Tip Top Weekly No. 118: Frank Merriwell, Engine Wiper

# Frank Merriwell, Engine Wiper; or, At the Foot of the Ladder

This serial installment from Tip Top Weekly (July 16, 1898) begins a story by the author of "Frank Merriwell." The narrative follows a well-dressed, polished youth who arrives at a railroad roundhouse seeking work as an engine wiper. He encounters Mart, a red-haired, brutish wiper who bullies the other workers. When Mart mocks the applicant's refined appearance and education, the youth responds with cutting insults about Mart's drinking habits. The confrontation escalates after Mart spits tobacco on the youth's shirt. The youth retaliates with a swift knockout punch, initiating a prolonged fight. Despite being outnumbered and facing a larger, stronger opponent known as "Old Slugs," the young man defeats Mart through superior boxing skill, agility, and wrestling technique, culminating in a dramatic throw that leaves the bully defeated.