THE BOMB.
When, at last, he went to bed that night, Frank Merriwell slept the
sleep of exhaustion. He did not know that all through the dark hours
Jack Diamond watched over him like a faithful dog. He did not know that
Diamond was unable to close his eyes in sleep. He did not know the
Virginian paced the room, thinking, thinking, thinking. The light burned
low, as Diamond had turned it on. Frank lay breathing regularly,
perfectly motionless in the bed. After walking up and down a long time,
after looking from the window out upon the street, where a few stray
human beings flitted past beneath the electrics, Diamond came and stood
beside the bed, looking at Frank.
Jack’s heart was full. He was beset by deep emotions.
“The whitest fellow who ever drew the breath of life!” he murmured, as
he gazed at his sleeping comrade. “In many ways, he has made me what I
am. I know it now. He has been my model, and, as far as possible, I have
tried to be like him. I am not ashamed of having a model! If all fellows
could have one like Frank Merriwell, and they would try to imitate him,
it would be well for them.
“He has shown me my failings without once mentioning them to me. Never
has he told me I was mean, and fretful, and a poor comrade, yet I know I
have been. I know lots of fellows would have sickened of me, but Frank
Merriwell has not. He has seemed to understand me, and to know all my
petulance and ill temper would pass away in time. He has shown me how to
be master of myself, and the task of conquering myself has been, at
times, the hardest thing I ever attempted. I don’t think I’ve always
succeeded in my efforts, but I am sure I have at times, and I have felt
better for it.
“And now, to think that such a fellow should be in danger of losing his
life at any moment, although he is in perfect health, and has the
brightest prospects before him! It is awful! He has made all plans to go
back to Yale in the fall, and, goodness knows, Old Eli needs him badly
enough! Why, I believe the fellows would mob us if we permitted him to
be assassinated here in Paris!
“Think of Frank Merriwell, the darling of Yale, murdered by a lot of
cowardly wretches, who are fighting to keep an innocent man in a living
tomb! And his peril is something awful! Those dastards are powerful, and
it is folly to defy them. Frank must leave France at once! But how may
he be induced to go?”
That was a question for Diamond to study over, and he spent more than an
hour trying to answer it. Once he muttered:
“I must put up a job with Browning and Rattleton, and carry him away!
It’s a desperate plan, but it must be done. Can I get them to join me?
How will I work it?”
He pondered on various plans, but remembered that he had given Frank a
promise to say nothing to Bruce and Harry about the terrible danger by
which Merry was beset.
“I was a fool to make such a promise!” he exclaimed.
The temptation to break it was strong, but Diamond was a fellow of
veracity, and he was forced to decide that he would not follow that
course. If he did not, how could he induce Rattleton and Browning to
join him in his wild project to carry Merry bodily from France?
After a time, he decided that it would be impossible. They would think
him crazy if he proposed such a thing. Then he began to plan other
schemes. At last, he decided to telegraph the whole facts to Dolph
Reynolds. He would ask Dolph to send a despatch, stating that Elsie
Bellwood was seriously ill.
“I’ll do it!” the Virginian exclaimed. “He may never forgive me, but
I’ll stand it! It is for his good, and it shall be done! To-morrow, I’ll
lose no time in sending the message to Reynolds. Frank will be hustling
out of France in a few hours. Heaven grant that he may get out before
the Black Brothers do their dastardly work!”
It was daybreak before Jack closed his eyes. Even then, he could not
sleep soundly. He dreamed that Merriwell was in frightful peril. He
seemed to see Frank enfolded in the coils of a monster serpent, and
struggling to escape. For all of his struggles, the coils drew tighter
and tighter, slowly crushing the life from Merry’s body. He saw Frank’s
eyes bulging from his head, and his tongue hanging out, and the sight
filled him with such horror as seldom comes to one, save in dreams. He
tried to rush to the rescue of the friend he loved, but seemed frozen to
the ground, unable to move hand or foot. He tried to shriek with anguish
of soul, and——
Frank Merriwell shook him till he awoke!
“Come, come, old fellow!” laughed Merry. “You were having a fearful time
of it. You seemed to be straining every nerve, and the gasps and gurgles
that came from your throat appeared to indicate that you were
strangling. It must have been a bad dream.”
“It was,” said Jack gloomily. “And the worst is that I fear it is
prophetic.”
He then told Frank what he had dreamed.
“Oh, pshaw!” cried Merry lightly. “You were affected by our experiences
last night. I don’t know that I wonder at it, but I rather think there
is no great danger that the serpent will crush me. Take a good look at
the bright sunshine coming in at that window, and let it drive the
clouds away.”
“It’ll take more than sunshine to do that, as long as we remain in
France, Merriwell,” declared the Virginian.
To his surprise, Frank seemed almost light-hearted. This was something
Diamond could not understand. Jack had determined to make one more
appeal to Merry, and this he did; but Frank turned the subject, and more
than ever was the Virginian determined to carry out his plan of drawing
his friend from France by means of the false telegram.
Rattleton was up, but it was necessary to drag Browning out of bed. Both
Harry and Bruce were delighted to find Merry once more in a lively mood.
“Now you seem like yourself,” declared Rattleton. “You have been glum
enough for awhile. Acted like you were under a spell, but I rather think
the spell is lifted.”
“If he only knew!” thought Jack.
After breakfast, Diamond looked for an opportunity to get away from the
others, to send the telegram to Dolph Reynolds; but, when he started
out, he was joined by Frank.
“A good, brisk walk will do us both good,” said Frank. “Come on, old
man.”
