of milk and cream were sent across
each river.
from the San Gabriel district had it not been for the fact
that a cable broke as darkness fell over the flood region.
Twenty-four hours later train connections with the outside
world were reéstablished. It has been necessary for Los
Angeles to reduce its consumption of milk and eggs, bit
the kites saved it from a famine.

f

Gets Education by Boxing.

Young McGann, a boxer, whose earnings from the
prize ring have put him almost through the University of
Wisconsin, is missing. His real name is George Lovequist.
and his home is at Racine, Wis. He has not been seen
in Madison or at his home for several weeks and _ his
friends are alarmed, le

Find Fish Flopping in Yard.

Hearing something’ strike the roof of their home, the
family of Mrs, Jessie Stillman, of Daytona, Fla., rushed
out-of-doors to find a two-pound mullet flopping about
in their yard. The fish evidently was dropped by a hawk.
The Stillman home is some distance from water.
fish furnished a meal for the family.

Scared by Electric “Dog.”
An electric “dog,”
a lighted lantern in any direction, automatically, is a novelty
that has frightened many visitors at night at the home
of John Hays Hammond, Gloucester, Mass. The dog is
Hammond’s invention. It is a wooden affair, containing an
electric motor, with metal disks on either side of the head.
These disks are so affected by the light that the dog will
turn to left or right and follow it, the motor operating
the forward and backward movement.

Panama Canal Open ftom End to End. i

The Panama Canal is now navigable from end to end,
and it would be possible to send through it some of the

smaller battleships: The great slide in Culebra Cut has
been effaced arid there is in the canal an average of thirty
feet of water.
two terminals,

When the canal is completed and the first ship is piloted —

through from Cristobal to Balboa, or the other way, it will
be as near “foolproof” as it is possible to make it: In

every way has the safe navigation of the great water-
way been provided for by the construction of almost
RA

countless aids to navigation. |

The first thing the pilot of an incoming vessel keane:
ahead of him as he reaches the entrance of the canal is a _
huge light tower, which in conjunction with another, points —

the way toward the first set of locks at either.end. On

A bigger supply would have been obtained’

The

$0 constructed that it will follow °

Final construction is being pushed on the —

y

 
    

   

each side of him as he proceeds he finds lighted and
unlighted buoys and beacons that indicate the limits of the
channel. -

The locks themselves will be brilliantly lighted. There
are along the canal twenty acetylene-lighted range towers,
twelve electric-lighted ones, forty-five electric-lighted
beacons, three acetylene-lighted beacons, and ‘about fifty-
seven acetylene-lighted buoys. The range lights mark a
line 128 feet on each side of the middle of the channel,
forming a lane 250 feet wide. Floating on the water
along the side lines of the channel are the acetylene
buoys, and on the shore making the various tangents of
the channel, are the lighted beacons.

The approach to Colon. harbor on the Atlantic side is
lighted by the main light on the Toro Point, which is
visible thirteen miles or more on a clear night. Then
there are the beacons on the seaward ends of the two-
-and-a-half mile breakwater that protects the harbor from
the high seas that usually run in the Atlantic.

   
  
   
   
  
   
   
   
  
   
  
   
   
     
  
  

and beacons, besides the range lights that indicate the canal
channel. By day the channel is not only marked by can
buoys, but also-about sixty spar buoys and the many
concrete’ tripods, painted. a brilliant white. By day‘ the
range-light towers are easily seen, due to ate brilliant
white they are painted.

Captain Hugh Rodman, U. S. N, eudhisechos of
operation, has just completed establishing the locations
for a number of signal towers along the canal route.
They are to be used in signaling from. station to station
the:coming and going of steamers. and to arrange meeting
places.

  
   
  
  
  
 

Kills Wolf With Icicle.

An iciele saved Ernest Green, 14 years old, when he
encountered a, large wolf while on his way to school.

_ The boy, who lives four miles west of Center, Mo.,
was walking along the road. : With a snarl the wolf sprang
at him. Ernest had only the long icicle with which to
_ defend himself, but thrust it down the throat of the
Ry animal, sited it-instantly.

    
 
 
  
  
   
    
 

Aerial Cable for Niagara.

