THE COWBOYS SAVE THE DAY.
For a few moments matters took on a serious aspect for the two boys.
The quitclaim deed, however, had been destroyed, and there was no fear
that Professor Borrodaile would again fall into Heppner's trap. Frank
had counted upon this, and had even figured that he would have to take a
few hard knocks in bringing it about.
Heppner, fairly boiling, was rushing at Merry like an unleashed tornado.
McGurvin, too, was plunging toward him from the right. Sam and
Turkeyfoot were making Clancy the object of their attack.
Merry felt that Heppner was entitled to a little something as a memorial
of the plot that failed. So, dodging the bull-like rush of McGurvin, he
jumped at Heppner, and his doubled fist shot out like a battering-ram.
"Oof!" Heppner grunted, flinging up his arms.
Frank's knuckles had landed on the point of his heavy, brutelike jaw, in
just the place best calculated to make a man see stars, and,
incidentally, to teach him a lesson.
The "government agent" reeled back and staggered groggily. McGurvin,
swearing furiously, flung his arms around Frank from behind.
"I'll wring yer neck fer ye, you young terror!" threatened the rancher.
And it was at that moment, when Merry and Clancy were hard beset, that a
Bar Z yell floated down the breeze. It came with an accompaniment of
wildly galloping hoofs. High above the tumult and the shouting arose the
voice of Barzy Blunt:
"Hang to it, Merriwell! We're on the way!"
The coming of reenforcements had a dampening effect upon the ardor of
McGurvin, Sam, and Turkeyfoot. The rancher released Frank and started at
a hurried pace for the other side of his house. Sam and Turkeyfoot also
attempted to decamp, but they were not quick enough.
The cowboys, throwing themselves from their horses, rushed pell-mell to
take a hand in the conflict. Such a ruction appealed to them, and they
proceeded to wade into Sam and Turkey foot. Frank and Blunt went on a
hurried search for McGurvin.
The rancher was finally located, barricaded behind a locked door, and he
was breathing fierce threats of ravage and slaughter.
"Keep away from me, or I'll fill ye fuller o' holes than a pepperbox!"
was one of the rancher's many remarks.
Blunt, laughing loudly, threw himself against the door. With Frank's
help, it was kicked open. And McGurvin did not shoot. It transpired that
he had nothing to shoot with. He tried to fight, but Merry and Blunt got
him in hand and dragged him out of doors.
"Tell us about this, you blamed coyote," said Blunt, "and be quick.
You've got about as much grit as a chipmunk, and if you don't talk we'll
show you a trick or two that will make you wish you had."
"What you a-tryin' to do, Barzy?" asked McGurvin in an injured tone.
"Takin' the part o' this Eastern crowd agin' me?"
"Pah!" exclaimed the Cowboy Wonder, in disgust. "I'm no friend of yours,
you old tinhorn. What were you trying to do? Out with it."
"It wasn't me, Barzy," whimpered McGurvin, "it was Heppner--Heppner from
Tombstone. He put it all up--him an' Nick Porter."
"Put what up?"
"Why, this scheme to beat the perfesser out o' that claim o' his. I was
drawed inter it innercent like."
"Yes, you were mighty innocent!" put in Frank scathingly. "You pretended
that you had located the professor's claim a long while ago, and that
the professor had jumped it. Heppner professed to be a government agent
sent here to straighten the matter out, and you were to give Borrodaile
a hundred dollars for a quitclaim deed to the mine."
"A hundred dollars?" gasped Blunt. "Great snakes! Why, that claim's
worth thousands. The professor stood for that yarn?"
"They had him scared stiff," said Merriwell. "He was signing the deed
when I jumped out of the cornfield and grabbed it away from him."
"It was Heppner's doin's," insisted McGurvin. "He was ter gi' me a
hundred for helpin' him."
"You were to sign the quitclaim over to him, eh?" asked Blunt.
"That's the how o' it, Barzy. He's a villain, that Heppner person, but I
was took in by his wiles."
"How much was Sam to get?" asked Merry.
"He was gittin' another hunderd fer the bag o' samples, an' fer helpin'
in other ways."
"And Turkeyfoot?"
"Another hunderd was comin' ter him, same's to the rest o' us."
"How about Nick Porter?"
"Dunno how much he was ter git. He told Heppner about the perfesser an'
the claim in the fust place, so I reckon he come higher. The perfesser
is kinder weak in the headpiece. He'd b'leeve anythin'. Nick Porter tole
me so when he was here last night."
"Oh!" said Merry. "So Porter was here, was he, when Clancy and I came
looking for him?"
"Well, yes. I didn't say nothin' ter you about it, Merriwell, bec'us' I
didn't dare. Porter would 'a' killed me, if I had."
"You're a skunk!" gritted Barzy Blunt.
"Where's Porter now?" demanded. Frank.
"He hiked out early this mornin'. Say, Barzy, I heerd ye wasn't no
friend o' Merriwell's."
"I'm not," was the answer. "I made a bargain with him, and this is part
of it."
