aking him, and had been repeatedly
cautioned to "shut up," the team came to a halt.

Frank was glad of it, for much of the distance had been made over rough
roads, and he had been several times menaced in order to keep him quiet,
and once choked into silence by two of the men, who sat upon him while
they passed another team.

Frank was taken from the wagon, his feet were set at liberty, and he was
marched into some sort of a building.

"There," said the hoarse voice of the leader. "He's safe and solid
here."

Through the blindfold there was a glow of light, and then the cloth was
removed from his eyes.

Frank found himself in a rough room, to which there seemed to be no
windows and but one door. In the room there was a table, a broken chair,
and a rude sort of bed.

One of the two men who had brought him into the room coolly sat down
astride the chair, and stared at Frank, his eyes gleaming by the flaring
light of the tallow-dip that burned on the table.

"Set down," invited the man, making a motion toward the bed. "We offer
our visitors the upholstered furniture out of courtesy. Make yourself at
home."

"Don't care if I do," returned the boy, with equal coolness, "but in
order for me to be thoroughly comfortable, it will be necessary for me
to have my hands free."

"Sorry I can't accommodate ye just now, but I want to have a talk with
yer first. Set down."

Frank obeyed.

"Well," he observed, "I suppose I might as well, as long as I do not
seem to have much to say about it; but I'd like to know what this little
game is."

"Thought you'd be kinder curious," said the man, with a hoarse laugh.
"Well, ye see, it's this way. We've heard so much about you that we
thought we'd kinder like the pleasure of your company for a day or two,
and so we brought you over here."

A day or two! Frank gasped for breath, as a sudden light dawned upon
him.

If he were held there for a single day he would not appear at Madison
Square Garden to take part in the tournament!

"This is the work of my enemies!" he mentally cried. "They have hired
these ruffians to kidnap and hold me till the tournament is over!
Caesar's ghost! I never dreamed such a thing could be done in this quiet
part of the New England States!"

CHAPTER XXXVI.

THE TOURNAMENT.

The interior of Madison Square Garden was decorated with the colors of a
dozen colleges, and was aglow with hundreds of bright lights. The rows
of seats, tier upon ti