MILLER'S NERVES.
There is no need to give an account of the long discussion held by the
committee; what they did in the matter is of more importance.
A good many wild plans were suggested; hot-headed Rattleton was in favor
of severe measures that would have given Miller pain if they had not
produced serious injuries.
Jack Diamond, too, who had lost his temper more than once in the course
of his initiation, argued in favor of giving Miller a punishment
something like a flogging at the stake.
Frank resolutely sat down on all propositions of this kind.
"I don't care to have any hand in it," he said, "if it comes to taking
this man when he's only one against a good many and giving him a
drubbing. If that was the question I'd tackle him single-handed and give
him a chance to defend himself.
"What we want to do is to give him an experience that he won't forget as
soon as he might a licking."
It took some argument for Frank to bring his loyal friends around to his
view of the case, and they were not fully satisfied until he himself had
mapped out a plan that promised good sport and success.
In accordance with this plan Frank did not leave his room on the
following day. There were lectures and recitations to be attended to,
but he cut them and did not even show his face at the window.
Meantime the other fellows were busy in making preparations for the
serious work of the night.
Most of these preparations were done in one of the rooms of the society,
but a little took place elsewhere; for example Baker and Diamond
arranged to meet as if by accident in front of Miller's cigar store.
They chose an hour when Miller was certain to be behind the counter. He
was there, and after the two students had said good-morning, as if they
had just met for the first time during the day, Baker remarked, in a
loud voice:
"I got up so late this morning that I had to run to lectures after
breakfast without a smoke and I haven't had time for one since. I guess
I'll burn a cigar. Will you join me?"
"Thanks," responded Diamond, in the same tone, "I will."
Accordingly they entered the store and Baker called for cigars. Miller
set a couple of boxes on the counter while the students made their
selection.
"I never smoked this brand," remarked Baker, "but it looks pretty good."
"It'll do if it will burn," responded Diamond, biting off the end and
turning to the alcohol lamp for a light.
"How's Merriwell getting on?" asked Baker, as he handed out a bill for
Miller to change.
Diamond's back was toward the cigar dealer, but he was facing a mirror,
and in it could keep careful watch of Miller's face. Meantime, Baker was
studying Miller also.
The cigar dealer's face was very grave, and if any one not interested in
the matter that was weighing upon the students' minds had been present,
he would probably have noticed nothing.
Both students, however, were convinced that Miller was greatly
interested in the question and anxious for the answer.
Diamond drew a long breath.
"He's in a mighty bad way," he said.
"Why!" exclaimed Baker in surprise, "I thought the doctor reported that
he was doing very well?"
"You forget," said Diamond, "that the doctor always said that he was
doing very well under the circumstances."
"Oh! and I suppose that under the circumstances meant that the situation
was very serious, eh?"
"Serious! Why, man alive, you don't seem to realize that Merriwell
narrowly escaped death outright!"
"Huh! I hadn't thought it was as bad as that."
"Well it was!" continued Diamond, and it seemed to take him a long while
to get his cigar lighted, while Baker was slowly counting his change.
Miller was fussing with the cigar boxes with his head bent down.
"If Merriwell's muscles hadn't been as tough as steel," continued
Diamond, "he would have croaked before this."
"Oh, no! Oh, no!" returned Baker, as if incredulous. "I'm sure you're
exaggerating the matter, Diamond, on account of your interest in your
friend."
"Exaggerate nothing!" retorted Diamond, indignantly. "I guess I've spent
hours enough with Merriwell to know his condition."
"And you say he's worse this morning?"
"Decidedly! The critical stage in his trouble has come on and the doctor
has cleared the students out of his room. That was why I was out for a
walk instead of watching by his bedside. I'm going back there now, for I
can't bear the thought of being so far away."
"Well, it would be simply awful," remarked Baker, with long breath, "if
he should----"
"Why don't you say die and have it out!" blurted Diamond. "That's what
he's in danger of, poor chap."
"Well, if he should die," added Baker, "there ought to be a lot of
trouble for the chap who pushed him in front of the car."
"Ah! if we only knew who that was!" said Diamond.
"I suppose that will always be a mystery," said Baker, and with this
both left the shop.
"The miserable scoundrel!" exclaimed Diamond, under his breath, as soon
as they were well outside. "There isn't any doubt that he was the fellow
that did it."
"Of course there isn't," responded Baker, "but what makes you so
emphatic in saying so now?"
"Why this! If Miller had had a spark of manhood in him he would have
made some inquiry about Merriwell while we were talking about him. The
very fact that he kept his mouth shut showed that he was afraid to speak
for fear of giving himself away."
"Oh, he's the one, sure enough," Baker declared, "and I don't think
there's any doubt that we've given him a good bit of fright for a
starter. Now if he doesn't skip the town----"
"Rattleton and the others will look out for that," interrupted Diamond.
