CHAPTER XVIII.
AT THE LAST MOMENT.
Frank Merriwell's company had gathered at the railway station to takethe train for Puelbo. All but Merriwell and Gallup were on hand. Havenerhad purchased the tickets.
Hodge restlessly paced up and down the platform, his face dark anddisturbed.
There were inquiries for Frank. Stella Stanley came to Havener andasked:
"Where is Mr. Merriwell?"
"I do not know," confessed the stage manager, who had been deputized forthe occasion by Frank to look out for tickets, and make necessaryarrangements.
"He hasn't come?"
"No; but he'll be here before the train pulls out. You know he has a wayof always appearing on time."
Hodge stopped in his walk, and stared at Havener.
"I'd like to know when he left the hotel," said Bart. "I called for himseveral times before coming here, but each time I found he was not inhis room, and no one knew anything about him. His bill was not settled,either."
"But his baggage came down with the others," said Havener.
"Because the hotel people permitted it, as he was vouched for by Mr.Carson, who seems to be well known to everybody in this city."
"You don't suppose anything has happened to detain him, do you?"anxiously asked the actress. "I do hope we shall not make another badstart, same as we did before. Agnes Kirk says she knows something willhappen, for Mr. Merriwell gave away the cat Mascot."
"Agnes Kirk is forever prophesying something dismal," said Hodge. "She'sa regular croaker. If she didn't have something to croak about, shewouldn't know what to do. She declared the cat a hoodoo in the firstplace, but now she says we'll have bad luck because Frank let it go. Shemakes me a trifle weary!"
Hodge was not in a pleasant humor.
Granville Garland and Lester Vance came up.
"It's almost train time," said Garland. "Where is our energetic youngmanager?"
"He will be along," Havener again asserted.
"I hope so," said Vance. "I sincerely hope this second venture will notprove such a miserable fizzle as the first one. Everything depends onFrank Merriwell."
"Something depends on you!" flashed Hodge, who seemed easily nettled."Frank Merriwell's company did all it could to make the first venture afizzle. Now they should do all they can to make this one a success."
"Hello, Thundercloud is lowering!" exclaimed Garland.
"Save your epithets!" exclaimed Bart. "My name is Hodge."
"My dear Hodge," said Garland, with mock politeness, "you must know itis but natural that we should feel a bit anxious."
"I may feel as anxious as any of you, but I do not go round croakingabout it."
"But our first failure----"
"There it is again! I'm tired of hearing about that! You and Vance aredead lucky to be in this second company, for you both joined in theattempted assault on Merriwell when Folansbee skipped, and the companyseemed to be stranded in Puelbo. If I'd been Frank Merriwell I'd sentyou flying, and you can bet I would not have taken you back."
"Then it's fortunate for us that you were not Frank Merriwell," Garlandsneered.
"It is," agreed Hodge. "Some people do not know when they are treatedwell."
"That will do!" came sharply from Havener. "This is no time to quarrel.By Jove! it's time for that train, and Merriwell's not here."
"Perhaps he's backed out at the last minute and decided not to take theplay out," said Vance. "It may be that his courage has failed him."
"Now that kind of talk makes me sick!" exploded Hodge. "If you had anysense you wouldn't make it!"
"I like that!" snapped Vance, his face flushing.
"I'm glad you do!" flung back Bart. "Didn't think you would. Hoped youwouldn't. Only a fool would suppose that, after all this trouble andexpense, any man with an ounce of brains in his head would back outwithout giving a single performance of the play."
"Well, where is Merriwell?"
Again Havener declared:
"He'll be here."
"But here comes the train!"
The train was coming. There was activity and bustle at the station. Theplatform was alive with moving human beings. Agnes Kirk and Cassie Leecame out of the ladies' waiting room. The male members of the companygot together quickly.
"He has not come!" exclaimed Agnes Kirk, her keen eyes failing todiscover Frank. "I feared it! I knew it!"
Hodge half turned away, grumbling something deep in his throat.
The actors looked at each other in doubt and dismay.
With a rush and a roar the train came in, and drew up at the station.Passengers began to get off.
A heavily veiled woman in black came out of the ladies' room, andstarted for the train. As she passed the group of actors some of theirconversation seemed to attract her notice. She paused an instant andlooked them over, and then she turned toward the steps of a car.
"Excuse me, madam," said Hodge, quickly. "You have dropped yourhandkerchief."
