CHAPTER II--DICK STOPS A RUNAWAY
The sweat-stained, bruised, battered, triumphant Fardale lads peeled offtheir football armor in the dressing-room beneath the stand. EarlGardner was there, barely able to walk, but supremely happy. Dick washappy, too. Scudder, partly recovered from a collapse, was shaking handswith everybody.
"It was a shame!" said Ted Smart in fun. "I hated to see us do it! Theywere so sure of the game that it seemed like robbery to take it."
"By Jim! I'll be sore to-morrer!" piped Obediah Tubbs. "Never got nosech drubbin' before sence dad used to lay me over his knee an' swat mewith the razor-strop."
"But you put Glennon on Queer Street," smiled Dick. "And that was thefinest thing I ever saw happen to a bruiser like him."
"He! he! he!" came from the fat boy. "I kinder thought I might gitcalled down fer some of that business, but the empire didn't dast say aword."
"I should opine not," put in Brad Buckhart, the Texan. "He permittedGlennon to start the slugging-match, and he couldn't say anything whenit became too hot for the big tough."
"Both umpire and referee were against us," grunted Bob Singleton.
"But we won out against all odds, fellows," said Dick cheerily. "And Iam proud of you!"
"It's us that sus-sus-sus-should be pup-pup-pup-proud of you!" chatteredChip Jolliby, his protruding Adam's apple bobbing as it always did whenhe was excited and tried to talk fast.
"That's right! that's right!" cried the boys. "Captain Dick was the onewho turned the trick and won the game!"
"No, fellows," said Dick earnestly. "I did what I could, but to no oneindividual belongs the glory of this game. It was a victory won by thesplendid courage and staying qualities of the whole team. It was thekind of courage that wins great battles. It showed that this team ismade up of the right kind of stuff. We were stronger at the finish thanat the start, while they were weaker. It's staying power that counts."
Dick was right. And it is "staying power" that counts in the great gameof life, just the same as in football. A fellow may have ability and bebrilliant in his accomplishments, but if he has not "staying power" hewill be beaten out every time by the tireless, persistent, doggedplodder.
The boys were not able to bathe and be rubbed down there, so theyhustled on their clothes and prepared to make for the hotel, where theymight cleanse and refresh themselves after their successful struggle.
"Thunder!" moaned Tubbs. "How hungry I be! Don't think I ever was sohungry before in all my life."
Then it was that some of the faithful appeared with pies of varioussorts, procured at a bakery in town, and delivered them to the fat boy,who was so fond of pies that he ate all he could even while in training,the one who presented them making a humorous speech.
When the boys piled into the big carryall that was to take them to thehotel Obediah had his lap full of pies. Holding one in each hand, heproceeded to devour them, a supremely happy look on his full-moon face.Along the route he was observed with amusement, and he laughed and wavedhis pies at those who laughed at him.
It seemed that almost half a hundred small boys were waiting for theFardale team to appear, and they ran after the carryall, cheering andcalling to one another.
"Well, we seem to have won favor with the kids, anyhow," said Dick.
When the hotel was reached the boys leaped out and hurried in.
Dick was ascending the steps when a carriage bearing Chester Arlingtonand his sister drew up. Chester was talking to June in a manner thatshowed his temper. When he saw Dick, he ordered the driver to drive on,but June said:
"You will stop here. I am going to get out here."
"Not if I know it!" grated her brother, his face pale with anger."You'll never speak to that fellow again if I can prevent it!"
"Get down, driver," said June firmly, "and assist me to alight, if mybrother is not gentleman enough to do so."
The driver sprang down at once, but Arlington grasped his sister's armto restrain her.
At this moment a big dog pounced upon another in front of the building,and the fighting, snarling animal was under the feet of the horse in atwinkling. With a snort, the animal sprang away, the reins being jerkedfrom the hands of the driver.
Arlington had partly risen to his feet, and the sudden leap of the horseflung him backward over the seat to the ground.
June Arlington was the only occupant of the carriage as the runawaydashed wildly down the main street of the town.
Dick had witnessed this occurrence. He made a leap down the steps, butwas too late to reach the horse.
Chester Arlington sat up, looking dazed and frightened.
"Stop that horse!" he cried, in genuine alarm. "A hundred dollars to theman who stops that horse!"
Even as he uttered the words, Dick Merriwell caught a bicycle from thehands of a boy who had ridden up and was standing beside his machine. Onto the bicycle leaped the captain of the eleven, alighting in the saddleand catching the pedals instantly with his feet. Away he went after therunaway, somewhat slowly at first, but with swiftly increasing speed.
"Hi! hi! Runaway! Runaway!"
"Look out for that horse!"
"The girl will be hurt!"
"She may be killed!"
