Rattleton

“ The latter immediately closed the door, turned the key, and stood with his back to it.
"We'll settle this thing in a hurry," continued Rattleton, shaking the charred paper aloft; "this is a part of Babbitt's examination paper."
"Well, what of it?" asked Ford, angrily; "why shouldn't a man burn up a piece of paper that he's got no further use for?"
"Because you left the paper you've been at work on with your answers in the examination room!" retorted Rattleton, "and this is an extra sheet. It shows what became of the two sheets that Babbitt missed." ”

“ Rattleton, we have a right to be proud of our country, and we would be blooming chumps if we weren’t. It is the greatest and grandest country the sun ever shone upon, and a fellow fully realizes it after he has been abroad and traveled around over Europe, Asia and Africa. I’ve been sight-seeing in those lands, my boy, and I know whereof I speak.”
“You are thoroughly American, anyway, Frank.” ”

“ Rattleton gave a still more dismal groan.
"You are conspiring with the elements to hasten my death!" he said. "I can't stand many more like that."
"You should wear a sheet of writing paper across your breast, same as I do," said Diamond. "Then you won't be sick."
"I've got two sheets of writing paper across mine," declared Harry.
"You should drink a bottle of ginger ale to settle your stomach," put in Frank.
"Just drank three bottles of ginger ale, and they've turned my stomach wrong side out," gurgled the sick youth. ”

“ Flynn has my horse, hang him, and somehow I've still got his bill."
"There is no doubt about it, Rattleton," said the other; "you will be renowned as a philosopher some day. You keep discovering great truths all the time."
"Are you going to the game?" asked Rattleton, turning the subject.
"That would be a useless question to ask most men," said Varnum; "it is equally useless to ask me. Of course I am not."
"Not?" exclaimed Jack. "Nonsense! You're not going to stay all by yourself here in Cambridge? Come now, old grind, do take a day off."
"No," said Varnum, a little sadly, shaking his head ”

“ With cries of amazement the alarmed sophomores broke and scattered before the oncoming freshmen.
Crash!
The timber struck the gate, bursting it open instantly, and the triumphant freshmen swarmed into the park, cheering wildly.
"Hurrah for 'Umpty-eight!" yelled Bandy Robinson, turning a handspring. "We are the boys to do 'em!"
"Hurrah for Frank Merriwell!" shouted Harry Rattleton, his face beaming with joy. "It was his scheme that did it."
"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!" roared the freshmen. "'Rah! 'rah! 'rah!" ”

“ Frank had forced those who would have regarded him with scorn to respect him. He could play baseball or football with the best of them; he could run, jump, swim, ride, and he excelled by sheer determination in almost everything he undertook. He would not be beaten. If defeated once, he did not rest, but prepared himself for another trial and went in to win or die. In this way he showed himself manly, and he commanded the respect of enemies as well as friends.
Rattleton was ashamed of the language he had used after the departure of Bloodgood, and he did not attempt to excuse himself further. ”

“ Rattleton, on the other hand, although he could crack jokes and keep a party shouting with laughter, did not seem to have much success with the opposite sex. They all pronounced him a splendid fellow, but it was seldom one cared to take a stroll with him or swing with him in a hammock on the hotel veranda of a moonlight evening.
Frank and Jack often were seen taking the path that led over to the little hollow in which stood the home of Capt. Barnaby.
Elsie Bellwood was there, and no other girl could make an impression on Merriwell, although not a few of them tried. ”

“ I have had no way of finding out what they were doing."
"But some sneak has!" cried Rattleton, fiercely, "and he's been and blowed all he found out!"
"Unless somebody on the crew has done the blowing," suggested Roll, exhaling a great puff of smoke. "That is barely possible, you understand."
"Possible! No!" cried Frank. "There's not a man on the crew who would do such a thing!"
"Oh, well, I suppose you know. But I understand there are two who are kept in form as substitutes. One of them thinks he should be on the crew. He is rather jealous of somebody who fills his place. ”

