CHAPTER XIX.READY ARRIVES.
Not a word did Frank say about Dick’s attempt to run away, and, as they had returned to and entered the cabin quietly, Juan Delores knew nothing of it.
Of course, Felicia was amazed and overjoyed when, the following morning, she found Dick still there. Dick would say nothing save that he had decided not to go away for a while.
Old Joe was gone, but as the Indian had a habit of disappearing and appearing without warning, nothing was thought of this.
In spite of himself, deep down in his heart Dick Merriwell felt further respect for his brother. He was compelled to confess to himself that Frank was very clever, and he came to stand in some awe of him. Still, he persisted in his determination not to let Merry “boss” him.
“I’ll always be free,” he muttered over and over. “I’ll never go into a school. He can’t make me do that.”
But he wondered greatly how Frank had discovered that he was going away at all. He did not know thatMerry had left the cabin by the back door, while Old Joe smoked by the wall, and strayed into the woods. He did not know that Merry had paused by the path and knelt to examine a wild flower he found growing there. And, while Frank was kneeling thus, Dick and Felicia came along the path. From the little portion of their talk, that Merriwell heard as they bade each other good-by, he learned that Dick was going away with Old Joe, whom he would meet that night near Black Rock.
And thus it happened that Frank was on hand at that meeting.
Merry was satisfied that his strange, wild, young brother cared for him more than he wished any one to know, else he would not have made such frantic haste to disconcert Old Joe’s aim. Had the Indian shot Merry down, Dick would have been free forever, yet the boy sprang at once to prevent that act.
Frank wished to win his brother to him without using force. It was his desire to bend Dick’s strong will and passionate nature, but not to break either. The young athlete was convinced that there was in Dick the making of a remarkable lad, and he hoped to handle him in the proper manner to bring out his best qualities.
But first it was necessary to win the obstinate and wilful spirit to him, and that seemed like a difficulttask indeed. However, Merry felt that he had scored heavily in preventing the runaway as he did. He had not resorted to force, but he had convinced Dick that he was in some things a match for Old Joe, whom the lad admired.
On the day after the attempted runaway, Bart Hodge and Jack Ready came riding up the valley. Business had called Ready to Denver, and Hodge had met him there. His business attended to, Jack was willing and eager to hasten to Frank in the quiet little valley under the shadow of the Rockies.
Frank was watching for them, and he sighted them through a field-glass as they came galloping up the valley.
Dick and Felicia were also watching, with strange, silent Juan Delores not far away.
“It’s another of his friends,” said Dick, in a low tone to Felicia. “I’m sure this one will show signs of his long days spent in study. He must be round-shouldered and weak.”
As the two riders drew nearer they spurred on their horses and raced for the woods. It was a wild neck-and-neck dash, and, although Bart seemed to sit his horse a trifle better than Jack, the latter managed to be in at the finish.
“Hooray!” he whooped, waving his hat about hishead and flinging himself from the saddle. “The pardon has arrived in time! Your royal muchness, here we are, hide, hoof and horns. Behold us, adorned in all the glory of the wild Western cowboy. Are we not peaches?”
Then he grasped Frank’s hand, gave it a furious shake, and bent to press his lips upon it.
“I salute ye, oh, mighty potentate, whatever that is,” said Jack, in his familiar breezy manner. “I know you are overjoyed to gaze once more on my beautiful countenance, and I am very, very glad because you are so happy.”
“He doesn’t seem to be round-shouldered,” whispered Felicia.
“Not—very—much,” faltered Dick.
“And he doesn’t look weak.”
“Not—very—weak,” admitted the boy.
“He doesn’t wear glasses.”
“He may have them in his pocket and put them on when he reads,” said the lad, as if he really hoped so.
“And he can ride well.”
“Pretty well,” confessed Dick. “But he’s just like the other one, in one thing; he acknowledged my brother as his superior.”
“I didn’t notice it.”
“I did. It was in his manner.”
“Why, I thought his manner very lofty and proud.”
“But, just the same, there was something in it that confessed Frank Merriwell his master. I wonder if all my brother’s friends are like that.”
The boy’s sharp eyes had read the truth, and his sensation was one of mingled regret and pride, for, despite himself, he could not help being proud that Frank was a leader of men.
“I’m glad to see you, Jack,” said Merriwell, in his hearty way, that left no doubt as to his sincerity.
“I told you that you were,” nodded Ready, with a haughty pose. “And I have traveled far to make you glad.”
“Wish you had brought all the fellows along with you.”
