Frank Merriwell's Triumph: or, The Disappearance of Felicia

Felicia was waiting. She started up as the Texan tapped on her door.

“There, there, child!” exclaimed Mrs. Jones, who was still with her. “Sit down and keep quiet. I will see who it is.”

When the door was opened and Buckhart entered, Felicia cried out to him:

“Dick – you have found him?”

“Well, not exactly that,” said the Texan; “but I opine Frank will find him pretty quick now.”

The girl was greatly disappointed.

“Then you know what has become of him?” she asked.

“I opine we do,” nodded Buckhart.

“He is safe?”

“You bet he is. He is all right, Felicia. We know well enough that he isn’t hurt a bit.”

She seized his hands.

“Tell me,” she pleaded, “tell me all about it.”

Brad was placed in an awkward position, and he felt that it was necessary to draw on his imagination.

“Why, there is not a great deal to tell,” he said. “I reckon Dick’s horse must have stumbled and thrown him. It stunned him some, of course. Then there were some gents what happened along and picked him up, and that’s about all.”

She looked at him in doubt and bewilderment.

“But I didn’t see any one. Why didn’t I see them?”

Buckhart coughed behind his hand to get a little time for thought.

“Why, these yere gents I speak of,” he said, “were afraid to be seen, for they have been up to some doings that were not just exactly on the level. That being the case, they took him up all quietlike and stepped into the chaparral with him, and doctored him, and fixed him O. K. Of course, they will want to be paid for that little job, and that’s why they are keeping him. You leave everything to Frank. He will settle with them and bring Dick back as sound as a nut. You hear me chirp?”

Having made this statement, the Texan felt greatly relieved. He had managed to get through it some way, although it was a hard strain on him. Still, Felicia was not entirely satisfied, and her fears were not fully allayed.

“If these men are bad men,” she said, “won’t they harm Dick some way?”

“Ho! ho! ho!” laughed Brad. “What a foolish notion to get into your head, Felicia. Whatever good would it do them to harm him? What could they make out of that? It’s up to them to take the best care of him, so Frank will feel like coughing up liberal when he settles. You can see that easy enough. So don’t worry over it any more.”

“No, don’t worry over it any more, child,” put in Mrs. Jones. “Just go to bed. The strain on you has been severe, and you must rest.”

“Oh, I’m afraid I can’t rest until I see Dick! Don’t you think I may see him soon? Don’t you think Frank will bring him here right away?”

“Oh, mebbe not,” said Brad. “It may take some time, for Frank thought likely Dick had been carried to Goodwin, or Bigbug, or some place. You see, we didn’t find out just where they had taken him. All we found out was that he had been taken somewhere and was all right. You let Mrs. Jones tuck you in your little bed, and you just close your peepers and get to the sleeps. That’s the best thing for you to do.”

Fearing she might suspect that he had not stuck by the truth if she questioned him further, Brad now made the excuse that he had to hurry away, and quickly left the room. In the meantime Frank had been searching for Morgan. He fully expected to find Morgan without trouble, and in this he was not disappointed. The money king was talking with Thomas Kensington in the hotel bar.

“I beg your pardon, Mr. Kensington,” said Merry. “If I’m not interrupting an important matter, I’d like a word or two with this man.”

Morgan lifted a hand.

“You will have to excuse me, sir,” he said. “I am quite busy now.”

“On the other hand,” said Kensington, “we have finished our business. Mr. Morgan followed me here and wished to talk of mining matters. I am in no mood to discuss such matters to-night.”

He bowed to Frank and turned away.

Morgan gave Merriwell a defiant look.

“I cannot waste my time on you, young man,” he said. “It’s altogether too valuable.”

“You have wasted considerable time on me in the past, and I have been compelled to waste some on you. This night has brought matters to a climax. I know your game; but it will fail, just as every trick you have tried has failed. I have a few words to say to you. My brother is missing.”

“What’s that to me? I care nothing about your brother.”

“Yet you attempted not so very long ago to hold him as a hostage. It was your scheme to force me into dealing with you by holding my brother a prisoner in the hands of your ruffians.”

“Be careful, young man! Don’t accuse me of anything like that! If you do, I’ll – ”

“You’ll what?” demanded Merry, grim as flint and cold as ice. “Now, what will you do, Macklyn Morgan?”

“I’ll make you smart for it!”

