Dick took the chance, too, for he got into the pins finely, cleaning the alley, which caused the spectators to utter cries of applause.
“This is hot!” muttered Frank. “You seem to be keeping it up, old man.”
“He’s making me lots of work,” observed Ready, as he deftly stood the fallen pins on the spot.
Frank changed his position on the alley, but again he split the pins, leaving two standing, one on each corner.
“No spare there!” cried Dashleigh.
“No poor bowling in that,” growled Bruce. “It should have been a strike.”
Frank clipped off the two remaining pins with two straight balls, which gave him ten in his third box, making twenty-seven in all.
Starbright got into the bunch again, but secured only five on his spare, which left the pins in a difficult position. He did well in raking down nine with three balls; but his lead on Frank was great, the second spare having given him thirty-one in the second box, and on even rolls with Merry he had forty.
“Up against the real thing now,” chirped Ready. “This Starbright has played the game before, my friends. You’re buncoed, Merriwell.”
On his next roll Frank was able to make but nine pins, obtaining a total of thirty-six, while Starbright cleaned the alley, which gave him a lead of fourteen pins.