PRINCE AND THE EAVESDROPPER.
Nemo's lameness seemed to vanish as if by magic, and Frank was well
satisfied. Grody took the utmost care of Nemo till Toots arrived.
The colored boy was delighted to come on to New Haven, and, as he was a
lover of horses, his new occupation suited him very well. When Frank
could not find time to take the horse out for his daily exercise Toots
did it.
One evening a party of students gathered in Diamond's room. He had
invited them there to show them his new bulldog.
Diamond had a fad, and it was dogs. His dog had caused trouble between
Diamond and Merriwell early in their college career by taking a strip
out of Frank's trousers. That dog had received mortal injuries in a
fight, and now Diamond had another dog.
"Isn't he a beauty!" cried Jack, as he displayed the ugly-looking
brute. "Look at that head and those jaws! He comes from a line of
gladiators."
"What do you call him, Diamond?" asked Ben Halliday.
"Prince."
"Put not thy trust in princes," croaked Dismal Jones.
"Is he kind?" asked Bandy Robinson.
"Oh, he has a sunny disposition," assured Jack, smiling.
"A sunny disposition," chirped Griswold, from the top of the table, upon
which he had climbed so that he might be out of the way. "By that I
presume that you mean he will make it hot for any other dog he may
tackle."
"Hold on, Danny, old man!" cried Jack, reprovingly. "Haven't I treated
you right?"
"Not lately, but if you've got any beer in the coop you can."
"That gives me a pain!" cried Robinson.
"You must have been eating window glass," chuckled Griswold. "That's how
you happen to feel the pane."
"You ramed little bunt--I mean you blamed little runt!" exclaimed
Rattleton, catching Danny by the neck. "If you keep up this reckless
punning you'll receive a check some day."
"I hope so," was the instant retort. "I'm broke, and I sent to the
governor for one to-day."
"Let him alone, Harry," advised Merriwell, laughing. "You simply make
him worse by talking to him."
"That's the only thing I have against Griswold," declared Jack. "He will
pun in the most reckless manner at all times. Some of his jokes are not
what they are cracked up to be."
"Like the eggs we used to get down at Mrs. Harrington's when we were
freshmen," grinned Griswold.
"Even the vilest sinner may repent and be forgiven," came solemnly from
Dismal Jones. "There's a faint ray of hope for Griswold."
"But it's mighty dim," declared Robinson.
Once more attention was given to Jack's dog, and Diamond pointed out the
animal's fine features.
"When are dogs at their best?" asked Halliday, seriously.
"In winter," Griswold instantly put in. "There are no flies on them
then."
"Smother him!" howled Robinson, wildly.
"Smother time," cackled Danny, as he slipped off the table and dodged
around a chair to get out of reach.
Halliday caught up a pair of scissors and pretended to sharpen them,
looking at Griswold as if he meant to shed his gore.
"What are you going to do?" asked Danny. "Going into the
scissors-grinding business? It's great when things are dull."
It was plain that Danny could not be suppressed, and so the boys tried
to ignore him. Prince was admired some more, and then Halliday picked up
a banjo, put it in tune, and sang a song.
"Your voice is somewhat off color to-night, old man," observed Robinson,
"and I think you skipped a bar."
"You don't know him," cried Griswold, instantly. "I was out with him
last night and he didn't skip any."
Then almost every other fellow in the room grabbed up something and
threw it at Danny, who could do nothing but shield his face and take the
pelting he received.
"Diamond is a dog crank, and Merriwell is a horse crank," said
Robinson. "By the way, I hear you think of racing your horse this
spring, Merriwell?"
"Who told you that?" asked Frank.
"Who told me? Oh, I don't know. Is it a secret? I think I have heard
several fellows speak of it."
"Oh, I don't know as it is a secret," said Frank. "I may try him in some
small country race, if I get a good opportunity; but I am not likely to
have much of a chance, between baseball, rowing, and my studies. I'm
kept pretty busy."
"The only wonder to me is that you get time to study at all," declared
Halliday. "I never before saw a fellow who could carry on so many things
at the same time and make successes of them all."
"I hear two more men have been dropped a class," said Diamond.
"That's right," sighed Jones. "Dorman and Street have departed hence.
May peace go with them."
"Poor old Easy!" exclaimed Robinson. "He was a fine fellow, but he was
altogether too easy. He wouldn't skin, and he couldn't keep up with the
push."
"There are some other fellows who are bound to go sooner or later,"
observed Rattleton. "I can name several."
"Both Harris and Ditson are bound to get it in the neck," said Griswold.
"They are skinners of the worst kind."
"That's right," agreed Halliday. "Ditson is an expert at it. He spends
more time and ingenuity in concocting schemes to fool the examining
tutor or professor than it would take to learn his subjects ten times
over."
"Sure's you're born!" exclaimed Jones. "Why, he has his finger nails,
cuffs, and the palms of his hands covered with writing and diagrams
every time he knows he is to be called up, and in this way he always
succeeds in making a clean rush."
"Harris knows something about photography," said Halliday, "and he is
continually making minute pictures of diagrams and writing, which he
arranges on little tabs, which he can hold in his palm. He seldom
flunks, but he'll trip some time."
"Hanged if I can see why fellows should work so hard to fool tutors or
professors when they might learn all that was required of them without
half the trouble," cried Harry.
"That is easy enough to explain," smiled Merriwell. "Harris is a natural
gambler. He delights in excitement and danger, and he actually enjoys
taking such desperate ventures."
"Well, there is something in that," laughed Rattleton. "I never regarded
it that way before. I'll be fanged if there isn't hascination in it--no,
I'll be hanged if there isn't fascination in it!"
