“Slow,” drawled Ephraim Gallup, with a queer twist of his homely face. “Thutteration! There’s more goin’ on here than there ever was araound aour taown up in Varmont, an’ we uster think that was purty gosh-darn lively sometimes. Once we had a dorg fight, a thunderstorm an’ Jeduthin Blodgett’s chimbney burnt aout, all in one afternoon, an’ I tell yeou things was all fired lively up raound them diggin’s. But I swan Philadelfy has more goin’ on than that ’most any day but Sunday.”
Some of the boys laughed at this, but Hans stared at Ephraim in a bewildered way.
“Dot must peen a lifely down,” he said. “Uf you vos to life there a great vile I oxbect id vould turn my hair gray.”
For a long time the boys talked over the street encounter, and then Frank produced the handkerchief he had snatched from the face of the leader of the ruffians. After looking it over carefully he uttered an exclamation.
“What is it, Merry?” asked Rattleton.
“I have made a discovery,” said Merriwell, with a look of satisfaction, as he restored the handkerchief to his pocket.
“What sort of a discovery?”
“One that may prove of great importance.”
“Don’t be so mysterious about it,” urged Diamond. “Tell us what you have discovered.”
“Wait,” said Frank. “I will tell you later.”