Frank Merriwell on the Road; Or, The All-Star Combination

Frank expected to meet an officer at the station when he reached Dundee late that night, for he fancied Riddle, intending to keep up the game, would telegraph ahead for his arrest.

When he stepped down from the train, Merry looked around for the expected sheriff or policeman.

No one was there to meet him.

He was pretty tired, and so he took a carriage to a hotel, where he registered, and asked if he could get something to eat. It was long past the supper hour, but he was able to obtain a lunch, which satisfied him very well.

Next Frank sent a telegram to Barnaby Haley, and then sat down and wrote a letter, telling briefly his adventures since starting out as advance man for the company.

By this time it was pretty late, and he decided to retire and get some sleep.

He was filled with wonder because he had not been molested in Dundee, but decided that Riddle had resolved to come on himself and see to the matter.

Fully convinced that there would be more trouble for him in the morning, he went to his room.

As he was preparing to go to bed, he thought of Cassie and his last talk with her.

“Poor girl!” thought Frank. “I wonder if she really prayed to-night and tried to go through her part without the stimulation of morphine. It is too bad that the accursed drug should get such a hold on such a girl. She said she would pray for me.”

He was about to jump into bed when another thought came to him.

“I said I would pray for her!”

Down beside the bed Frank Merriwell knelt. He bowed his head, and his lips moved in a whispered prayer.

Who can say that prayer was not heard—and answered?

For all of the exciting adventures of the day, Frank was soon sleeping soundly.

He was aroused by a sharp knocking on his door.

“Hello!” he muttered, as he sat up. “Here’s the trouble I’ve been expecting! They might have let me sleep till morning. Wonder if they will take me to some wretched lockup and give me a buggy bunk. If they do, I’ll have to stay up the rest of the night. I enjoy excitement, but I draw the line at night encounters with bugs.”

He got up leisurely.

Rat-tat-tat!

The person outside the door was getting impatient.

“Don’t be in such a hurry,” called Merry, placidly. “I won’t jump out of the window.”

“Let me in!”

“Directly.”

Frank struck a match and lighted the gas. Then, in his nightgown, he opened the door.

A man dodged in quickly.

“Shut the door!” he ordered, his voice and manner betraying agitation.

“What’s the matter?” asked Frank, in surprise.

“Lock it—lock it!”

The stranger took hold of the key and turned it himself.

Frank’s surprise increased.

“Well,” he said, looking the man over, “will you be good enough to tell me what this means?”

“I want to see you.”

“All right. Take a good look at me.”

“Your name’s Merriwell?”

“Sure thing.”

“New man ahead of the ‘Empire Theater Comedy Company’?”

“Right again.”

“I’m Collins.”

Frank jumped.

“Collins?” he cried—“Weston Collins?”

“Yes.”

Frank had never seen the former advance man of the company, so it was not strange he had not known Collins.

“Well,” he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and staring hard at the intruder, “what in the name of all that’s bad are you doing here?”

“I came in a little while ago. Saw your name on the register. You registered with the name of the company attached, so I knew you must be the man Haley had sent out to fill my place. I came up to see you.”

“Did King send you?”

“King! What made you think so?”

“On account of your telegram.”

“Telegram to whom?”

“Mr. Haley.”

“What telegram?”

“The one you sent from Salacia.”

“Never sent any.”

“What?”

Frank was surprised and incredulous. Was this more trickery?

“Never sent Haley a telegram,” declared Collins. “Did he receive one?”

“Yes.”

“My name signed?”

“Just that.”

“Fake! King did it—or somebody representing King.”

Merry was doubtful.

“What did it say?” asked Collins.

Frank told him, and the former advance man showed anger.

“Just like King!” he cried. “He hates Haley, and he will do anything to torment the old man.”

“But—but you dropped the work in Salacia. Manager of the opera house heard our company had gone up. He put King’s paper right up over what you had put up for us. Why did you do that way?”

Collins hesitated a little, and then, walking up and down, he began:

“Look here, Merriwell, I want to set myself straight, but I don’t know how to do it. That’s why I’m here. I’m taking all chances of being arrested.”

“Arrested?”

“Yes. It’s like this: I got into some trouble out here in this country once, and had to skip. I’ve kept it quiet all my life—never told anybody about it. King knew it, because he was with me at the time. I changed my name. Collins is not my right name. When Haley decided to book this section, I tried to persuade him not to do it. Didn’t want to come here. Had to come or throw up my job. Thought I might get into the county and out again without being recognized. Could have done it, but when King heard we were having a hard time to hold the show together, he believed he could knock the company out by driving me off. He gave me an hour to get out of Salacia before he put the officers on me. I was scared and made a run for it. He must have had his advance man send the telegram from Salacia. I suppose he has told everything, and they are looking for me; but I made up my mind I’d go back and see Haley. That’s why I’m here. I’ve got back this far. Registered here to-night under a fake name. Have telegraphed Haley myself. Did that as soon as I got over my scare. That’s the whole thing in a nutshell. I won’t be able to stay with the company, and I’m glad they had a man to send right out in my place.”

Frank had been watching the man as he told the story, and Merry was convinced that Collins was not lying. He could see that the fellow was just recovering from the effects of too much liquor, which helped serve to explain his singular conduct in taking flight without notifying Haley.

Merry talked with Collins for at least two hours, telling him everything that had happened since he started out in advance of the show.

Collins complimented him on his ability and the manner in which he had gotten the best of Delvin Riddle.

“It is my opinion,” he said, “that Riddle is thoroughly disgusted over the attempt to side track you, and I don’t fancy you’ll have any more trouble with him. He has found out that you are up to snuff and too smart for him. It is quite probable that, when he got back in Salacia, he made a find that caused him to withdraw that warrant from the hands of the sheriff.”

“What sort of a find?”

“The stolen watch.”

Frank brightened.

“I understand!” he exclaimed. “Riddle may have done that in order to avoid being detained himself.”

“Just that. He’s liable to be on here to-morrow, and you’ll soon find out if he’s going to let you alone. I shall get out of town the first thing in the morning, and I’ll lay low till I can rejoin the company somewhere outside the State.”

Everything turned out just as Collins had fancied it would. Riddle appeared the following day, but he did not even seem to see Merriwell. Frank was not molested then or afterward by Julian King’s agent.

After this Frank found that work on the road as an advance agent was a great deal easier than it had appeared at the start. In defeating the schemes of his rivals he had overcome the greatest difficulties of his new career, and though he found other obstacles from time to time, he met them with the same steady courage that was sure to win in the end.

He proved one of the finest advance agents that had ever traveled for Haley, and made a host of friends wherever he went.

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