"Where are the professor's goods and Turkeyfoot's wagon?" Merry
questioned.
"Out in the scrub," was the rancher's reply. "So's Sam's burro, which he
took when he went arter the ore t'other day. Sam was gittin' the ore ter
show Heppner. He lost part o' it on the way here, but enough was left
ter make Heppner open his eyes a whole lot. He allowed it was the
richest claim he ever seen."
"Yes," remarked Blunt, "we know all about Sam's losing the ore. But for
that golden trail, Merriwell, you and I would never have got together
out there in the desert, and this scheme against the professor might
have worked to a fare you well. I'd never have butted in, if you hadn't
bested me with two straight falls."
"Have you been keeping the professor here against his will?" demanded
Frank of McGurvin.
"Nary, I wasn't. Turkeyfoot had him skeered. He tells the perfessor
there's a gov'ment agent arter him, named Heppner, an' that the claim he
thought he located he really jumped. That was Turkeyfoot's part a'
it--purtendin' ter be the perfesser's friend an' goadin' him on ter fall
in with Heppner's plan. Oh, Turkeyfoot's a missable skunk, all right."
"The professor stayed here because Turkeyfoot told him to?" asked Frank,
far gone with wonder on Borrodaile's account.
"That's the how of it, an' I'm givin' it to ye straight." Clancy had
come up during part of the talk with McGurvin, and presently Ben Jordan
arrived with Turkeyfoot, and Harrison and Lloyd with Sam. The professor,
dazed and bewildered, came pottering along presently, and stood off at a
distance while he tried to adjust his wits to the sudden whirl of
events.
"Where's Heppner, Clan?" Merry asked.
"Concluded he hadn't better stay, Chip," Clancy explained. "Just as the
cowboys got here, Heppner jumped to the back of his horse and began
hitting the high places. He took your mark along with him, though," the
redheaded chap finished, with a laugh.
Merry walked over to Borrodaile and laid a soothing hand on his
shoulder.
"Wake up, professor," said he. "It's all over, and you've still got your
claim."
"My boy," answered the professor, still a little "flighty," "I don't
want that claim if it's not legally mine."
"It is legally yours. Heppner was only pretending to be a government
agent, and McGurvin never saw the claim."
"Well, well!" murmured the professor, mildly surprised. "Then they were
dishonest?"
"I should say!"
"But Mr. Turkeyfoot is my friend. He thought I had done wrong, and he
fought loyally to get me off and to make McGurvin give me a hundred
dollars."
Clancy turned away to hide a laugh.
"Turkeyfoot deceived you, just as the others did," Frank explained
patiently. "You hired him to go to Happenchance after the stuff you had
left there?"
"Yes. We came thus far on our way, and Mr. Turkeyfoot explained how I
had laid myself liable to fine and imprisonment for stealing a claim. He
said I must remain here at McGurvin's for a time, and--er--keep shady.
That is the term he used, I believe. Well, I kept shady until he came to
go to the old town. Then, when we returned from there, I had to keep
shady again. A little while ago Mr. Heppner arrived, saying he
represented the government, and--and--Well," and the professor drew a
long sigh, "I'm glad to know I haven't stolen anything from anybody."
"Why did you leave Ophir for Gold Hill?"
"Mr. Porter told me about Mr. Turkeyfoot, and said he was the one to go
out and bring in my personal effects, You had had enough trouble on my
account, Merriwell, and I did not want to bother you further. Yet it
seems," he finished regretfully, "that I have done the very thing I
tried not to do."
"I'm going to take you back to Ophir," declared Merry, "and do what I
can to look out for you."
"I am quite capable of looking out for myself, Merriwell; nevertheless,
I shall be glad to have you near me to offer advice. Your father had a
very good business head, and I presume you are likewise gifted." His
face brightened perceptibly as he went on: "While returning from
Happenchance with my personal effects, I clipped a really excellent
specimen of amorphous diapase from a reef among the hills. The cellular
crystallization of the diapase is intensely interesting. It will give me
pleasure to show it to you, Merriwell, and--"
"Never mind that just now, professor," Frank answered. "Turkeyfoot is
getting ready to take you on to Ophir. Clancy and I have a couple of
motor cycles, but we're going to load them in Turkeyfooty's wagon and
ride with you."
"Just why do you inconvenience yourself in that manner?"
"To make sure that nobody takes the mining claim away from you between
here and the Ophir House," said Frank.
The professor looked puzzled, but was wise enough not to ask Merriwell
to explain.
THE END.
"Frank Merriwell, Junior's, Competitor; or, The Honor of the Game," is
the title of the story that will be found in the next issue of this
weekly. In this story, Barzy Blunt is defeated by young Merriwell in
another feat of strength and skill, and he begins to see light. Frank
gets a letter from his father which is full of interesting surprises.
You will find this narrative of the doings of Chip Merriwell and his
chums to be full of incident and sustained excitement. It is No. 12, and
will be out October 19th.