CHAPTER XLV

THE PITCHER’S FINAL TEST.

“I’m afraid those Boston fellows are due to get their revenge, all right,” said Bill Brady, on the morning of the Fourth of July, the day for the game in which Briggs, of Harvard, and Jim Phillips, of Yale, were again to measure their abilities as pitchers. “We’ve had a little too much on our minds this last week to do much practicing.”

“We’ll give them a fight for it, anyhow,” said Dick Merriwell. “We’ll be off for Sweden, pretty soon, those of us that are going, and I’d like to celebrate the glorious Fourth here first in the right way. I suppose it’s Harvard’s holiday just as much as it is ours, but I remember that our ancestors did pretty well in spite of difficulties and things that were enough to discourage most people. If they hadn’t stuck to their guns through anything that came up, we wouldn’t have much celebrating to do nowadays, you know.”

The fact that the game with the Boston team was scheduled for the great national holiday insured an enormous crowd to witness it. Not enormous, perhaps, compared with some games that Jim had pitched in, for he had seen the Polo Grounds, in New York, crowded more than once when he played there, but still very large for New Haven. And the news that Dick Merriwell himself was to take part had added enormously to the attractiveness of the game. Dick had not been seen in a regular game for a long time, but his reputation had endured and had, naturally, only been enhanced by his remarkable success as a coach. Old Yale men had come up for the game, and a great crowd had also come down from Boston to cheer the team from the cradle of independence on to victory.

“Those Harvard men are doing a lot of talking about the way Harvard men started the revolution,” said Bill Brady, with a grin. “But we Yale men can remember Nathan Hale and a few others that did their share. So I guess we can just arrange to fight this game out on the line of what is going to happen to-day, rather than of what the old fellows did a hundred years ago or so. We were even with them then, but I think we’re a little ahead of them this year.”

Dick Merriwell, by unanimous consent, was acting as captain of the New Haven team, and in the practice before the game it was at once evident that this contest was likely to be a much more scientific one than the first meeting between the two teams. The presence of so many of the players of the two best college teams of the year insured a well-played game, and as the cheers went up from the crowded stands at every good play, the crowd settled itself down in anticipation of a rattling game, close, and fought out to the last minute.

Jim Phillips, as he warmed up, felt that he was in good condition. He felt that he had taken the measure of Briggs, and, while he had an intense respect for the powers of the noted Harvard pitcher, he was sure that he was his master. Confidence is half the battle in any sport, and there was nothing boastful about Jim’s feeling. He knew just what he could do, and he thought he knew, also, what Briggs could do.

But when the game began, he found himself in difficulties at once. The first inning was easy. The Harvard men went out in one, two, three order, but he saw Reid, who had batted first, looking curiously at him after he had been retired on a screaming line drive, that Harry Maxwell caught, and he knew the reason.

“I don’t know what’s the matter,” he said to Brady, as they sat on the bench, “but my arm seems to have gone back on me altogether. I feel all right, but I couldn’t get the ball breaking right. Did you notice it?”

“There wasn’t any jump on the ball,” admitted Brady. “I couldn’t make it out. Never mind—you’ll be all right when the game gets going.”

“I hope so,” said Jim. “It’s a good thing those Harvard people didn’t get on to me in that inning, though. If they’d only known it, they could have knocked those balls I pitched all over the lot. They just thought I was pitching the way I had before. But that won’t keep up. I’m due for an awful lacing unless I can get that ball going right pretty soon. Reid is on to it already. Did you see him edge right over to Bowen after he sent that fly to Harry?”

Harry Maxwell, in Sherman’s absence, now led the batting order, and he began with a crashing single to right.

Dick Merriwell, facing Briggs for the first time, sent the crowd wild, for he landed on the first ball pitched, and drove it clean over the center-field fence for a home run. Three runs for New Haven, with Jim Phillips in the box, looked like a sure victory.

But Jim knew that his arm was bad. The second inning passed safely, although his control was still so poor when he pitched a curve ball that he contented himself with fast, straight balls, that deceived the Bostonians simply because they didn’t expect them.

Reid came up again in the third inning, when one man was out. Jim had thought that he was going to get safely through that session, but Reid wasted no time at all. He saw a straight ball coming, and sent it whistling past Carter, on third, for a three-base hit. It was the beginning of the deluge. Jim’s curves would not break, and five hits in rapid succession gave Harvard four runs. Jim steadied then for a moment, and struck out a batter, but he was still in trouble, although he felt that he was beginning to find himself anew, and before the inning was over three more Harvard men had scored.

“Whew!” whistled Dick Merriwell. “You’ve been a long time coming to it, Jim, but you certainly have got an awful lot out of your system all at once. I was beginning to think you never were going to have one of those historic bad innings.”

“I was afraid it was coming,” said Jim. “My arm hasn’t been right since the game began. But, as a matter of fact, I was pitching better, when they were slugging the ball so hard, than I had before. They simply didn’t get on to how easy I was. If they had, they could have made all those runs before.”

“Want to go out?” said Dick, looking at him keenly. He knew, although, perhaps, Jim himself did not, that this was the real test of Jim’s quality as a pitcher, long delayed, but to be faced, now that it had come. For the first time, Jim was in a bad hole, and had no one to blame for it but himself. He had faced pinches before, but always with the steadying remembrance that it was errors that had made the trouble. Now he had to look to himself for the cause.

