"Merriwell, is that you?"
No answer.
"I know you," declared the pursuer, and now Frank perceived that that voice did not sound like Professor Grant. "You are a crackajack runner.
I wanted to give you a try to see what you could do. I"ll see you to-morrow. Good-night."
The pursuer gave up the chase.
"As I live, I believe it was Pierson, manager of the ball team!"
muttered Frank when he was sure it was no trick and he was no longer followed. "He looks something like Professor Grant, and he is a great mimic. That"s just who it was."
A short time later he was in his room, where a jovial party of freshmen was gathered.
CHAPTER XXI
ROAST TURKEY.
Frank"s appearance, with the turkey still in his possession, was hailed with shouts of delight.
"We didn"t know as you would get in," said Jones. "I invited some more of the fellows up here, as you see, and we found out that some of the sophs seemed to know something unusual was going on."
"That"s right," nodded Rattleton. "They were laying for us. Two of them stopped me when I reached York Street. They told me to give up what I had, but I didn"t have anything to give up, so they let me go."
Then Frank told of his adventure with a person who looked like Professor Grant.
"That"s it!" cried Little. "That was their game! They were after our turkey."
"But how did they know we were after turkey?" asked Robinson.
"They must have been told by somebody," said Street.
"And that means we have a tattler among us," declared Burnham Putnam--Old Put--looking keenly around.
The boys looked at each other suspiciously, wondering if there was one of the number who would carry to the sophs.
To Frank"s surprise he saw that Walter Gordon was there. Jack Diamond was also present.
Frank found an opportunity to get close to Dismal and whisper in his ear:
"Great Caesar, old man! why did you invite Gordon here?"
"I did not."
"Then how does he happen to be here? He didn"t come without an invitation, I am sure of that."
"He was in Billy"s when I asked Put to come up. I knew you would like to have Put here."
"That"s all right."
"Well, Put asked Gordon to come along before I could prevent it. Of course I didn"t have the crust to make any objection after that."
"I should say not! It"s all right, but you want to remember that the sophs found out something was going on. Did Gordon come right along with you?"
"No. He said he"d have to go to his room, but he showed up a few minutes after we arrived here."
"Lots of mischief can be done in a few minutes. Did he know just what was going on here?"
"Well, he knew somebody had gone out into the country to swipe something for a feast."
"And it is pretty plain that the sophs became aware of the same fact.
Here is food for reflection, Dismal."
"You are right."
The foragers told of their adventures in capturing the turkey, and there was a great deal of laughter over it. Merriwell showed how near he came to getting shot, and it was universally agreed that he was remarkably lucky.
Harry told how he had bowled the old farmer over just as the man was about to shoot at Frank, and then he convulsed them with laughter by relating the capture of the gun and the chase he had led the hayseed.
Robinson said he thought Harry was crazy when he rushed after the farmer in the way he did.
"I couldn"t understand what sort of a game he was up to," said Bandy, "and I didn"t feel like following him into the jaws of the lion, so I held aloof. I saw him fling his club at the old duffer and saw it knock him down. Then, when I was sure Harry was all right, I legged it."
"Farmer Baldwin"s dog will have a sore head in the morning," smiled Frank. "The last crack I gave him stretched him quivering on the ground.
Hope it didn"t kill the brute."
"Hope it didn"t?" shouted Little. "I hope it did!"
"But I don"t want to pay for his old dog."
"Pay for it! Are you dopy, daft, or what"s the matter with you? Why, that man had a spring gun set, and it would have filled you full of shot if you hadn"t tripped!"
"He had a right to set a spring gun in his own shed to protect his turkey roost from marauders."
The boys stared at Frank in amazement.
"Say, Merriwell," said Uncle Blossom, gravely, "you"re an enigma. Great poker! The idea of calling us marauders!"
"What else were we?"
"Boys, it is our duty to take him out and hold him under under the hose!"
"Gentlemen," said Jack Diamond, who was present, "you will have a real lively time if you try to do it. I fully agree with Mr. Merriwell that the farmer had a right to protect his property."
"Whe-e-ew!" whistled several lads, and then they all cried together: "Goodness, how the wind blows!"