“It’s about time you learned, sir, that your threats have no effect on me whatever. As I have said, my brother is missing. If he is not in Prescott to-morrow morning, it will be the worse for you. Do you know how I dealt with Milton Sukes? Do you know that I investigated his business methods and found out about his crooked dealings, so that when I was ready to expose him he was driven desperate? Macklyn Morgan, are you immaculate? Do you mean to tell me that your career as a maker of millions has been unspotted? Do you mean to tell me that you never have been concerned in any crooked schemes? I know better, Morgan. I know how a man like you makes his money. As I dealt with Sukes, so I will deal with you! I will investigate. I will learn the truth, and then I will expose you. To-day you may be concerned in several questionable projects. If those schemes are rotten, the world shall know it. I shall take hold of this thing in earnest, and I’ll do for you what I did for Sukes.”

“That’s a threat on my life!” cried Morgan, turning to the others who were near. “Gentlemen, I call on you to bear witness that this man has threatened my life.”

“You know better, sir, I have threatened nothing but your crooked business. Your life is safe as far as I am concerned. But you will see that my brother is in Prescott to-morrow, or I’ll hold you up for the inspection of the whole country and show people what a thoroughbred scoundrel you are! That’s all I have to say to you, sir. Good night.”

Frank turned his back on Morgan and walked out of the room.

CHAPTER XXV.

HOW WAS IT DONE?

What had happened to Dick? Intentionally he had permitted Felicia to keep the lead in the race through the chaparral. It is possible he might have overtaken her had he tried. He had no thought of danger, and he was wholly unprepared when out from the shadows of the chaparral shot a twisting, writhing coil, the loop of which fell over his shoulders and jerked him like a flash from the saddle. The shock, as he struck the ground, drove the breath from his body and partly stunned him. Before he could recover he was pounced upon by two men, who quickly dragged him into the edge of the thicket, where a third man – a half-blood Mexican – was coiling the lariat with which the boy had been snatched from the horse’s back.

These men threatened Dick with drawn weapons.

“Make a sound or a cry, kid,” growled one of them, “and we sure cuts you up!”

The boy’s dark eyes looked fearlessly at them, and he coolly inquired:

“What’s your game? I have not enough money on me to pay you for your trouble.”

“Ho, ho!” laughed one of the trio. “We gits our pay, all right, younker. Don’t worry about that. Tie his elbows close behind him, Mat. Mebbe we best gags him some.”

“No, none of that,” declared the one called Mat. “If he utters a cheep, I’ll stick him sure.”

But the other insisted that Dick should be gagged, and this they finally and quickly did. With his arms bound behind him and a gag between his teeth, he was lifted to his feet and forced into the depth of the thicket. The Mexican, who was called Tony, seemed to know a path through the chaparral, although it was dim and indistinct, and this they followed.

Thus it happened that when Felicia missed Dick and turned back she found no trace of him. On through the thick chaparral they threaded their way, now and then crouching low to push through thorny branches, their progress necessarily being slow. For a long time they tramped on, coming finally to an opening.

Several horses were grazing there. No time was lost in placing the captive boy on the back of a horse and fastening his feet together beneath the animal’s belly. Already it was growing dusky, but those men knew the course they would pursue. The Mexican and Mat mounted one animal and followed Dick, while the biggest man of the party, who had once been addressed as Dillon, now took the lead.

Starry night came as they still pushed on, but they had left the chaparral behind and were on the trackless plain. Finally it was decided that the captive should be blindfolded. By this time his jaws were aching, and he was greatly relieved when the gag was removed. They seemed to think there was little danger of his cries being heard should he venture to shout for help. Dick did not shout; he felt the folly of it.

Long hours they rode, and the bandage over the boy’s eyes prevented him from telling what course they followed. At last they halted. The cords about his ankles were released, and he was unceremoniously dragged from the saddle to the ground. Following this, he was marched into some sort of a building. There at last the bandage was removed from his eyes, and even his arms were set free. Dillon and Mat were with him. The Mexican had been left to care for the horses.

“Now, kid,” said the big man, “you makes yourself comfortable as you can. Don’t worry none whatever; you’re all safe here. Nothing troubles you, and we looks out for you. Oh, yes, we looks out for you.”

“Why have you brought me here?” asked Dick.

“We lets you guess at that a while. It amuses you perhaps, and passes away the time.”

