CHAPTER XIX.THE BOMB.
When, at last, he went to bed that night, Frank Merriwell slept the sleep of exhaustion. He did not know that all through the dark hours Jack Diamond watched over him like a faithful dog. He did not know that Diamond was unable to close his eyes in sleep. He did not know the Virginian paced the room, thinking, thinking, thinking. The light burned low, as Diamond had turned it on. Frank lay breathing regularly, perfectly motionless in the bed. After walking up and down a long time, after looking from the window out upon the street, where a few stray human beings flitted past beneath the electrics, Diamond came and stood beside the bed, looking at Frank.
Jack’s heart was full. He was beset by deep emotions.
“The whitest fellow who ever drew the breath of life!” he murmured, as he gazed at his sleeping comrade. “In many ways, he has made me what I am. I know it now. He has been my model, and, as far as possible, I have tried to be like him. I am not ashamed of having a model! If all fellows could have one like Frank Merriwell, and they would try to imitate him, it would be well for them.
“He has shown me my failings without once mentioning them to me. Never has he told me I was mean, and fretful, and a poor comrade, yet I know I have been. I know lots of fellows would have sickened of me, but Frank Merriwell has not. He has seemed to understand me, and to know all my petulance and ill temper would pass away in time. He has shown me how to be master of myself, and the task of conquering myself has been, at times, the hardest thing I ever attempted. I don’t think I’ve always succeeded in my efforts, but I am sure I have at times, and I have felt better for it.
“And now, to think that such a fellow should be in danger of losing his life at any moment, although he is in perfect health, and has the brightest prospects before him! It is awful! He has made all plans to go back to Yale in the fall, and, goodness knows, Old Eli needs him badly enough! Why, I believe the fellows would mob us if we permitted him to be assassinated here in Paris!
“Think of Frank Merriwell, the darling of Yale, murdered by a lot of cowardly wretches, who are fighting to keep an innocent man in a living tomb! And his peril is something awful! Those dastards are powerful, and it is folly to defy them. Frank must leave France at once! But how may he be induced to go?”
That was a question for Diamond to study over, and he spent more than an hour trying to answer it. Once he muttered:
“I must put up a job with Browning and Rattleton, and carry him away! It’s a desperate plan, but it must be done. Can I get them to join me? How will I work it?”
He pondered on various plans, but remembered that he had given Frank a promise to say nothing to Bruce and Harry about the terrible danger by which Merry was beset.
“I was a fool to make such a promise!” he exclaimed.
The temptation to break it was strong, but Diamond was a fellow of veracity, and he was forced to decide that he would not follow that course. If he did not, how could he induce Rattleton and Browning to join him in his wild project to carry Merry bodily from France?
After a time, he decided that it would be impossible. They would think him crazy if he proposed such a thing. Then he began to plan other schemes. At last, he decided to telegraph the whole facts to Dolph Reynolds. He would ask Dolph to send a despatch, stating that Elsie Bellwood was seriously ill.
“I’ll do it!” the Virginian exclaimed. “He may never forgive me, but I’ll stand it! It is for his good, and it shall be done! To-morrow, I’ll lose no time in sending the message to Reynolds. Frank will be hustling out of France in a few hours. Heaven grant that he may get out before the Black Brothers do their dastardly work!”
It was daybreak before Jack closed his eyes. Even then, he could not sleep soundly. He dreamed that Merriwell was in frightful peril. He seemed to see Frank enfolded in the coils of a monster serpent, and struggling to escape. For all of his struggles, the coils drew tighter and tighter, slowly crushing the life from Merry’s body. He saw Frank’s eyes bulging from his head, and his tongue hanging out, and the sight filled him with such horror as seldom comes to one, save in dreams. He tried to rush to the rescue of the friend he loved, but seemed frozen to the ground, unable to move hand or foot. He tried to shriek with anguish of soul, and——
Frank Merriwell shook him till he awoke!
“Come, come, old fellow!” laughed Merry. “You were having a fearful time of it. You seemed to be straining every nerve, and the gasps and gurgles that came from your throat appeared to indicate that you were strangling. It must have been a bad dream.”
“It was,” said Jack gloomily. “And the worst is that I fear it is prophetic.”
He then told Frank what he had dreamed.
“Oh, pshaw!” cried Merry lightly. “You were affected by our experiences last night. I don’t know that I wonder at it, but I rather think there is no great danger that the serpent will crush me. Take a good look at the bright sunshine coming in at that window, and let it drive the clouds away.”
“It’ll take more than sunshine to do that, as long as we remain in France, Merriwell,” declared the Virginian.
To his surprise, Frank seemed almost light-hearted. This was something Diamond could not understand. Jack had determined to make one more appeal to Merry, and this he did; but Frank turned the subject, and more than ever was the Virginian determined to carry out his plan of drawing his friend from France by means of the false telegram.
Rattleton was up, but it was necessary to drag Browning out of bed. Both Harry and Bruce were delighted to find Merry once more in a lively mood.
“Now you seem like yourself,” declared Rattleton. “You have been glum enough for awhile. Acted like you were under a spell, but I rather think the spell is lifted.”
“If he only knew!” thought Jack.
After breakfast, Diamond looked for an opportunity to get away from the others, to send the telegram to Dolph Reynolds; but, when he started out, he was joined by Frank.
“A good, brisk walk will do us both good,” said Frank. “Come on, old man.”