“The Canadian government has gtanted a concession to
a conipany to build: an aérial cableway which will carry
‘cars over the whirlpool of Niagara Falls. Probably only
one car will be carried at one time. It will have a ca-
pacity of fifty passengers. ‘The construction work, all
on the Canadian side, will cost about $120,000. On each
‘side of the car, as it.is drawn back and forth over’ the
whirlpool, will be three cables. Should one eave break,
the car will be carried by the other two.

   
  
     
  
   
  

‘Pasiet Calls Roil; Pupils Never Late.
Since “Professor Tom” became an assistant to Miss
Dorothy Booker, teacher, at Iindependence school, at Bren-
ham, Texas, not a pupil has been late. Professor Tom
is a parrot.
‘the school, but the wisdom of having him there’ is
ident now. Miss Booker has trained the parrot \to call
_the roll and all the boys and gitls arrive on time to hear
him do it. There is not a pupil who could be made to
believe that Tom does tot’ know ‘them by, sight as well
1s by name.
i Miss ‘Booker, When she accepted the Boon 1a the

   
  

a a it ia

 
   
 

  

  

  
  

 

On the Pacific end of the canal there are numerous buoys

People laughed when the bird began his duties.

 

NEW TIP TOP WEEKLY. | 31

school, was bothered by the pupils arriving late during
the rainy season. Some months ago the trained parrot
was sent her by a friend who was touring South Amer-
ica. Fortunately, the parrot had ee owned by English-
speaking people.

No sooner did the young schoolmistress see the bird
than she evolved the idea of training it. At first she did
not have much success, but diligent efforts brought the
reward.

When the process of training was first under way the
bird was allowed to sit upon a perch in the schoolronm and
listen to the teacher call the roll. He was allowed to
do this for two weeks, and at first always was removed
from the room immediately after the rol! call. Soon: he
was trying to call the roll with the teacher, and in a short
time was able to do so by- himself, as-he found his ef-
forts were alfvays rewarded with a cracker.

After the bird first had the-.roll memorized it would
persist in answering the “present” or “absent” after the
pupils, but was soon broken of this habit. Now he sits,
dignified, on his perch and interrogates in his nasal tones,
“Willie Jones?” or whatever the name might be, and
looks to see if the teather marks the said young. Jones
“present” or “absent.”

The bird jong ago learned the multiplication tables;
that is, the first few, and the teacher cites this to the erring
pupils when they are slow to learn the “two times two,”
and that which follows.

“Billy” Sunday Goes Away With $35,000.

It is estimated that “Billy” Sunday, the.evangelist who
has been*holding meetings at Pittsburgh, Pa, took away
$35,000 as the free-will offering, raised on the last day
of the meetings. It was in the nature of a gift for. his
six weeks’ services.

Eggs from China Don’t Sell Well.

The greatest quantities of low-priced eggs sent to this
country from China under the new tariff law, which ad-
mits eggs. free of duty, do not appear to be getting to
many consumers. m2

Sixty thousand Chinese eggs-offered ter sale at Spokane;
Wash., have ended up at the city crematory. The city
chemist counted 90,000,000 bacteria in one of the eggs.

A similar fate is reported to have befallen eggs imported
from China by produce dealers of other cities on. the
coast. i

Clock Runs by Own Weight. :
' A clock has been invented which runs by its own weight. —
For many years clockmakers have been working on this
experiment. The most wonderful clock in the world is in
St. Petersburg, Russia. It has ninety-five faces. It in-
dicates simultaneously the time of day at thirty points

on the earth surface, besides the movement of the earth

around the sun, the places of the moon, the signs of the
zodiac, the passage over the meridian of more than fifty |
stars of the northern hemisphere, and the date, according
to the Gregorian, Greek, Mussulman, and Hebrew calen-
dars. It took. two years to aie the works together,

te

- Boston Pays $37,000 to. oT ig? Speaker.

The high-water mark in the frenzied finance of modern _
baseball was reached recently when the Boston Red Sox
agreed to pay “Tris” Speaker $37,000 for a two years’

 
  

 
      
  

    
ee . NEW

contract. President. Lannin, of the Boston club, after a
long conference with the hard-hitting outfielder, and John
I. Taylor, vice president of the same club, made the player
this offer, which, because it was greater than the tempting
inducements of the Federal League, caused Speaker to
accept.