“If my brother finds out who did this – ”

“Now, don’t talk that way!” cried Mat. “We don’t bother with your brother any. We does our business with other parties.”

“So that’s it – that’s it!” exclaimed Dick, “My brother’s enemies have paid you for this piece of work.”

“That’s one of the little things you has to guess about,” hoarsely chuckled Dillon. “Thar’s a bunk in the corner. I sure opines this place is stout enough to hold you, and all the while Mat or I sits in the next room. If we hears you kick up restless-like, we comes to soothe you. We’re great at soothing – eh, Mat?”

“Great!” agreed Mat.

“If you has a good appetite,” continued Dillon, “in the morning we gives you a square feed. Oh, we treats you fine, kid – we treats you fine. We has orders to be ca’m and gentle with you. We’re jest as gentle as two playful kittens – eh, Mat?”

“Jest so,” agreed Mat.

“Of course, you being young, it disturbs you some to be introduced to us so sudden-like. Still, you seems to have a lot of nerve. You don’t git trembly any, and you looks a heap courageous with them fine black eyes of yours. By smoke! I almost believes you has it in yer ter tackle us both, kid; but you’d better not – you’d better not. It does no good, and it ruffles our feelings, although we is so ca’m and gentle. When our feelings is ruffled we are a heap bad – eh, Mat?”

“Sure,” agreed Mat.

“That’s about all,” said Dillon. “Now we bids you a pleasant good night, and we hopes you sleeps sweet and dreams agreeable dreams – eh, Mat?”

“We does,” nodded Mat.

Then they backed out through the door behind them, which led into the front room of the building, leaving Dick in darkness, as the door was closed and barred.

Dick knew there was very little chance for him to escape unaided from the clutches of those ruffians. Still, he was not the sort of a boy to give up, and he resolved to keep his ears and eyes open for any opportunity that might present itself. Left without a light, there was no hope of making a satisfactory examination of his prison room until the coming of another day.

He flung himself down on the couch and meditated. But for the fact that he was in fine physical condition, his fall when jerked from the saddle might have injured him seriously. As it was, he had simply been somewhat shaken up. He felt a slight soreness, but regarded it as of no consequence. Of course, he understood the game the ruffians were playing. Beyond question he was to be held as a hostage in order that Frank’s enemies might force Merry into some sort of a deal concerning the mines.

His one satisfaction lay in the belief that Felicia had escaped. As he lay there on the bunk, he could hear the mumbling voices of his captors in the next room. After a time his curiosity was aroused, and he felt a desire to hear what they were saying.

Silently he arose and stole over to the partition between the rooms. This partition was strangely thick and heavy for a building in that part of the country. Seemingly it had been constructed for the purpose of safely imprisoning any one who should be thrust into that room. Although he pressed his ear close to the partition, he was unable for some time to understand anything the men were saying. He moved softly about, seeking a place where he might hear better, and finally found it in a crack beneath the massive door, through which shone a dim light.

Lying flat on his back, with his ear near this crack, the boy listened. To his satisfaction, he was now able to hear much of the talk that passed between the men. Plainly but two of them, Mat and Dillon, were in the outer room.

“This piece of work certain pays us a good thing, Mat,” said Dillon. “The gent what has it done is rotten with coin, and we makes him plank down a heap liberal.”

“What does yer know about him, pard?” inquired Mat. “Whoever is he, anyhow?”

“Why, sure, I hears his name is Morgan, though I deals with him direct none at all myself.”

“Well, partner, this is better and some easier than the railroad job.”

“All the same, Dan gets a heap sore when he finds we has quit t’other job. And, as for this being less dangerous, I am none certain of that.”

“Why not?”

“Well, this yere Frank Merriwell they say is a holy terror. Dan hisself has had some dealings with him, you know. He knocks the packing out of Dan down at Prescott not so long ago.”

“Down at Prescott,” thought the listening boy; “down at Prescott. Why, I supposed it was up at Prescott. If it’s down, Prescott must be to the south. In that case these fellows doubled and turned north after scooping me in.”

This was interesting to him, for one thing he desired to know very much was just where he had been taken. As he was meditating on this, Dick missed some of the talk between the men, for in order to understand what they were saying it was necessary for him to listen with the utmost intentness.

“Do you allow, Dillon,” he finally heard Mat say, “that Dan will stick to his little plan to hold up that train?”