He picked it up and passed it to her. As he did so, he noticed theletters "L. F." on one corner.
"Thank you," she said, in a low voice.
At that moment, for the last time, Havener was reiterating:
"I believe Frank Merriwell will be here. All get onto the train. Henever gets left."
Then the woman tossed her head a bit and laughed. It was a scornfullaugh, and it attracted the attention of several of the group. Sheturned quickly, and stepped into the nearest car.
"Something tells me he will not arrive," declared Agnes Kirk. "Thehoodoo is still on. This company will meet the same fate the other did."
"Don't talk so much about it," advised Havener, rather rudely. "Get ontothe train--everybody!"
Hodge was staring after the veiled woman.
"Wonder what made her laugh like that?" he muttered. "Seems to me I'veheard that laugh before. It seemed full of scornful triumph. Iwonder----"
He did not express his second wonder.
"Come, Hodge," said Havener, "get aboard. Follow the others."
"I'll be the last one," said Hodge. "I'm waiting for Frank.
"I'm afraid," confessed Havener, beginning to weaken.
"Afraid of what?" Hodge almost hissed.
"It begins to look bad," admitted the stage manager. "I'm afraidsomething has happened to Frank. If he doesn't come----"
"I don't go," declared Bart. "I shall stay and find out what hashappened to him. You must go. You must sit on those croakers. Your placeis with the company; mine is with Frank Merriwell."
"All aboard!"
The conductor gave the warning.
"What's this?"
Rattle-te-bang, on the dead jump, a cab was coming along the street. Thecabman was putting the whip to his foaming horses.
"He's coming," said Hodge, with cool triumph, putting his hands into histrousers pockets, and waiting the approach of the cab.
Something made him feel certain of it. Up to the platform dashed thecab, the driver flinging the horses back, and flinging himself to theplatform to fling open the door.
Dong dong!
The train was starting.
Out of the cab leaped Frank Merriwell, grip in hand. At his heelsEphraim Gallup came sprawling.
Bart was satisfied, Havener was delighted. Both of them sprang on boardthe train. Across the platform dashed Frank and the Vermont youth, andthey also boarded the moving cars.
"Well," laughed Merry, easily, "that was what I call a close call. Tendollars to the cabby did it, and he earned his sawbuck."
"I congratulate you!" cried Havener. "I confess I had given you up. Butwhat happened to detain you?"
"Nothing but a little adventure," answered Merry, coolly. "I'll tell youabout it."
They followed him into the car.
Several members of the company had been looking from the car window, andthe arrival of Frank had been witnessed. They gave a shout as he enteredthe car, and all were on their feet.
"Welcome!" cried Douglas Dunton,
dramatically--"welcome, most noble one!Methinks thou couldst not do it better in a play. It was greatstuff--flying cab, foaming horses, moving train, and all that. Make anote of it."
"I believe he did it on purpose," declared Agnes Kirk, speaking toVance, with whom she had taken a seat.
"Very likely," admitted Lester. "Wanted to do something to attractattention."
"I think it was mean! He fooled us."
But several members of the company shook hands with Frank, andcongratulated him.
"I told you he would not get left," said Havener, with triumph.
At the rear end of the car was a veiled woman, who seemed to sink downbehind those in front of her, as if she sought to avoid detection.Somehow, although her face could not be seen, there was in herappearance something that betokened disappointment and chagrin.
Of course Frank was pressed for explanations, but he told them thatbusiness had detained him. He did not say what kind of business.
At length, however, with Hodge, Havener and Gallup for listeners, allseated on two facing seats, he told the story of his adventure with theveiled woman, and his arrest, which ended in a discharge that barelypermitted him to leap into a cab, race to the hotel, get his grip, payhis bill, and dash to the station in time to catch the train.
As the story progressed Hodge showed signs of increasing excitement.When Merry finished, Bart exclaimed:
"How did the woman look?"
"I did not see her face."
"How was she dressed? Describe her."
"Don't know as I can."
"Do the best you can."
Frank did so, and Bart cried:
"I've seen her!"
"What?"
Merry was astonished.
"I am sure of it," asserted Bart. "I have seen that very same woman!"
"When?"
"To-day."
"How long ago?"
"A very short time."
"Where?"
"At the station while we were waiting for you to appear."
"Is it possible. How do you know it was her?"
