The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1937-12-31

tempt 10 follow up. ne WdlISo, llS
hands dropped at his sides, for the
bewildered fellow to recover.
"Get in there, Hodge!" barked
the Chief Executioner. "Get in
there and bat him balmy!"
Bart pulled himself out of it. He
saw red now. Like tiger, he
charged again.
And now Merriwell met him,
crouching little. He parted and
blocked storm of blows. Then,
with Hodge off balance, he let 60
the one-two for a double count.
Hodge fell into clinch and held
on.
Break" cried the referee, jump
ing to separate them.
Just as they were pulled apart,
Bart struck low with savage fury.
Frank sank to the floor, his face
twisted with pain.
"He's down." cried the Chief Ex-
ecutioner. Count him out, ref
eree!"
But Justice thrust Hodge back.
"You struck low in the break
away" he said. "It's all over and
you lose"
"Wait! It's not all over!" His
face still twisted in grimace of
pain, Merriwell had lifted himself
on to one knee. He was getting up.
This was to go to finish and I'm
not finished"
Indignation had choked Barney
Mulloy dumb, but now he could
speak again. "Atta old kid, Frank"
he cried. "He done you wrong, now
pass him the cookies. Quit being
soft. Go after that dirty bird and
lay him in the shamrocks.
Franks failure to follow up his
first staggering blow had given his
enemy time to recover. AS soon as
he could shake the bees out of his
hair Hodge had realized that the fell
low he hated could lay one on with
the driving force of mules hind
leg. Realizing also that MerriwelPs
aversion to brawls and fighting was
no proof that he was either afraid or
unable to take care of himself in a
scrap, Bart had felt surge of min
gled fear and fury. He had gone
berserk.
Slowly Frank Strengthened up. A
strange expression came into his
face and chased away the grimace
of pain. He was laughing! But it
was not the false laugh of fellow
trying to bluff or hide lack of conf
dence. Behind it there was the icy
GOODNESS of something well in hand
and very dangerous.
"Turn him loose, Justice" he
said. Lets get through with this
rotten business"
cts okay with me if that's the
way you feel about it," said the ref
cree. Lets 60"
Hodge did not try to rush Merri-
we'll now. On guard, he met him
with a caution born of a dream
dispelling experience. He knew,
now, that Frank was no such a
push-over as he had imagined. He
kept his head and waited for the
breaks, and now Bart was bent on
doing so himself.
But a great change had come over
Merry. Now he was the one who
pressed. With that deadly CLEAN of
laughter lurking in his eyes, he fol-
lowed up swiftly and persistently,
giving his enemy no time to rest.
AS if reading Bart's mind, he
seemed to know just what he would
do. There was no getting away
from him. There was no drawing
him off balance. Try as he might,
Hodge found himself always facing
foe who was set and ready for
action. 1t was just a bit uncanny.
It became too much for Bart.
Something warned him that his
wind wouldn't last, that he would
be worn down in time by fellow
who was waiting for just that very
thing to happen. Besides that, he
could hear voices calling to him to
stand up and take it. And then
they began to boo him. And he had
boosted to one of them of what he
would do to Merriwell if he ever
got a chance like this.
Then he faltered for a single in
stant-and a swapping blow in the
face stung him like the crack of a
whip. After that he was like a
dashed tiger, snarling as it leaped
and clawed.
There was a flash of light like
million exploding stars
Somebody was talking to him.
Somebody was saying, "Are you all
right, Hodge?"
He heard it as he came up out of
a black pit and a bright, cleaning
flower opened as he rose. The
cleaning flower was the light that
flooded the interior of the boathouse.
He was stretched on the floor. The
fellow who had asked him if he
was all right was kneeling at his
side and bending over him. Dark
forms in the background looked
like creatures from the black pit
he had just been lifted out of.
"What-what's the matter?" he
asked thickly, huskily.
"I'm sorry" said another voice,