CHAPTER XX
FRANK'S LUCK
Perhaps it was just as well that a day of rest followed thatstrenuous Saturday.
Frank found himself somewhat stiff and sore when he awoke, andacting under the advice of his father he remained in seclusion thebetter part of the day. But the story had gone around, and thedoorbell of the Allen home was kept busy throughout the wholeafternoon.
Half a dozen of Frank's most intimate chums dropped in to hear thestory, and Frank finally declared he would have to get it set upin type and copies struck off if the demand kept on.
There were grown people who came also. Among others was Mr.Cuthbert. Frank found his hand trembling a little nervously whenhe saw him, thinking that possibly Minnie had sent a message; butit seemed that if he had come over at her earnest solicitation thegentleman had been instructed not to mention that fact.
"We believed it was Frank in that car," he said, as he shook handswarmly with the boy; "and I even called out, for some of usthought he looked toward us rather appealingly; but as no answercame we concluded it must have been a mistake. To think we were soclose to those wretches, and didn't suspect anything wrong. Haveyou heard the latest, Mr. Allen, and you Frank?"
"Are they caught?" asked Frank, instantly, jumping at the truthfrom the expression he saw on the gentleman's face. "So it issaid; and I was told that Sheriff Tucker was the one who corneredthe pair of rogues after all," replied Mr. Cuthbert.
"Hurrah!" cried Ralph and Paul and the others in a chorus.
"Well, I'm glad that it fell to my friend, the sheriff of the nextcounty. He was mighty good to me and deserves all the reward thereis coming," was the remark of the one who was supposed to be themost interested.
He was secretly bitterly disappointed because Minnie had not comeover, or asked her father to carry a message. Evidently, whateverit may have been that had come between Minnie and her formerfriends, the Allens, it was proving an insurmountable barrier.
And on Monday when Frank went to school, as usual, he had tosubmit to being asked a thousand questions. Often he utterlyrefused to answer anything further, he became so weary of hearingabout the matter.
Minnie appeared as distant as ever. But one thing Frank happenedto see that gave him more or less satisfaction; and this was theutter humiliation of Lef Seller.
Lef had been standing around, listening to what was being said;and the air of utter unbelief upon his sneering face told that hadhe dared he would only too gladly have called the whole story afreak of the imagination; and that in reality the credit belongedto Sheriff Tucker, who had only allowed Frank to assume thelaurels because he wanted to get credit at the Allen departmentstore, where he was known to trade.
Just then Minnie happened to pass in company with her new chum,Dottie Warren; and thinking to add a drop of bitterness to Frank'scup of joy, Lef immediately posted after the two.
There were some words between them, during which it seemed asthough Minnie might be accusing Lef of saying something to whichshe seriously objected. At any rate she walked on with her headheld high in the air, while Lef shrugged his shoulders, and notdaring to look toward the grinning group of boys, sauntered off.
Still, that new quarrel between the others did not heal the breachthat separated old friends. Frank tried to forget, and laughed asmerrily as though there was not a cloud on the horizon.
Professor Parke even called Frank into his study and requested himto relate the strange thing that had happened. The head ofColumbia High School had a very tender spot in his heart for FrankAllen, not alone because he was a bright pupil, but on account ofthe clean character he bore among his fellows.
Coach Willoughby was staying over to see the last game of theseason. He declared that while he was losing money every day heremained away from his law business, he could not find it in hisheart to desert the boys until they had safely landed thatbeautiful silver cup in a deciding victory over Bellport.
Truth to tell, the old Princeton graduate was a thorough sport,and once he had yielded to the call of the game he could not breakaway.
"Don't you come out to practice for several days, Frank," headvised, "on Wednesday perhaps, when we start to go over theentire thing again and try new signals, it will be time. There area few weak spots in the team that need help, and I'm going todevote two afternoons to them exclusively. Wander around, andlimber up with walks or a bicycle ride. But please don't employ yourspare time rounding up any more rascals, will you?"
"I'll try not to," laughed Frank; "but what's a fellow to do ifthey will persist in throwing themselves at your head?"
"That's a fact, they did kidnap you, to be sure. Well, next timetry and see to it that the other fellow goes into Juniper Brookand not you. That's a dangerous trick at this cold season of theyear; and especially taking a long ride afterward in an open car.I wonder you didn't come down with pneumonia, Frank," said thecoach, as he threw one arm affectionately across the other'sshoulders.
