THE VEILED WOMAN.
As may be understood, the members of Frank's company were individually
and collectively delighted with the apparent success of the play and
their efforts. Perhaps Agnes Kirk was the only one who complained. She
was not at all pleased by the notices she obtained.
Frank immediately secured a supply of Denver papers and, marking the
notices, mailed them to the managers of theaters and the editors of
papers along the route "True Blue" was to follow.
Then he had typewritten copies made of extracts from these notices,
which he added to his collection of press notices already manufactured
for advertising purposes, and sent them on to his advance agent, who had
been out on the road several days.
Frank knew how to work every point to the best advantage, and he did not
lose anything. He was tireless in his efforts, and it was wonderful what
an immense amount of work he accomplished. No one knows how much he can
do till he makes the test.
Hodge aided him as far as possible, and Frank found Bart a valuable
assistant. Hodge was fully as eager as Merriwell for the play to be a
great success.
Frank had opened with the piece under its original name in Puelbo, and
it had met disaster there. He vowed that he would return to that place
with the play and make a success of his engagement. He engaged the
leading theater in the city for three nights, being obliged to pay in
advance for it, as the manager had no confidence in the revised play.
Frank had been working the papers of the city. One of them was edited by
a remarkably genial gentleman by the name of Osgood, and this editor had
seen in the original play material for a strong piece. He admired
Merry's pluck in opening the second time in that city, and he literally
opened the columns of his paper to Frank, who telegraphed down extracts
from the Denver papers as soon as the notices appeared.
The house in Puelbo was to be well "papered" the first night, but was to
depend entirely on the drawing qualities of the play for the audience on
the following two nights.
Frank was making a great hustle to get away from Denver, and he was
returning from the theater to his hotel, after seeing the last of the
special scenery moved to the railroad station, when a heavily veiled
woman stopped directly in his path. As he was walking hastily, he nearly
ran against her.
"I beg your pardon, madam!" exclaimed Frank, lifting his hat. "Very
awkward of me."
"Not at all," she said, in a low voice, that was not unpleasant nor
unmusical. "You were hurrying, and I stopped directly in your way. I am
the one who should beg to be excused."
"Not at all," he hastened to say. "I assure you that it was entirely on
account of my awkwardness."
He was about to pass on, but her gloved hand fell on his arm, and she
said:
"I wish to speak with you, Mr. Merriwell."
"You know me?" exclaimed Frank, surprised.
"Indeed, I do. Why should I not? All Denver knows you to-day."
"Am I so famous as that?" smiled Merry. "I fear you flatter, madam."
"It is not flattery. You must not doubt my sincerity."
"Very well, I will not; but you must speak hastily, for I have a train
to catch in an hour and thirty minutes, and I haven't too much time to
attend to all I have to do."
"But you must give me a little of your time--you really must," she said,
persuasively, putting her hand on his arm again. "If you will come with
me--please do!"
"Where?"
"Oh, I know a nice, quiet place, where we can talk."
Somehow Frank did not like her words or manner. A feeling that there was
something wrong about her came over him.
"Really, you must excuse me," he said. "I have not the time to go
anywhere to talk. If you have anything to say to me, you can say it
here."
"Now, don't be obstinate. You'll not regret it if you come."
"But I do not even know who you are. That veil----"
"If you come, I may remove the veil," she murmured.
Frank drew back, so that her hand fell from his arm.
"Madam," he said, "you have placed me in a very awkward position. I do
not like to appear rude to a lady, but----"
"Of course you do not, and so you will grant my request. It is a small
matter."
"But not to me, for my time is valuable just now. I am ready to hear
anything you have to say, but you must say it here."
"Would you keep a lady standing on the street?" she exclaimed, with a
slight show of resentment. "I cannot say all I have to tell you in a
minute."
"And I have explained that I cannot spare time to talk over anything for
more than a few moments. I think you will have to excuse me. Good-day."
He lifted his hat and started to pass on, but again she placed herself
squarely in front of him, to his great annoyance.
"Mr. Merriwell," she said, "I have seen you on the stage, and I admire
you greatly. You will not be rude to one of your admirers, I know. You
are far too gallant for that."
It was plain she sought to cajole him by flattery, and that was the
surest way to repulse him.
"Is it possible she is one of those foolish women who fall in love with
actors?" Frank asked himself.
Somehow she did not seem like that. There was nothing of the giddy,
gushing girl about her. He could not see her face, but her figure was
that of a matured woman, and he judged that she must be twenty-five
years old, at least. It seemed, too, that there was a purpose in her
words and movements.
But Frank resolved on action, for he had found that it was useless to
waste words talking to her. He made a quick move to one side and passed
her, intending to hasten away.
Barely had he done so when she flung her arms about his neck and
screamed loudly!
Frank was astounded by this unexpected move of the veiled woman.
