HUMPERDINK TO THE RESCUE.
What Miller saw was this:
A room lighted by one solitary candle and rendered more gloomy by heavy
curtains hanging before the windows; a cot bed was in the middle, and
upon it was a body all covered over with the exception of the face, and
the face above it was that of Frank Merriwell.
It need hardly be said here that Frank was as much alive at that moment
as he had ever been in his life, but his face had been covered with
chalk so as to resemble that of a dead man.
Miller was thoroughly convinced that Frank was dead, and he was not too
frightened to realize that he had admitted having been the cause of it.
"Oh! what shall I do? What shall I do?" he groaned. "I never meant that
it should be as bad as this!"
"It isn't a question of what you shall do," remarked Baker, sternly.
The other students had come into the room and now stood around, looking
on solemnly. Not one of them so much as winked at another for fear that
the spectacle would lose some of its force upon the mind of the
frightened victim.
"The point is," continued Baker, "that you are not in a position to do
anything; the question is, what shall we do?"
"He ought to have his head chopped off where he is!" muttered Bruce
Browning, gruffly.
Miller started and edged away from the spot where he was kneeling.
"No!" exclaimed Baker, sternly; "that would be too easy; I should rather
think that it would be better to boil him in a vat!"
"Or might burn him alive out on the marshes!" said another.
"I think a good straight forward hanging is the best thing for him!"
muttered Jack Diamond.
"Oh, for Heaven's sake, gentlemen!" groaned Miller, "don't let it be
to-night. Give me a chance to make up for this!"
"How can you make up for it?" retorted Baker. "Do you know any way of
restoring a dead person to life?"
"No, I don't, but I never would have gone to do it if I'd supposed that
it would be serious, so help me, I never would!"
"I don't think that that makes any difference."
At this moment there was a stir in the room back of the students. Baker
turned inquiringly.
One of the students who had really been present all the time now
pretended to be coming in from the outside in a hurry.
"Prof. Humperdink," said this student, "is on the way, and will be here
in a minute or two."
"Ah!" responded Baker, in a tone of relief, "perhaps then that may make
things better, for, of course, while we are bound to punish this man
Miller, we want Merriwell restored to life if such a thing can be done."
"Humperdink can do it if anybody can!" said Rowe.
"Do you mean to say, gentlemen," gasped Miller, "that there's a chance
that Merriwell may be restored?"
"We can't tell until Humperdink comes," responded Baker, solemnly.
"Haven't you ever heard of Humperdink?"
"I don't think he buys his cigars at my store," responded Miller.
"No, he probably doesn't," responded Baker, significantly. "Humperdink
doesn't indulge in ordinary tobacco; he smokes the root of snake plants
found in the wilds of Africa. One whiff of it for an ordinary man is
fatal."
Miller stared in a way that showed he believed every word. He was not in
a condition to doubt anything that was told to him.
That is one of the effects of hasheesh, but even without the drug it is
more than likely that he would have believed everything said to him on
this occasion.
"Humperdink," continued Baker, "knows all the mysteries of nature. He
has experimented with all poisons, and eats them as readily as the rest
of us do ordinary food. In the old days he would have been called a
magician. Really he's a very great scientist, and if there's any
possible hope for Merriwell he'll know it. Ah! here he is."
At the moment when Miller had been taken into the room where Merriwell
lay apparently dead, another student had slipped into the dressing-room
of the little theatre, which was a part of the society's quarters, and
had put on a long gown, white wig and beard, and concealed his eyes with
dark glasses.
He now came tottering feebly across the room toward the students.
"What have ye here?" he asked in a high, cracked voice.
"One of the students has died, professor," responded Baker, in a tone of
deep respect, "and the circumstances were so peculiar----"
"Dead, eh?" returned the "professor," stopping short in his walk, "then
I can't do anything for him."
He turned about as if he would go away.
"Oh! don't give it up!" screamed Miller, "come in and give him something
to bring him back to life; do it, I beg you, for my sake!"
"Your sake," sneered the "professor," "you are not worth the turn of a
thumb!"
"Oh, but you don't know how much depends on it!" cried Miller.
"I don't know!" fairly shouted the professor. "I know everything! I know
that you caused that young man's death; I know that you pushed him in
front of a moving car; I know that you didn't mean to kill him, but that
you would be glad to do so if you could do it safely; I know that you're
a cold-hearted wretch!"
Miller again beat his hands upon the floor helplessly.
