Read Ebook: Frank Merriwell's brother by Standish Burt L Owen Robert Emmett Illustrator

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Ebook has 618 lines and 64757 words, and 13 pages

"There are others coming," he now declared. "All the rest of the flock will be here right away."

"Hodge, Ready, Gamp, Browning, and the others."

"In that case," said Badger, "I reckon we'd better bring forward the reserves at once."

"The reserves?" said Merry.

"Yes. Ladies."

Buck flung back a porti?re, and then out flitted four beautiful girls, who had been waiting for that moment.

Elsie was there, laughing with joy, her sweet face flushed, her blue eyes like the depths of a lake-mirrored sky. The girl with Elsie put her forward, and it was Elsie who murmured in Merry's ear:

"Frank, we're all so happy and so proud of you! Inza is the happiest and proudest!"

"Inza!" exclaimed Frank, in great surprise, for he had not dreamed of seeing her there, for she was in mourning for her father.

"Frank!"

He looked deep into her dark eyes, which gazed upon him in loving pride.

"This," he said, restraining himself and steadying his voice, "is a pleasure that was entirely unexpected."

He gave Elsie his other hand.

"We rather reckoned you'd be pleased," said Badger. "But I don't want you to forget that the former Miss Lee is now Mrs. Badger, and I'll not permit you to look at her the way you're looking at those young ladies."

Frank flushed and laughed, turning to the handsome, brown-eyed girl at the side of the Westerner.

"Miss Lee--no, Mrs. Badger," he said, "I am delighted to see you again."

Winnie gave him her hand.

"Don't mind Buck," she said. "He's jealous of everybody. He'd be jealous of an Indian."

"That's whatever," confessed the Kansan. "I allow I'm built that way, and I can't help it. I know I make an onery fool of myself sometimes, but Mrs. Badger has a nice little way of forgiving me. I rather think she likes it, to tell the truth."

Diamond touched Frank's arm. There was a look of deep pride on his face, mingled with a faint smile.

"Permit me," he said.

Merry turned.

"My wife, Mr. Merriwell," said the Southerner.

A handsome, dark-eyed girl, somewhat resembling Inza, stood there.

"Your--your wife?" exclaimed Frank.

The girl was the sister of Dolph Reynolds, whom he had met in London.

"Yes, sir," said Jack. "We didn't invite you to the wedding, as it took place rather suddenly on the other side of the pond. I hope you'll pardon us for the failure to notify you, but we decided to do so in person."

"Diamond," said Frank heartily, as he grasped the hand of his college comrade, "I offer you my most sincere congratulations. I think you are a lucky dog."

The English girl was blushing and laughing.

"You do not congratulate me," she said. "And you know I had to make an explanation before he would come back to me after he became jealous of my cousin."

"I'll reserve my congratulations," said Merry smilingly, "till I find that he has made you a good husband."

"Merriwell, I think that right mean of you!" Diamond exclaimed, somewhat nettled. "Your words and manner are calculated to arouse distrust and suspicion in her mind. Do you think that quite fair?"

"Perhaps not," confessed Frank, seeing how seriously Jack took it. "Far be it from me to arouse anything of the sort by words spoken in jest."

The Virginian breathed easier.

"Now we're so nicely introduced all round, let's try to be real jappy and holly--I mean happy and jolly," said Harry Rattleton. "Hasn't any girl married me yet?"

"I see," said Bink Stubbs, "that idiocy among the female sex is decreasing."

"There are ladies present," said Harry severely, as he glared at Bink. "Thus you are saved for the time."

"Here!" cried Griswold, taking down a gilded horseshoe from the wall and offering it to the other little chap. "Take it. You're dead in luck."

Stubbs regarded the horseshoe doubtfully.

"Do you regard horseshoes as lucky?" he asked.

"Of course," was the answer.

"Then," said Bink, "the horse I bet on the last time was running barefooted. Cluck, cluck; git ap!"

"Bah!" retorted Danny. "A clean swipe out of the comic column of some paper. Say, who's your favorite writer, anyhow?"

"My father."

"Your father?"

"Yes."

"What did he ever write?"

"Checks."

"They're off!" exclaimed Rattleton. "You can't stop them."

"You know you can always stop a river by damming it," grinned Bink.

"But you can't stop an alarm-clock that way," chipped in Danny.

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