“I opine not. He won’t be after trying it all by his lonesome. One man who holds up a train and goes through it has a heap big job on his hands.”

“So that’s the kind of a railroad job they were talking about!” thought Dick. “They surely are a tough lot.”

“Mebbe he comes searching for us,” suggested Dillon.

“Mebbe so. Ef he does, we has to deceive him.”

“He gits a whole lot hot, I judge.”

“You bet he does. And when he is hot we wants to keep our eyes peeled for a ruction.”

“That’s whatever.”

Although Dick listened a long time after this, the conversation of the ruffians seemed of no particular importance. Finally they ceased talking, and evidently one of them at least prepared to sleep. Dick arose and returned to the bunk, where he lay trying to devise some possible method of escape. Scores of wild plans flittered through his brain, but he realized that none of them were practical.

“If I could get word to Frank,” he thought. “But how can it be done – how can it be done?”

Such a thing seemed impossible. At last he became drowsy and realized that he was sinking off to sleep, in spite of his unpleasant position. He was fully awakened at last by sudden sounds in the outer room. There came a heavy hammering at the door, followed by the voice of one of Dick’s captors demanding to know who was there. Dick sat upright on the bunk, his nerves tingling as he thought of the possibility that the ruffians had been followed by a party of rescuers, who were now at hand.

The one who was knocking seemed to satisfy the men within, for Dick knew the door was flung open. He swiftly crossed the floor and lay again with his ear near the crack beneath the door.

“Well, you two are a fine bunch!” declared a hoarse voice that seemed full of anger. “You keeps your dates a heap well, don’t yer! Oh, yes, yer two nice birds, you are!”

This was the voice of the newcomer.

“Howdy, Dan?” said Mat. “We thinks mebbe yer comes around this yere way.”

“Oh, yer does, does yer?” snarled the one called Dan. “Why does yer think that so brightlike? Why does yer reckon that when you agrees ter meet me at Win’mill Station I comes here to find you five miles away? That’s what I’d like to know.”

“Windmill Station,” Dick said to himself. “Five miles from Windmill Station, and Windmill Station is some twelve or fifteen miles north of Prescott.”

“You seems excited, Dan,” said Mat, in what was intended to be a soothing manner. “Mebbe we has reasons why we didn’t meet you any.”

“Reasons! If you has, spit ’em out.”

“Yes, we has reasons,” quickly put in Dillon. “Dan, we finds we is watched a whole lot. We finds somebody suspects that little game we plans.”

“Is that so?” demanded the newcomer, with a sneering doubt in his voice.

“That’s what it is,” asserted Mat. “We don’t have a chance to move much without being watched, and so we reckons we does best to drop this little job for the time being.”

“Is that so?” sneered Dan.

“Didn’t we say it was?” indignantly demanded Dillon. “You hears us, I judge.”

“Now, who is it what watches you so closelike?” questioned the dissatisfied man. “Mebbe you tells me that.”

“We don’t know just who it is, but we has been followed for the last two days. You know a hold-up down on the Southern Pacific gits people suspicious. Mebbe they thinks we had a hand in that.”

“Which we didn’t have any at all,” hastily put in Mat.

“So you two fine chaps takes water?” contemptuously cried Dan. “You throws up a chance to make a good thing? Why, it was a snap! We could ’a’ stopped the train, gone through her, and then hiked it for Mexico hot foot, and the Old Boy hisself wouldn’t ’a’ ketched us.”

“Mebbe not,” admitted one of the other men. “But we opines it would ’a’ been a whole lot bad for us if the holding up had been expected. Look here, Dan, we thinks it right and proper to put this thing off some. We thinks mebbe in a week or so we is in fer it.”

“Oh, that’s how you figgers. Why didn’t you let me know about it any? That’s what I’d like ter have yer explain. You leaves me a-waiting and a-watching fer yer while you bunks down yere all ca’m and serene-like. That’s what sores me to the limit.”

“We thinks,” said Mat, “if we goes to meet you, mebbe we is seen, and that makes more suspicions. We thinks the best thing to do is to lay low. We’re right sorry that we couldn’t keep the app’intment, but it happens that way, and there is nothing else fer it.”

“Well, it is evident ter me that you two are squealers. You both lack nerve, and I quits you cold. The whole business is off, understand that.”

