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Show Prank mfmdl stf fimid By Gilbert Fatten - - The Original Burt L StancSish Gilbert rntten WNU Srrvli-o . I read about yourself, but don't lot it tly to your head." "Thanks for the advice," Frank smiled again, dillorently. "Now about Tad's dog. When will he get his lieense?" "I'll 'tend to that first thing Monday Mon-day morning," promised Hawkins. "Cut I want my 50 cents Just the same, 'cording to the understanding under-standing that I'd get It for every dog I caught without a tag," said Mike Dugan grimly. "'Tain't my fault you forgot to notify the clerk, Sid." They wore arguing over that when Frank and Tad left the ofllce with S'prise, joyously released from the rope that had been hitched to his neck, trotting at their heels. "S'prise must have a collar to wear his license tag on. Tad," said Merry. "Where can we get one?" "Fuller's hardware store. They carry 'em 'long with sportin' goods. But I ain't got no dough to buy one with." "But maybe we can squeeze over that bunch, old pal. Show me Fuller's Ful-ler's place." Already Fardale's wide and well-lighted well-lighted main street was beginning to take on its usual lively Saturday grandfather's days. With his left hand he was gripping the man's left wrist, which had been twisted backward back-ward and thrust upward between the wretch's shoulderblades. His right hand had grasped the chin of the purse-snatcher and turned it to the right. That tied the fellow up so he couldn't do n tiling. "Hey!" panted the fat policeman. "You dropped that bird like you'd hit him with both barrels of buckshot." buck-shot." He fumbled some businesslike business-like handcuffs out of a pocket. "Let me get these bracelets on to him." There was cheering now; the fel. lows on the school truck started it and others took it up. A crowd of excited persons swarmed around. They stared at Frank, asking who he was. He picked up Inzn's purse, which the thief had dropped as he fell, and spoke to the officer: "This belongs to Miss Burrage. I'll take it to her." Her eyes looked starry as he approached, ap-proached, but maybe that was caused by the gleam of so many electric lights. "Here's your purse. Miss Bur-rage," Bur-rage," he said. She took it from his hand without glancing at it. "Thanks," she replied, a flush spreading over her face. "It was nice of you to save It for me, but I think you were a meanie to give me the air the way you did." up about him. He nits on a llashy show when he can and gels tils name Into the newspapers, but he's salTron when It comes to football. That's when he lies down." "Hascomb's pretty sore about the way Merrlwell tagged him with the name Grand Canyon." "Why not? Since yesterday every little dlpsledoodle's calling him that, and It wasn't his fault ho missed the posts for those two points. The line was weak as cambric tea. It stopped the Mayfield rushers just the way a feather duster stops bullets. bul-lets. He says so." "That's natural, but I guess he's right. It's my notion Tom Kane's pretty well washed up around here as a coach." "Now you've said something. Putting Put-ting me on the scrub when I'm a better man than any of that bunch of new players he used yesterday! But if he thinks I'm going to stand for it long he's got another think coming." Hodge went on his way and Cagg continued to scurry. This was a day when, after services serv-ices In the chapel, Bart had little trouble about avoiding his heartily detested roommates. Also he kept away, as well as he could, from fellows fel-lows who would be liable to speak of Mcrriwcll. The way that show-ofl show-ofl was getting himself talked about was sickening! He had a date to go riding with Inza that afternoon. That would be i Ol.U'TIK 11 Continued Frank didn't tell Tad to send a ixi after him. He didn't wait for nything. Out of Union hall he shot, a the jump, and even the long hill idn't slow him down much. He jt his second wind after passing i-er the top of the hill and went ying down into the village, where Ne lights were gleaming in the -st hour of darkness. r:A man told him where to find etcher's drug store. Tad was waiting in front of the jore. --"Where have they taken your dog, 2d pal?" Merry asked as he gal-Aped gal-Aped up. "They got him In the town manor's man-or's ofllce now. He's Sid Hawk- ) s. He tells 'em what to do 'bout . gs they fetch in. It's just around next corner. Oh, gosh. Frank, ;n glad you've cornel" ; The agitated boy's eyes were red d his cheeks had been streaked 3 tears. Frank patted his shoul- Sr. 3'We'Il fix this up before you can Ty eeny, meeny, miney, mo," was S assurance. "Lead me to that vn manager's office." Tilted far back in his swivel chair, I Hawkins was chewing the soggy .3 of a half-smoked cigar. He was languid man