“ There was a splash as the body of the helpless proctor fell back into the river!
Frank started to scramble up, but some one caught hold of him and dragged him back in an effort to rise first.
“Let go!” he grated. “The proctor is in the river, and he will drown if some one does not pull him out in a hurry!”
“Right!” came from Rattleton. “Oh, murder! what an awful scrape! What if Rudge should drown?”
“We would be murderers!” quavered Griswold.
“Those fellows are coming!” sibilated Diamond, as he got upon his feet. “Jove, fellows, they are police! We are pinched if we do not run for it!” ”

“ He'd be a drawback to the game, or I'm much mistaken."
"It strikes me that he'd be easy fruit," said Rattleton.
"He looks like a 'sucker' himself, but sometimes it is impossible to tell about a man till after you see him play. Anyhow, these two visits were something to break the monotony of the voyage. It promised to be pretty lively at the start, but it has settled down to be rather quiet."
Bloodgood and Slush proved good food for conversation, but the boys tired of that after a while. ”

“ Rattleton’s presumed election in favour of Miss Julia Heartwell.
The first widow to whom we paid our respects was Mrs. Brownstout; the relict of a field officer who had fallen a victim to jungle fever several years before, and who was residing in great respectability on her pension at Barrackpore, as many other widows did and do. She had lived for some time in England after her husband’s death, but quitted it after a time in disgust, finding both climate and people too cold to suit the warmth of an Indian temperament ”

“ And now the shouting for 'Umpty-eight was heard on every side. The sophs were encouraging their men to hold the advantage to the finish, but still the freshmen were gaining.
The nose of the freshman boat crept alongside the sophs, whose faces wore a do-or-die look. The suspense was awful, the excitement was intense:
Then Rattleton was heard talking:
"Well, this is the greatest snap we ever struck! I wonder how the sophs like the Oxford stroke? Oh, my! what guys we are making of them! It don't make a dit of bifference how hard they pull, they're not in the race at all. ”

“ I'll have no Welsh rarebit made in that room unless we draw lots and I get stuck. The room would smell of cheese and stale beer for twenty-four hours."
"Let's land on Rattleton then. We'll teach him to lie."
Feeling in a luxurious mood they scorned the cars, and chartered a herdic, four men getting inside and three on the roof. For those readers who know not the herdic, I will explain that it is a sort of tiny omnibus in which four thin people can sit uncomfortably. It usually has two wheels and never more than one horse—sometimes not quite as much. ”

“ Poor sophs! Why don't they get out and walk? They could get along faster."
That seemed to break the sophs up, and then a great shout went up as the freshman boat forged into the lead. They soon led the sophs by a length, and crossed the line thirty feet in advance.
Then Rattleton keeled over, completely done up, but supremely happy.
How the freshmen spectators did cheer!
"'Umpty-eight! 'Umpty-eight! Whoop 'er up! 'Rah! 'rah!' rah!"
It was another great victory for the freshmen—and Frank Merriwell, and that night a great bonfire blazed on the campus and the students made merry. ”

“ With assistance, Frank marshaled the freshmen, reserving a place in the first line for himself. While that might be considered a position of honor, it was the most dangerous, and every fellow there knew this rush was to be no baby play.
For companions Merriwell selected Dismal Jones, Jack Diamond, Puss Parker and a big, broad-shouldered fellow by the name of Hovey.
Rattleton and Robinson, together with a dozen others, were appointed as "scouts." It was their duty to "hook" out men from the ranks of the sophs and break the force of the enemy's rush as far as possible. ”

“ Merry flung open the door.
"Good-day, sir."
Bloodgood stepped out, turned round, laughed, and then walked away.
"Hang it, Merriwell!" grated Diamond, as Frank closed the door; "why didn't you let me kick him out onto his neck!"
CHAPTER IV. WHO IS BLOODGOOD?
Diamond was thoroughly angry. So was Rattleton. In his excitement, Harry said something that caused Frank to turn quickly, and observe:
"Don't use that kind of language, old man, no matter what the provocation. Vulgarity is even lower than profanity." ”

“ I shall9 have no pull; but in its place I hope to use considerable push. If I do not land on top in time it will not be my fault.”
“You’ve been struck with one of your serious spells, that’s what’s the matter with you!” cried Rattleton. “Don’t get worried. You’ve had lots of sport this summer. Wish I might have taken that trip into Maine. Next summer——”
“Who can tell what next summer may bring?” said Frank, in a manner that added to the astonishment of his friends. “Before that time some great change may alter all our plans.”
There was a rap on the door.
“Come,” called Frank. ”

