CHAPTER XIV. UNCERTAIN FRIENDSHIP.
Cassie had been thrown off her guard, but she quickly recovered and went on with her part. The moment she left the stage she carried the news to the other members behind the scenes.
"Merriwell is out there, with Gallup and Dunnerwurst," she said, as she grasped Havener by the arm. "What do you suppose it means?"
"You must be mistaken," said the former stage manager, now the business manager as well. "Merriwell is in Attleboro to-night."
"Not by a long shot!" cried the somewhat slangy little soubrette. "If he ain't out there in the second row middle I'll eat my hat!"
"Then something is wrong with him. But I can't believe you are right."
"Didn't you catch onto the hand I got on my enter?"
"Of course."
"He started it. He's got Dunnerwurst on one side of him and Gallup on the other, and the three of them tried to break things when I went on."
"Then it's sure something has happened to Merriwell. It's likely he's as badly off as the rest and wants to get in with us. We might find a chance for him, but we haven't any use for Gallup or Dunnerwurst now there is no band."
Lester Lawrence, the leading man of the company, had been standing near enough to hear these words, and now he broke in:
"I don't see that we have any chance for Merriwell," he said, quickly. "By sharp doubling we can play any piece in our repertory, and to take in Merriwell will add to the expense without proving a decided advantage. As we are working on the commonwealth plan now, I am against anything that will add a cent of expense. I shall vote against Merriwell."
"Don't be in such a hurry, Mr. Lawrence!" flashed Cassie. "No one knows Frank Merriwell wants to join us. If he does, you're only one."
"But there are others."
"Name them."
"Dunton, that's certain."
"I don't know. Dunton did hate Merriwell, but he got over it."
"You may think so, but a fellow like Dug Dunton seldom gets over hating anybody. Then there is Sargent."
"That's three, with yourself. You don't run everything. If Merriwell's on his uppers, we'll take him in."
"Who says so?"
"I do, and you can bet your boots that what I say goes! See!"
"Oh, are you running this show?" murmured Lawrence, gently lifting his eyebrows. "I didn't know that."
"I've got something of a pull with the people."
"You must be stuck on Merriwell," sneered Lawrence.
Havener was scowling at the leading man, for he was not at all pleased by the fellow's manner toward Cassie.
"That will do!" he said, sharply. "We won't have any growling between you. It's not certain Merriwell wants to join us. If he does, we can settle that business later. The play is going on now, so you can attend to your own business."
What Havener said "went," and the matter was dropped then, but a short time later, Cassie saw Lawrence talking with Dunton and Sargent, and she knew the fellow had begun his campaign against Merriwell.
When the curtain fell on the first act, Havener sent out for Frank and his friends to come behind the scenes.
They did so, and there was a general handshaking all round. The actors who were not busy changing makeups or helping reset the stage crowded around Frank and plied him with questions.
Frank told them just what had happened to him.
"Harris and Mazarin got away," he said; "but I am ready to bet anything I'll see something more of Sport. My turn will come next time."
"I'm sorry for you, Merriwell," said Havener, who had found time to stop and listen to Frank's explanation. "You were hitting them hard. What are you going to do now?"
"Don't know," answered Frank, honestly. "Haven't made any plans."
"I suppose you're busted, like the rest of us?"
"Not quite."
"No?"
"I made a big haul the first night I played to the audience that had assembled to hear Zolverein, and I have done fairly well since then. I'm pretty near five hundred dollars ahead."
"Five hundred dollars!" cried several voices.
"Five hundred dollars!" cried Collie Cates, the comedian, striking a tragic pose. "Ye gods and little apples! A marvelous fortune! Hail, Monte Christo! The world is yours!"
"Five hundred dollars!" said Havener. "Then I suppose you are going to get out of this forsaken country and make for the East in a hurry?"
"Haven't formed my plans yet, but I'm thinking of backing a traveling company on the road."
There was a great catching of breaths.
Lawrence caught Dunton by the arm.
"He's a mark!" whispered the leading man. "He's stage-struck, and we can get that five hundred behind us without a struggle. Talk about angels! Here's one!"
Then Lawrence pushed his way forward and grasped Frank's hand.