“Well, if you gits hot and quits us that way, we can’t help it,” said Dillon.

“Well, I does quit. What I wants is my blanket I leaves in yar. I takes that an’ gits out, and you two goes to blazes for all of me.”

Evidently Dan started for the back room at this moment, and the listening boy prepared to spring away from the door. At the same time Dick was seized by a sudden determination to attempt a dash for freedom the moment the door was opened. He knew he might not succeed, but there was a slim chance of it, and he decided to take that chance. Both the ruffians on guard, however, were startled when Dan proposed getting his blanket from the back room. Quickly Dillon interposed.

“Hold on, Dan!” he cried. “Never mind that blanket. We fixes that all right with you. Yere is mine. You take that.”

Had Dick been able to see them he would have beheld the newcomer, a huge, pockmarked individual, standing in the centre of the floor, staring at the men before him in no small surprise.

“Why, whatever is this?” asked Dan. “I opine I takes my own blanket.”

“But mine is worth more than yours,” hastily asserted Dillon.

“And you’re a heap anxious ter give it up in place of mine, I sees. That’s right queer. I don’t just understand your generosity. It seems mighty curious.”

“It’s all right, Dan,” declared Mat. “Take the blanket.”

“Not by a blamed sight,” roared the big man. “I takes my own blanket. I goes into that room. I sees what you has in there.”

As he said this, he suddenly whipped out a long revolver, with which he menaced the man who attempted to bar his progress.

“Get out of the way,” he commanded, “or I furnishes funeral stock for the undertaker.”

“He’s coming!” whispered Dick. “They can’t stop him!”

The boy rose to his hands and knees, where he listened a moment more. He heard the men on guard protesting, but their protestations availed nothing, and a moment later a hand was on the door.

Dick sprang up. The bar that held the door fell, and it was flung open. With a spring, Dick was out into the lighted room, bending low and striking the man with the revolver like a battering-ram full and fair in the pit of the stomach, bowling him over. As Dan went down, his fingers contracted on the trigger of the pistol, and a shot rang out.

CHAPTER XXVI.

FORCED TO WRITE

Dick’s daring and reckless break for liberty might have been successful but for the fact that the outer door had been closed and securely fastened after the entrance of Spotted Dan.

Dan went down with a shock that jarred the whole building, and the boy leaped toward the door. Both Dillon and Mat uttered cries of astonishment and grabbed at him. He avoided their hands and reached the door, but as he was trying to unfasten it they fell on him.

Young Merriwell’s fighting blood was up, and for at least five minutes he gave the ruffians the hardest sort of a struggle. Using hands and feet in unison, he made them howl as he repeatedly hit and kicked them. With all his force, he drove his knee into Mat’s stomach and doubled the fellow up like a jackknife.

At this juncture the boy had nearly whipped both the men. Dillon was panting and dazed, but he had drawn a pistol and reversed it in his hand, so that he gripped the barrel. With the butt of the weapon he struck a blinding blow at the fighting boy’s head, and by chance the blow landed full and fair.

Down Dick dropped and lay stunned on the floor. Dillon stood looking down at the lad, muttering savagely, while Mat gasped for breath and held both hands on his stomach. Spotted Dan had recovered from the first shock, and now stood, with his hands on his hips and his feet wide apart, watching what transpired. He had not even lifted a hand to take part in the struggle.

“Well, drat the kid!” snarled Dillon. “He sure comes nigh slipping right through our fingers.”

“Confound him!” panted Mat, still gasping for breath. “He soaks his knee inter my solar plexus and pretty nigh puts me out.”

“Haw! haw! haw!” laughed Spotted Dan, throwing back his head. “Well, you two gents sure has a highly interesting time of it. So that was why yer didn’t want me to go for my blanket! So that’s what yer had in the back room yer didn’t want me ter see! Well, I reckons I has clapped my peepers on this yere youngster before. I opines I smells your little game. I rather jedge I understands why you drops the railroad job. You seems ter strike another job that interests you a heap more.”

Without paying any attention to the pockmarked fellow, Dillon bent over the motionless boy, muttering:

“I wonder if I cracks his skull? That certain was a good rap I gave him.”

Blood was trickling down from Dick’s hair, and on one side of his head was a cut.

“I don’t care ef you did finish him!” grated Mat.

“Well, I does,” asserted Dillon. “We knocks ourselves out of a good thing ef that happens.”