Frank seemed giving their chatter no heed. With the same air of deliberation he smashed into the pins and cleaned the alley.
Frank had a total of ninety-nine in his fourth box, which left him still twenty-one pins to the bad.
“Well, here goes another strike,” said Manton, as he selected his ball.
CHAPTER III.
SHIFTING WINDS.
Manton seemed just as confident as ever, but apprehension was beginning to grip him. In his heart he was troubled by a slight fear that he might fail.
It is this feeling of doubt that defeats many a man in the game of life, as well as in other games. No person should ever attempt a task while troubled by the smallest shadow of a doubt. He should have such command of himself that his confidence in his ability to succeed cannot waver. Through years of training Frank Merriwell had brought himself to the point where he refused to doubt when in anything like his normal condition.
At the very moment of delivering the ball Manton was assailed violently by the doubt he had been unable to crush out of his heart. That doubt sent an electric shock along his arm to his hand, which quivered as he released the ball.
Instantly he realized he was not going to strike the pins properly. Still he prayed for a fortunate result, knowing by experience that pins often fell well when hit poorly.