"She's crazy!"
That was the thought that flashed through Merry's mind.
He realized that he was in an awkward predicament, and he attempted to
whirl about.
The woman was very strong, and, having taken him by surprise, she nearly
threw him down. To save himself, he caught hold of her.
"Help!" she cried.
Some men came running up.
"Madam," said Frank, hurriedly, "are you demented? What is the meaning
of this?"
"You wretch!" she blazed. "Oh, you cowardly scoundrel, to assault a lady
on the public street in broad daylight!"
"Surely you are----"
"I saw him do it!" declared a little man, with red whiskers. "I saw him
assault you, madam."
"Call an officer!" palpitated the woman. "Quick, before he gets away!"
"He shall not get away," declared a big man with a crooked eye,
glowering at Frank. "If he tries it, I'll attend to him!"
"Looks like a would-be masher," piped a slim man, with a very long neck,
ducking and nodding his head in an odd manner. "He should be taught a
lesson."
One or two others expressed themselves in a similar manner.
Frank had thought of making a break and hastening away, but now he saw
it would not do, for he would have a howling mob at his heels the
instant he attempted such a move. He realized it would seem cowardly to
run away in such a manner, and would look like a confession of guilt,
which caused him to decide to stay and face it out, even though the
predicament was most embarrassing.
"Gentlemen," he said, looking squarely at them, and seeming to pay very
little attention to the mysterious woman, even though he was perfectly
on his guard, not knowing what move she might make next, "I trust you
will give me a chance to explain what has happened."
"Explain it in the police court," growled the big man with a crooked
eye. "That's the proper place for you to make your explanations."
"The judge will listen to you," cried the slim man, his head bobbing on
his long neck, like the head of a crane that is walking along the edge
of a marsh.
"Don't attempt to escape by means of falsehoods, you rascal!" almost
shouted the little man with the red whiskers, bristling up in a savage
manner, but dodging back the moment Frank turned on him.
"Gentlemen, I have been insulted by this fellow!" came from behind the
baffling veil worn by the woman. "He is a low wretch, who attacked me in
a most brutal manner."
"We will see that you are protected, madam," assured the little man, his
red whiskers seeming to bristle like porcupine quills, as he dodged
round Frank and placed himself on the opposite side of the veiled
unknown. "Madam," he repeated, "I will see that you are protected--I
will!"
"You are very kind," she fluttered; "but where is the officer? The
reaction--the shock--the weakness!"
"Permit me to offer you any assistance possible," gallantly spoke a man
in a sack coat and a silk hat, stepping forward and raising the latter
piece of wearing apparel, thereby disclosing a shining bald spot on the
top of his head, which he covered as quickly as possible, evidently
hoping it had escaped the woman's notice. "You are in a city, my dear
lady, where insults to the fair sex never go unpunished."
He attempted to smile on her in a pleasant manner, but there was a sort
of leer in his eyes and around his sensual mouth that betrayed his true
character plainly enough.
The woman did not accept his arm which was half tendered, but she made a
great show of agitation and distress, which affected the various
witnesses.
"It's a shame!" piped the man with the long neck and the bobbing head.
"It's an outrage!" blustered the little man with the bristling whiskers
and savage manner.
"It's most unfortunate!" murmured the gallant man with the silk hat and
sack coat.
"It's a bad break for Mr. Masher!" ejaculated the big man with the
crooked eye and glowering look.
Frank smiled; he could not help it, for he was impressed by the comedy
of the affair, despite the unpleasantness of the situation he was in at
that moment.
"This would be good stuff for a scene in a play," he thought, and he
made a mental note of it.
Then he turned to the woman.
"Madam," he said, "what have I ever done to you that you should attempt
to injure me in this manner?"
"Don't let him speak to me, the scoundrel!" she entreated, appealing to
the men.
"But it is no more than fair that you should answer me," persisted
Merry. "I do not know you; I have not even seen your face. Will you not
lift your veil and permit me to see your face, so that I may know who
has brought me into this unpleasant position?"
"He adds to his insults by requesting me to expose my identity on the
street after such an affair as this!" she almost sobbed. "He would
disgrace me! He would have my name in all the newspapers!"
"Reprehensible!" purred the gallant man.
"Terrible!" cackled the man with the bobbing head.
"Dastardly!" exploded the individual with the red whiskers.
"Criminal!" grated the giant with the crooked eye.
And they all glared at Frank--at least all of them but the one with the
crooked eye. It is possible that he, also, glared at the supposed
offender, but he seemed to be glaring at a white horse on the opposite
side of the street.
Repressing his laughter with difficulty, Merry said:
"I assure you, gentlemen, I never saw this lady, to my knowledge, before
a few minutes ago, when she stopped me on the street, and----"
Again the woman screamed.
