ardrobe out of hock in a hurry. We'll have you
looking like yourself in short order. Day after to-morrow we'll start
for Chicago, stopping off a day at Niagara, as Inza Burrage and Elsie
Bellwood will accompany us as far as St. Louis, and both wish to visit
the falls. Fellows, it will be great sport! Makes me feel sort of bubbly
and flushed all over."

"You've mentioned only eight fellows in all," reminded Dick Starbright.
"Eight will not make a football team."

"That's all right," assured Frank. "Received a message from Buck Badger
this morning. He'll join us at St. Louis, and he thinks Berlin Carson
will be with him. If Carson is with Badger when we get there, we'll have
ten men. I expect to hear from two or three more of the old gang at any
time. Don't you worry, for I'll have eleven men and three or four
substitutes. Leave it to me, fellows--leave it to me."

"I'm perfectly willing to do that," nodded Starbright, beaming in
anticipation of the pleasures to come.

"So am I," said Morgan, who had cast off his despondency and now seemed
much like his old self. "But I wish one of you would stick me with a pin
or something. I want to make sure I'm not dreaming. It's too good to be
true."

"It's true, Dade," laughed Merry. "The troubles I've been through in the
last few weeks have been enough to make me feel the need of a little
relaxation. Why, it will be old times over again!"

Dade suddenly stared upward over Frank's head at the transom above the
door. His manner caused Merry to glance up quickly.

The transom was open, leaving an aperture of about three inches.

Through this aperture could be dimly seen the upper part of a face, with
a pair of coal-black eyes, which were fixed with an ominous and steady
stare upon Merry.

In those midnight eyes there was a gleam of unspeakable hatred, savage
malevolence, and deadly rancor. They were the eyes of one who longed to
do murder.

The awful look in those terrible eyes seemed to freeze both Morgan and
Starbright and turn them to stone. For some moments they remained
motionless and breathless.

As for Frank, he met that look squarely, and between him and the
eavesdropper at the transom a silent battle took place.

Dade and Dick suddenly knew this battle was occurring. They felt the
strain and intensity of it, and they seemed to realize that the master
mind would conquer. Neither of them moved, fearing to break the spell.
Both felt that they could not move if the