"Look at the fellow on the bike!"
"He can't catch the horse!"
"Couldn't stop him if he did!"
The crowd rushed away after the runaway, shouting loudly. Others ran outfrom offices and stores. In a twinkling the whole street was swarmingwith excited persons.
Dick bent over the handlebars and pedaled with all the strength andskill he could command. He felt that it was to be a race for life, andhe set his teeth, his heart filled with the win-or-die determinationthat had made him remarkable on the gridiron.
A farmer turning in from another street barely reined his horse aside intime to avoid a collision. He caught a glimpse of the pale face of thegirl in the carriage.
A man ran out and waved his arms at the horse, but he jumped aside whenthe animal came straight on without swerving.
Another dog darted after the runaway, barking furiously and adding toits terror and speed.
June turned and looked back. She saw the bicyclist coming after her, andshe was not so frightened that she failed to recognize Dick Merriwell.
The dog that had barked at the horse got in Dick's road and barelysprang aside in time. Had the wheel struck the animal Dick's pursuitmight have ended there in a twinkling.
It was astonishing how fast young Merriwell flew over the ground. Hestrained every nerve. Dick soon saw he was gaining. Fortunately thestreet was long and straight, and the runaway kept a fairly straightcourse. The reins were on the ground, and it seemed that the girl coulddo nothing to help herself. Once she partly rose, as if to spring fromthe carriage.
"Don't do it!" cried Dick. "Hold on! I'll save you!"
Did she hear him? Whether she did or not, she sank back on the seat andlooked round again.
The lad on the bicycle was nearer--he was gaining. It happened that Dickhad seized a racing-wheel that was geared very high. Fortunately theroad was level and fairly good for his purpose.
Out of Hudsonville tore the runaway, but Dick was close to the carriagewhen the horse reached the outskirts of the town. He was confident thenthat he would soon overtake the horse. But could he stop the animalthen?
Watching for the opportunity, Dick pushed the wheel along by the side ofthe carriage. Not a word did he speak to the girl, and she made noappeal to him.
Strange as it may seem, all the fear had departed from June, and she waswatching Dick's efforts with curiosity and confidence. Here was a fellowto be admired. She asked herself how he would stop the horse, but shebelieved that somehow he would succeed.
Past the carriage Dick forged. The wheel whirled beneath him. On thehard road the hoofs of the horse beat a tattoo. The wind was whistlingin the lad's ears, but he heard it not. Cold and keen, it cut his face,but he minded it not.
Nearer, nearer, nearer. N
ow he was at the fore quarters of the horse,and he gathered himself for a last burst of speed, fearing the creaturemight see him and sheer suddenly to one side. In a sudden fine spurt hewas at the head of the horse. Then his hands left the handlebars. In atwinkling he had the horse by the bit with one hand, while the fingersof the other fastened on the animal's nostrils, closing them instantly.
The bicycle went down, and the wheels of the carriage crashed over it,but Dick had swung free, and he clung like grim death to the horse.
June Arlington watched that struggle, her heart swelling at the heroismand nerve of the boy who had ridden thus to her rescue. To her it was agrand struggle, and her faith in her savior never faltered for a second.
The horse tried to fling up his head, but the weight of the boy held itdown. It seemed that his feet might strike the lad and cause him torelinquish his hold. In that case, Dick would fall beneath the ironhoofs, to be maimed or killed.
But the horse could not breathe, his nostrils being closed, and thissoon caused it to show signs of weakness. Its speed decreased, and Dick,clinging there desperately, felt that the battle would be won if hecould hold out a little longer.
Could he? He had made up his mind that he would--that nothing on earthshould prevent it. When Dick set his mind on anything like that healways won, and this case was no exception. Little by little the horsefaltered. And then, with surprising suddenness, it gave out entirely andstopped.
Dick did not relinquish his hold at once. He held on, talking to theanimal and trying to allay its fears. In this he succeeded wonderfully,until he soon was confident enough to let up and permit the animal tobreathe.
When the creature was fully quieted and under control, young Merriwellturned to the girl in the carriage. He was hatless, flushed, triumphant,handsome.
"You are quite safe, Miss Arlington," he said.
"Thanks to you," she answered, in a voice that did not tremble. "But Iknew you would do it!"
Dick picked up the reins from the ground when he had succeeded inquieting the horse, and climbed into the carriage.
Two men driving out of town in pursuit of the runaway met DickMerriwell, with June Arlington at his side, serenely driving back intotown.
"By thunder!" said one of the men wonderingly. "This beats the world!He's stopped the horse and is driving the critter back as cool as youplease."
"Who is he?" asked the other man.
"Dick Merriwell, brother of Frank Merriwell, the great Yale athlete, whoused to go to school at Fardale."
