Frank Merriwell's False Friend; Or, An Investment in Human Nature

by Burt L. Standish

Without the least hesitation Hodge set Starbright to “warming up,” intending to put him into the box and take Morgan out.

The sight of Starbright preparing to pitch did not rattle Dade Morgan. Instead of that, it seemed to cause him to brace up in a most wonderful manner. He clenched his teeth, pressed his lips together, and struck out the next man. The man who followed put up a little fly that Morgan captured, and the side was retired.

But where was Merriwell? That was the cry that filled the heart of every man on the Yale bench. With Merriwell absent they felt that Virginia was bound to carry off the game. And Virginia had a team that was in no way comparable with Yale’s. Paragon was the only great man U. V. had, and he really was a wizard, else how had he kept the slugging Yale men down to three hits and one score in six innings? His support had been far from gilt-edged.

In the sixth Virginia had obtained another score, and Morgan had pulled himself together again after filling the bases with one out, and had permitted no more tallying.

There was one knot of youngsters who gathered by themselves and looked very miserable. Early that day they had been the followers of King Watson, but with the accession of King Jimmy they transferred their allegiance to him, and King Jimmy was faithful to the great Frank Merriwell. It made no difference that he was strangely missing, it made no difference that Watson taunted them and sneered at them, they remained faithful to him who had won the glory of sitting upon the shoulder of Frank Merriwell.

Therefore they were very miserable, and they told themselves that “things would be different if Frank Merriwell was here.” And they wondered and speculated at the absence of both Frank and King Jimmy from the ball-field.

Hodge had been compelled to give up the search for Frank and go into the game. He was satisfied that Ditson’s trick was simply to keep Merry out of the way till U. V. could win, and he firmly believed that the fellow would take good care that no real harm befell the captain of the Yale team.

Then Bart resolved to defeat Ditson’s purpose by encouraging the men to win, even though Frank was not there to pitch. But Virgil Paragon, the Virginia pitcher, proved to be the great stumbling-block. They could not seem to get safe hits off him when hits were needed.

Ditson, who had obtained odds when he bet on Virginia earlier in the day, was now offering odds, and with no takers.

Had Frank Merriwell been there, he would have found plenty who were ready to cover his money; but without Frank Merriwell the Yale men seemed to lack heart and confidence.