Then Frank remembered that he had seen nothing of Cates since the play was over. This was not very strange, considering all that had occurred.
"Why, you must be mistaken, Ephraim!" he said. "They made an agreement with me that they would not——"
"What's their agreements good fer, Frank? I tell yeou it was a trick, an' they've got all the money. They had the sheriff ready ter make the grab the minute the show was over."
Frank followed Ephraim out to the box office, and there he found the Vermonter had told the truth. He had been deceived by the two actors, and they had attached the receipts.
Sargent and Cates were there. Frank looked them over, intense scorn in his manner.
"So this is the way you fellows keep promises!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, you're easy, Merriwell!" said Cates, attempting to carry it off with a laugh. "If you stay in the business, you'll sprout your pin-feathers after a while. With us it was a case of do you or get left, and we do not fancy getting left."
"And so you did me."
"Well, we made a strike for our money, and we've got it. You'll have something left after settling with us."