"I am sorry it was necessary to strike him such a blow," said Frank, as
he deliberately removed the gloves from his hands; "but I call on you
all to bear witness that he came at me with his bare fists, and I was
forced to defend myself."
"That's right," said Charlie Creighton, quickly. "Hegner had no right to
do such a thing. You would not have been to blame if you had got off
your glove and struck him."
To this a number of the club members agreed, while some were silent.
Hank Burk and two others bent over Hegner and tried to arouse him, but
the fellow had been severely stunned when his head cracked against the
wall and it was some time before he seemed to realize what had happened.
When he did understand, however, he was furious.
"Let me get at him!" he madly cried, struggling to his feet. "I'll
hammer the life out of him! I'll have revenge!"
"Steady, Hegner!" warned Burk. "You're in no condition to go against him
now. You slipped when he struck you the last time, and----"
Hegner caught at this eagerly.
"Yes, yes, I slipped!" he snarled. "If it hadn't been for that, he'd
never have got the best of it. And I fell and struck against the wall. I
can do him any time."
"Of course you can, old fellow. But you know a fight will not be allowed
in this club. You'll have to wait for your opportunity. It will come all
right."
Hegner cooled down.
"Take your hands off me," he said. "I won't touch him again, but I want
to tell him something."
"Sure you won't get excited and jump him?"
"Sure."
"All right."
They fell back and let him go. He advanced toward Frank, and shook a
clinched fist in his face, harshly grating:
"This is all right, Merriwell! I'll not forget you! You can bet your
life I'll more than get even!"
"I simply defended myself from an attack on your part, and I kept the
gloves on all the time, Hegner."
Frank stood with his hands on his hips, looking the raging fellow
straight in the eye.
"You struck me foul before that. Oh, I'll not forget your blow! I'll
have another whirl with you!"
"Well, let me warn you to look out for my next blow. It may be much more
severe than the last one."
"Bah! You are a blowhard! I'll not waste my breath on you!"
Then Hegner turned and walked away, accompanied by Burk and two or three
others.
Frank turned to Charlie Creighton, saying:
"Old man, I trust you will believe me when I tell you I am very sorry
this affair occurred. It was not of my seeking, even though I had no
liking for Hegner."
"You are not to blame in the least, Merriwell, and I believe the
majority of the fellows who saw it will say so. Eh, boys?"
"Not in the least," chorused nearly all those present.
"Still I am sorry it occurred here," asserted Frank. "I am a visitor
here, and----"
"That is a reason why we should express our regrets, not you," said a
member. "Hegner lost his head when he saw you were getting the best of
him. He owes you an apology for that and for his insulting words just
now."
"Well," smiled Frank, "I scarcely expect an apology from him, for I
believe he is a fellow who will nurse his discomfiture and brood over
it, thinking he is the one wronged. I am glad, gentlemen, you do not
think I was at all to blame."
Then Frank, Charlie, Jack and Bart went away to the dressing-room, where
Merry stripped off and was rubbed down with a coarse towel before
resuming street clothes.
"Merriwell," said Creighton, as he admired the magnificent figure of the
handsome young Yale athlete, whose entire body was glowing from the
rub-down, "I want to say right here that I underestimated you previous
to this. I knew you were a good man, but did not think you could make a
monkey of a fellow like Hegner, who is a semi-professional prize
fighter. I was afraid he would be too much for you, and you know I have
had considerable to say about you to the fellows."
"I didn't know but he might be too much for me when I put on the gloves
with him," confessed Frank; "but that would not have killed me. I do not
consider myself invincible."
"Well, Hegner was a mark for you, and we have considered him as good as
anything going in his class. It made him furious when he saw he was no
match for you."
"In my estimation that fellow is a fake," declared Hodge. "He puts up a
big bluff, but----"
"He may be a good trainer," said Frank. "Many a first-class trainer is
unable to put up much of a mill when it comes right down to business."
"Oh, you want to be too easy with the fellow!" broke out Diamond. "I
don't believe he is any good, and I am sure he is crooked."
"You have taken a dislike to him, and that's why you think that," said
Creighton. "He is all right in his way."
"But that is a very poor way."
"I confess that he lost his head and made a fool of himself, and I hope
he will realize it when he cools down."
"If he should apologize I presume you would meet him halfway,
Merriwell?"
"You may be sure of that," nodded Frank, getting into his clothes. "I'd
be a churl if I didn't."
"If he ever apologizes I am a fool," grunted Hodge.
When the boys came out of the dressing-room they immediately left the
club and proceeded directly to the hotel, where the rest of Frank's
friends were staying.
Barney, Hans, Ephraim and Bruce were engaged in a game of pinochle when
the others came in, and the Dutch lad was greatly excited.
"You poys don'd gif nopody a show!" he squawked. "On der last handt
Parney feex der carts, und dese dime I haf a shance to meld dree hundret
beenuckle, but you don't let me done him. Uf dot peen fair blaying you
vos a liar!"
"Arrah, come off yer perch, ye Dutch chaze!" retorted the Irish lad. "Ye
troied to milt two quanes av doimonds an' two jacks av spades instid av
voicy varsey, an' thot koind av a play don't go in this game."
"Vot vos der madder mit me anyvay!" cried Hans, flourishing his cards.
"You pelief I don'd know nottings apout dot game, hey? I shown you
britty queek, py shimminy! Vait a bit! I haf der deese und a hundred und
vifty drums, und den I pelief you vill laugh oudt uf der odder side uf
my mouth."
"Oh, say!" grunted Browning, with a yawn, "are you chaps going to play
cards? or are you going to shoot your mouths at each other all the time?
I'm getting tired."
"So be I, b'gosh!" put in Ephraim, banging his fist down on the table.