"Oh! everybody was so kind. I had the loan of a coat first, and anold hat; then Sheriff Tucker got me a big shaggy automobile furcoat, which with the hot coffee helped ward off a cold. FinallyDoctor Shadduck dosed me good and hard. Nothing doing in that linefor me this time," laughed the boy.
It was on Tuesday afternoon that the time began to drag mostheavily on his hands. Paul and Ralph, together with Bones, hadgone to the recreation grounds to talk over matters with thecoach, and try out some new plays. Frank really knew of no onewhom he cared to look up just then.
A reaction seemed to have set in after his recent excitement, andthings were most woefully dull. The weather still held dry andfair to a degree that was considered extraordinary for November,usually so dismal with the approach of winter.
"I wonder if it wouldn't be worth while to take a spin on thewheel," he mused as he considered the matter; "the chances are theweather will change any day now, and then good-bye to wheeling forthe season. Besides, I really believe I'd like to turn down thatroad to Fayette, and take another look at that old bridge. Thereare a few things I don't quite understand about that affair."
The thought aroused him. Again he felt the blood circulatingthrough his veins with the old-time vigor; the stagnation haddeparted, and it was with considerable elation that he hurried toget his bicycle.
The fact that the bridge was a matter of ten miles or more awaydid not give him cause for worry. He could easily make it in anhour or less, and be back long before suppertime.
As he passed the school building he waved his hand to old Soggy,the janitor and custodian, who was busily engaged with his dailyduties.
"Off after another lot, are ye?" laughed the good-natured oldfellow; "well, this time bring 'em in yourself, and don't bebotherin' no poor sheriff to help out. You ought to be ashamed, myboy!"
Frank knew that old Soggy would have his joke, and he only laughedin response. That was the one thing objectionable in doinganything out of the ordinary run; every person thought they had aright, either to make a hero out of him, or else sneer at thestory as something like the accepted fish yarn.
His wheel was in good shape, as always; the road seemed muchbetter for a bicycle than it had been for a car, and with thebracing atmosphere made a combination difficult to surpass. Beforethe hour was up he had dropped off at the bridge, and stood thereleaning on the rail looking down.
"H'm! after all, it was a good thing I knew so much about thissame place. If I'd jumped ten feet further along I'd have comeslap down on that ugly looking bunch of rocks that stick theirnoses up above the water. Juniper is low, like all the otherstreams around here, after this dry fall. But I knew there was adeep pool right under and below the bridge."
So he mused as in imagination his eye followed his course afterreaching the water. He could see just where he had crawled out, asJim discovered later, when the fugitive was already half-way backto the road again.
"He had to run uphill, and that's one reason why he couldn't headme off, as Bart wanted him to do. Then that lame arm prevented
himfrom shooting decently. On the whole, I guess I was mighty lucky,"he concluded.
After lingering around for a short time he once more mounted hiswheel and headed back toward Columbia. There were short-cuts thathe knew from former usage, by means of which several miles mightbe saved. Something seemed to beckon him along this course, thoughhe hardly understood why he should want to shorten his run when hewas out for the exercise and air.
It was while he was traversing a farmer's lane that would bringhim out on the other road, and save two miles around, that Frankfor the first time noticed some one moving across a field, andheading almost directly toward him. He noted the fact with somesurprise, because he happened to know that the farmer was thepossessor of a very vicious bull, which he often allowed thefreedom of that very pasture, in the summer and fall, forexercise, so that the boys of Columbia always went around whenmaking for the old "swimming hole."
He had noticed the animal only a couple of minutes before,trotting around back of the haystacks that ran along one end ofthe field. If he ever caught sight of that feminine figurecrossing his preserves there would surely something be bound tohappen.
Frank, impelled by some sense of coming trouble, came to a stopand caught hold of the high rail fence to hold himself on hiswheel while he looked. Somehow there seemed something wonderfullyfamiliar about the figure of the tripping maid; and his heartseemed to almost stand still as she raised her head to lookaround, and he discovered that it was Minnie Cuthbert, evidentlyon the way to visit an uncle, who lived a short distance beyondFarmer Blodgett.
Just as he made this interesting discovery he heard a dull roarthat struck a note of dismay at the door of his heart. The savagebull, whom every one feared, had discovered the fair trespasser onhis preserves, and was coming on the run!