Frank Merriwell's Champions Part 18

"No, of course not."

"Well, that's just where he has been playing his card shrewdly. He wanted you to have enough confidence so you would make up your crew at the last minute just as he directed. That would settle it."

Harlow saw the case had gone against him.

"Settle it to suit yourselves!" he cried. "This is the first time ever I was treated like this! I fancied they raised gentlemen down here in Virginia!"

"And so they do!" came sternly from Kent Spencer; "but we have found they are not always all gentlemen who come down here from the North. Mr.

Harlow, you shall be given a fair show. A meeting of the Blue Cove Academy Athletic Club shall be called, and the charges against you shall be impartially investigated. If they are proven, we shall publicly proclaim you a scoundrel. But you will be given a good opportunity to disprove them. You can ask for nothing more."

Rolf braced up.

"I do not ask for anything more," he declared. "I will be on hand at the meeting, and I will prove that I have been defamed and lied about by these fellows. I did think Frank Merriwell was my friend; but he is never a friend to a rival in athletics and sports, so he has turned against me, and is trying to down me."

This came near being too much for Jack Diamond to stand. Knowing Frank as he did, and thinking how generous Merriwell always was in dealing with a rival, Jack felt like slapping Rolf across the mouth.

Frank seemed to divine the feelings and thoughts of his comrade, for he caught Jack's arm, saying, swiftly but quietly:

"Never mind that, my boy. If it's a lie, these fellows will find it out in time, and it will harm n.o.body but the one who told it."

Jack growled a bit, but he always obeyed Frank, so Rolf escaped.

"Here, Mr. Harlow," said Merriwell, reversing the revolver and handing it to its owner, "here is the gun you pulled on me. I have no further use for it."

Sourly, the exposed rascal accepted the weapon, and put it in his pocket. Then he said:

"I am going now, and I leave you fellows to listen to the lies these chaps may tell about me. I don't care! They don't cut any ice. I'll be on hand at the investigation, and I'll show you what monumental liars they both are."

Then he walked away, not a hand being lifted to stop him.

"Mr. Merriwell," said Kent Spencer, when Rolf had vanished, "I am pleased to meet you, but sorry that the meeting should be under such unpleasant circ.u.mstances."

"Don't mention it," smiled Frank. "I am glad to be of service to you in helping expose a rascal like Harlow."

"If the charges against Harlow stand, we'll need a new coach," quickly put in Fred Dobbs.

"That's right," nodded Spencer; "and I don't know where we will get one, unless we can induce Mr. Merriwell to serve us."

"He'll make a dandy for you!" cried Diamond. "The first year he was in Yale he coached the freshmen so that we beat the soph.o.m.ores without a struggle, and we had the poorer boat, too. Oh, Frank can put you in shape all right."

"We may not need a coach," said a slender chap by the name of Bob Dean.

"If Alexandria has resorted to such dirty tricks as putting spies on us and bribing our coach, I am for refusing to row with them."

"And I!"

"Same here!"

"I'm another!"

The boys of Blue Cove Academy were aroused.

"Easy, fellows," advised Spencer. "We must row with Alexandria. If not, with whom can we row?"

"Bristol Academy," suggested one.

Kent shook his head.

"It won't do," he declared. "Bristol is not in our cla.s.s. And everybody would say we were afraid to meet Alexandria. If there was another crew--"

Diamond struck Frank a slap on the shoulder.

"By Jove, Merry!" he cried; "we can turn out a crew ourselves. If we can get into this race, why not do so? Blue Cove Academy against the Yale Combine. That should be a better race than the other. It would attract more attention."

The Blue Cove boys were interested immediately.

"What do you mean?" asked Bob Dean. "How could you row against us? Where is your crew?"

"The rest of them are stopping at a bicycle repair shop near Brooke,"

Jack explained. "Merry and I rode out by ourselves for a spin, and that is how we happened to be here. Say, fellows, this is a great idea! Let us into this race, anyway. We are on a regular athletic tour, and have taken part in every event we could get into since leaving San Francisco.

We've left a trail of glory all the way from California to Virginia."

The Blue Cove boys looked at each other doubtingly. Bob Dean was the only one who seemed to snap at the scheme with eagerness.

"Let's do it, fellows!" he cried. "Let's leave Alexandria out and race with the Yale crowd!"

"I do not think we can leave Alexandria out now," said Spencer, gravely.

"We have agreed to meet them, and the time is set."

"But think of the sneaking trick they have played on us! That ought to be enough to queer them."

"It ought to, but we can't be hasty in this matter. We'll consider it at the special meeting that will be called to investigate the charges against Harlow. Mr. Merriwell, you and your friend must be present at that meeting."

"If necessary, we'll be there."

"And if we were to decide to let you into the race, have you a boat?"

"If you decide to let us in, we'll soon provide ourselves with a boat,"

declared Frank.

"Anyway, you must come to Blue Cove Academy-all of you. The boys will make you welcome. Will you come?"

"Where is the academy?"

"Up the river about four miles."

"Yes, we will come."

"Good!" shouted the oarsmen. "We'll give you a jolly reception."