Jim looked up at the universal coach.

“I think I can do better now,” he said, “if you let me stay in to finish it. That’s up to you, of course, Mr. Merriwell. But my arm got straightened out, I think. I don’t know what was the matter. But I feel as if I could stop them now.”

“Good boy,” said Dick Merriwell heartily. “That’s what I wanted you to say. Go in and do the best you can. It isn’t getting beaten that does the mischief—it’s the way you take it. Every pitcher has bad days. You’ve been wonderfully lucky not to have had that experience earlier in the year.”

Reid was facing Jim when the New Haven team had to take the field again, and there was a murmur of surprise when it was seen that Jim was to continue pitching.

“They must be looking for trouble,” said one man to another, near the New Haven bench. “When a pitcher gets a lacing like that, it’s time to send him to the scrap heap.”

“What’s the difference?” asked the other man. “With Briggs pitching the way he is, they’ll never make up that lead, anyhow, and they might as well let this chap Phillips take his medicine. Just proves what I’ve said all season—he’s the most overrated pitcher in any of the colleges.”

They were Harvard men, those two. But they did not quite understand Jim’s true caliber.

Reid was sure that he was going to make another hit. But he didn’t. He tried hard enough. Jim was too much for him.

All Jim’s cunning seemed to have returned; and, after a pretty duel of wits between them, Reid was worsted, and trotted back to the bench, a victim on strikes, filled with new admiration for the Yale pitcher.

“That chap never knows when he’s beaten, anyhow,” he said to Bowen. “He didn’t have a thing with him but his glove in the last inning. And now he’s smoking them over just as if he didn’t know what it was to have one of his benders hit.”

“He’s got nerve,” agreed Bowen. “That’s what counts. All the skill in the world won’t do a pitcher any good if he’s yellow. I thought he’d gone up in the air in that last inning. But I guess it’s a good thing we hit him while we had the chance. If I am not mistaken, we’ll have our own troubles getting another hit off him in this game.”

And, to the surprise of the crowd and both teams, Bowen was right. Jim grew stronger and better as the game wore on, and inning after inning saw the Boston team retired without a hit or a run. In the fifth inning, Briggs wavered for a moment and gave a base on balls to the man who preceded Brady at the bat. Big Bill, sore and angry at the pounding Jim had suffered, swung his big bat with terrific effect, and New Haven had one more run as the result of his slashing triple. But he was left on third himself, and the score was still seven to four in favor of Boston.

It wasn’t at all the sort of game the fans had looked for. A victory for one team or the other by a score of one to nothing, or two to one, had been anticipated, and the course of the game was a stunning surprise, for neither Briggs nor Jim Phillips had been half as effective as their friends had expected them to be.

With the long lead the Boston team had taken, Dick Merriwell had decided on straight hitting as the best means of snatching a victory. But, in the seventh inning, he decided that a change in tactics was necessary. Briggs had improved, and was making it almost impossible for the Yale men to hit him safely.

“We’ve got to try to fool them,” said Dick. “They think now that we’re going to hit out at everything. So we’ll start in by trying to bunt. It may not work at first, but if you keep that sort of thing up long enough, it is apt to disorganize any team not especially prepared for it.”

In the seventh inning, the Bostonians met the new tactics successfully, and repelled the attack. The first three men up for Yale, Brady, Phillips, and Harry Maxwell, all bunted, and all were thrown out at first, though it was a close decision on Maxwell, and one that any captain less sportsmanlike than Dick Merriwell might well have objected to.

“Never mind!” said Dick. “We’ll keep on with it. It didn’t work then, but it may come out better next time.”

Jim, pitching with terrific speed, disposed of the Boston team easily in the first half of the eighth inning, and then it was Jackson’s turn at the bat. His bunt was a beauty, a slow, trickling, deceptive teaser of a bunt, that crept along the third-base line, and gave him plenty of time to reach first.

“Bunt,” said Dick, to Carter, as he lifted his own bat. “We’ll keep right on.”

Obeying the signaled order, Jackson sprinted for second as Carter bunted gently in front of the plate. Briggs thought there was a chance to catch Jackson at second, and threw there instead of making the easy and certain play at first. His throw was a second too late, and both runners were safe.

“Bunt, when you come up,” said Dick Merriwell, to Green, who followed him.

Then he stepped to the plate himself, and the Boston infielder, sure that he would try to drive in a run, backed out. But Dick smiled quietly, and bunted down the third-base line. Too late the fielder came in for the ball. The bunt had been perfectly placed, and the bases were full, with none out.

Again was the same trick worked. A bunt, with the bases full and none out, looked like suicide, but it was not. Jackson raced for the plate as the ball left Briggs’ hand, and was on top of it when Green chopped the ball toward first base. The Boston first baseman, confused and rattled, made a foolish attempt to catch him at the plate, and again all hands were safe, with the bases full—and one run in.

Now Dick Merriwell shifted his tactics, choosing the exact moment for the change. Bill Brady was at the bat, and as the Harvard players crept in on the grass of the infield, ready to break up any attempt at a bunt and turn it into a double play, Bill pushed the ball gently over the shortstop’s head. It rolled with tantalizing slowness to the outfield, and, before it was returned, Carter and Dick Merriwell had scored, and New Haven was only one run behind. Brayson, the next batter, smashed out a sharp single, and Green crossed the plate with the tying run.