_~alt is understood'that Speaker’s contract calls for an an-
nual salary of -$16,000, and in addition to this he got a
$3,000 bonus for signing. All of one day the player was
besieged by offers from his own club and the outlaws.
Speaker listened to the Federal offers, but demanded a
five years’ contract instead of three years. He also de-
manded the elimination of the clause in the contract which
gives a club the privilege of dropping a player at ten
day’s notice.

This demand by Speaker staggered President Gilmore
and Attorney Gates, of the Federals, but while they were
closeted together, considering the proposition, the news
came to them that Speaker had signed with the Red Sox

This record price tops all salaries ever paid in the his-
tory of the national game. Joe Tinker has a contract with -
the Federal League which calls for $37,000 on a three-
year contract. Miner Brown also will get a big salary
from the same league, and Otto Knabe will receive almost
-as much with the Baltimore outlaws. Evers’ salary with
the Boston Nationals is $10,000 a year, and it is stated

that Mathewson’s new contract with the Giants provides,

for a salary of at least $15,000 a year.
a like amount from Detroit.

Ty Cobb receives

A Clever Device.

Joseph B. Norfolk, a remarkably clever violinist, of
Baltimore, has only one arm, but in the place of the one
he lost is an ingenious invention which enables him to play

the instrument he loves so well, and also, according to the

inventor, will do anything which his arm 1 could do for
him.

Norfolk was wounded in a fencing bout, and it was
necessary to amputate his left arm. Being of inventive
mind, he hit upon the device which is seen attached to the
stump of the arm. It is of steel and aluminum and is
strapped to his body much in the fashion of a shoulder
brace. While it appears to be very simple, it consists of
more than sixty parts, mostly of the hardest steel. Nor-
folk is such an adept that no one would ever believe that
the music produced by him on the violin was by means of
this contrivance. He plays only operatic and classical

/ music.

Becker Gets Second Trial. .

Charles Becker, former police lieutenant, in New York,
is back in the Tombs prisoh after an absence of four-
teen months and seventeen days. He was brought to New
York from the death house at Sing Sing to await a second
trial, following the ruling of the court of appeals that
his conviction on a charge of murder for the death of
Herman Rosenthal was illegal. According to the present
plan, the second trial will begin during the second week i in
April. /

Becker expects to be acquitted, and his wife, whose re-
markable devotion to him has aroused much sympathy,
shares in his confidence. -

The killing of Rosenthal, a gambler, was followed by
revelations of wholesale corruption and. crookedness in
the New York police department. Even if Becker escapes

“Whitey”

PIP? TOP’ WEEKLY:

as it seems he will, he will remain branded as a
At his trial, the district attorney sought to show
that~-Becker inspired Rosenthal’s murder, in fear that
the gambler would expose graft; that he induced Jack
Rose, a gangster, to hire four gunmen to kill Rosenthal.
The: four gunmen, “Dago Frank,” “Gyp the Blood,”
Lewis, and “Lefty Louie,” are under sentence
to die in the electric chair at Sing Sing April 13, but it
is likely that the execution will ‘be deferred, as their lawyers _
are confident of bringing about a delay, at least.

death,
grafter.

Dogs Join Coyote Pack.

Two animals which at first were thought to be black
wolves by the farmers, near Salina, Kan., who had seen
them in company with a pack of coyotes, are dogs. They
are more daring and more dangerous than the coyotes.
All efforts to shoot or capture them have been unsuc-
cessful.

Fortune Hunters Too Late.

Prospective suitors for the hand of Miss Alma A. John-
son, of Plainfield, N. J., who has inherited $25,000 from
the estate of her uncle, Gustav Waling, of Stockholm,
Sweden, on the, condition that she shall wed within a
year, may as well save postage.

