CHAPTER I THE CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNERS "I see you're limping again, Fred." "That's right, Bristles. I stubbed my toe at the very start of this cross-country run, and that lost me all chance of coming in ahead. That's why I fell back, and have been loafing for a stretch." "And let me catch up with you; eh? Well, I reckon long-legged Colon will have a cinch in this race, Fred." "Seems that way. He can get over ground for a certain time like a... more...

CHAPTER I THE FINGER OF SUSPICION "Hello! there, Bristles!" "Hello! yourself, Fred Fenton!" "Why, what ails you this fine summer morning, Bristles? You don't look as jolly as you might." "Well, I was only waiting to see if you cared to speak to me, Fred." "Why in the wide world shouldn't I, when you're one of my chums, Bristles Carpenter?" Andy Carpenter was known far and wide around the town of Riverport as "Bristles," on account of the... more...

A RUNAWAY AUTOMOBILE. "Li, there! Hook out!" shouted Harry Rattleton. "Hi, there! Look out!" echoed Bart Hodge, getting the words straight which Harry had twisted. "Get out of the way, fellows!" warned Jack Diamond. "The juice that it's loaded with must be bug juice!" squealed Danny Griswold. "It's crazy drunk!" "Tut-tut-tut-turn the cuc-crank the other way!" bellowed Joe Gamp. "This crank," said Bink Stubbs, giving Gamp a twist that spun... more...

HORSE TALK. "He's a beauty!" Jack Diamond uttered the exclamation. He was admiring a horse Frank Merriwell had lately purchased. "He is," agreed Danny Griswold, with his hands thrust deep into his trousers pockets and his short legs set far apart. "But think of paying a thousand dollars!" "He looks like a racer," declared Bruce Browning, who showed unusual interest and animation for a fellow who was known as the laziest man at Yale. "He's... more...

CHAPTER I. TROUBLE BREWING.   "Here's to good old Yale—drink it down!Here's to good old Yale—drink it down!Here's to good old Yale,She's so hearty and so hale—Drink it down! Drink it down! down! down!" From the open window of his rooms on York Street Frank Merriwell heard the distant chorus of a rollicking band of students who had been having a merry evening in town. Frank had passed his examinations successfully and... more...

The Woodlands "Are they never going to turn up?" "It's almost four now!" "They'll be left till the six-thirty!" "Oh, don't alarm yourself! The valley train always waits for the express." "It's coming in now!" "Oh, good, so it is!" "Late by twenty minutes exactly!" "Stand back there!" yelled a porter, setting down a box with a slam, and motioning the excited, fluttering group of girls to a position of greater safety than the extreme edge... more...

How our heroes enter upon more than one career. On a raw, damp morning in early spring, a rather forlorn group of three youngsters might have been seen on the doorstep of Mountjoy Preparatory School, casting nervous glances up and down the drive, and looking anything but a picture of the life and spirits they really represented. That they were bound on an important journey was very evident. They were muffled up in ulsters, and wore gloves and... more...

Five Little Peppers at School   I   HARD TIMES FOR JOEL “Come on, Pepper.” One of the boys rushed down the dormitory hall, giving a bang on Joel's door as he passed. “All right,” said Joel a bit crossly, “I'm coming.” “Last bell,” came back on the wind. Joel threw his tennis racket on the bed, and scowled. Just then a flaxen head peeped in, and two big eyes stared at... more...

It wanted but five minutes to twelve in Miss Fitch's schoolroom, and a general restlessness showed that her scholars were aware of the fact. Some of the girls had closed their books, and were putting their desks to rights, with a good deal of unnecessary fuss, keeping an eye on the clock meanwhile. The boys wore the air of dogs who see their master coming to untie them; they jumped and quivered, making the benches squeak and rattle, and shifted... more...

Chapter One. The first part of the Christmas holidays had gone with a roar. The Saxon family in conclave agreed that never before had they had so good a time. Invitations poured in; amusement after amusement filled up afternoon and evening; parents and friends alike seemed imbued with a wholly admirable desire to make the season one gay whirl of enjoyment, and then, suddenly, just after the beginning of the New Year, the atmosphere became... more...