"Yes! Yes!" he groaned, "I'm all that, but I don't want him to die! Do
save him if you can, professor."
"It's this way, professor," said Baker, quietly. "This man groveling on
the floor is not worth the turn of a thumb, but the rest of us are very
fond of Merriwell, and would like to have him restored to life if such a
thing can be done.
"Do it for our sakes, and the sake of science, professor."
"Well," grumbled the "professor," after hesitating a moment, "for the
sake of science I'll take a look at him. The rest of you clear out."
He turned slowly into the dark room, while the rest of the students
withdrew, taking Miller with them; then a long ten minutes passed.
Meantime, acting according to their former programme, the students in
the main room discussed various plans for the punishment of Miller.
The victim of their fearful proceeding squatted on the floor, rocking
his body back and forth, moaning and wringing his hands.
At last "Prof." Humperdink appeared in the doorway and started slowly
across the room. Miller jumped to his feet, ran to him, and caught him
by his robe.
"Tell me," he cried, frantically, "will he recover?"
"Bah! don't touch me!" returned the "professor," giving the cigar dealer
a vigorous kick.
Miller fell over on his side, while the "professor" went slowly out of
the room.
"Why don't you ask him," said Browning, anxiously turning to Baker, "has
he succeeded or failed?"
"He must have failed," responded Baker, sadly, "or he would have said
something about it. We'll take the prisoner in there again and decide
what to do with him."
By this time Miller was a complete wreck. He could not possibly stand
upon his feet, and students picked him up to carry him to the darkened
room.
Just then the door of that room opened again, and Frank appeared in the
doorway.
He had rubbed some of the chalk off his face so that he appeared more
natural than before, but he leaned against the doorpost as if weak.
"Well, fellows," he said, feebly, "what's the matter?"
The students set up a great shout, ran to Merriwell, grasping his hand
and congratulating him warmly. Frank appeared to be dazed by the
proceeding.
"What's the matter, anyway?" he asked. "What am I here for in this
condition?"
"You've been dead!" shouted the students, in chorus.
"Dead, is it?"
"Yes, and Prof. Humperdink has restored you to life."
Frank looked as if he did not believe it.
"This is some joke," he said.
"Joke? Why, we thought you were going to tell us what happened in the
other world."
"I'm not going to tell anything until I understand this!" he retorted.
"Hello, there's Miller."
During this Miller had been half lying in a chair where the students had
dropped him at sight of Frank. He was staring in speechless astonishment
at the figure in the doorway.
The probability is that he was still so frightened that he believed that
Frank had not really come back to life, but that it was his ghost that
was speaking.
"What's Miller doing in the Pi Gamma rooms!" exclaimed Frank, starting
toward him. "He's the fellow that pushed me under the car! Did you bring
him up here for me to give him a thrashing?"
This was said in such a perfectly natural tone, and Frank appeared to be
so much in earnest, that Miller was restored to a good deal of his
ordinary condition.
He jumped up from the chair, and tried to make for the door; of course,
he was caught before he could get out.
Then while he was held there, Baker pretended to explain to Frank that
death had taken place and that Humperdink had restored him by some
secret scientific process.
"We had Miller here," he concluded, "so that we might punish him for
causing your death."
Frank listened very gravely.
"Well," he said, "the main thing is that I'm alive again. As for you,
Miller, you deserve to be hanged just as much as if you had succeeded in
what you tried to do, but I'm so much alive again that I'm inclined to
beg the boys to let you off."
"Oh, don't let them hurt me, Mr. Merriwell!" groaned Miller. "On my life
I didn't mean to do you any harm, and I'll never do anything wrong again
as long as I live."
"I think it's safe enough to take his word for that," said Frank,
turning to the others.
They looked a little doubtful, but Baker answered for them.
"Well, Merriwell is the most interested party, and what he says ought to
go. You may get out, Miller, but remember if there is ever any sign of
you attempting dirty work with a student again, we'll be after you, and
next time we won't give you any chance for a trial, either."
"I'll behave myself for the future, I will, so help me!" stammered
Miller, as he made for the open door.
After he had been seen well out of the building the students indulged in
an uproarious laugh at the success of their plan, and all declared that
it was a much better way of getting even with the cigar dealer than any
of the plans suggested by the other students.
They had another supper on the spot to celebrate the event, and they
were not surprised a day or two later to learn that Miller had disposed
of his cigar business and left New Haven forever.