“Ha!” exclaimed Ready, with a wave of his hand. “Methinks I have a thought. Why not gather the clans together and once more swoop down on the wild and woolly? We wiped up everything on the turf last year; why not do a little wiping this year?”
“You mean——”
“Why not call the boys together, organize a baseball-team, and indulge in the lively sport of killing umpires? What sayest thou? Is it not a radiant thought?”
“I have thought of it myself.”
“What?” cried Jack, in dismay. “Wouldst evenrob me of the only original thought I ever possessed? Alas!”
“He is very queer,” said Felicia to Dick.
“Very!” said Dick, frowning. “I saw a crazy man once that acted like him.”
Which Jack would not have regarded as very complimentary had he heard it.
Merry introduced Ready to Juan Delores, and then said:
“Ready, this is my little cousin Felicia, and this is my brother Dick.”
“Queen Felicia, I salute you,” said Jack, bowing low, his hat in his left hand and his right hand pressed over his heart. “Before I came, you must have been the sweetest thing in all this wild region. Of course I can’t help being sweet myself, for I was born that way, and you must not blame me if all the flies flock my way.”
Then he turned and looked at Dick.
“So you are Frank Merriwell’s brother!” he exclaimed. “Well, my boy, I want to tell you that there are a few million chaps like you who would just about give their blooming lives to be able to honestly call Frank Merriwell brother. They’d rather have him for a brother than to have the President of the United States for a father. You are a dead lucky chap, and that’s straight goods.”
The lips of the boy were pressed together for a moment, and then he retorted:
“Well, sir, I wish it was some one of those few million boys who want him for a brother who had him instead of me!”
“What’s this?” cried Jack, aghast. “Treason! Who ever heard of such a thing? Boy, you’re crazy!”
But Dick stood up defiantly, his proud lips curling with scorn.
“A regular heart-blow!” muttered Ready weakly. “Is this a sample of the brothers you pick up, Merry? Oh, my, my! And you the idol of Yale!”
Frank laughed.
“I enjoy it, Ready,” he said, and his manner seemed to indicate that he told the truth. “I don’t think I ever had anything satisfy me more than has this rebellious disposition of my high-spirited young brother here.”
This made Dick tremble with anger.
“I’m not doing it to please you!” he cried. “I won’t please you!”
But Merry simply smiled.
“You can’t help it, Dick,” he asserted. “In disliking me so ardently you have provided me with a new sensation. I assure you that it has given me pleasure to watch and study you.”
“I won’t be watched and studied!” cried the lad. “I’ll keep away from you! Oh, how I hate you!”
Then he turned and fled from the spot.
Dick felt humiliated and ashamed, for it seemed that Frank had laughed at him before his friends. Ridicule to a boy of his passionate disposition was a dreadful thing, which cut deeper than the keenest blade.
Jack Ready regarded the whole affair as a joke, and he sought to banter Merry about his peppery young brother.
“A regular untamed young colt,” he observed. “Never saw anything just like him. He’s a bird, Merriwell. I’m afraid you’ll have hard work breaking him to the saddle.”
Hodge had brought some baseballs, two bats, and a catcher’s mitt from Denver, and the following day the three young men got out in a clear place in the valley and began to practise.
Felicia saw them first, and she ran to Dick with an account of what they were doing.
“Why, they throw the ball at each other just as hard as they can,” she said, “and they catch it in their hands, just as easy. It’s fun to watch them. Come and see them, Dick.”
“No,” said Dick.
“And they have got a stick that they hit it with,” she went on. “One of them takes the ball, gives ita little toss, then strikes it with the stick and knocks it so high in the air that you can hardly see it.”
“I’ll bet they don’t catch it then,” said Dick.
“But they do,” asserted the girl. “Then others run and get under it, and catch it with their bare hands.”
“It must be soft,” said the boy.
His curiosity was aroused, and, after a time, he permitted Felicia to lure him down to the open valley, where they could watch Frank, Bart, and Jack practising.
In short order Dick became intensely interested, and it was not long before he ventured out where the trio were, Felicia following now.
Indeed, it seemed rather surprising that the ball could be batted so far into the air and caught with such ease, even though the one who caught it sometimes had to run with all his might to get under it when it came down.
“Could you do that, Dick?” asked Felicia.
“Of course I could!” he answered, for he did not wish her to think there was any such accomplishment possessed by these tenderfoots that he did not also have.
Now, it happened that Jack Ready heard the question and the answer.
“What, ho!” he cried. “Here is another player forour ball-team. Stand forth, Richard, and show your skill.”
“No,” said Dick, shaking his head.