and his feet were ided in their favorite resting .ce on top of his desk. He was king to Mike Dugan, whose ,ved legs supported a bloated body I;.t looked heavy enough to make feet cry for a rest also. )ugan was holding fast to the end a piece of rope that was tied V und the neck of a small black itue. The whining dog was pull-' pull-' at the rope. But you told me, Sid," Dugan j saying, "that I'd get 50 cents every dog I picked up that wasn't iring a license, and this dog a't have no license on." Well, that was because I hadn't around to it, Mike," was the lan-man's lan-man's answer. "Miss Burrage ' 1 for his license, but I was just 'I Pushed with other things that I ;ot to tell the clerk to make it jming in just then, Frank had r:ked Tad long enough to hear bit of conversation. Now he ie boy go, and Tad scampered ICTC.'ard to fall on his knees and ler the excited dog up into his s. Veil, then," said Merry, advanc-55- "it seems that I've broken the m nting record over Academy hill nothing." e town manager slowly dragged teet off the desk and let them with a clumping sound, on the . He pulled his bent body up ghter and gazed at Frank with est. ow I guess you're the young : that kept that other dog from Hing Inza Burrage up in John j i' s grove, ain't you?" he said. - 3-riwell nodded. "Unless I've very bad memory I'm the fel-j fel-j he admitted. J ell, I hope you didn't make any -ke in thinking you wasn't vyed by that critter's teeth," said Jawkins. "for we got a report le was mad, all right." le way I look at it," said c, "it took a long while to get y'-eport, Mr. Hawkins." town manager pulled the -if :ed cigar out of his mouth and 1 i& like a hippopotamus. "Well, "actly," he answered. "We've rift Cn.VPTEU VIII After Sunday morning services in the chapel the anvil chorus became a tocsin at Fardale. It resounded through the dormitories and echoed over the campus. And as usual the hardest hammer swingers were fellows fel-lows who had registered zero when it came to making a mark anybody could see without a magnifying glass. They were the common denominator, de-nominator, minus. Bob Gagg belonged in that classification classi-fication below the line, and he was as busy as an ant patching up a nest that had been kicked to pieces. Though he hadn't seen the game at Mayfield. he could tell anybody who would listen just what had been the matter with the Musketeers and did. He scurried around in a perfect per-fect dither of excitement and self-importance. self-importance. Scurrying around like that, he saw something that set him wondering. wonder-ing. He saw Coach Kane and Frank Merriwell go into Professor Scotch's little white cottage together. But even Barney Mulloy couldn't or wouldn't tell what that meant when he was asked about it. So Gagg formed his own opinion and peddled ped-dled it. The professor was a football fan. He followed the team when he could, and he had come back from the Mayfield disaster looking all shot. Now, seeking to plug the gaps, he was putting his nose into Kane's business by trying to get him to use Merriwell as one of the plugs. That was Gagg's guess. Running into Hodge, Bob asked him what he knew about it. "Why, how should I know anything?" any-thing?" said Bart, flushing. "I don't waste my breath chinning to either Merriwell or Mulloy. But Merriwell is one of Old Scottie's pets, and you may be right. Still I should worry. Kane won't use a freshman on the team if he can dodge it, even with no rule to stop him. It's my bet that the best Scotch gets Merriwell Merri-well is a chance to be knocked something pleasant, anyhow. She was a great kid. She was riding another horse around in Snodd's yard when Bart got there, and Snodd was watching her doubtfully. The horse was a handsome, spirited creature. Bart's mount and the one Inza had usually ridden were tied up to a hitching rail, both wearing saddles. "I'm going to beat you when we race today," she called laughingly as he came trotting into the yard. "But I don't know about letting you ride Satan, Inza," said the worried wor-ried looking farmer. "He's pretty skittish and fiery. I saddled him up for Merriwell." Hodge stopped and stared. "What's that?" he asked sharply. "Who did you say" "Oh, Frank's going with us, Bart," said Inza quickly. "I challenged chal-lenged him to do it last night, in town, and he took me up." "Oh, he did, did he?" Hodge caught his breath with a hissing sound. "He would! He'd jump at it like a trout at a fly. But he can't put that one over on me." He ran to his horse, unhitched the animal and leaped up into the saddle. "Come on!" he cried, swinging alongside Inza. "We're going go-ing away from here now." "Oh, be a sport, Bart," she begged. "If he's willing to" Too late John Snodd cried a warning. Bart had leaned over and