Frank Merriwell's Strong Arm; Or, Saving an Enemy

by Burt L. Standish

The seniors were not fairly in motion when Hock Mason, with two others, were marshaling the juniors. When the time came, the juniors fell in behind the seniors and followed them with the same skipping, dancing step, singing the same song in the same shrieking manner.

Bingham and Ready brought out the sophomores, three hundred and fifty strong, and they promptly followed the juniors.

None there were that night so eager to get into the sport as the gay young freshmen. They responded to the calls of Starbright and Morgan with alacrity.

But what’s this? Can it be possible? Is that fellow with the long hair Rolf Boltwood? Had Ready observed the man, he would have had a fit. Boltwood, where in the world did you come from? Didn’t Ready, Bingham, and Carker thrust you into a strong room in the basement of an old storage-warehouse, and leave you there locked fast in a room that had held many a prisoner securely before? Did they not inform you that you might pound on the doors and yell as loudly as you liked, for there would be a man outside to keep everybody away from the place, and you would not be heard? When they were gone, didn’t you try the door, and find it solid as granite? Didn’t you examine the walls, and quickly decide that your prison might hold you till you died of starvation, unless you were released by those who placed you in it, or by their orders? And didn’t you sit down on an old box and despairingly bury your face in your hands?

Such being the case, Boltwood, how does it happen that you are here, whispering to Starbright, who nods and laughs, saying something to Morgan, who seems delighted, making yourself generally useful by aiding in mustering the men into line? Boltwood, your escape from that old warehouse is a mystery! How did you do the trick? Are you too busy to tell us now? Then we’ll have to wait a while before we find out.

Both Starbright and Morgan gave out a word that was passed along from man to man. Boltwood was to be obeyed implicitly in every order. He was to be followed in any move he might make.

And thus, in some mysterious manner, Boltwood became a leader at short notice.

But he did not form in line with Starbright and Morgan at the head of the line. Instead of that, he plunged into the very middle of the freshmen, and got into line there, where, for a long time, he was hidden from view.

The freshmen began to move, singing as loudly as the others, but showing they were not familiar with the dancing-step. However, they made a brave showing, and they were happy, for every man had been tipped off that this night they would “Lambda Chi” the sophomores, who were entirely unprepared for what was to happen.

But what was to happen? No one seemed to know, unless, perhaps, it might be Starbright and Morgan and this queer man Boltwood, who had suddenly developed into a leader, not a little to the wonderment of the men he was leading.