Tuthill hit into a sharp double play, the result of a wonderful stop by Briggs and Bowen’s lightning relay to first, and then Jim Phillips came to the bat. Brayson had reached third, and Jim, thirsting with the desire to put his team ahead, had a great chance. The crowd was wild with excitement.

Jim was patient. He waited until Briggs sent up a slow ball that failed to break just right. Then he hit hard, and raced toward first. The Boston shortstop made a great stop, and Jim, as he sped toward first, knew that the play would be close. He ran as hard as he could, but the ball was a step before him, and, just as he touched the bag, he heard the thud of the ball in the fielder’s mitt. He was out—and the score was still tied.

But there was a wild yell from the crowd. He heard the umpire yell “Safe!”

“But I wasn’t safe,” he said to himself, as he turned back to the base. His teammates were jumping up and down by the bench. The Boston players were looking dejected. Deliberately, Jim left the bag and walked toward the umpire.

“You were mistaken,” he said. “The ball reached first before I did.”

The Harvard first baseman, amazed, followed him, the ball still in his hand. Accidentally he touched Jim’s shoulder with the ball. The umpire saw it.

“I called you safe before,” he said, “but you’re out now. You left the bag, and you’ve been touched. Batter up!”

“Oh, I say,” cried the Harvard first baseman, “I don’t want to take advantage of a technicality.”

“It’s all right,” said Jim. “He can’t reverse himself, I suppose. And it comes out all right. I _was_ out, you know.”

“We’ll win, anyhow,” said Dick. “I’m afraid Briggs is up in the air.”

It was true. Jim had no difficulty in blanking the visiting team in the first half of the ninth inning, and when the New Haven team came to the bat, singles by Maxwell and Jackson, followed by a long two-bagger by Carter, quickly sent the winning run over the plate. New Haven was the winner of the game, eight to seven. And Jim Phillips had proved, not only that he was as good as ever, but that, after losing his grip, he could come back—the hardest thing of all to do.

THE END.

“Dick Merriwell at the Olympics,” by Burt L. Standish, is the next title, No. 212, of the MERRIWELL SERIES.

BOOKS THAT NEVER GROW OLD

Alger Series

Clean Adventure Stories for Boys

The Most Complete List Published

The following list does not contain all the books that Horatio Alger wrote, but it contains most of them, and certainly the best.

Horatio Alger is to boys what Charles Dickens is to grown-ups. His work is just as popular to-day as it was years ago. The books have a quality, the value of which is beyond computation.

There are legions of boys of foreign parents who are being helped along the road to true Americanism by reading these books which are so peculiarly American in tone that the reader cannot fail to absorb some of the spirit of fair play and clean living which is so characteristically American.

In this list will be included certain books by Edward Stratemeyer, Oliver Optic, and other authors who wrote the Alger type of stories, which are equal in interest and wholesomeness with those written by the famous author after whom this great line of books for boys is named.

ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT ────── By HORATIO ALGER, Jr.

1—Driven from Home 2—A Cousin’s Conspiracy 3—Ned Newton 4—Andy Gordon 5—Tony, the Tramp 6—The Five Hundred Dollar Check 7—Helping Himself 8—Making His Way 9—Try and Trust 10—Only an Irish Boy 11—Jed, the Poorhouse Boy 12—Chester Rand 13—Grit, the Young Boatman of Pine Point 14—Joe’s Luck 15—From Farm Boy to Senator 16—The Young Outlaw 17—Jack’s Ward 18—Dean Dunham 19—In a New World 20—Both Sides of the Continent 21—The Store Boy 22—Brave and Bold 23—A New York Boy

In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance promptly, on account of delays in transportation.

To be published in January, 1929.

24—Bob Burton 25—The Young Adventurer

To be published in February, 1929.

26—Julius, the Street Boy 27—Adrift in New York

To be published in March, 1929.

28—Tom Brace 29—Struggling Upward

To be published in April, 1929.

30—The Adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy 31—Tom Tracy

To be published in May, 1929.

32—The Young Acrobat 33—Bound to Rise 34—Hector’s Inheritance

To be published in June, 1929.

35—Do and Dare 36—The Tin Box

NOW IN PRINT

By EDWARD STRATEMEYER

98—The Last Cruise of The Spitfire 99—Reuben Stone’s Discovery 100—True to Himself 101—Richard Dare’s Venture 102—Oliver Bright’s Search 103—To Alaska for Gold 104—The Young Auctioneer 105—Bound to Be an Electrician 106—Shorthand Tom 108—Joe, the Surveyor 109—Larry, the Wanderer 110—The Young Ranchman 111—The Young Lumberman 112—The Young Explorers 113—Boys of the Wilderness 114—Boys of the Great North-west 115—Boys of the Gold Field 116—For His Country 117—Comrades in Peril 118—The Young Pearl Hunters 119—The Young Bandmaster 121—On Fortune’s Trail 122—Lost in the Land of Ice 123—Bob, the Photographer

