"Perhaps Old Thorny is forcing things to get even with me, because he knows I am interested in the Mortons," thought Frank. "Well, if he wants to fight this way, making war on women and girls, I'm willing. Let's see, what can I do?"
"I—I hope you don't think it wrong of me to come to mail a letter to you at night," said Gertrude, looking up through her tears. "Mamma wrote it, and sent me to our post-office with it. Then I found I had missed the mail, so I called up Grace and she and I took the next trolley for Riverview."
"It was the right thing to do," declared Frank. "I'm glad you did it. I know what I'll do, I'll wire dad at once. It isn't so late but what I can reach him, and he'll advise us what to do."
"It seems very late," said Grace, for though it was but a little after eight o'clock, people retired earlier in the country town than in the city.
"Oh, New York is just waking up," replied the lad. "My father and mother are probably wondering what they shall do to spend the evening. Come on down this street. The telegraph office is there, and on the way you can give me the particulars."
"There aren't many to give," replied Gertrude as she and her chum followed the Racer lad. "We received notice from James Martin, a lawyer, to-night that a suit to recover a certain sum had been started against us by Mr. Callum. The lawyer said that unless we paid, judgment would be obtained against us, and that he would at once proceed to collect by levying on our house, whatever that means. He said we would be without a home, and winter is coming on. Oh, isn't it terrible!"
"Don't worry," said Frank soothingly. "Even if he was successful in getting a judgment it would take a long while to put you out of your home. But he's not going to do it. Here is the telegraph office. Now to rush a wire to dad."
The agent in the little office was rather surprised to see two pretty girls and a tall lad, all very much excited, enter his place. But he was used to all sorts of queer experiences, so he made no comments and was soon clicking off the message that Frank wrote out. In brief it told what had happened and asked for advice.
"It will probably be half an hour before we can expect an answer," said Frank, "perhaps longer. Suppose we go to a moving picture show? There's a nice respectable one around the corner."
"But won't you be staying away from school too long?" asked Gertrude.