"It's too bad this matter was mentioned, fellows," said Merriwell, with
pretended seriousness. "I regret it very much."
"Why?" asked Robinson, curiously.
"Notice how excited Rattleton has become over it? He's not quite such a
sport as Harris, but he had rather take chances on anything than eat,
and it's ten to one he'll be skinning within a week."
"Sometimes a fellow has to skin," declared Griswold.
"Did you ever, Danny?" asked Diamond.
"Did I? Well! I have a patent scheme of my own."
"What is it?" asked Rattleton, eagerly.
"Why, I have a box of chalk crayons which I bought for myself. I have
soaked them in alum water till they are hard, and I usually have several
of them about my person. They are covered with diagrams and everything
that may prove interesting or necessary. But I want to tell you
something. I never use 'em unless I am driven to the wall."
"By that he means the blackboard," laughed Halliday.
"And you were talking about Harris and Ditson being skinners!" came
reproachfully from Jones. "My dear young man, there is a place that
burneth with fire and brimstone!"
"That is reserved for liars," chuckled Danny. "Jones, beware, any moment
may be your next."
"That's right," agreed Jones, sadly. "I am sure I shall not live to see
another day--if I die to-night."
"Gentleman," said Merriwell, "death is a grave subject to jest upon.
You'd better bury it."
"That's all right," put in Robinson. "If he catches cold any of us may
go to coffin."
"I'll not undertaker pun," murmured Rattleton.
Then there was a deathlike silence, and the lads all looked at one
another reproachfully.
"Let's change the subject," cried Diamond. "Speaking of Ditson, I
believe he claims to have blue blood in his veins. Says his ancestors
came over on the _Mayflower_, and were among the first to settle in this
country."
"They may have settled," said Griswold, "but none of his family has ever
settled since that time. They owe everybody that will trust them."
"Ditson has stuck his friends right and left since coming to Yale, till
he has not a friend left," said Robinson.
"Why, he owed Hartwick several hundred dollars when Hartwick left,"
declared Diamond.
"Just the same, Hartwick is back in New Haven and in is chummy with
Ditson again," asserted Jones.
Merriwell displayed some interest.
"How do you know he is chummy with Ditson?" he asked.
"I have seen them together!"
"That means something!" cried Rattleton, excitedly. "Those pads are
cotting--I mean those cads are plotting! You want to look out for
trouble, Merry!"
"I will!" exclaimed Frank. "Ditson is treading on dangerous ground. If
he makes a break, I'll descend on him. I have been easy with a chap of
his treacherous nature quite long enough."
"Too long!" burst fiercely from Diamond. "If I had been in your place
I'd ended Mr. Ditson's career long ago."
"I don't know what the fellows can do to injure me," said Frank.
"They'll find some way to give it to you if you don't watch out," said
Rattleton. "Perhaps one of them hired that fellow to lame your horse."
"Perhaps so."
"You think a great deal of that horse," said Jack. "You want to be
constantly on your guard or something will happen to it."
"Toots is on the watch, and any one will have hard work getting the best
of that darky. He is about as sharp as they make 'em."
"He is a very clever coon," admitted Harry; "and he seems to know his
business, still you can't tell what may happen."
"I wouldn't have anything happen to Nemo for worlds. I don't quite
understand why I think so much of that horse, but he is a wonderfully
intelligent creature."
"Don't tell that you care so much for him. If your enemies were to find
it out they would scheme to fix Nemo."
"I'd have no mercy on the person that injured that horse."
"What's the matter with your dog, Jack?" asked Robinson. "He is acting
in a very queer manner."
Prince was sniffing at the door, whining and growling, while the hair on
his neck bristled in a significant manner.
Diamond got up and quickly approached the door. In a moment he flung it
open, and out shot Prince.
There was a sound of swiftly retreating feet, a clatter on the stairs, a
scramble, a shout of pain or fear, and a sudden blow.
"Quick, fellows!" cried Jack, excitedly. "Prince has found an
eavesdropper!"
They rushed out, they sprang down the stairs, and at the foot they found
the dog, apparently in a dazed condition, but with a piece of cloth in
his mouth.
"Good dog!" cried Jack. "Where is he?"
Prince growled and chewed away at the piece of cloth.
"He got away," said Frank. "He must have struck Prince with a heavy
cane, or a club, for we heard the blow. The dog was stunned, but he held
fast to this piece of the fellow's trousers."
"After him!" spluttered Rattleton. "He may not be able to get away!
We'll try to capture him!"
But the effort was vain. The eavesdropper had made good his escape.
After a little time the boys all came back to Diamond's room. They found
Jack examining the piece of cloth, which he had taken from the bulldog
with no small difficulty.
"It is from somebody's trousers," said Jack, seriously. "Whoever the
sneak was, he'll have to buy a new pair. He hit Prince a frightful blow
behind the ear, but the good old fellow held fast to this trophy."
"If we'd nabbed the fellow, we wouldn't have done a thing to him--not a
thing!" cried Griswold.
"See if any of you fellows recognize this piece of cloth as belonging to
the clothing of any chap you know," invited Diamond.
They all examined it.
"If I mistake not," said Dismal Jones, "this came from a certain section
of a certain individual's trousers, and the section to which I refer is
located about eight inches south of the back strap."
"And the fellow," exclaimed Robinson, "the fellow is----"
"Roland Ditson!" finished Rattleton.
"In that case," said Diamond, "Merriwell's enemies have received a good
tip concerning his fondness for Nemo. You will have to be doubly careful
about that horse after this, Frank."