struck Satan sharply on the rump with his open hand. The animal leaped, almost throwing Inza. Barely Bare-ly saving herself, she managed to stay in the saddle as the horse shot away with the bit in its teeth. "You fool!" cried the farmer. "Catch her! That critter'll run" But Hodge was in pursuit already. al-ready. He whirled out of the yard and turned after the runaway animal, ani-mal, headed toward town. Merriwell had seen this happen. He had almost reached the turn into the yard when Bart went tearing tear-ing past him. Dashing to the third horse, he tore it loose from the hitching rail. Snodd was shouting something at him, but he didn't hear it. A bound carried him astride. He turned the animal on a dime and was away, riding like a cowboy. (TO BE COXTIM'ED) She Took It From His Iland Without Glancing at It. night appearance. Everybody was getting out in town early. Autos of every description and vintage, bringing people in from the surrounding sur-rounding country, were finding parking spots. The sidewalk would soon be thronged. The big electric signs of two movie houses made splashes of color on opposite sides of the thoroughfare. In the hardware store Merriwell selected and paid for the best collar col-lar that was adjustable to S'prise's neck. He also bought a metal tag to be attached to the collar, and paid for the stamping which would give the dog's name, the name of its master, and the license number. "Gee, Frank gee!" gulped the laughing boy, wiping something out of his eyes. "It's just swell. It's just grand, ain't it, S'prise" The dog barked and tried to wag its tail off. The big school truck, loaded with a somber bunch of football players returned to the academy, was rumbling rum-bling down the street as thev came around on the scrub. That s what Kaney handed me." "Well, he won't last long at that if the stuff about him being a quitter quit-ter is true," said Gagg. "It's as true as a bee-line," Hodge asserted. "Bascomb dug that dope out of the store. Nobody was cheering cheer-ing the team as it passed through. But suddenly a girl's cry, sharp and startling, slashed the air: "Stop, thief!" Nobody had to tell Frank Merriwell Merri-well who she was. He knew her voice before he whirled and saw Inza Burrage pointing at a man who was running away with her purse in his hand. He shot after the fleeing rascal without a second of hesitation, and the gaping wit- 'a quite a lew days. ive you?" exclaimed Merry In ise. "That's odd. I haven't about it before." ill, you see we decided it .X best to worry anybody till i.-fj uld collect up the loose dogs j-'jfti here that the critter might ?:.bit, and put 'em out of the explained Hawkins leisurely, e put Mike, here, on the job iawav. and now nobody can us with letting a lot of un- , ;d dogs run loose as a men-' men-' the community." , I see." Merriwell's smile less cjry as starch. "And you 2 nl"'t sure whether I had been lis cl:aed by the teeth of that rabid er a Sr not. Maybe it didn't occur t UP- that by this time I might go mad myself?" ed, "'i?" Hawkins stared lazily, y go&'ou said you wasn't touched, -you? John Snodd said so too, -jhe? So did Inza Burrage, -i. ihe? So did Tad, here. WeU, believe in stirring some lp too much and getting a lot ..1 people on my neck. I've ' ;f losition to hold." ' ' 3 1 explains it," accepted "''.. ' i now," the town manager Irfr), "I'd be for letting folks for-'Ut for-'Ut it if Pete Smith hadn't , ut about the report and put j in the paper today. He you out to be quite a hero, eller. I s'pose you've read said Merriwell, still more yd. "I've been much too oc- T-'Pith otner things to look at a i-ier today." you better get one and nesses were given a greater thrill than either of the local movie theaters the-aters could provide that night. Pete Smith, who had come into town in a private car just ahead of the school truck, beheld something some-thing that made another good story for him. He was doing very well today. to-day. Watching Frank cut down the distance between himself and -the running thief, Pete knew just how he would describe it. He loved strong phrases, hackneyed or not, and he would say that Merriwell "burned the air." He hoped it wouldn't get the blue pencil, for nothing else he could think of fitted quite so well. Coming up behind in full stride, Merry dove headlong and made a flying tackle. His fingers, bent like hooks, caught both of the man's churning legs at the knees, which was a trick to start future arguments argu-ments every time an eye-witness should happen to mention it. Down those hooked fingers slipped without losing their hold, and down went the man on the hard asphalt. Frank had a knee jammed into the small of the robber's back when the fat night cop arrived, puffing like a wood-burning locomotive of |