The young woman: is engaged to Hans Anderson, an
electrician employed by a telephone company, to whom she |
was betrothed for several months before the announce-
ment of her kinsman’s eccentric will. Miss Johnson is
employed in the home of ex-State Senator Everett Colby,
and since the story of her uncle’s bequest was published a
short time ago, she has received hundreds of proposals
Minatigh, the mails,

Hidsslag Flag Kills Child.

“While Mary Katz, 20 months old, was playing with an
American flag in front of a stove in her home, the emblem
caught fire and carried the flames to her dress. Before
her father and mother, who were summoned by the baby’s”
cries, could reach her, she was so badly burned that she
died later in a hospital. The child was the daughter of
Isreal Katz, a fruit dealer.

Home Boys Are Boycotted. 4

The boys of Janesville, Wis., are at war with the girts,-44
and have imported girls from neighboring villages in an
effort to break the “strike” of the Janesville maidens.
trouble began when forty young ladies of the town gave an
“Adamless” dance recently.

if the function had been given by the Janesville swains.
Prior to that time the boys had been giving dances eee 4

the girls each’ week, but since then the dances have oc- 4
curred with less frequency and always with a guest list in-
cluding only the Janesville girls who did not attend’ the i

“Adamless” affair and girls from other towns.
The boys expect to have the “strike” broken soon. _

\)
\
A

Taught Any Man or Boy
by Mall at Home. This is no special
ony have supposed, but an art. ae
Gan ht Sen in all parts of the world.
nd today, 2-cent stamp for ;
pi bh toa proofs. Wt
0.A. SMITH, Room R222--823 Bigelow St., PRORIA.ILL.

{

 

 

 

The

They had elaborate decora- 4
tions, good music, and apparently had as good a time as
 
W TIP TOP
WEEKLY

NUMBERS OF

THAT ‘CAN

BE

SUPPLIED

 

 

8—Dick’s Merriwell’s Standard.
4—Dick Merriwell’s Sympathy.
5—Dick Merriwell in Lumber Land.
j—Frank Merriwell’s Fairness,
7—Frank Merriwell’s Pledge.
8—F rank Merriwell, the Man of Grit.
J—F rank Merriwell’s Return Blow.
)—F rank Merriwell’s Quest.
21—F rank Merriwell’s Ingots.
2—F rank Merriwell’s Assistance.
3—Frank Merriwell at the Throttle.
4—Trank Merriwell, the Always Ready.
25—Frank Merriwell in Diamond Land.
26—F rank Merriwell’s Desperate Chance.
727—F rank Merriwell’s Black Terror.
728—Frank Merriwell Again on the Slab.
729—F rank Merriwell’s Hard Game.
730—F rank Merriwell’s Six-in-hand.
731—F rank Merriwell’s Duplicate.
732—Frank Merriwell on Rattlesnake
Ranch.
733—Frank Merriwell’s Sure Hand.
734—Frank Merriwell’s Treasure Map.
85—F rank Merriwell, Prince of the Rope.
we Eek Merriwell, Captain of the Var-
sity.
737—Dick Merriwell’s Control.
738—Dick Merriwell’s Back Stop.
739—Dick Merriwell’s Masked Enemy.
740—Dick Merriwell’s Motor Car.
741—Dick Merriwell’s Hot Pursuit.
742—Dick Merriwell at Forest Lake.
743—Dick Merriwell in Court.
744—Dick Merriwell’s Silence.
745—Dick Merriwell’s Dog.
746—Dick Merriwell’s Subterfuge.
* 747—Dick Merriwell’s Enigma.
748—Dick Merriwell Defeated.
749—Dick Merriwell’s ‘‘Wing.”
750—Dick Merriwell’s Sky Chase.
751—Dick Merriwell’s Pick-ups.
752—Dick Merriwell on the Rocking R.
753—Dick Merriwell’s Penetration.
754—Dick Merriwell’s Intuition.
755—Dick Merriwell’s Vantage.
756—Dick Merriwell’s Advice.
757—Dick Merriwell’s Rescue.
758—Dick Merriwell, American.
759—Dick Merriwell’s Understanding,
760—Dick Merriwell, Tutor.
761—Dick Merriwell’s Quandary.
762—Dick Merriwell on the Boards,
763—Dick Merriwell, Peacemaker.
764—Frank Merriwell’s Sway.
765—Frank Merriwell’s Comprehension.
766—F rank Merriwell’s Young Acrobat.
767—F rank Merriwell’s Tact.
768—F rank Merriwell’s Unknown.
769—F rank Merriwell’s Acuteness.
770—F rank Merriwell’s Young Canadian.
771—F rank Merriwell’s Coward.
772—Frank Merriwell’s Perplexity.
773—Frank Merriwell’s Intervention.
774—Frank Merriwell’s Daring Deed.
775—F rank Merriwell’s Succor.
776—F rank Merriwell’s Wit.
777—F rank Merriwell’s Loyalty.
778—F rank Merriwell’s Bold Play.
779—F rank Merriwell’s Insight.
780—F rank Merriwell’s Guile.
781—F rank Merriwell’s Campaig
782—Frank Merriwell in the
. ; Forest.
783—Frank Merriwell’s Tenacity.
784—Dick Merriwell’s Self-sacrifice.
785—Dick Merriwell’s Close Shave.
786—Dick Merriwell’s Perception.
787—Dick Merriwell’s Mysterious Disap-
pearance.
788—Dick Merriwell’s Detective Work.
789—Dick Merriwell’s Proof.
790—Dick Merriwell’s Brain Work.
791—Dick Merriwell’s Queer Case.
792—Dick Merriwell, Navigator.
793—Dick Merriwell’s Good Fellowship.
794—Dick Merriwell’s Fun.
795—Dick Merriwell’s Commencement.

