CHAPTER XVII

FORCING HIS ENEMY’S HAND.

Frank Merriwell took his way thoughtfully toward the rooms of Dade Morgan, whither Dade had gone but a moment before. Dion Santenel lay in prison, having been committed to jail that afternoon.

When Frank rapped on the door of Morgan’s room, the freshman calmly invited him to come in. He was sitting on his trunk, with various articles scattered about in confusion. Appearances indicated that he had contemplated a hasty flight from New Haven.

“Not going to leave us?” Frank asked, dropping into the chair to which Morgan pointed.

“No! What made you think so?”

“This array, or, rather, disarray.”

“Merely getting some things together for the laundry.”

He smiled in his pleasant way and really was so cool that Frank could not help admiring him.

“I think I’ll close the door,” said Frank, stepping over and shutting it. “I came up for a little talk.”

Dade did not get off the trunk.

“It is a bit cool in here. I ought to have done that myself. You’ll pardon me.”

“Perhaps you can guess what I want to say?”

“I suppose it’s something about that polo-game. I’m free to admit that I wanted the other fellows to beat, Merriwell, chiefly because I don’t like certain members of your team. I hope the fact that I bet on the other team doesn’t stick in your crop?”

“No; I didn’t intend to talk of the polo-game. As for that rascally goal-tend who struck Dick Starbright on the head and laid him out, the law will take care of him. Of course, you had nothing to do with that?”

Dade flushed.

“It’s an insult to insinuate such a thing, Merriwell!”

“I beg your pardon, then, if I am wrong. I have no means of knowing; but I’m fully aware of the fact that you don’t like Starbright—and you would do such a thing!”

Dade lowered his eyelids and turned over a pair of golf-stockings which lay on the trunk-lid beside him. He feared what was coming and shrank from it.

“I didn’t come up here for polite talk, Morgan,” Frank went remorselessly on. “We’re alone here?”

“Quite alone.”

He had thrown down the stockings and now turned squarely toward Frank.

“You know that Hector King is in prison!”

Dade paled and perceptibly weakened.

“I don’t know the man. I heard that you had sent somebody to jail this afternoon, but I thought it was another name.”

“We want to be quite plain, Morgan. A man was jailed here to-day. He is your friend, Hector King, alias Dion Santenel, alias a dozen other things probably. What you and he have plotted against me and my father I don’t know; but I know of some things—enough to send him ‘up,’ I am sure. As I said, I will be quite frank with you. It is my way. I can’t prove it, but I am sure that all that skyrockety betting, on money which I believe you furnished, was done to get me and my polo-team out of New Haven to-day. I can’t prove it, and may not be able to prove it, unless Santenel makes a confession that you did that to give him opportunity to work his plans against my father.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Dade protested.

“I can’t prove those things, but I think I have collected enough evidence of various kinds against you to convince the faculty that you are not a proper person to be a student in Yale. Perhaps I can’t put you in jail, but I can send you headlong out of college.”

Dade whitened still more.

“And that is what you intend to do?” he demanded, almost fiercely.

“I don’t know. I have as yet reached no conclusion. But I am here now to ask you to tell me why you have struck at me? I see that there is a connection between you and Hector King, alias Santenel. When you entered Yale, at the beginning of this year, you had not, so far as I know, ever seen me before. At once you became my bitterest enemy. These things are not done without reason. You had some powerful reason.”

“I——”

Merriwell cut short the protest.

“You told me once, you will remember, that you were my enemy. I did not ask why, at the time. I can see why enmity might grow up between you and such a man as Starbright—might grow up, I say. Yours against me did not grow up; it was full grown at the start, and without apparent reason. As to whether or not I use the proofs against you which I have, and force your expulsion from Yale, depends in a great measure on your answer to my question: Why are you my enemy?”

Dade Morgan sat still, but waited a moment before replying.

“If I tell you, Merriwell, you will not believe me!”

“If you tell me the truth, I will believe you. When I hear your story I shall know whether it is the truth or not. You won’t be able to deceive me in the matter.”

“Why, you have a multitude of enemies in Yale!” Dade evaded.

“But not one who was my enemy before he knew me or saw me; not one who came to the college and was my deadly enemy with no seeming cause whatever. It has not been jealousy on your part, for there can be no real ground for jealousy between a senior and a freshman. Most of my enemies dislike me merely because of jealousy. It hasn’t been so with you.”

Again Morgan began to evade and shuffle. Frank took his watch from his pocket and consulted it.

