Frank Merriwells Cruise

Frank Merriwell's Cruise, by
Burt L. Standish

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Title: Frank Merriwell's Cruise
Author: Burt L. Standish
Release Date: August 8, 2007 [EBook #22265]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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FRANK MERRIWELL'S CRUISE
BY BURT L. STANDISH

AUTHOR OF "Frank Merriwell's Schooldays," "Frank Merriwell's
Chums," "Frank Merriwell's Foes," "Frank Merriwell's Trip West," etc.
PHILADELPHIA DAVID McKAY, PUBLISHER 604-8 SOUTH
WASHINGTON SQUARE
Copyright, 1898 By STREET & SMITH Frank Merriwell's Cruise

FRANK MERRIWELL'S CRUISE.
CHAPTER I.
THE MEETING IN BOSTON.
"MR. JOHN DIAMOND, Lexington, Pa.: If you wish cruise in down
East waters, join me Monday next at American Hotel, Boston. Have
purchased yacht. Hodge and Browning will be in party. Great sport
anticipated.
"MERRIWELL."
Jack Diamond was reclining in a hammock suspended in the shade of
an artificial arbor when this message from Frank Merriwell was handed
to him by a boy. He tore open the envelope and read it, his eyes
beginning to sparkle and a flush coming to his handsome, aristocratic
face.
"Just like him!" exclaimed Jack. "Before leaving Fardale he aroused
our curiosity about that part of the country, and now he proposes taking
us down there in his own yacht. Will I go? Will I? I wouldn't miss it for
the world!"
It had not taken him a minute to decide.
* * * * *
A cab rattled up to the front of the American Hotel, on Hanover Street,

Boston, and stopped. The door flew open, and out stepped a smartly
dressed young man, wearing russet shoes, a light-colored box coat and
a brown Alpine hat. He carried a handsome alligator-skin traveling bag
in his hand.
Paying cabbie without speaking a word, this youth turned and walked
into the hotel. As he entered, a colored boy hastened forward and
relieved him of his traveling bag. He stepped up to the clerk's desk and
said:
"I am Jack Diamond, of Virginia, and I wish to see Mr. Frank
Merriwell, who is stopping here."
"Yes, sir," said the clerk, politely. "Mr. Merriwell left orders that you
be shown up immediately on your arrival. Twenty-three, show Mr.
Diamond to Mr. Merriwell's rooms."
"Right this way, sah," said the colored boy.
Jack followed the uniformed bell boy, who paused at the elevator shaft
and pressed a button. In a moment the elevator came gliding noiselessly
down, the door slid open, a lady and a gentleman stepped out and
Diamond stepped in.
"Third," said the bell boy, and then he turned and disappeared, while
the elevator man closed the door and sent the car gliding upward. He
stopped at the third floor, and, to Jack's surprise, the bell boy with the
grip was there, calmly awaiting his arrival.
Jack followed him to the door of a room at the front of the house. As
the boy lifted his hand to knock at the door, there was a burst of
laughter within, plainly heard, as the transom was open, and Frank
Merriwell's voice cried:
"Hans, if you could tell that story on the stage just as you told it then
you would make your fortune."
"Vot vos der madder mit me?" exclaimed the voice of Hans

Dunnerwust, Frank's German friend. "Dot nefer vos a funny stories!
You don'd seen vot I larft ad! Dot peen a bathetic sdory. I oxbected you
vould took mein handkersheft oudt und cried id indo, but you sed
roundt und laugh ad dot bathetic sdory like I vos a lot of monkeys. You
don't like dot as vell as I might!"
Then there was another burst of laughter, and the knock of the bell boy
was not heard.
"Never mind," said Diamond, taking his traveling bag and giving the
boy a dime; "I'll go right in."
He opened the door and stepped into the room.
Hodge, Browning, Merriwell and Dunnerwust were there. Bart was
tilted back in a chair, with his feet on the table, while lazy Bruce was
half sitting and half reclining on a sofa. Frank sat astride a chair,
looking over the back of it at Hans, who had stood in the middle of the
room as he told his "bathetic sdory."
"Hello, fellows!" cried the lad from Virginia, heartily.
There was a shout of welcome. Frank sprang forward quickly and
grasped Diamond's hand.
"Delighted, old man!" laughed Merry. "I was afraid you wouldn't come
till I