Barney and Hans did not turn up on the following morning as soon as Frank expected they would, and as he had forgotten to ask where they boarded, he could not go to find them. Merriwell had spent a restless, almost a sleepless night. But, although his face was pale, he seemed as full of energy as ever. He had conceived a plan by which, with Barney’s aid, he fancied he might find Inza. But Barney—where was he? It was past nine o’clock when the Irish lad came tearing up to the hotel, followed by Hans, who was puffing and blowing like a porpoise, his eyes bulging from his head, his face expressing the wildest excitement. “Frankie!” gasped Barney. “Vrankie!” panted Hans. “What is it?” asked Frank, seeing something unusual had happened. “It’s news, we hiv’, me b’y!” “Yah! id vas news we haf!” “News!” exclaimed Frank, “what sort of news? Have you found Inza?” “It’s not found her yit we hiv’, me b’y, but we’ll foind her soon, or Oi’ll ate me boots!” “Yah! and I shall make a square meal mit mine coat off!” Frank grasped Barney by the shoulder. “You have found a clew—is that it? Why didn’t you come to me sooner?” “Begorra, it’s a bit loait we stayed up last night, Frankie, an’ Oi overslipt this morning. As for this Dutch chase, he nivver would, wake up at all, at all, av it wur not fer me. He would slape roight on fer a wake.” “Oxscuce me,” said Hans. “No wake in mine. Vhat you took me for—an Irishmans, aind’t id?” “Tell me what it is you have found out,” cried Frank, sharply. With frantic haste Barney tore something from his pocket and waved it wildly in the air. “Here it is, me b’y!” he shouted. “Yah, thar it vas!” squealed Hans. “What is it? Give it to me!” commanded Frank. Then he snatched the object from Barney’s hands. It was a letter. “Inza’s writing!” said Frank, hoarsely, as he glanced at it. “I would know it anywhere! A letter to you, Barney! When did you receive this?” “In th’ mornin’ mail, me b’y, afther Oi got up. So ye say it is well Oi overslipt mysilf, or Oi would not have bin there to recave th’ mail whin it was delivered.” The envelope had been torn open in a ragged manner, showing Barney had opened it with great haste. Frank lost no time in drawing forth the letter. In a moment he was reading it. It ran as follows:
To the astonishment of both Barney and Hans the reading of this letter did not seem to excite Frank at all. There was a slight movement of the muscles of his face when Inza mentioned him, but that was all. When he had finished, he folded the letter quickly and put it into his pocket. “Barney,” he said, sharply, “order a cab without delay. Have it at the door in five minutes.” “All right, me b’y!” cried Barney, and he made a rush to obey, Frank disappeared in the other direction, and Hans was left alone. “Well, I vender vere I vas at,” said the Dutch boy, as he stared around him in a bewildered manner. “Vat vas it Vrankie’s going to done alretty yet? It don’t took him more than vive hours to make oop his mind he vas going to do someding. I pet me your life he yas going to git after dot Lord Stanford like a kioodle dog after a pone.” Before five minutes had passed Frank came rushing from the hotel and found Barney waiting at the door, while the cab was standing near the curb. “Here yes are, me b’y,” cried the Irish lad. “Good!” exclaimed Frank, with satisfaction. Then he addressed the driver. “How far is it to North Beach?” he asked. “Two miles, sir,” was the answer. “Can you make it in twenty minutes?” “I doubt it, sir.” “Here is five dollars,” said Frank, handing the driver the money. “Get me to North Beach in twenty minutes and you shall have five more.” The man seized the money eagerly, and then asked: “What part of North Beach do you want to go to, Sir?” “I don’t know,” confessed Merry. The driver looked surprised. “Don’t know!” he exclaimed in a puzzled way. “Well, that is strange.” “Is Black Point anywhere near North Beach?” asked Frank, hurriedly. “Sure,” nodded the driver. “Then take us out that way,” ordered Frank, as he bundled Barney into the cab, followed himself and slammed the door. The driver whipped up his horses, and away they went with a rattlety-bump just as Hans came waddling out of the hotel, crying for them to hold on. Frank looked at his watch. “Five minutes of ten,” he said. “We shall get there at a quarter after ten. Even that may be too late.” “Howly Mowses!” exclaimed Barney. “It’s the divvil’s own rush ye do be in, an’ ye don’t same to be in a hurry, ayther. But how are we going to foind Lord Stanford’s yacht, afther we get there, Frankie? Oi’d loike to have yez explain.” “That’s something—I can’t tell—yet,” acknowledged Frank, as the cab dashed around a corner and pitched them into a heap against one side. “We’ll have to—hunt for—it.” “Musha! musha!” gasped the Irish lad. “It’s a sure thing thot droiver manes to earn the other foive dollars.” For Barney it was a somewhat exciting ride at first, as the street was filled with cars, carriages and trucks, each one of which seemed trying to get to some destination regardless of all the others. In and out, here and there, dodging in front of a car, narrowly missing the wheel of a truck, slinking through a narrow space between two heavy teams, turning to the right, turning to the left, on rattled the cab. The boys were thrown about as if they had been seated in a small boat that was at the mercy of an angry sea. At length the streets were less obstructed, and the driver made greater speed. He wielded the whip mercilessly. “This is fun aloive,” gasped Barney. “Oi’ll not hiv’ a whole bone in me body whin Oi git there.” Frank said nothing, but looked at his watch, after which he nodded in a satisfied manner. “Is it fast enough fer yez—we are going—Frankie?” asked Barney, with a bit of sarcasm in his voice. “If it is only two miles to North Beach we will get there in less than fifteen minutes,” said Frank. “But it’s did we may be whin we arroive, me b’y.” Crack! crack! crack! sounded the driver’s whip, each snap being like the report of a pistol. Clatter! clatter! co-lat-ter! sounded the hoofs of the galloping horses. “Oi’ve played football a little in me loife,” said Barney, as he picked himself up from the bottom of the cab, only to be thrown down again with greater violence, “but Oi’ll admit this takes th’ cake. Football is not in it, at all, at all.” Still Frank was silent. Now he held his watch in his hand his eyes fastened upon it. Montgomery Avenue was reached, and they turned into it. At the corner of the next street they nearly ran down another carriage. By a sharp turn to the right, the driver whirled alongside of the cab into which he had nearly crashed. Looking from the window, Frank gazed directly into the window of the other cab. A cry escaped his lips: “Inza—there she is!” There was an answering cry, and the face of a beautiful girl appeared at the window of the other cab. “Frank!” she almost screamed. “Frank, is it you?” Then a pair of hands grasped her, and pulled her back from view. But Frank had seen enough, and now his very heart was on fire with excitement. Inza—he had found her. |