"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!" roared the freshmen. "'Rah! 'rah! 'rah!"
Then Frank felt himself lifted to the shoulders of his enthusiastic admirers and carried to the home plate of the ball ground, where the freshmen cheered again and again.
The sophomores were filled with rage and chagrin.
"That was the blamedest trick I ever heard of in all my life!" declared Andy Emery. "We weren't looking for anything of the kind."
"And we have Merriwell to thank for it!" snapped Evan Hartwick. "He's full of tricks as an egg is full of meat."
"By Jawve!" said Willis Paulding, who had managed to keep out of harm's way during the entire affair. "I think somebody ought to do something to that fellaw—I really do, don't yer know."
"Suppose you try to see what you can do with him," grinned Tad Horner. "You ought to be able to do something."
"Aw—really you will hawve to excuse me!" exclaimed Willis in alarm. "I hawdly think I could match his low cunning, don't yer understand."
"Oh, yes, I understand," nodded Horner, significantly. "It takes a man to go up against Merriwell."
"I hope you don't mean to insinuate—"