"Will you listen to his base falsehoods?" she cried, with a show of the
greatest indignation and distress. "He is trying to disgrace me still
further by asserting that I stopped him on the street--stopped him! As
if a lady would do such a thing!"
"The idea!" squawked the man with the long neck, his head seeming to bob
faster than ever, as if it sought to express by its excited movements
the indignant emotions his tongue could not utter.
"My dear lady, I would not remain here to be thus insulted," declared
the gallant man, bending toward her, and endeavoring to summon a look of
concern to his treacherous countenance.
"He should be placed in irons!" blurted the fierce-appearing little man,
his red whiskers seeming to work and squirm with intense excitement and
anger.
"He ought to have his head broken!" roared the big man, his crooked eye
still seeming to glare at the white horse in a most terrible and awesome
manner.
Others of the assembled crowd murmured to themselves in a most indignant
manner, all seeming to regard Frank as the offender.
Frank took out his watch and looked at it.
"Gracious!" he mentally exclaimed, "time is flying. If this keeps up
much longer, I'll not reach Puelbo to-day."
"Now he shows his anxiety and concern," said a voice in the crowd.
"He's beginning to be frightened," said another voice.
"He's anxious to get away," said a third.
"But he can't get away," said a fourth.
"This is all very interesting," thought Frank; "but it is decidedly
unpleasant."
"Waal, whut in time's sake is goin' on here, I'd like ter know?" cried a
voice that was familiar to Frank, and a tall, lank,
countrified-appearing youth came up to the outskirts of the crowd, stood
on his tiptoes, and peered over.
It was Ephraim Gallup, and he saw Frank.
"Waal, darned if it ain't----"
Merry made a swift movement, clapping a finger to his lips, and Gallup,
usually rather slow to tumble to anything, understood him at once,
relapsing into silence.
"Let me git in here where I kin see the fun," he said, and he elbowed
the people aside as he forced his way through the crowd.
It did not take him long to reach the center of the throng, although a
number of persons were indignant at his manner of thrusting them aside
or stepping on their feet.
"Whut's up?" he asked. "Ef there's anything goin' on, I kainder want to
see it."
"This young masher has insulted this lady!" explained the man with the
bobbing head.
"Sho!" exclaimed Gallup. "Yeou don't say so, mister! Waal, I am
s'prised!"
"He has treated her in an outrageous manner!" added the man with the
agitated and fiery whiskers.
"I do declare!" ejaculated Ephraim. "I'd never thought it of him, by
thutter!"
"The lady requires protection," declared the gallant man with the
mismated wearing apparel.
"Yeou don't tell me!" gasped the Vermonter, his surprise seeming to
increase. "Ain't it awful!"
"But the fellow needs a lesson!" rasped the man with the eye that
persisted in looking in the wrong direction. "I think I'll hit him once
or twice."
"My gracious!" fluttered Gallup. "Hev ye gotter hit him real hard? Don't
yeou s'pose he might hit back?"
"Let him try it!" came fiercely from the giant.
"Be yeou goin' to hit where ye're lookin'?" asked the country youth.
"Cause ef yeou be, I'd advise that man with the wart on his nose to
move."
At this the man who owned the wart dodged with a suddenness that
provoked a titter of laughter from several witnesses.
Ephraim was adding to the comedy of the affair, and Frank bit his lips
to keep from laughing outright, despite his annoyance over being thus
detained.
The big man with the crooked eye flourished his fists in the air in a
most belligerent fashion, and instantly Merriwell gazed at him sternly,
saying:
"Be careful, sir! You are imperiling the lives of everyone near you, and
you may strain yourself."
"That's right, by gum!" nodded Gallup, whimsically. "Yeou may warp one
of them air arms, flingin' it araound so gol-darn permiscuous like."
"Here comes an officer!"
Somebody uttered the cry.
"It is high time!" exclaimed the little man, trying to soothe his
agitated whiskers by pulling at them.
"It surely is," croaked the lank individual, his head bobbing with
renewed excitement.
"Madam, the law will give you redress," bowed the gallant man, again
taking off his silk hat and again clapping it on suddenly, as if a
breath of cool air on his shining pate had warned him of the exposure he
was making.
"Oh, why didn't the officer stay away a minute longer, so I might have
thumped him!" regretfully grunted the fighting man with the misdirected
eye.
The policeman came up and forced his way through the crowd, demanding:
"What does this mean? What is happening here?"
"A lady is in trouble," the bobbing man hastened to explain.
"In serious trouble," chirped the bewhiskered man.
"She has been insulted," declared the gallant man.
"By a masher," finished the man with the errant eye.
"Where is the lady?" asked the officer.
"There!"
All bowed politely toward the masked woman.
"Where is the masher?" was the next question.
"There!"
Their scornful fingers were leveled straight at Frank Merriwell.