“ He told me that, and he said I was his good angel.”
“Hang it, Merry!” spluttered Rattleton; “you’ve been a good angel for lots of us. It seems that every fellow who sticks by you gets on better than he ever did before.”
“I’m a mascot,” laughed Frank. “Follow me and you’ll wear diamonds—or something else.”
“There’s no doubt about it,” grunted Browning. “We’ll be arrested if we don’t. Can’t go naked in this country.”
“Yah!” cried Toots. “Don’ yo’ try so hard to say somefin’ funny, Mistah Brownin’, fo’ dat is where yo’ meks a mistook, sar. ”

“ His voice came to her through the still air, and the frown relaxed somewhat—Hugh Ralton's voice was a very pleasant one. "I'd no idea there was anyone about."
With his cap in his hand he came up to her.
"Do you generally play a course of your own?" she demanded. "Most of us find the proper one good enough."
Ralton laughed, displaying two rows of white even teeth. "I abase myself," he murmured. "The shot that caused me such a heart spasm, and missed you by——"
"About the distance of a putt you'd have to give even to your most hated rival," interrupted the girl. ”

“ Ralton carefully teed up his ball, and with a full clean swing drove it over the sandy hummock in front of him.
"Depends how you look at it, doesn't it?" he answered, shouldering his clubs, and stuffing an empty pipe into his mouth. "We've beaten the swine."
"I suppose that's the only thing that matters to a man," she returned.
"It's the only thing that matters to you." Ralton inspected the lie of his ball carefully, and then looked at his clubs. "I think I ought to get up with a heavy niblick," he remarked, thoughtfully. ”

“ Mr. Ratcliffe's, like one of those delicious pieces of scenery, touched by the pencil of Rysdael or Hobbima, exhibited to the beholder's eye a spot equally interesting, but less varied and extensive. The sweeping foliage and rich pasture of the former could not, perhaps, afford greater gratification than did the thatched cottage, abrupt declivities, and gushing streams of the latter. To change the metaphor—Mr. West's was a magnificent repository, Mr. Ratcliffe's a choice cabinet of gems. ”

“ He didn't die—but one evening the other man did——"
"I don't quite follow," said the girl. "What other man?"
"His orderly," said Ralton, briefly. "Quite unnecessarily he was walking up a road in full sight of the Boches. They were some distance away—true; but a rifle-bullet carries some distance. Behind him was his orderly." With a frown he looked at the girl beside him. "You've never heard a rifle-bullet probably," he continued, after a moment. "Never heard that sudden ping past your head which sounds like a huge mosquito. ”

“ She was looking at him anxiously, her hands thrust in the pockets of her jersey.
"Why, no," Ralton said, gravely. "One always starts off with the lesser reason. The real, important thing is that you shouldn't hurt the first casualty."
"And you think he would know?"
"Wouldn't you hate it if he didn't?"
The girl moved a little restlessly. "I don't know," she said at length. "I can't make up my mind. Sometimes I think it would be hell if he didn't: more often I think it would be hell if he did."
Almost unconsciously they had commenced to stroll back side by side towards the tenth tee. ”

“ Ratcliffe. At first she was violently angry and then she laughed in spite of herself; there was truth in the portrait. In secret, too, she was the less offended because she half thought that it had depended only on herself to make of Mr. Gore something more than a friend. If she had overheard his parting words to Carrington, she would have had still more reason to think that a little jealousy of Ratcliffe's success sharpened the barb of Gore's enmity.
“Take care of Ratcliffe!” was his farewell; “he is a clever dog. He has set his mark on Mrs. Lee. Look out that he doesn't walk off with her!” ”

“ Ralton turned to the girl impulsively. "My dear," he cried, "he learned his lesson at a great price—the price of a man's life. There is no call for you to do that. But you're young, and life, and all that it means, is crying out to you. And you're posing. The sympathy of all those people at the hotel isn't real sympathy; and you know it isn't. They're posing, too. When things are really cutting one, when one's really up against it, one's just got to go away and hide. The crowd is no use then." He stood up and looked at her with a grave smile. ”