“I’ve a good many things to attend to this evening. I have asked my question. Suit yourself about answering it. I will not say that any answer you can give will keep me from putting my proofs in the hands of the faculty. Perhaps it will. I haven’t yet made up my mind.”

“There isn’t much to tell, but if I tell you all, will you keep mum?”

“I haven’t any promises to make. I hoped that you would be able to say something in defense of yourself which would incline me to let the matter drop. Your sins have been largely against me, Morgan. In other respects you have been a capable, even an admirable college man. You have, I’m told, made good progress in your classes. You have, for a freshman, won wonderful distinction in the field of athletics. You have gathered round you many friends—not of a class I admire—yet a numerous following. You are recognized as a freshman leader. This shows that you have uncommon abilities. If you should use your undoubted abilities in a proper way, a great future may lie before you. It might be a great wrong for me to set anything in your pathway. I have asked you a question. You may be able to show that you are not so black as appearances indicate!”

Morgan saw that “confession and avoidance,” as the lawyers phrase it, was the only safe course left open to him.

“Well, it isn’t much, Merriwell,” he said, assuming a show of frankness.

“Whatever it is?” Frank invited.

“I did come to Yale as your enemy—your enemy before I ever saw you! That sounds strange and even mysterious, but you’ll see that there is no mystery about it; for the man you have put in prison is my uncle!”

Frank showed his surprise.

“I thought you were in his pay!” he admitted.

“Not in his pay. If I disliked and even hated you, he taught me to. He taught me, schooled me to hate you and your father—your father far worse than you. For, as perhaps you know, your father pursued my uncle nearly over the world, trying to ruin him or kill him. When he made a fortune in New York, speculating, your father took it from him by counter-speculations which were aimed solely at him. He lost the Ragged Queen Mine, and your father has taken an immense fortune out of it. But for your father he would to-day be a wealthy man, and I, as his only heir, would be the heir to a splendid fortune. As it is, he has but a beggarly pittance. He has been forced to save and scrimp in many ways to get money. He borrowed the money with which he sent me here to Yale, and I am now living on money which he furnishes me. He has been able at times to get hold of and make use of considerable sums, but mostly by borrowing. If the truth were known and payment forced, he would to-day be a pauper.”

Frank could see that Dade was telling the truth in the main. He believed that the story contained exaggerations, and some concealments, but he saw that its thread was true.

“That makes a good many things plain that were quite dark to me before,” Frank admitted.

Dade was quick to catch at the hope thus held out.

“If our positions had been reversed, Merriwell, I think you would have been as bitter against me as I have been against you. It isn’t pleasant to feel that money and fortune which rightfully are mine are in the possession of some one else.”

“That will do, Morgan. I haven’t said that I accept your story without reservation, and you will not be able to win me to your way of thinking by slandering my father. I know the history of that case much better than you do.”

“No offense intended,” Morgan urged. “I have given you the story as it was told to me. It explains why Mr. Santenel is so bitter against you, and why I have done the things that you complain of. But I have never struck at you criminally.”

Dade’s face was firm as he made the claim, even though it was under Frank’s searching glance.

“You look as if you don’t believe that, Merriwell; but it is true, every word of it. I have tried to injure you, I will admit, but in legitimate ways.”

“Are there any legitimate ways of injuring a man?”

“Well, you understand what I mean! I tried to organize Yale sentiment against you. You were flying pretty high when I came here, and I thought to take you down.”

The smile had come back to his face, and with it an air of almost defiant courage.

“And failed!” said Frank.

“Well, yes; I suppose I shall have to admit that I didn’t accomplish just the things I intended.”

“Perhaps you think that the things you attempted against me were allowable; but the faculty will not think so, if I go before them with the proofs.”

Dade wavered again.

“I hope you won’t do that.”

“It will depend on you somewhat. I understand the situation now, even though I don’t accept everything you have said as absolute truth. I will say quite frankly that the villain back of you is a greater villain than you are. He has reached the end of his rope. Perhaps his fall will serve as a lesson.”

“You’re too hard on me!” Morgan insisted. “I have failed in my efforts against you. Santenel has even charged me with being your friend and playing into your hands. Well, there are things about you, Merriwell, that I like, that any one must like! I’m willing to call it a truce, if you say so?”

Merriwell arose to go.

“As I said at the first, I haven’t much time to spare. If you understand your own interest, there will be a truce on your part. As for myself, I have never done anything to injure you. What I may do hereafter will depend on you.”

Dade Morgan scowled at the door after Merriwell’s departure.

“It’s a good thing that he’s squeamish. If he had the disposition of some men, he would kick me out of Yale without a word.”