“Lenning,” said Brad promptly. “He hit pop with a few words that almost took his breath. ‘Chip Merriwell will be responsible for me,’ is what he said. Do you wonder that the governor was floored?”
Frank did not. In fact, Frank was almost floored himself.
“Pop told Lenning that he’d have to talk with you,” Brad went on, “and Lenning wanted him to get you to Ophir as soon as possible. Well, it wasn’t exactly that that brought me after you, Chip. Pop telephoned to Colonel Hawtrey, Lenning’s uncle, in Gold Hill, and the colonel’s coming to Ophir himself to see about it. We all know that Colonel Hawtrey hates Lenning like poison, and, while I can’t understand why you want to help a fellow who has done you so much dirt as Lenning has, all the same I thought I’d hustle out here and tell you about Hawtrey. If you want to help Lenning, you’ll have to see pop before the colonel gets to Ophir. I rushed to Dolliver’s in the automobile, and came on up the cañon on foot. If you want to go back with me, it won’t take us long to get to the car.”
Merriwell was in a quandary. At first, a blunt refusal to do anything for Lenning was on his lips. Something held it back.
“It’s up to you, Chip,” said Brad. “What are you going to do? You stand pretty high with pop. I’ll bet a good deal that one word from you would get the job for Lenning—providing you get busy before the colonel reaches Ophir. It’s your own business, and I’m only butting in to help you do what you want to do.”
“I know that, Brad,” Merry answered. “I can’t tell you what I want to do, offhand. I’ve got to think it over.”
“You haven’t much time.”
“I’ll have to take time to get into my clothes. Dinner’s about ready, too, and there won’t be much more delay if we eat in camp. After that, Brad, I’ll tell you what I’m going to do.”
“All right, old man,” assented Brad, and turned away to shake hands with Clancy, Ballard, and a few other fellows with whom he was acquainted.
Merriwell was still in a quandary as he went to one of the tents and began getting out of his wet bathing suit and into his other clothes. Jode Lenning had appealed to him for help, and such a move was so unlike Lenning that Merry thought there must be something crooked back of it. On the other hand, Lenning might really be trying to turn over a new leaf, and, if that was the case, Frank was the last one in the world to hold back when a word from him to Mr. Bradlaugh would help set an enemy in the right road.