~

~)

Obst

AY AY J 99 9999 9299-99-19

“National

796—Dick Merriwell at Montauk Point.
797—Dick Merriwell, Mediator.

798—Dick Merriwell’s Decision.

799—Dick Merriwell on the Great Lakes.
800—Dick Merriwell Caught Napping.
801—Dick Merriwell in the Copper Coun-

try.
802—Di¢k Merriwell Strapped.
803—Dick Merriwell’s Coolness,
804—Dick Merriwell’s Reliance.
805—Dick Merriwell’s College Mate.
806—Dick Merriwell’s Young Pitcher.
807—Dick Merriwell’s Prodding.
808—F rank Merriwell’s Boy.
809—Frank Merriwell’s Interference.
810—Frank Merriwell’s Young Warriors.
811—Frank Merriwell’s Appraisal.
812—F rank Merriwell’s Forgiveness.
813—F rank Merriwell’s Lads.
814—Frank Merriwell’s Young Aviators.
815—Frank Merriwell’s Hot-head.
816—Dick Merriwell, Diplomat.
817—Dick Merriwell in Panama.
818—Dick Merriwell’s Perseverance.
819—Dick Merriwell Triumphant.
820—Dick Merriwell’s Betrayal.
821—Dick Merriwell, Revolutionist.
822—Dick Merriwell’s Fortitude.
823—Dick Merriwell’s Undoing.
824—Dick Merriwell, Universal Coach.
825—Dick Merriwell’s Snare.
826—Dick Merriwell’s Star Pupil.
827—Dick Merriwell’s Astuteness.
828—Dick Merriwéll’s Responsibility.
829—Dick Merriwell’s Plan.
830—Dick Merriwell’s Warning.
831—Dick Merriwell’s Counsel.
832—Dick Merriwell’s Champions,
833—Dick Merriwell’s Marksmen.
834—Dick Merriwell’s Enthusiasm.
835—Dick Merriwell’s Solution.
836—Dick Merriwell’s Foreign Foe.
837—Dick Merriwell and the
Warriors.
838—Dick Merriwell’s Battle for the Blue.
839—Dick Merriwell’s Evidence.
840—Dick Merriwell’s Device.
841—Dick Merriwell’s Princeton Oppo-
nents.
842—Dick Merriwell’s Sixth Sense.
8483—Dick Merriwell’s Strange Clew.
844—Dick Merriwell Comes Back.
845—Dick Merriwell’s Heroic Crew.
846—Dick Merriwell Looks Ahead.
847—Dick Merriwell at the Olympics.
848—Dick Merriwell in Stockholm.
849—Dick Merriwell in the
Stadium.
850—Dick Merriwell’s Marathon.

