"It is rather remarkable that you should pay such a price for a mere saddle horse," declared Browning.
"I simply kept my promise," smiled Frank.
"Your promise?"
"Exactly."
"What promise?"
"The one I made to myself when this horse enabled me to overtake a runaway that was dragging Winifred Lee to danger and possible death. This is the animal on which I pursued the runaway, and I took him without asking leave of the owner. I vowed that if this horse enabled me to catch and stop the runaway before Miss Lee was harmed I would own the creature if it took my last dollar," he added.
"And that," cried Griswold, trying to strike a dramatic attitude—"that is true love!"
"Well, I don't know as I blame you, Merriwell," admitted Bruce. "Winifred Lee is a stunning girl. But it strikes me that the owner of the horse swindled you."
A bit of additional color had risen to Frank's cheeks, and he looked strikingly handsome. The boys knew it would not do to carry the joke about Winnie Lee too far, and so they refrained.