Frank Merriwell's First Job; Or, At the Foot of the Ladder

“I can forgive all my enemies but one, and that is Frank Merriwell. I have stayed near him as long as I can, but I can’t leave Nellie, so I take her with me. “OLD JOE.”

The old engineer fell into a sleep or a stupor in a short time, and little Nell, exhausted, was taken to the bed in Frank’s room. Merry carried her in his arms.

“Well done, boy!” cried Hobson, as he swung into the cab. “No man could have done better. But I’ll get it in the neck for being away from the engine. I’ll have to lie about it.”

It was a sad homeward journey for Frank Merriwell. After his trip into Maine he had not found time to visit his home before returning to college. In fact, he had seen very littl...

It happened that Frank had not eaten, having started in to study upon a certain part of an engine immediately after reaching his room and taken a sponge bath and changed his clo...

Toward evening Frank walked out to the village cemetery that lay on the hillside. The sun was letting fall its slanting rays on the marble shafts and white tombstones. Below the...

That afternoon Frank had a chance to help a machinist who was making some repairs on an engine. The work was difficult to reach, and the machinist kept Frank to pass him his too...

That night, as Frank was reading in his room by the light of a kerosene lamp, he heard voices from a room adjoining. There seemed something familiar in the sound, and he laid do...

Frank ran the engine out all right, although it startled him somewhat to feel her go the instant he touched the throttle. He knew how she ought to be handled, but found it rathe...

When he entered the professor’s chamber, the sick man lay with his face turned toward the door. Near the bed a lamp burned faintly, although the pale light of morning sifted in...

Frank returned to the old mansion, which seemed so lonely and deserted now. From room to room he strayed, and the memories that hung about the old place crowded thick upon him.

Like wildfire spread the report that Frank Merriwell was going to leave college. In an hour it seemed that all Yale knew it. There was consternation in the dormitories and on th...

Frank had been taken by surprise at the sudden movement of the infuriated engineer. He had not thought Hicks would dare attack him in such a manner, and thus he was thrown down...

No. 33 was being run by a spare man, who appeared as the time approached for her to go out. The fireman was on hand in advance, and had steam up.

Engine wipers are severe critics of engineers. They know whose engine is always in first-class order, wedges never down, nuts and bolts in place and tight, and other things as t...

The following morning Frank Merriwell appeared at the roundhouse in overalls and jumper, ready for work. His working clothes were new and clean, in contrast to the clothes of th...

To Frank it seemed that never before had he felt so strong and able. He was perfectly confident that he could clean out the entire crowd of half-intoxicated young bloods, and he...

Then he descended the stairs. At the bottom a dark figure was lying. Frank lighted a match, and saw old Joe curled there, with his head doubled under him, as if his neck were br...

All through the weary night Frank watched at the bedside of the professor, scarcely closing his eyes to sleep for a moment. When the gray light of morning came the sick man lay...

Frank and Jack slept on the bed of the latter. It was necessary for Merry to rise early and get away, but little Jack was up ahead of him, and had breakfast ready when the hour...

Frank went home with a heavy heart, for he saw the black shadow of coming trouble hanging over Jack and Nellie. He was resolved to protect them to the best of his ability, but h...

The conductor was astounded. He stared at the tied and bleeding engineer, and then at Merry, who was at the throttle. Then he clambered down over the coal in the tender, crying:

“Just what I say,” retorted the other, standing over Frank and returning the glare with interest. “This fellow’s all right. He’s got nerve and sand. I’m not goin’ to stand here...

The dazed and astounded wiper was sitting up. He looked at the youth in bewilderment. The visitor was calmly removing the tobacco from his shirt with a dainty white handkerchief.

Frank made a sudden leap and placed his back against the wall, while his eyes flashed the defiance and warning his lips could not utter. It was plain enough that he meant to def...

Frank walked slowly through the village and along the road that led toward what had been his home. As he approached he dreaded the meeting with the professor, and he let his ste...

Two nights after the events just related, Frank had taken his evening walk and was returning to the old place, which he was leaving forever on the morrow, as it was already sold...

“Oh, jose your claw--I mean close your jaw!” panted Harry Rattleton, as he ducked and escaped a left-hand swing from Frank Merriwell, with whom he was boxing in the room of the...

“Yes. It was scandalous. He was nearly killed by a gang of masked ruffians who carried him off into the woods somewhere, stripped him, tied him to a tree and lashed him with wit...

So old Joe took the train through, after all, and he ran the engine right. It made a remarkable difference in Frank’s work, as Merry quickly found out. It was not necessary to b...

The greasy man in greasy overalls and jumper straightened up from his position partly beneath the engine he had been wiping, and glared contemptuously at the smooth-faced, clean...

“I’m glad for ye, boy, but the gang is mighty sore, and ye’ll have your troubles. They don’t like to have a man push in over them the way you have done.”

A shout went up. For the first time since his entrance into the roundhouse Old Slugs was whipped. He had browbeaten and bullied everybody except the foreman, and now this clean,...

“Av old Joe wur not a foine ingineer, he’d not hold his job a day, fer there do be times whin he st’ames op wid phwhisky, an’ they have to put a marn in his place. Anybody ilse...

“Well, a man gets queer notions in his head sometimes, and when I saw the face of that gal I was hit by a queer one. I tried to talk with her, but she got skeered. I want to kno...

Often when short of firemen the yard engineers would take one of the wipers, but it did not seem possible to Frank that he had been selected for such work.