By OLIVER OPTIC

124—Among the Missing 125—His Own Helper 126—Honest Kit Dunstable 127—Every Inch a Boy 128—The Young Pilot 129—Always in Luck 130—Rich and Humble 131—In School and Out 133—Work and Win 135—Haste and Waste 136—Royal Tarr’s Pluck 137—The Prisoners of the Cave 138—Louis Chiswick’s Mission 139—The Professor’s Son 140—The Young Hermit 141—The Cruise of The Dandy 142—Building Himself Up 143—Lyon Hart’s Heroism 144—Three Young Silver Kings 145—Making a Man of Himself 146—Striving for His Own 147—Through by Daylight 148—Lightning Express 149—On Time 150—Switch Off 151—Brake Up 152—Bear and Forbear 153—The “Starry Flag” 154—Breaking Away 155—Seek and Find 156—Freaks of Fortune 157—Make or Break 158—Down the River 159—The Boat Club 160—All Aboard 161—Now or Never 162—Try Again 163—Poor and Proud 164—Little by Little 165—The Sailor Boy 166—The Yankee Middy 167—Brave Old Salt

175—Fighting for Fortune By Roy Franklin 176—The Young Steel Worker By Frank H. MacDougal 177—The Go-ahead Boys By Gale Richards 178—For the Right By Roy Franklin 179—The Motor Cycle Boys By Donald Grayson 180—The Wall Street Boy By Allan Montgomery 181—Stemming the Tide By Roy Franklin 182—On High Gear By Donald Grayson 183—A Wall Street Fortune By Allan Montgomery 184—Winning By Courage By Roy Franklin 185—From Auto to Airship By Donald Grayson 186—Camp and Canoe By Remson Douglas 187—Winning Against Odds By Roy Franklin 188—The Luck of Vance Sevier By Frederick Gibson 189—The Island Castaway By Roy Franklin 190—The Boy Marvel By Frank H. MacDougal 191—A Boy With a Purpose By Roy Franklin 192—The River Fugitives By Remson Douglas

NICK CARTER STORIES

New Magnet Library

Not a Dull Book in This List

ALL BY NICHOLAS CARTER

Nick Carter stands for an interesting detective story. The fact that the books in this line are so uniformly good is entirely due to the work of a specialist. The man who wrote these stories produced no other type of fiction. His mind was concentrated upon the creation of new plots and situations in which his hero emerged triumphantly from all sorts of troubles and landed the criminal just where he should be—behind the bars.

The author of these stories knew more about writing detective stories than any other single person.

Following is a list of the best Nick Carter stories. They have been selected with extreme care, and we unhesitatingly recommend each of them as being fully as interesting as any detective story between cloth covers which sells at ten times the price.

If you do not know Nick Carter, buy a copy of any of the New Magnet Library books, and get acquainted. He will surprise and delight you.

ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT

901—A Weird Treasure 902—The Middle Link 903—To the Ends of the Earth 904—When Honors Pall 905—The Yellow Brand 906—A New Serpent in Eden 907—When Brave Men Tremble 908—A Test of Courage 909—Where Peril Beckons 910—The Gargoni Girdle 911—Rascals & Co. 912—Too Late to Talk 913—Satan’s Apt Pupil 914—The Girl Prisoner 915—The Danger of Folly 916—One Shipwreck Too Many 917—Scourged by Fear 918—The Red Plague 919—Scoundrels Rampant 920—From Clew to Clew 921—When Rogues Conspire 922—Twelve in a Grave 923—The Great Opium Case 924—A Conspiracy of Rumors 925—A Klondike Claim 926—The Evil Formula 927—The Man of Many Faces 928—The Great Enigma 929—The Burden of Proof 930—The Stolen Brain 931—A Titled Counterfeiter 932—The Magic Necklace 933—’Round the World for a Quarter 934—Over the Edge of the World 935—In the Grip of Fate 936—The Case of Many Clews 937—The Sealed Door 938—Nick Carter and the Green Goods Men 939—The Man Without a Will 940—Tracked Across the Atlantic 941—A Clew from the Unknown 942—The Crime of a Countess 943—A Mixed-up Mess 944—The Great Money-order Swindle 945—The Adder’s Brood 946—A Wall Street Haul 947—For a Pawned Crown 948—Sealed Orders 949—The Hate that Kills 950—The American Marquis 951—The Needy Nine 952—Fighting Against Millions 953—Outlaws of the Blue 954—The Old Detective’s Pupil 955—Found in the Jungle 956—The Mysterious Mail Robbery 957—Broken Bars 958—A Fair Criminal 959—Won by Magic 960—The Piano Box Mystery 961—The Man They Held Back 962—A Millionaire Partner 963—A Pressing Peril 964—An Australian Klondike 965—The Sultan’s Pearls 966—The Double Shuffle Club 967—Paying the Price 968—A Woman’s Hand 969—A Network of Crime 970—At Thompson’s Ranch 971—The Crossed Needles 972—The Diamond Mine Case 973—Blood Will Tell 974—An Accidental Password 975—The Crook’s Double 976—Two Plus Two 977—The Yellow Label 978—The Clever Celestial 979—The Amphitheater Plot 980—Gideon Drexel’s Millions 981—Death in Life 982—A Stolen Identity 983—Evidence by Telephone 984—The Twelve Tin Boxes 985—Clew Against Clew 986—Lady Velvet 987—Playing a Bold Game 988—A Dead Man’s Grip 989—Snarled Identities 990—A Deposit Vault Puzzle 991—The Crescent Brotherhood 992—The Stolen Pay Train 993—The Sea Fox 994—Wanted by Two Clients 995—The Van Alstine Case 996—Check No. 777 997—Partners in Peril 998—Nick Carter’s Clever Protégé 999—The Sign of the Crossed Knives 1000—The Man Who Vanished 1001—A Battle for the Right 1002—A Game of Craft 1003—Nick Carter’s Retainer 1004—Caught in the Toils 1005—A Broken Bond 1006—The Crime of the French Café 1007—The Man Who Stole Millions 1008—The Twelve Wise Men 1009—Hidden Foes 1010—A Gamblers’ Syndicate 1011—A Chance Discovery 1012—Among the Counterfeiters 1013—A Threefold Disappearance 1014—At Odds with Scotland Yard 1015—A Princess of Crime 1016—Found on the Beach 1017—A Spinner of Death 1018—The Detective’s Pretty Neighbor 1019—A Bogus Clew 1020—The Puzzle of Five Pistols 1021—The Secret of the Marble Mantel 1022—A Bite of an Apple 1023—A Triple Crime 1024—The Stolen Race Horse 1025—Wildfire 1026—A Herald Personal 1027—The Finger of Suspicion 1028—The Crimson Clew 1029—Nick Carter Down East 1030—The Chain of Clews 1031—A Victim of Circumstances 1032—Brought to Bay 1033—The Dynamite Trap 1034—A Scrap of Black Lace 1035—The Woman of Evil 1036—A Legacy of Hate 1037—A Trusted Rogue 1038—Man Against Man 1039—The Demons of the Night 1040—The Brotherhood of Death 1041—At the Knife’s Point 1042—A Cry for Help 1043—A Stroke of Policy 1044—Hounded to Death 1045—A Bargain in Crime 1046—The Fatal Prescription 1047—The Man of Iron 1048—An Amazing Scoundrel 1049—The Chain of Evidence 1050—Paid with Death 1051—A Fight for a Throne 1052—The Woman of Steel 1053—The Seal of Death 1054—The Human Fiend 1055—A Desperate Chance 1056—A Chase in the Dark 1057—The Snare and the Game 1058—The Murray Hill Mystery 1059—Nick Carter’s Close Call 1060—The Missing Cotton King 1061—A Game of Plots 1062—The Prince of Liars 1063—The Man at the Window 1064—The Red League 1065—The Price of a Secret 1066—The Worst Case on Record 1067—From Peril to Peril 1068—The Seal of Silence 1069—Nick Carter’s Chinese Puzzle 1070—A Blackmailer’s Bluff 1071—Heard in the Dark 1072—A Checkmated Scoundrel 1073—The Cashier’s Secret 1074—Behind a Mask 1075—The Cloak of Guilt 1076—Two Villains in One 1077—The Hot Air Clew 1078—Run to Earth 1079—The Certified Check 1080—Weaving the Web 1081—Beyond Pursuit 1082—The Claws of the Tiger 1083—Driven from Cover 1084—A Deal in Diamonds 1085—The Wizard of the Cue 1086—A Race for Ten Thousand 1087—The Criminal Link 1088—The Red Signal 1089—The Secret Panel 1090—A Bonded Villain 1091—A Move in the Dark 1092—Against Desperate Odds 1093—The Telltale Photographs 1094—The Ruby Pin 1095—The Queen of Diamonds 1096—A Broken Trail 1097—An Ingenious Stratagem 1098—A Sharper’s Downfall 1099—A Race Track Gamble 1100—Without a Clew 1101—The Council of Death 1102—The Hole in the Vault 1103—In Death’s Grip 1104—A Great Conspiracy 1105—The Guilty Governor 1106—A Ring of Rascals 1107—A Masterpiece of Crime 1108—A Blow for Vengeance 1109—Tangled Threads 1110—The Crime of the Camera 1111—The Sign of the Dagger 1112—Nick Carter’s Promise 1113—Marked for Death 1114—The Limited Holdup 1115—When the Trap Was Sprung 1116—Through the Cellar Wall 1117—Under the Tiger’s Claws 1118—The Girl in the Case 1119—Behind a Throne 1120—The Lure of Gold 1121—Hand to Hand 1122—From a Prison Cell 1123—Dr. Quartz, Magician 1124—Into Nick Carter’s Web 1125—The Mystic Diagram 1126—The Hand that Won 1127—Playing a Lone Hand 1128—The Master Villain 1129—The False Claimant 1130—The Living Mask 1131—The Crime and the Motive 1132—A Mysterious Foe 1133—A Missing Man 1134—A Game Well Played 1135—A Cigarette Clew 1136—The Diamond Trail 1137—The Silent Guardian 1138—The Dead Stranger 1140—The Doctor’s Stratagem 1141—Following a Chance Clew 1142—The Bank Draft Puzzle 1143—The Price of Treachery 1144—The Silent Partner 1145—Ahead of the Game 1146—A Trap of Tangled Wire 1147—In the Gloom of Night 1148—The Unaccountable Crook 1149—A Bundle of Clews 1150—The Great Diamond Syndicate 1151—The Death Circle 1152—The Toss of a Penny 1153—One Step Too Far 1154—The Terrible Thirteen 1155—A Detective’s Theory 1156—Nick Carter’s Auto Trail 1157—A Triple Identity 1158—A Mysterious Graft 1159—A Carnival of Crime 1160—The Bloodstone Terror 1161—Trapped in His Own Net 1162—The Last Move in the Game 1163—A Victim of Deceit 1164—With Links of Steel 1165—A Plaything of Fate 1166—The Key Ring Clew 1167—Playing for a Fortune 1168—At Mystery’s Threshold 1169—Trapped by a Woman 1170—The Four Fingered Glove 1171—Nabob and Knave 1172—The Broadway Cross 1173—The Man Without a Conscience 1174—A Master of Deviltry 1175—Nick Carter’s Double Catch 1176—Doctor Quartz’s Quick Move 1177—The Vial of Death 1178—Nick Carter’s Star Pupils 1179—Nick Carter’s Girl Detective 1180—A Baffled Oath 1181—A Royal Thief 1182—Down and Out 1183—A Syndicate of Rascals 1184—Played to a Finish 1185—A Tangled Case 1186—In Letters of Fire 1187—Crossed Wires 1188—A Plot Uncovered 1189—The Cab Driver’s Secret 1190—Nick Carter’s Death Warrant 1191—The Plot that Failed 1192—Nick Carter’s Masterpiece 1193—A Prince of Rogues 1194—In the Lap of Danger 1195—The Man from London 1196—Circumstantial Evidence 1197—The Pretty Stenographer Mystery 1198—A Villainous Scheme 1199—A Plot Within a Plot 1200—The Elevated Railroad Mystery 1201—The Blow of a Hammer 1202—The Twin Mystery 1203—The Bottle with the Black Label 1204—Under False Colors 1205—A Ring of Dust 1206—The Crown Diamond 1207—The Blood-red Badge 1208—The Barrel Mystery 1209—The Photographer’s Evidence 1210—Millions at Stake 1211—The Man and His Price 1212—A Double-Handed Game 1213—A Strike for Freedom 1214—A Disciple of Satan 1215—The Marked Hand 1216—A Fight with a Fiend 1217—When the Wicked Prosper 1218—A Plunge into Crime 1219—An Artful Schemer 1220—Reaping the Whirlwind 1221—Out of Crime’s Depths 1222—A Woman at Bay 1223—The Temple of Vice 1224—Death at the Feast 1225—A Double Plot 1226—In Search of Himself 1227—A Hunter of Men 1228—The Boulevard Mutes 1229—Captain Sparkle, Pirate 1230—Nick Carter’s Fall 1231—Out of Death’s Shadow 1232—A Voice from the Past 1233—Accident or Murder? 1234—The Man Who Was Cursed 1235—Baffled, But Not Beaten 1236—A Case Without a Clew 1237—The Demon’s Eye 1238—A Blindfold Mystery 1239—Nick Carter’s Swim to Victory 1240—A Man to Be Feared 1241—Saved by a Ruse 1242—Nick Carter’s Wildest Chase 1243—A Nation’s Peril 1244—The Rajah’s Ruby 1245—The Trail of a Human Tiger 1246—The Disappearing Princess 1247—The Lost Chittendens 1248—The Crystal Mystery 1249—The King’s Prisoner 1250—Talika, the Geisha Girl 1251—The Doom of the Reds

