Then the dejected ruffian turned and made for the door, hissed on every hand by the angry audience.
When Hooker had disappeared, the performance continued as if nothing had happened.
There was not a little excitement among the actors. They bombarded Merriwell with questions at the end of the act. They wanted to know how it happened that he had been aware of Hooker’s intention. On this point he did not enlighten them, but he assured them he had been prepared for any move the ruffian had contemplated.
The time between the acts gave the audience a chance to buzz about the remarkable thing that had happened. Some could not believe it possible Frank had cut the rope with a bullet. Not a few insisted that it was impossible, because actors never used weapons loaded with bullets on the stage.
But all had witnessed what had happened, and it was plain the star had defeated Sam Hooker’s purpose in some manner.
There was no further attempt to interrupt the performance, although some timid ones expected Hooker to return with a gang of roughs and create disturbance.
The performance was over at last, and Frank breathed easy. Although he had been on his guard for anything that might happen, he could not help feeling relieved when the curtain fell on the last act without witnessing another effort to break him up or molest him.
“Waal, by gum!” said Ephraim Gallup, as he met Frank behind the curtain, “yeou’ve made a new record ter-night. If yeou don’t use that fer advertising in ther Chicago papers, yeou are dead slow.”
“Use what?”
“Shootin’ that rope in tew. It’d be a great story for yeour press agint. Yeou oughter git it sworn to by reliable parties who saw it, an’ telegraph it to yeour agint right off.”