Diamond was not ready with excuses and subterfuges, and so he went
along, hoping something would turn up to give him the opportunity he
sought. Frank did not loiter in the gardens, but sought the crowded
thoroughfares of the city, for the business portion of Paris was
a-bustle thus early in the day.
It was mid-forenoon when they halted for a moment, and stood on a
curbing, where they could look along one of the thoroughfares of the
city. Jack had kept his eyes open, for he felt that Frank was constantly
menaced by deadly danger. He it was who saw a man approach a window in
the second story of a building opposite where they stood, and fling it
open.
“Look, Frank!” he exclaimed.
“Where?”
“Up there!”
“What is it?”
“Mr. Noname! What is he doing there?”
Frank recognized the man who had opened the window as the mysterious
being known as Mr. Noname. Something queer in the actions of the man
caused both lads to watch him. He stepped back from the window for a
moment, and there was a little flare of light, as if he had struck a
match. Then he came to the window, with a spring, thrust his head out,
looked up and down the street, and lifted his hand.
“A signal!” said Jack.
But it was not a signal. In the hand of the strange man was an object
from which a tiny wreath of blue smoke curled upward. He lifted that
hand, and flung the smoking object straight at Frank Merriwell! A cry
escaped the lips of Diamond.
“A bomb!” he shouted.
Down toward the young American flew the object, and then, quick as
thought, Frank Merriwell caught the spluttering thing with the skill of
a baseball-player!
“Drop it! Run!”
Diamond caught hold of Frank as he gasped the words. Instead of that,
Frank Merriwell lifted the bomb to his mouth, caught the fuse in his
teeth, and bit it off!
By his remarkable presence of mind, Frank Merriwell had prevented an
explosion, perhaps had saved his life and Diamond’s. He had bitten the
fuse off close to the bomb.
Jack Diamond was paralyzed with astonishment.
Frank spat the end of the fuse from his mouth, observing:
“I rather think that will prevent the thing from doing any damage.”
“Great heavens!” gasped the Virginian. “How could you think to do it?”
“Had to think. Case of necessity. Now, I want to know what this means.”
“It means murder! It means treachery! That old madman threw the bomb!”
“Mr. Noname?”
“Yes.”
“I saw him.”
“He’s turned on you, Frank.”
“Looks that way. He’ll have to explain.”
“He can’t.”
“He’s gone from the window.”
That was true; the Mystery had disappeared. This astonishing scene had
been witnessed by several persons. Two officers came hurrying up, and
asked a score of questions.
“It’s a bomb,” explained Frank.
“Le bomb! le bomb!” cried the crowd that had gathered.
“And the man who threw it is in that building!” shouted Diamond. “He
threw it from that open window. He is in there now. Capture him! Arrest
him!”
“Arrest him!” shouted the crowd.
“You know him? You can identify him?” asked the officers.
“In a minute!”
“Come with us!”
They dashed across the street, and entered the café, from the second
story of which the bomb had been thrown. Up-stairs they dashed.
“It will go hard with Mr. Noname if he is caught now,” said Frank.
“It should!” hissed Diamond. “The man is a maniac! I have felt it all
along! I have feared him!”
Diamond was eager to capture the Mystery, but, when the room was reached
from which the bomb had been thrown, all they found was a quiet-looking,
smooth-faced man, who was seated at a table, drinking coffee, and
looking over a morning paper. The officers demanded of Frank and Jack if
that were the man. They seemed disappointed when both lads declared it
was not. Then they questioned the man, who seemed greatly surprised. Had
he seen another person in the room? He had. A man had entered a short
time before, but he had not noticed him in particular, as he was sitting
with his back toward the window. The man had just left the room in a
hurried manner. Whither did he go? The door by which he had departed was
pointed out.
The officers were eager to capture the bomb-thrower. It would be greatly
to their credit. They hastened from the room by the door. Frank and Jack
followed. Barely were they out of the room when Frank stopped.
“This is mighty queer,” he said.
“What?” asked the Virginian.
“That the man in there knows nothing of the bomb-throwing.”
“That’s right.”
“I believe he knows more than he has told.”
“You may be right.”
“He should be watched.”
“Sure thing.”
“Go back, and keep an eye on him, Diamond.”
“All right.”
Jack rushed back to the room, and then a cry came from him. Wondering
what had happened, Frank hurried after him.
“What is it, Jack?” he asked.
“The man!”
“What?”
“Gone!”
It was true. The man had lost no time in getting out of that room. His
coffee was on the table, and his paper lay on the floor. Frank Merriwell
dashed down the stairs, hoping to prevent the man from escaping. He was
too late to do so, however, for the stranger had left the restaurant.
Once outside in the crowd, he had melted away.
“We have been chumps!” exclaimed Frank regretfully. “I am sure he was
the one who could have explained everything.”
“I am sure of it, too,” nodded Diamond.
The search through the building did not result in the capture of the man
who threw the bomb.
Of course, Frank was requested to accompany the police to headquarters,
and tell everything he knew, while the café was placed under
surveillance. Frank told his story, and the bomb was turned over to the
police, who promised to make a thorough investigation.
“Which will result in nothing,” said Diamond gloomily. “They have taken
your address, Merry, but all they will do is call round at the hotel,
and pump you with questions.”
Frank was puzzled more than he wished to confess. It seemed certain that
Mr. Noname had deliberately attempted to destroy him, and that was
something he could not understand. If the man was an enemy, why had he
saved his life so many times?
Diamond redoubled his argument for leaving France with all possible
haste.
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