“Nobody can beat Frank Merriwell!” huskily whispered Buck to his wife. “He’ll miss this shot, and Merry will win.”
The silence was so great that Starbright heard Badger’s words just as he was on the point of trying to score the final button. He was struck with the conviction that he must miss—that it would be a marvel for him to defeat Frank Merriwell.
He missed!
“Well,” said Merriwell quietly, as deep breaths were heard on every side, “you made a handsome try for it, and that was a case of hard luck. I’ve got to make six, and I may slip up on doing that.”
Starbright’s failure at the critical point left him shaking all over. His last faint hope was that Merry might fail, but Frank played with care, precision, and coolness, and slowly but surely scored the six points he needed, winning the match.
“Miss Burrage,” cried Frank, “remember your promise.”
Her merry laugh rang out.
“I’ll not forget it,” she said; “but there was a time when I thought I’d surely ride with Dick.”
That laugh cut Starbright, for it seemed full of satisfaction and relief.
“I guess it’s all right!” he thought. “She wanted to ride with him all the time, and she thought he’d beat me more than he did. She is glad I lost!”