“Ah, ha!” exclaimed Jack. “Methinks thou art fearful as to the result. In other words, you’re putting up a bluff.”
This was too much, so Dick walked out to catch the ball. Jack himself seized the bat, observing:
“I’ll place the sphere in your fingers, Richard, my son. Let us see if you can freeze to it.”
Then he knocked a comparatively easy one. Dick got under it, but, when the ball struck his hands, it immediately bounced out and dropped to the ground.
And it hurt his hands in a most surprising manner, for he found it almost as hard as a stone.
Dick did not betray that he was hurt.
“You must squeeze it, young man,” chirped Ready. “That is one of the first things to learn. When a ball strikes in your hands, close your fingers on it and squeeze it hard.”
Angry and disgusted, Dick caught up the ball and threw it straight at Ready with all his strength.
Now, the boy could throw a round stone with remarkable accuracy, as well as great speed, and he had used all his strength in this case. Imagine his surprise when Ready carelessly thrust out one handand caught the whizzing ball as if the feat was the simplest thing in the world.
Dick looked at Frank. If Merriwell had laughed then, it is possible the boy would have stopped in a perfect tempest of anger; but Frank stood aside, looking quite grave and interested.
“I will catch it!” thought the lad. “I’ll show him that I can catch it!”
Then he cried for Jack to hit out another one.
“Well, that’s the stuff from which heroes and ball-players are made,” said Ready, as he complied.
This time Jack did not bat the ball directly into Dick’s hands, and the latter was forced to run after it a little. Again he got his hands on it, and this time he managed to catch it.
“Good!” cried Frank approvingly. “That was well done!”
To the amazement of Dick himself, he thrilled with satisfaction on hearing those words of praise from Frank. But he would not try to catch any more then.
“That’s right,” laughed Ready. “You have a level head, for you know when to retire on your laurels. I wish I knew as much. I would have retired long ago.”
Then Bart Hodge put on the big mitt, while Ready stood up to strike the ball. A flat stone was the plate,and from it Frank paced off the regular pitching-distance.
Then, with great speed, Frank pitched the ball. Ready fanned, and Bart caught it, close under the bat.
Dick Merriwell caught his breath, and watched with still greater interest.
“Fooled me that time,” said Jack. “Put ’em over now, and I’ll drive out a three-bagger.”
“What is a three-bagger, Dick?” asked Felicia, who had found his side again.
“I don’t know,” he was forced to admit.
“You did catch the ball, didn’t you?” she said proudly.
“Yes,” was all he answered.
“But it wasn’t near so high as they knocked it before.”
Dick shrugged his shoulders, declaring:
“If I had some practise, I could catch it just as high as anybody.”
“But it must be dangerous. You won’t do it, will you, Dick?”
Now, danger was the very thing that served as a lure to lead the boy on, and he retorted:
“Oh, I’m going to try it some more. I like it.”
Frank sent in another swift one, and again Jack failed to hit it, though he struck at it handsomely.
“The double-shoot!” he shouted. “Oh, Laura! butthat was a peach! It twisted both ways as quick as a flash.”
“What is he talking about?” muttered Dick. “I didn’t see it twist.”
He moved around to get another position, and chance happened to lead him behind Bart, at some distance.
Then, when Frank pitched again, Dick saw the ball come whistling straight ahead, and suddenly dart off to one side, while Ready missed it a third time.
“Nothing but an out!” said Jack, in disgust. “And I thought it was going to be another double.”
“No wonder he can’t hit it,” thought Dick. “Why, the ball didn’t go straight! I wonder what made it go off to one side like that.”
The next one, however, amazed him more than anything else he had seen, for it seemed to start curving one way, and then suddenly change and curve the other.
“Another double-shoot!” exploded Ready, in disgust. “Say, stop it, will you! You’re the only pitcher in the country who can throw the ball, so I don’t care to practise batting against it. Give me just the plain, ordinary curves.”
“All right,” laughed Frank. “I was trying it simply to see if I had good control and command of it. Next one will be of the ordinary kind.”
It was an in shoot, but Jack hit it a good crack, and joyously cried:
“Safe hit! Oh, me! oh, my! Wasn’t that clever of me?”
“You’d never got a hit like that off him in a game, and you know it,” said Hodge, while Merry was after the ball. “He’s the greatest pitcher who ever came out of a college in this country.”
“Admitted, my boy,” nodded Jack. “And he has a reputation from the Atlantic to the Pacific. He’s a wonder, and everybody knows it.”
Again Dick Merriwell felt a strange thrill of satisfaction and pride, and to himself he unconsciously whispered:
“He’s my brother!”