"Well, he's a good one."
"A good one! He's a rip-snorter! Not many boys of his years could 'a'done that job!"
Dick spoke to them pleasantly.
"We were after the runaway," said one of the men; "but I rather thinkyou don't need none of our help."
"Thank you, no," said Dick. "But you might drive on a short distance andpick up that bicycle. I think it is pretty badly smashed. If you'llbring it back to the hotel I'll be much obliged."
"We'll do it," said both men.
"Good boy! Well done!" was shouted at him from all sides as he drovealong the main street toward the hotel.
When he reached the hotel he found a crowd gathered there. ChesterArlington, pale as a ghost and covered with dirt, was sitting on thesteps.
The Fardale crowd was on hand to cheer Dick, but he called on them to bequiet.
"This horse is nervous enough now," he said. "Do you want to start himoff again?"
"He'd be all right with you behind him," declared Joe Savage.
"That's Dick Merriwell!" piped a small boy, bursting with enthusiasticadmiration. "Ain't he jest a peacherino!"
"Boy, it's marvelous!" declared a man. "You deserve great credit. It maybe that you saved this girl's life! She shouldn't forget that."
"I won't!" murmured June, loud enough for Dick to hear.
The driver took the horse by the head.
"I'll hold him," he said, "while you get out. I don't know how I canthank you for keeping him from smashing the carriage and injuringhimself."
"Where is my bicycle?" asked the boy from whose hands Dick had snatchedthe wheel.
"Here it comes," Dick answered, noting that the two men in the team wereapproaching, with the ruined bicycle held before them. "But I'm afraidyou'll never ride it again."
"Well, that's pretty tough on me," said the boy, sadly, yet plainlytrying to keep from showing his grief. "I won that for a prize in a raceat the county fair this fall. But I ain't going to fuss over it as longas you stopped the horse and kept her from being hurt."
"Perhaps you'll get another one, all right," said Dick. "I think youwill, even if I have to pay for it."
"You won't have to do that," declared the man who had been among thefirst to express his admiration over Dick's feat. "The girl's brothersaid he'd give a hundred dollars to the one who stopped the horse. Thatought to buy another wheel."
"But I didn't mean that I'd give it to him!" said Chester Arlingtonweakly.
"What?" roared the man. "What's the difference who stopped the horse? Iheard you telling since the runaway started that you are the son of D.Roscoe Arlington, the great railroad man. If that's so your father canbuy a whole bicycle-factory without going broke. You'd better keep yourword."
"You mind your business!" jerked out Chester, trying to rise from thesteps to meet June, who had been assisted to the ground by Dick. "It wason his account that----"
Then Chester's knees buckled beneath him, and he dropped in a limp heapat the foot of the steps. With a cry, June bent over him.
"He's hurt!" she exclaimed, in great agitation. "Chester! Chester! Speakto me, brother!"
But Chester Arlington lay white and still on the ground.
"I think he has fainted, Miss Arlington," said Dick. "Don't be alarmed.He may not be seriously hurt at all. The fright over your danger mayhave brought this on. Come, fellows, let's carry him into the hotel."
Brad Buckhart drew back.
"Well, I don't care about dirtying my hands on the coyote," he muttered.
There were others, however, who were ready enough to assist Dick, andChester was borne into the hotel, where he was attended by one of thevillage doctors who had joined the crowd. In a few moments he recovered.
The doctor was unable to tell just how much Chester was hurt, and he wastaken to a room for further examination and treatment. June kept closeto him, betraying the greatest anxiety on his account.
Chester's back was injured, and he did not seem to have strength enoughin his legs to walk. However, as he lay on the bed, he gave his sister areproachful look, saying:
"See what you have brought me to, June! It was all on account of yourobstinacy, and----"
"Oh, hush, Chester!" she said gently. "I am very sorry anything happenedto you."
"And you came near being killed, too. If you had----"
"Don't talk that way! I am all right, thanks to Mr. Merriwell."
He started as if he had been stabbed with a keen point, his face showingpain and anger.
"That fellow! that fellow!" he panted. "That he should be the one tostop the horse! Oh, I'd given anything rather than had him save you!"
"I presume you would have preferred to see me thrown out and injured orkilled!" she exclaimed.
"No," he huskily said, "no, June! Oh, you don't know how I felt when Irealized what had happened and that you might be hurt! I tried to get upand run after the horse, but I didn't have the strength. June, you knowI--I wouldn't have harm come to you for anything. You know it! But tohave him save you!"
There was no doubting Chester Arlington's affection for his sister; buthis hatred for Dick Merriwell was equally intense.
"My dear brother!" she murmured, gently touching his hair. "Don't besilly! Don't worry any more. It's all right."
"No, no; all wrong!" he groaned.