Frank Merriwell's Catch — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

TIP TOP WEEKLY. , 25 toe’ scooping it off the board in a twink- ing The card players were amazed when they saw a lot of beardless young fellows come in upon them. At first they did not understand what it meant, but Welch quickly took in the situation. He saw that Diamond’s friends had followed him there to save him from the trap. ‘'These are not officers!’? he shouted. “They have no right in here!” *“No!’ cried Bunker, furiously. broke in without right! Give blazes! Punch them!” ‘Try it!’ growled the big Yale man, squating his shoulders and lifting his “‘dukes.’? ‘‘It will be sport!” “At them!’ howled Welch. He leaped forward, but Browning reached out a hand and seemed to catch the fellow in mid-air. With a swing, he flung Welch fairly across the table. ‘‘Come up, gentlemen!’ he thundered. — “Pl take care of the whole of you if you walk up one at a time.”” One of the gamblers caught up a chair and flung it at the head of the big man. Bruce did not dodge, but he caught the chair and flung it back promptly, knock- ing the fellow down. By this time Mérfiwell had succeeded in pulling Diamond to his feet, and he was trying to impress the Virginian with a sense of the situation. Jack started to protest that he was all right and had not needed assistance, but just then one of the gamblers tried to hit Frank. Dia- mond saw the movement, and that, more than anything else, awakened him. Like a flash, he whirled and let the fellow have it with his left, striking him under the ear. It was a savage blow, and it knocked Merriwell’s would-be assailant spinning into a corner. ‘Don’t try to strike a friend of mine!” rang out the Virginian’s voice, now clear ‘They them as.a bell. ‘‘You can’t do that while I am around !”? | “At them!?’ snarled Bunker. ‘‘Knock ’em out!’ Then there was a general charge on Merriwell and his friends. The gamblers caught up any kind of a weapon and started in to lay out the intruders in short order. But they had started in on a hard job, as they were soon to discover, for the four Yale men were fighters. Now that he was aroused, there was nothing slow about Browning’s movements, and he actually enjoyed the fight. During the next five minutes there was a pitched battle in that room, and a savage one at that. At the outset, the gamblers fought furiously, and some of the intruders were not to escape without small injuries. Frank Merriwell singled out Bunker, who had caught up a stick of wood and was trying to get a crack at Browning that would lay the big man out. Merry lit on the rufhan and wrenched the club from his hand, at the same time giving him a jab that sent him reeling up against the wall. Bunker turned, snarling like a wounded animal. With a leap he was upon Frank, and he attempted to crush Merri- well down with the fury-of his assault. But he had struck a lad who would not be crushed so easily. Frank met his rush, grappled with him, gave him a wrestler’s trip and hurled the man over his hip. Bunker shook the cottage when he fell, but he was up again quickly. “S¥°]] fx you??? he grated, Frank laughed outright. ‘$Come on,’’ was his invitation. ‘‘ You don’t seem to be doing very well so far.”’ Then they met again, but this time Frank dodged and gave the mana body blow that brought a grunt from his lips. Bunker was a fighter, aad he was not awkward in his movements, although he was astonished by the work of the lad he had expected to knock out so easily. whirled again, and this time he struck so quickly that Merry was hit a glancing blow on the cheek. ‘“That’s not so bad,’ admitted Frank, cheerfully. ‘‘Come again.’ * Bunker accepted the invitation, but the blow was parried and returned with interest. Then there was some ‘‘in-fight- ing’’ that would have set a crowd of spec- tators wild had it been ata boxing match. Merry was rapped several times before he got in another good one, but he got it in at last. Panting, Bunker dropped to his knees. A NAVAL CADET STORY IN EACH NUBBER—THE HALF-HOLIDAY. He ECOMICLOOO® SS (CO)