Then Bart told of the strange woman who had dropped her handkerchief, ofthe initials he had seen when he picked it up, and of her singularlyscornful laugh when she heard Havener declare that Merriwell never gotleft.
All this interested Frank very much. Bart concluded by saying:
"That woman is on this very train!"
"Waal, may I be tickled to death by grasshoppers!" ejaculated the youthfrom Vermont. "Whut in thunder do yeou s'pose she's up to?"
"It may be the same one," said Frank. "It would be remarkable if itshould prove to be the same one. Two women might look so much alike thatthe description of one would exactly fit the other--especially if bothwere heavily veiled."
Bart shook his head.
"Something tells me it is the same woman," he persisted.
"But why should she be on this train?"
"Who can answer that? Why did she try such a trick on the street?"
"Don't know," admitted Merry. "Once I thought it might be that she wasmashed on me, but it didn't prove that way."
"Oh, I dunno," drawled Gallup, with a queer grin. "Yeou turned herdaown, an' that made her sore. Ef she'd bin mashed on ye, perhaps she'ddone jest as she did to git revenge fer bein' turned daown."
"No, something tells me this was more than a simple case of mash," saidFrank.
"What do you make of it?" asked Havener.
"An attempt to bother me."
"For what?"
"Who knows? Haven't I had enough troubles?"
"I should say so! But I thought your troubles of this sort were overwhen you got rid of Lawrence. You left two of the assistants who saw himtry to fire the theater to appear as witnesses against him."
"Oh, I hardly think Lawrence was in this affair in any way or manner. Iconfess I do not know just what to make of it. Heretofore my enemieshave been men, but now there seems to be a woman in the case."
"If this woman follows you, what will you do?"
"I shall endeavor to find out who she is, and bring her to time, so shewill drop the game."
"See that you do," advised Hodge. "And don't be soft with her becauseshe is a woman."
"Go look through the train and see if you can find the woman you saw,"directed Frank. "If you find her, come back here and tell me where sheis."
"I'll do it!" exclaimed Bart, getting up at once.
"That fellow is faithful to you," said Havener, when Bart had walkeddown the aisle; "but he is awfully disagreeable at times. It's nothingbut his loyalty that makes me take any stock in him."
"His heart is in the right place," asserted Merry.
"Nothing makes him doubt you. Why, I believe he wanted to fight thewhole company when you failed to appear."
"An' he's a fighter, b'gosh! when he gits started," declared Gallup."I've seen him plunk some critters an' he plunked them in great style."
Hodge was gone some little time, but there was a grim look of triumphwhen he returned.
"Find her?" asked Merry.
"Sure," nodded Bart.
"Where?"
"Last car. She did not get onto this one, but I rather think she movedafter you came on board. That makes me all the more certain that it isthe woman. She's near the rear end of the car, on the left side, as yougo down the aisle."
"Well," said Frank, rising, "I think I'll go take a look at her. Is shealone?"
"Yes."
"That's good. And she cannot escape from the train till it stops, if itshould happen to be the right woman, which I hope it is."
Bart wished to accompany Frank to point the woman out, but Merryobjected.
"No," he said, "let me go alone."
"I can show her to you."
"If the woman I am looking for is in the car I'll find her."
Merry passed slowly through the train, scanning each passenger as hewent along. He entered the last car. In a few moments he would know ifthe mysterious veiled woman really were on that train. If he found her,he would be certain the strange encounter on the street had a meaningthat had not appeared on the surface.
The train was flying along swiftly, taking curves without seeming toslacken speed in the least. Frank's progress through the car was ratherslow, as the swaying motion made it difficult for him to get along.
But when he had reached the rear of the car he was filled withdisappointment.
Not a sign of a veiled woman had he seen in the car.
More than that, there was no woman in black who resembled the woman whohad stopped him on the street in Denver.
Could it be Hodge had been mistaken?
No! Something told him Bart had made no mistake in the matter of seeinga woman who answered the description given by Frank. He had said she wasin the last car. She was not there when Frank passed through the car.Then she had moved.
Why?
Was the woman aware that she was being watched? Had she moved to escapeobservation?
Frank stopped by the door at the rear end of the car. He looked outthrough the glass in the door.
Some one was on the platform at one side of the door. Frank opened thedoor and looked out.
The person on the platform was a woman in black, and she wore a veil!