At this moment the door which led to the back room opened, and Roland Ditson, who had again visited Buster Kelley, came into the saloon. He started back when he saw the little group of students, but Plug Kirby saw his face and hoarsely exclaimed:
"Dere's der mug now! Dat's der feller wot hired me an' give me der card! I'll swear ter dat!"
Seeing there was no way out of it, Roll came forward. He was rather pale, but he succeeded in putting on a front.
"Hello, fellows!" he cried. "What are you doing in here?"
Merriwell had him by the collar in a twinkling.
"Looking for you," he said, "and we have found you! So you are the chap who hired this man to break my arm in order to fix me so I couldn't pitch any more! Well, I declare I didn't think anything quite as low as that even of you!"
Ditson protested his innocence. He even called Kirby a liar, and Frank was forced to keep the ruffian from hammering him. He swore it was some kind of a plot to injure him, and he called on the boys to know if they would take the word of a wretch like Kirby in preference to his.
"Oh, get out!" exclaimed Putnam in disgust. "Take my advice and leave Yale at once. If you do not, I'll publish the whole story, and you will find yourself run out. Go!"
Ditson sneaked away.