Frank Merriwell at Yale | Page 8

honor!"
"Yes, my word of honor," he calmly returned. "See--look at my clothes.
You can tell that I have been through the mill."
"You may have had them fixed that way on purpose to fool me."
"Oh, you must know better than that! Be reasonable, Diamond."
The Virginian made a savage gesture.
"If you are so pleased to be made a laughingstock of it's nothing to me,"
he flashed. "Keep still if you want to. I'm going to tell all I know."
"That would make a very large book--full of nice clean, blank pages,"
said some one in the background.
Frank's manner suddenly changed.
"Look here, Diamond," he said, "you won't tell a thing."

The Southerner caught his breath and his eyes stared.
"Eh?" he muttered, surprised at the other's manner. "I won't?"
"Not on your life."
"Why not?"
"Because it will mean expulsion for you as well as myself if you do."
Every one was listening. They gathered about the two freshmen,
wondering not a little at Merriwell's words and manner.
"Expulsion for me?" slowly repeated Diamond. "How is that?"
"It's straight goods."
"Explain it."
"Well, I will. We came here to fight a duel, didn't we?"
"Yes, sir."
"You admit that?"
"I do, sir."
"That is all that's needed."
"How? Why? I don't understand."
"Duels are not countenanced in the North, and nothing would cause a
fellow to be fired from Yale quicker than the knowledge that he had
had anything to do with one while here. Do you twig?"
There was a moment of silence and then a stir. A deep sigh of relief
came from the masked lads, and some of them showed an inclination to
cheer Merriwell.

Diamond seemed nonplused for the moment. He glared at Frank, his
hands clinched and his face pale.
At last he slowly said:
"A duel is something no gentleman can blow about, so if you are a
gentleman you will have to remain silent, sir."
"That's the way you Southerners look at it, but yon will excuse us
Northerners if we do not see it in the same light. A hazing is something
we do not blow about, but you seem determined to let out everything,
for all that it would be a dirty thing to do. In order to even the matter,
these fellows are sure to tell that you came here to fight a duel with
deadly weapons, and you'll find yourself rusticating in Virginia
directly."
"'Way down in ole Virginny," softly warbled one of the delighted
sophomores. "That's the stuff, Merry, old boy!"
Diamond trembled with intense anger. He tried to speak, but his voice
was so hoarse that his words were unintelligible. A blue line seemed to
form around his mouth.
"Merriwell's got him!" Bruce Brown lazily whispered in Tad Horner's
ear. "See him squirm!"
Tad was relieved, although he endeavored not to show it; but a satisfied
smile crept over his rosy face, and he felt like giving Frank Merriwell
the "glad hand."
Diamond's anger got the best of him. He strode forward, looked straight
into Frank's eyes, and panted:
"I hate you, sir! I could kill you!"
And then, before he realized what he was doing, he struck Merriwell a
sharp blow on the cheek with his open hand.

CHAPTER IV.
THE FIGHT.
The blow staggered Frank. It had come so suddenly that he was quite
unprepared for it. His face became suddenly pale, save where
Diamond's hand had struck, and there the crimson prints of four fingers
came out quickly, like a danger signal.
With the utmost deliberation Merriwell removed his coat.
"Come, sir!" he said to Diamond as he passed coat and hat to a ready
sophomore.
"I--I can't fight you that way!" protested the Virginian. "Bring the
rapiers."
"This time I claim the right to name the weapons, and they will be bare
fists."
"Right! right!" cried several voices. "You'll have to fight him that way,
Diamond."
"I will fight him!" grated Jack, furiously. "It is the prize fighter's way,
but I'll fight him, and I will lick him!"
He tore off his coat and flung it down. The boys quickly formed a ring,
and the freshmen foes faced each other.
Then the door of the room where the other freshmen were confined was
thrust open, and Harry Rattleton excitedly cried:
"Whee jiz--I mean jee whiz! what do you fellows think? Do you
imagine we are going to stay penned in here while there is a scrap
going on? Well, I guess not! We're coming out!"
Harry came with a rush, and the other freshmen followed at his heels,
the party having been abandoned by the sophs who had been placed on

guard over them.
"Hold on! hold on!" commanded Harry, forcing his way toward the
fighters. "I am Merriwell's second, and I'm going