In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance promptly, on account of delays in transportation.

To be published in January, 1929.

1252—The Lady of Shadows 1253—The Mysterious Castle 1254—The Senator’s Plot

To be published in February, 1929.

1255—A Submarine Trail 1256—A War of Brains

To be published in March, 1929.

1257—Pauline—A Mystery 1258—The Confidence King

To be published in April, 1929.

1259—A Chase for Millions 1260—Shown on the Screen

To be published in May, 1929.

1261—The Streaked Peril 1262—The Room of Mirrors

To be published in June, 1929.

1263—A Plot for an Empire 1264—A Call on the Phone

TALES OF THE ROLLING PLAINS

Great Western Library

By COL. PRENTISS INGRAHAM and W. B. LAWSON

Thrilling Adventure

For many years we have been urged by readers who like Western stories to publish some tales about the adventures of Diamond Dick. Therefore, we decided to have a new series of stories based upon the adventures of this famous Western character, and to put them in a line called GREAT WESTERN LIBRARY, together with stories about Buffalo Bill, by Col. Prentiss Ingraham.

Thus, in this line two of the most famous of all American characters join hands. The so-called society stories with a kick in them come and go, but these clean, wholesome tales of the West give a clean-cut picture of the lives and characters of the men who carried the advance banners of civilization westward.

There are Indian stories, cowboy stories, outlaw stories, all sorts of stories of adventures out West. Each one is clean and decent, even if it is thrilling.

ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT

1—Diamond Dick’s Own Brand By W. B. Lawson 2—Buffalo Bill’s Honor By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 3—Diamond Dick’s Maverick By W. B. Lawson 4—Buffalo Bill’s Phantom Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 5—Diamond Dick’s Man Hunt By W. B. Lawson 6—Buffalo Bill’s Fight with Fire By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 7—Diamond Dick’s Danger Signal By W. B. Lawson 8—Buffalo Bill’s Danite Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 9—Diamond Dick’s Prospect By W. B. Lawson 10—Buffalo Bill’s Ranch Riders By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 11—Diamond Dick and the Gold Bugs By W. B. Lawson 12—Buffalo Bill’s Death Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 13—Diamond Dick at Comet City By W. B. Lawson 14—Buffalo Bill’s Trackers By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 15—Diamond Dick and the Worthless Bonanza By W. B. Lawson 16—Buffalo Bill’s Mid-air Flight By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 17—Diamond Dick’s Black List By W. B. Lawson 18—Buffalo Bill, Ambassador By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 19—Diamond Dick and the Indian Outlaw By W. B. Lawson 20—Buffalo Bill’s Air Voyage By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 21—Diamond Dick and Gentleman Jack By W. B. Lawson 22—Buffalo Bill’s Secret Mission By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 23—Diamond Dick at Secret Pass By W. B. Lawson 24—Buffalo Bill’s Long Trail By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 25—Diamond Dick’s Red Trailer By W. B. Lawson 26—Buffalo Bill Against Odds By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 27—Buffalo Bill’s Bid for Fame By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 28—Buffalo Bill’s Bonanza By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 29—Buffalo Bill’s Swoop By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 30—Buffalo Bill and the Gold King By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 31—Buffalo Bill’s Still Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 32—Buffalo Bill’s Traitor Guide By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 33—Buffalo Bill and the Doomed Dozen By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 34—Buffalo Bill’s Border Duel By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 35—Buffalo Bill’s Triumph By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 36—Buffalo Bill’s Body Guard By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 37—Buffalo Bill’s Prairie Scout By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 38—Buffalo Bill’s Death Call By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 39—Buffalo Bill’s Double Surprise By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 40—Buffalo Bill, the Border King By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 41—Buffalo Bill’s Raid By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 42—Buffalo Bill’s Bravery By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 43—Buffalo Bill’s Trump Card By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 44—Buffalo Bill’s Pledge By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 45—Buffalo Bill’s Vengeance By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 46—Buffalo Bill’s Iron Grip By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 47—Buffalo Bill’s Capture By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 48—Buffalo Bill’s Danger Line By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 49—Buffalo Bill’s Comrades By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 50—Buffalo Bill’s Reckoning By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 51—Buffalo Bill’s Warning By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 52—Buffalo Bill at Bay By Col. Prentiss Ingraham

In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance promptly, on account of delays in transportation.

To be published in January, 1929.

53—Buffalo Bill’s Buckskin Pards By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 54—Buffalo Bill’s Brand By Col. Prentiss Ingraham

To be published in February, 1929.

55—Buffalo Bill’s Hot Chase By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 56—Buffalo Bill’s Redskin Ally By Col. Prentiss Ingraham

To be published in March, 1929.

57—Buffalo Bill’s Treasure Trove By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 58—Buffalo Bill’s Hidden Foes By Col. Prentiss Ingraham

To be published in April, 1929.

59—Buffalo Bill’s Crack Shot By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 60—Buffalo Bill’s Close Call By Col. Prentiss Ingraham

To be published in May, 1929.

61—Buffalo Bill’s Ambush By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 62—Buffalo Bill’s Outlaw Hunt By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 63—Buffalo Bill’s Spy Trailer By Col. Prentiss Ingraham

To be published in June, 1929.

64—Buffalo Bill, Deadshot By Col. Prentiss Ingraham 65—Buffalo Bill’s Buckskin Bravoes By Col. Prentiss Ingraham

Round the World Library

Stories of Jack Harkaway and His Comrades

Every reader, young and old, has heard of Jack Harkaway. His remarkable adventures in out-of-the-way corners of the globe are really classics, and every one should read them.

Jack is a splendid, manly character, full of life and strength and curiosity. He has a number of very interesting companions—Professor Mole, for instance, who is very funny. He also has some very strange enemies, who are anything but funny.

Get interested in Jack. It will pay you.

ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT ────── By BRACEBRIDGE HEMYNG

1—Jack Harkaway’s School Days 2—Jack Harkaway’s Friends 3—Jack Harkaway After School Days 4—Jack Harkaway Afloat and Ashore 5—Jack Harkaway Among the Pirates 6—Jack Harkaway at Oxford 7—Jack Harkaway’s Struggles 8—Jack Harkaway’s Triumphs 9—Jack Harkaway Among the Brigands 10—Jack Harkaway’s Return 11—Jack Harkaway Around the World 12—Jack Harkaway’s Perils 13—Jack Harkaway In China 14—Jack Harkaway and the Red Dragon 15—Jack Harkaway’s Pluck 16—Jack Harkaway in Australia 17—Jack Harkaway and the Bushrangers 18—Jack Harkaway’s Duel 19—Jack Harkaway and the Turks 20—Jack Harkaway in New York 21—Jack Harkaway Out West 22—Jack Harkaway Among the Indians 23—Jack Harkaway’s Cadet Days 24—Jack Harkaway in the Black Hills 25—Jack Harkaway in the Toils 26—Jack Harkaway’s Secret of Wealth 27—Jack Harkaway, Missing 28—Jack Harkaway and the Sacred Serpent 29—The Fool of the Family 30—Mischievous Matt 31—Mischievous Matt’s Pranks 32—Bob Fairplay Adrift 33—Bob Fairplay at Sea 34—The Boys of St. Aldates 35—Billy Barlow 36—Larry O’Keefe 37—Sam Sawbones 38—Too Fast to Last 39—Home Base 40—Spider and Stump 41—Out for Fun 42—Rob Rollalong, Sailor 43—Rob Rollalong in the Wilds

