The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1937-12-03
CHAPTER III-Continued

b.
you'll find it's not so easy to
duck one of them babies, frankie.
You'll have to face the music"
mot I. I don't like the tune"
"But how'll you get away from
it? Tell me that, now"
you've got to help me, Barney.
Send him away"
"But what can I tell him?"
"Oh, tell him something! Tell him
anythingl Tell him I'm sick! Tell
him I'm dying! Tell him I'm deadl
/ don't care what you tell him. Just
keep that reporter away from me,
Barney. Stand between us with a
flaming sword-or a brick"
''Why. believe the lads fright
ened!" said Mulloy. "Such mod
esty's as rare as Scotchman's
treat" But he promised to do the
best he could, and departed.
Quite while later, he came back,
chuckling. cit took a great amount
of convincing" he stated, ''for such
a skeptical fish I never tried me
arts on before"
"Then you got rid of hin?" said
Frank, breathing easier.
81 did-by following your instruc-
tons, my boy. I told him you were
dead"
"Wha-a-at?"
"That was the first one tried on
him. Would you believe it, he
seemed to doubt me? So modified
it bit. / said you were dying and
couldn't be interrupted"
Merriwell stared, his jaw sagging.
''And when I saw he wasn't salts
fed with that" Barney went on, 81
played me last card. l said you
were dangerously sick and confined
to your bed"
Frank sat down heavily on a
chair. "Well," he said, laughing,
''you sure did follow instructions,
but in reverse order. How did he
take that last one?"
''I'm doubtful" confessed Mulloy,
''but it was my limit and I stuck
to it. He had to lay off you, but he
talked to everybody else except
Hodge, and he'd talked to him if he
could have found him."
"Then Hodge hasn't shown up
YETI"
"Nobody's lamped him since he
went for a quiet stroll by himself
after the dog was killed"
Merriwell had ceased to laugh.
cts strange" he said. 81 wonder
what's become of him."
eff that's something that's worry
ing you you're nuts" said Barney.
'If never see him again it'll be
too soon."
Frank was thinking, now, of his
enemy as he had looked a few mo-
ments before he had slowly turned
and walked away from the scene of
the encounter with the dog. But it
would do no good to tell Mulloy he
had seen something tragic and pa
thetic in Bart's face. The Irish boy
would not understand that.
Hodge was still absent when
Frank and Barney left the house, as
four o'clock approached, to keep the
appointment with Professor Scotch.
Class hours were over then, and
the school grounds presented a
lively and pleasant scene. Boys
were moving about everywhere or
gathered in groups under the trees
and before the buildings. All the
tennis courts were in use. The foot
ball squad was streaming out of the
gymnasium, in the distance, to jog
to the field for a period of practice.
The sound of youthful voices was
in the air.
''If I'm not cheated out of my part
in this" said Mulloy, his eyes shin
ing, ''it's you I'll owe it to, Frank. "
Professor Scotch, who had been
with the school long time, had the
distinction of living in a small white
cottage on the grounds. There were
flower beds and shrubs around the
cottage, all of which were cared for
aRy the pEefesson's own hands in his