Diamond was not ready with excuses and subterfuges, and so he went along, hoping something would turn up to give him the opportunity he sought. Frank did not loiter in the gardens, but sought the crowded thoroughfares of the city, for the business portion of Paris was a-bustle thus early in the day.
It was mid-forenoon when they halted for a moment, and stood on a curbing, where they could look along one of the thoroughfares of the city. Jack had kept his eyes open, for he felt that Frank was constantly menaced by deadly danger. He it was who saw a man approach a window in the second story of a building opposite where they stood, and fling it open.
“Look, Frank!” he exclaimed.
“Where?”
“Up there!”
“What is it?”
“Mr. Noname! What is he doing there?”
Frank recognized the man who had opened the window as the mysterious being known as Mr. Noname. Something queer in the actions of the man caused both lads to watch him. He stepped back from the window for a moment, and there was a little flare of light, as if he had struck a match. Then he came to the window, with a spring, thrust his head out, looked up and down the street, and lifted his hand.
“A signal!” said Jack.
But it was not a signal. In the hand of the strange man was an object from which a tiny wreath of blue smoke curled upward. He lifted that hand, and flung the smoking object straight at Frank Merriwell! A cry escaped the lips of Diamond.
“A bomb!” he shouted.
Down toward the young American flew the object, and then, quick as thought, Frank Merriwell caught the spluttering thing with the skill of a baseball-player!
“Drop it! Run!”
Diamond caught hold of Frank as he gasped the words. Instead of that, Frank Merriwell lifted the bomb to his mouth, caught the fuse in his teeth, and bit it off!
By his remarkable presence of mind, Frank Merriwell had prevented an explosion, perhaps had saved his life and Diamond’s. He had bitten the fuse off close to the bomb.
Jack Diamond was paralyzed with astonishment.
Frank spat the end of the fuse from his mouth, observing:
“I rather think that will prevent the thing from doing any damage.”
“Great heavens!” gasped the Virginian. “How could you think to do it?”
“Had to think. Case of necessity. Now, I want to know what this means.”
“It means murder! It means treachery! That old madman threw the bomb!”
“Mr. Noname?”
“Yes.”
“I saw him.”
“He’s turned on you, Frank.”
“Looks that way. He’ll have to explain.”
“He can’t.”
“He’s gone from the window.”
That was true; the Mystery had disappeared. This astonishing scene had been witnessed by several persons. Two officers came hurrying up, and asked a score of questions.
“It’s a bomb,” explained Frank.
“Le bomb! le bomb!” cried the crowd that had gathered.
“And the man who threw it is in that building!” shouted Diamond. “He threw it from that open window. He is in there now. Capture him! Arrest him!”
“Arrest him!” shouted the crowd.
“You know him? You can identify him?” asked the officers.
“In a minute!”
“Come with us!”
They dashed across the street, and entered the café, from the second story of which the bomb had been thrown. Up-stairs they dashed.
“It will go hard with Mr. Noname if he is caught now,” said Frank.
“It should!” hissed Diamond. “The man is a maniac! I have felt it all along! I have feared him!”
Diamond was eager to capture the Mystery, but, when the room was reached from which the bomb had been thrown, all they found was a quiet-looking, smooth-faced man, who was seated at a table, drinking coffee, and looking over a morning paper. The officers demanded of Frank and Jack if that were the man. They seemed disappointed when both lads declared it was not. Then they questioned the man, who seemed greatly surprised. Had he seen another person in the room? He had. A man had entered a short time before, but he had not noticed him in particular, as he was sitting with his back toward the window. The man had just left the room in a hurried manner. Whither did he go? The door by which he had departed was pointed out.
The officers were eager to capture the bomb-thrower. It would be greatly to their credit. They hastened from the room by the door. Frank and Jack followed. Barely were they out of the room when Frank stopped.
“This is mighty queer,” he said.
“What?” asked the Virginian.
“That the man in there knows nothing of the bomb-throwing.”
“That’s right.”
“I believe he knows more than he has told.”
“You may be right.”
“He should be watched.”
“Sure thing.”
“Go back, and keep an eye on him, Diamond.”
“All right.”
Jack rushed back to the room, and then a cry came from him. Wondering what had happened, Frank hurried after him.
“What is it, Jack?” he asked.
“The man!”
“What?”
“Gone!”
It was true. The man had lost no time in getting out of that room. His coffee was on the table, and his paper lay on the floor. Frank Merriwell dashed down the stairs, hoping to prevent the man from escaping. He was too late to do so, however, for the stranger had left the restaurant. Once outside in the crowd, he had melted away.
“We have been chumps!” exclaimed Frank regretfully. “I am sure he was the one who could have explained everything.”
“I am sure of it, too,” nodded Diamond.
The search through the building did not result in the capture of the man who threw the bomb.
Of course, Frank was requested to accompany the police to headquarters, and tell everything he knew, while the café was placed under surveillance. Frank told his story, and the bomb was turned over to the police, who promised to make a thorough investigation.
“Which will result in nothing,” said Diamond gloomily. “They have taken your address, Merry, but all they will do is call round at the hotel, and pump you with questions.”
Frank was puzzled more than he wished to confess. It seemed certain that Mr. Noname had deliberately attempted to destroy him, and that was something he could not understand. If the man was an enemy, why had he saved his life so many times?
Diamond redoubled his argument for leaving France with all possible haste.