──────

44—Phil, the Showman By Stanley Norris 45—Phil’s Rivals By Stanley Norris 46—Phil’s Pluck By Stanley Norris 47—Phil’s Triumph By Stanley Norris 48—From Circus to Fortune By Stanley Norris 49—A Gentleman Born By Stanley Norris 50—For His Friend’s Honor By Stanley Norris 51—True to His Trust By Stanley Norris 52—Facing the Music By Stanley Norris 53—Jungles and Traitors By William Murray Graydon 54—The Rockspur Eleven By Burt L. Standish 55—Treasure Island By Robert Louis Stevenson 56—In Fort and Prison By William Murray Graydon 57—The Rockspur Rivals By Burt L. Standish 58—George Arnold’s Pluck By John De Morgan 59—The Golden Harpoon By Weldon J. Cobb 60—The Rockspur Nine By Burt L. Standish 61—Always on Duty By John De Morgan 62—On the Wing By Weldon J. Cobb 63—Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea By Jules Verne 64—A Legacy of Peril By William Murray Graydon 65—Lost in the Ice By John De Morgan 66—The Young Railroader By Stanley Norris 67—The Tour of the Zero Club By Capt. Ralph Bonehill 68—The Young Railroader’s Flyer By Stanley Norris 69—The Silent City By Fred Thorpe 74—The Young Railroader’s Long Run By Stanley Norris 75—The Treasure of Star Island By Weldon J. Cobb 76—The Young Railroader’s Comrade By Stanley Norris 77—In Unknown Worlds By John De Morgan 78—The Young Railroader’s Promotion By Stanley Norris 79—A Trip to Mars By Weldon J. Cobb 80—The Young Railroader’s Chance By Stanley Norris 81—Rob Ranger’s Mine By Lieut. Lounsberry 82—Zip, the Acrobat By Victor St. Clair 83—Rob Ranger’s Cowboy Days By Lieut. Lounsberry 84—On His Merit By Victor St. Clair 85—Out For Sport By Wallace Kincaid 86—Where Duty Called By Victor St. Clair 87—Engineer Ralph By Frank H. MacDougal 88—Fortune’s Winding Trail By Roy Franklin 89—The Boy Conjurer By Victor St. Clair 90—The Go-Ahead Boys’ Legacy By Gale Richards 91—With Odds Against Him By Weldon J. Cobb 92—Sunset Ranch By Stanley Norris 93—Chums of the Prairie By Stanley Norris 94—The Young Range Riders By Stanley Norris 95—Jack Lightfoot, the Athlete By Maxwell Stevens 96—Jack Lightfoot’s Crack Nine By Maxwell Stevens 97—Jack Lightfoot Trapped By Maxwell Stevens 98—Jack Lightfoot’s Rival By Maxwell Stevens 99—Jack Lightfoot in Camp By Maxwell Stevens 100—Jack Lightfoot’s Canoe Trip By Maxwell Stevens 101—Jack Lightfoot’s Iron Arm By Maxwell Stevens 102—Jack Lightfoot’s Hoodoo By Maxwell Stevens 103—Jack Lightfoot’s Decision By Maxwell Stevens 104—Jack Lightfoot’s Gun Club By Maxwell Stevens 105—Jack Lightfoot’s Blind By Maxwell Stevens

In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance promptly, on account of delays in transportation.

To be published in January, 1929.

106—Jack Lightfoot’s Capture By Maxwell Stevens 107—Jack Lightfoot’s Head Work By Maxwell Stevens

To be published in February, 1929.

108—Jack Lightfoot’s Wisdom By Maxwell Stevens 109—The Pride of Annapolis By Com. Luther G. Brownell

To be published in March, 1929.

110—The Haunted Hunter By Edward S. Ellis 111—An Annapolis Adventure By Com. Luther G. Brownell

To be published in April, 1929.

112—The Two Scouts By Edward S. Ellis 113—An Annapolis Hero By Com. Luther G. Brownell

To be published in May, 1929.

114—Among the Redskins By Edward S. Ellis 115—Making Good in the Navy By Com. Luther G. Brownell

To be published in June, 1929.

116—Tracked Through the Wilds By Edward S. Ellis 117—A Dash for Glory By Com. Luther G. Brownell

Nick Carter Still Lives!

For many years the stories of the adventures of Nicholas Carter, the great American detective, have been favorites with busy men in all walks of life. The reason is not hard to find. They afford splendid relaxation and complete entertainment.

Some of the Nick Carter stories are among the greatest detective stories ever written and will remain so, as long as the English language is read.

Look over the list of these titles in the NEW MAGNET LIBRARY and buy yourself a real treat.

● Transcriber’s Notes: ○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. ○ Typographical errors were silently corrected. ○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only when a predominant form was found in this book. ○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).