Carlisle

Swedish

NEW SERIES.
New Tip Top Weekly

1-—Frank Merriwell, Jr.

2—F rank Merriwell, Jr., in the Box.
8—Frank Merriwell, Jr.'s, Struggle.
4—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Skill.

5—Frank Merriwell, Jr., in Idaho.
6—Frank Merriwell, Jr.'s, Close Shave.
W—Frank Merriwell, Jr., on Waiting Or-

ers.
8—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Danger.
9—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Relay Mara-

thon.

er ererels Jr., at the Bar Z
anch.

11—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Golden Trail,
12—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Competitor.
18—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Guidance.
14—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Scrimmage.
15—F rank Merriwell, Jr., Misjudged.
16—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Star Play.
17—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Blind Chase,
18—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Discretion.
19—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Substitute,

20—F rank Merriwell, Jr., Justified.
21—F rank Merriwell, Jr., Incog.
2—F rank Merriwell, Jr., Meets the Issue.
3—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Xmas Eve.
4—Trank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Fearless Risk.
5—F rank Merriwell, Jr., on Skis.
6—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Ice-boat Chase.
7—Frank
Foes.
28—Frank Merriwell, Jr., and the Totem.
29—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Hockey Game.
80—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Clew.
31—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Adversary.
382—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Timely Aid.
83—Frank Merriwell, Jr., in the Desert.
384—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Grueling Test.
385—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Special Mission
36—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Red Bowman.
37—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Task.
388—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Cross-Country
Race.
89—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Four Miles.
40—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Umpire.
41—F rank Merriwell, Jr., Sidetracked.
42—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Teamwork.
43—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Step-Over.
44—F’rank Merriwell, Jr., in Monterey.
45—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Athletes.
46—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Outfielder.
47—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, “Hundred.”
48—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Hobo Twirler.
49—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Canceled Game.
50—Frank Merriwell, Jr. Weird Adven-
ture. :
51—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Double Header.
52—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Peck of Trou-

ble.
538—Frank Merriwell, Jr., and the Spook
Doctor.
54—Frark Merriwell, Jr.’s, Sportsmanship.
55—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Ten-Innings,
56—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Ordeal.
57—Frank Merriwell, Jr., on the Wing.
58—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Cross-Fire.”’
59—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Lost Team-
mate.
60—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Daring Flight.
61—F rank Merriwell, Jr., at Fardale.
62—Frank Merriwell, Jr., Plebe.
63—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Quarter-Back.
64—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Touchdown.
65—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Night Off.
66—Frank Merriwell, Jr., and the Little
Black Box.
67—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Classmates.
68—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s;, Repentant En-

emy.

69—Frank Merriwell, Jr., and the “‘Spell.”’

70—Frank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Gridiron
Honors.

71—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Winning Run.

72—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Jujutsu.

73—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Christmas Va-

cation.
74—Frank Merriwell, Jr., and the Nine
Wolves.
75—Frank Merriwell, Jr., on the Border.
76—F rank Merriwell, Jr.’s, Desert Race.
77—Owen Clancy’s Run of Luck.
78—Owen Clancy’s Square Deal.
79—Owen Clancy’s Hardest Fight.
80—Owen Clancy’s Ride for Fortune.
&81—Owen Clancy’s Makeshift.
82—Owen Clancy and the Black Pearls,
83—Owen Clancy and the Sky Pilot.
84—Owen Clancy and the Air Pirates.
85—Owen Clancy’s Peril.
Dated March 21st, 1914.
86—Owen Clancy’s Partner.
Dated March 28th, 1914.
87—Owen Clancy’s Happy Trail.
Dated April 4th, 1914.
88—Owen Clancy’s Double Trouble,
Dated April 11th, 1914.
89—Owen Clancy’s Back Fire.
Dated April 18th, 1914.
90-—Owen Clancy and the “Clique of Gold.”

‘
‘
‘
9
‘

Merriwell, Jr.’s, Ambushed

8,
’s,
*s,
+a:

PRICE, FIVE CENTS PER COPY. If you want any back numbers of our weeklies and cannot procure them from
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