Tip Top Weekly No. 52: Frank Merriwell's Dash — page 7: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘Tf he keeps on, he’l!l do that, whether he is expelled or not.”’ ~ “Tf he does it himself, I shall not have it on my conscience. If I were to bring about his expulsion, and he went to the dogs, I might blame myself for it, think- ing he would have done differently had he remained here. Do you catch on?”’ **T catch on that you are dead easy with your enemies till they force you to down them for good.’’ ‘But when they do compel me to down them——”’ “T will acknowledge that you always do a good job,’’ said Rattleton, with an approving grin. “Mr. Scott believed that I should be severe with Flenmming and Thornton,”’ admitted Frank; ‘“‘but I knew that Thornton was dragged into the business by Flemming, without having any real heart for what he was doing. If I were to expose Flemming, it would implicate Thornton, and that seemed too much of a retaliation. I thought the whole matter over carefully, and decided to give the ‘fellows a chance. Then Mr. Scott went to them and nearly frightened the life out of them by saying he meant to expose them to the faculty. That brought them to their knees immediately.”’ Rattleton expressed his satisfaction by a vigorous pantomime. ‘‘Finally,’? continued Frank, ‘‘when they had begged and promised, Mr. Scott agreed to let up on them if they would come to me, offer apologies, and give me their pledge to let me alone in the future.”? ‘‘And that is how they happened to be here to-day?” t¢Ves, +3 ‘Why was the door locked ?”’ ‘I locked it to prevent any of the fel- lows from. dropping in on us while we were talking the matter over.’’ ‘Well, Jones told me he had seen those chaps come in here, and I decided they FRANK MERRIWELL'S DASH. were looking for bother, so I madea hustle to get here. When I found the door Jocked, I was sure they had you in a corner, and so J threatened to break it down if it was not opened without delay.” ‘And, when it was opened, you came in like a raging lion.”’ ‘‘Well, I was ready for any scrim of a shortage—I mean any sort of a scrim- mage.”? ‘‘You showed your readiness,’’ laughed Frank. ‘‘I have the word of those fellows that they will let me quite alone if I drop the past.’? “T wouldn’t believe either of them under oath !”’ “Vou are a doubter anwyay. wait and see what will occur.”? There was arap on the door, which immediately popped open, and in bobbed a head, thatched with carroty hair, upon which was perched a crumpled cap. A freckled, jolly face was wrinkled into a cheerful grin, and a voice that was made up of bubbles and hollows cried: ‘tHello, chaps! I just looked in to see We'll to the lobster, when she lifted the sauce- pan lid.” “Come in, Stubbs,’ invited Frank, if you were doing well, as the cook said promptly—‘‘come in and make yourself | as big a nuisance as possible.” ‘‘No need to tell me to do that,’” piped the lad at the door, as he bounced into the room. ‘‘I always make myself a nui- sance wherever lam. It is my policy.” | | He was a little short-legged fellow, with a roly-poly body and twinkling eyes. Good nature bubbled ont all over him. Ata glance you could see he was the sort . of chap.who would try to be merry under . almost any circumstances. This was Bink Stubbs, a lad with whom Frank and Harry had recently be- come acquainted. Frank had picked him | up because cf his merry ways and quaint sayings of the wise and humorous order. “‘Have you fellers got any smokers?’ EOMNICLOC SS (CO