"I never played this game before, and yeou fellers roped me in for a
sucker, but I'll show ye what kind of suckers they raise in Varmont. I'm
gittin' hot enough to melt the hull gol darn pack!"
"There is a lively game of cards," laughed Frank. "It is better than a
circus when they get to playing pinochle."
The appearance of Frank and his companions broke up the game, for Hans
protested that he was being cheated, and refused to play any more, to
the disgust of the other players.
Creighton invited the entire party to be present at the bout between
Burk and Jackson, and an hour was spent discussing the coming event, at
the end of which time Charlie departed, having invited them all to call
on him any time. Before departing, he gave Frank and Bart a quiet tip
that he would be pleased to see them that evening.
Nearly all the boys had secured tickets for the Chestnut Street Theatre
that evening, with the exception of Frank and Bart. They were resolved
to have a pleasant time while they remained in the Quaker City.
Although it was September, the evening proved to be very warm, and, on
arriving at Creighton's, Frank and Bart found something of a lawn party
was in progress. The garden was illumined by Chinese lanterns, with the
exception of certain cozy corners where comfortable seats could be
found, and such corners were much sought by more or less sentimental
young couples.
An orchestra furnished delightful music, and the hum of voices and sound
of laughter could be heard on all sides, while pretty girls and
manly-looking lads strolled and flitted hither and thither about the
grounds.
"Jove!" muttered Frank, as he and Bart paused and looked about. "This is
a surprise! Creighton didn't tell us what was going to happen."
"If he had, I should have spruced up a trifle more," came ruefully from
Hodge. "I have half a mind to skip out now."
"And I have half a mind to skip with you," confessed Merry.
"Neither of you shall do anything of the kind!" exclaimed the voice of
Mabel Creighton, and then she, accompanied by Bessie Blossom, swooped
down on the hesitating lads and made them captives.
"This is just a jolly surprise all around," Mabel explained. "There is
scarcely a soul present who knew what was going to happen. Charlie said
it was the last opportunity we'd have for a lawn party this season, and
we decided to improve the occasion. We'll have a jolly time."
"We always have a splendid time here," said Bessie, clinging to Bart's
arm. "Charlie said you were coming, and we have been waiting for you."
"And now we've caught you, you can't get away," laughed Mabel.
"Then we must resign ourselves to fate and thank goodness we have such
charming captors," smiled Frank.
"I don't seem to care what happens to me now," Hodge declared. "I can be
led to any fate without a struggle."
"Then come on," cried Mabel, "and we'll lead you to cake and ices."
Soon they were cozily seated at a small table, with ices before them. As
they chatted and laughed, another couple came along and took a table
near at hand. Before they appeared Frank recognized the saucy laugh of
Fanny Darling.
"Oh, it was such fun!" she was saying, as she sat down. "I knew I could
touch him if I kept firing hot shots in his direction, and I was right.
He stood it as long as he could, and then he shot back. But wait till I
get another good chance. I won't do a thing to that fellow!"
"He is not worth wasting your time and breath on, Miss Darling," said
the voice of Wallace Hegner. "The best thing you can do is not to notice
him."
"Oh, I couldn't do that! There wouldn't be any fun in it. He may be
smart, but there are others. I'd like to see you get at him, Mr. Hegner.
I'll bet you'd do him up in short order with the gloves."
"Well--ahem!" coughed Hegner, "I mean to get at him some time, and I may
not wear the gloves. What I'd like to do is to leave the mark of my fist
on his----"
The girl gave a startled exclamation and grasped Hegner's arm, saying
something in a low tone. Hegner was heard to ask, "Where?" and a
whispered conversation followed.
Frank was genuinely amused, for he knew they had been speaking of him. A
low, musical laugh came from his lips, and he observed:
"It is remarkable how really amusing some little occurrences are, Miss
Creighton. Did you ever notice it?"
The others of the party had not failed to take in the significance of
the words they had heard, and it was with no small difficulty that they
repressed a hilarious burst of laughter. Indeed the girls were unable to
refrain entirely from laughing, and Hodge smiled in a weary, derisive
way, saying:
"Some people never know how really amusing they are. They go through the
world thinking they are having fun with everybody else, and all the
while they are making a show of themselves."
Fanny Darling jumped up quickly.
"Come, Mr. Hegner," she said, her voice not quite steady; "I do not care
to sit here."
Hegner said something in a growling tone, and they moved away.
"It's too bad," said Frank; "but we are not to blame. We could not help
hearing."
"I don't know as it's too bad," declared Mabel. "They should be careful
what they say. I can't bear Wallace Hegner, and I do not understand what
there is about him that interests Fanny. But she is queer, anyway."
"It doesn't strike me that she is very agreeable," said Bart.
"If she takes a fancy, she can be awfully hateful; but she is
good-hearted, and when she likes a person she would do anything in her
power for him. It's too bad she is so freakish."
"She is just saucy enough to be amusing," declared Frank. "I do not mind
it in the least."
"It is evident she does not know of your little bout with Mr. Hegner,"
said Hodge. "She thinks he can do you."
"Charlie told me all about it," put in Mabel, quickly. "I'm so glad, for
Wallace Hegner has carried himself with an air that was little short of
bullying."
"Perhaps he has learned a lesson," smiled Bessie.
"It will take more than that to teach him a lesson," Mabel asserted.
"What he really needs is a good whipping."
"Well, that is what he is liable to get if he does not let Merry alone,"
nodded Bart.
A few minutes later Creighton appeared.
"Hello, fellows!" he cheerfully called. "I'm glad you are here, and I
see you have found the parties who told me to be sure to invite you."
This confused Bessie somewhat, but Mabel immediately confessed that she
had told her brother to be sure to invite Frank.
Charlie sat down a few moments and talked, and then strolled away,
saying he must see that every one was enjoying the evening.