At that moment they saw Hodge idling in a doorway across the street and
they knew that Rattleton must be loafing in a similar way in some other
spot.
These two had been detailed to keep watch of Miller, dog his footsteps
wherever he went, and if he made any attempt to leave town, keep him
back by force if necessary.
Miller did not attempt to leave town. Probably he was too cautious to do
so, for that might have been the means of bringing suspicion upon him.
Baker and Diamond in his shop had declared that the attack on Merriwell
would probably remain a mystery; therefore it is likely that Miller
reasoned that it would be safer for him to stay where he was as if he
were entirely ignorant of the whole matter.
Although Rattleton and Hodge kept their watch on him faithfully
throughout the day, no other of the students interested in the case went
near him until early in the evening.
Then Rowe and Henderson dropped in. Rowe went in first and bought a box
of pipe tobacco. While he was waiting for his change Henderson came in
with a very gloomy face.
He nodded silently to Rowe, laid a coin on the counter and asked for a
cigar.
"Why! Henderson," exclaimed Rowe, jocosely, "what's gone wrong with you?
Has the faculty suspended you, or is it simply stomach ache?"
"Oh! don't joke about it!" responded Henderson, dismally.
"Joke about what?"
"Haven't you heard?" asked Henderson, in the same melancholy tone.
"Heard what?"
"About Merriwell."
"No. That is, nothing since morning. Has he----"
"Yes. He's gone!"
The two students looked at each other as if in great consternation. Rowe
drew a long breath and remarked:
"Great Scott! that's awful."
Henderson sighed too, and both went out together without another word.
Then they got around the nearest corner and burst into a perfect fit of
laughter.
"Say! but he looked as if he'd seen a ghost," chuckled Henderson.
"Gee whiz!" returned Rowe, "but he was blue. How will he look to-night,
eh?"
"I'm just burning up to have the fun begin," answered Henderson, "and we
shall have to wait until midnight."
"Yes, later than that if he shuts up at the usual late hour, but perhaps
he'll start home earlier."
"I shouldn't wonder," remarked Henderson, "if this should work on his
nerves through the evening and cause him to try to skip the town."
"We shan't lose him," returned Rowe, in a satisfied tone, "and the only
thing we've got to do now is to kill time until the hour comes for
business. Let's play billiards."
Accordingly they went to a billiard hall and knocked the balls around
until they were tired of walking about the tables. For the others
interested, as well as those, the time passed slowly.
A number of students, including Merriwell, who were to take part in this
affair, assembled at the society rooms about the middle of the evening,
thinking that possibly Miller might take fright and shut up his shop
earlier, but the hours passed and Miller still stuck to his counter.
Hodge and Rattleton, who, now that it was dark, stood nearer to the
cigar store, could see that Miller was growing nervous as the time
passed.
He paced restlessly up and down back of his counter and occasionally
shifted the position of boxes and did other things to indicate that he
was suffering from extreme anxiety.
When customers came in he greeted them gruffly and had little to say,
whereas his usual custom was to talk freely.
After eleven o'clock, when the store happened to be free from customers
for a moment, the boys saw him empty his cash drawer into his pockets
and also take what money there was in his safe and stow that in his
clothes, too.
From that time on he put whatever money came in into his pockets instead
of into the drawer. They judged from this that he had made up his mind
that he must leave town, and that he was taking all the money that he
could lay his hands on with him.
Finally, a little before midnight, he seemed to feel that he could stand
the strain no longer, and prepared to shut up the shop.
He turned the lights down hastily, as if he feared that some customer
might enter and detain him longer. He went out, locked the door behind
him, and started rapidly toward his lodgings.
He lived at some distance from his shop, and had to pass through a long,
quiet street to get there. Even in the daytime few persons were usually
stirring upon this street, and at this hour it was entirely deserted.
Miller went along part of the time with his head down, and part of the
time turning his eyes in every direction.
He was just approaching an intersection with another street when two
figures in long, black robes with hoods drawn over their heads seemed to
rise from the ground in front of him.
As a matter of fact, they had simply stepped from behind a tree, but
Miller's mind was in no condition to take things as they were.
He gasped with fright the minute he saw them, stopped short and then
tried to run back. The figures leaped after him, and clutched him by the
arms, while one clapped a hand over his mouth. "It'll be safer for you,"
said one of them, sternly, "to make no resistance, for if you do you'll
be beaten to a pulp in less than no time."
Miller chattered with fear. In spite of this threat he might have tried
to break away, but he saw other figures apparently rising from the
ground.
He was quickly surrounded by not less than a dozen, all in black cloaks
and hoods. He could not see the faces of any of them clearly.