"I congratulate you, old man!" he said, in a most friendly manner. "Not many chaps could have done that. You're a hummer! If you want to back a company, here's one ready organized for you. I rather think we'll let you back us."
That was too much for Cassie Lee to stand. Her eyes glittered, and she surveyed Lawrence scornfully.
"You've changed your mind mighty quick!" she cried. "Little while ago you was saying we didn't want Merriwell anyhow, and now you are eager enough to get him in, when you find he's got a little money. But I don't guess you'll fool him that way. He ain't going to be the angel for this gang."
"Oh, you know I was joking, Cassie," laughed Lawrence, lightly and easily, not disturbed in the least. "I've always regarded Merriwell with the most friendly feelings."
"Your friendship is good just as long as the other feller's money holds out. When that's gone, your friendship gits cold in a hurry."
"You do me a great injustice, Cassie, but I have nothing more to say about it. Of course Merriwell will do as he pleases with his money."
Dunton and Sargent took pains to shake hands with Frank and appear very cordial, now that they had learned that Frank had some money.
The play went on, with Frank sitting in the wings as prompter.
Merry soon found the actors were up to their old tricks of "faking" lines and whole speeches, not having committed their parts properly. He was a good prompter, and he knew just when an actor was entirely off and in need of assistance.
The audience, however, was not critical, and there were few spectators present who could tell that an actor was "off," even when he was floundering helplessly, so the play passed off all right, with good bursts of applause at the strong situations and climaxes.
Frank paid attention to the audience, as well as to the play, for he wished to learn just what sort of a piece would strike the fancy of people out there in the country towns of Missouri.
Before the end of the play, Lawrence came to Merry, finding an opportunity when no person was near to hear him, and said:
"I hope you don't take stock in what Cassie said about me, old fellow? You know I was your friend when we were together on the road. You remember how I prevented you from giving away points to Delvin Riddle, King's advance man, when the fellow was trying to pump you."
"No," smiled Frank, "I do not remember that."
"Don't?" cried Lawrence, astonished. "Why, that's strange! Riddle had induced you to come down into the hotel card room at——"
"I know the time you mean perfectly well," said Frank; "but I do not remember that you kept me from giving anything away, for I had not the least idea in the world of giving anything away. It is possible, Mr. Lawrence, that I am not as new as you imagine, even though I did say I wanted to back a theatrical company with the small amount of money I have."
Lawrence was confused for a single instant, and then he laughed pleasantly.
"My dear boy," he murmured, "you quite misunderstand me. You have a right to do as you like with your money. Of course you might not have given anything away to Riddle, but you didn't know him, and the fellow is pretty clever, as you must acknowledge."
"Clever as he was, he did not get the best of me when he attempted to stick up King's play bills in the place of ours."
"That's right, Merriwell. You showed you could hustle when you were out ahead of the show. The notices you got into the papers were simply great."
Frank understood the flattery of Lawrence's words and manner.
"I think we understand each other pretty well," he said, quietly.
"Well, I don't suppose you will hold any hard feelings?"
"Why should I?"
"That's it, why should you?"
Dunton saw them and came up.
"Look here, Merriwell," he said, in a manner that was intended to be very candid, "I want you to know that I am glad you're back. I believe you and I had some trouble once, but you treated me white, and I was ready to acknowledge I was in the wrong. You never blowed on me."
"I had nothing to blow."
"Some fellows might have thought they had, though, to be sure, you could not have proved that I tried to do you up in that stage duel. Of course I didn't mean to kill you."
"Oh, of course not!" smiled Frank, and there was a bit of sarcasm in both words and voice.
"I thought I might just wound you a little, but you were too much for me. Where did you learn to handle a sword?"
"I took lessons at Fardale Military Academy when I was a mere boy, and then I received some instructions abroad. When I entered Yale, I placed myself under the best fencing instructor to be found in New Haven. I kept in form up to the time of leaving college."
"That explains it. Your wrist is all right, and you are like a cat on your feet. You made a holy show of me that night, though the audience thought it all in the piece. I hope you'll stay with us. We really need a man like you."
"I fancy you think you need my money far more than you need me, but that's all right. I shall not play the angel and lie dead afterward, be sure of that. If my money goes behind this show, I go at the head of it."
That was plain enough, and Frank had nothing more to say.