"Yes, I remember," nodded Merry. "I believe you said this Jackson is backed by the Olympic Club?"
"Yes, they are the challenging parties. They think Jackson can whip his weight in wildcats, and it is their boast that he will hammer the best man Fairmount can put up all over the ring. Mr. Hegner has been handling Burk nearly six weeks, and has him in the pink of condition. He says our man will give Jackson the biggest surprise he ever struck. If it was to be with hard gloves, it"s more than even Burk would knock Jackson out in four rounds. But we--"
"Oh, Charlie!" exclaimed his sister; "what do you suppose we care about that! You can talk of those things at the club, and you are there the most of the time."
"I beg your pardon," laughed Creighton. "I forgot the young ladies present. They do not care for boxing."
"Some of them do," said f.a.n.n.y Darling, quickly. "I like a fellow who can handle his fists scientifically and take care of himself. That"s why I admire Mr. Hegner so much."
"Thank you," Hegner bowed, with great gravity. "The manly art is worth acquiring, if it were useful only to protect young ladies from insult."
"Haw!" grunted Hodge. "There are some fellows who can box a little, and yet do not make a great spread about it."
Hegner"s eyes narrowed, and he surveyed Hodge with the same insolent air with which he had regarded Frank Merriwell.
"I presume you box some, sir?" he asked.
"Not much, but I have friends who are able to put up quite a little go."
Charlie Creighton interposed laughingly, and introduced Hegner and Hodge. Bart bowed stiffly, but did not offer his hand, while Hegner nodded as if he had rheumatism in his neck. Then Diamond was introduced.
"Do you put on the gloves?" Hegner asked of the Virginian, in a blunt way.
"Not often," was the answer, as Jack"s cheeks glowed a bit. "Never had them on in my life till I went to Yale and ran up against Merriwell.
Southerners, sir, have a way of settling differences with other weapons than their fists."
"Oh!"
Jack bit his lip, for there was a hidden sneer in that simple exclamation. For a moment he felt like challenging Hegner on the spot, but remembered that he was in the North, where such things did not "go."
Hegner turned to Frank, whom he again surveyed from head to feet.
"From what Mr. Diamond says, I infer that you are something of a boxer,"
he observed.
"Well, there are others," smiled Merry. "I do not consider myself anything more than fairly handy with the gloves."
"Now, Frank!" began Hodge; but Merriwell cut him short with a glance.
"Well, I didn"t know but you thought you could spar," said Hegner, in a bored way, and then he turned and began to talk to f.a.n.n.y Darling, who chatted and laughed with him as if pleased by his attention.
Frank was thoroughly disgusted by the air a.s.sumed by Creighton"s companion, and Charlie himself was not pleased. And Bart Hodge was chewing his tongue as a war horse might champ its bit, while he glared at Hegner"s back in a way that told he was thoroughly "stirred up."
After a while, Creighton proposed that they should go down to the club.
To this the girls objected, but Hodge and Diamond exchanged significant glances, and then expressed sudden eagerness to go.
"I"ll have to go anyway," said Hegner. "Burk will be there, and I am due to give him his regular course."
"Well, I will remain here and do my best to entertain the girls," said Frank.
"Not by a hanged sight!" said Hodge, quickly. "We want you to come along with us, Merry."
"That"s right," agreed Diamond. "Won"t you come, old fellow?"
"Oh, yes, by all means, go!" cried f.a.n.n.y Darling.
"We can get along very well without any fellow to bother us."
It was too good an opportunity for Frank to miss, and so he quietly said:
"If I remained behind I should not bother you much, Miss Darling."
This was unusually ungallant for Frank, but he began to see that f.a.n.n.y must be met with her own weapons, and he had suddenly decided on his course of dealing with her in the future. His retort brought the blood to her cheeks, and her eyes flashed as she snapped:
"That"s right! I wouldn"t let you!"
As the five lads walked away to take a car, Bessie Blossom said:
"How could you be so rude to such a splendid fellow, Fan? It was just perfectly horrid of you!"
"That"s so!" chorused Lucy and Mabel. "Frank Merriwell is splendid!"
"Say, girls," cried f.a.n.n.y, "you make me weary! The trouble with Mr.
Merriwell is that he is smart, and he knows it. He has been accustomed to having everybody flatter him, and it will do him good to know there are persons who do not think he is the only item in the paper. Perhaps it will reduce the size of his head so an ordinary hat will fit him."
"If there is any fellow in the world who has every reason to have a swelled head, and still hasn"t got one, it is Frank Merriwell," declared Mabel Creighton. "My brother says so, and he knows. He says that, for a fellow in such a position, Merriwell is the most una.s.suming chap in college. You do him an injustice, f.a.n.n.y."
The girl with the freckles gave her head a saucy toss.
"Oh, that"s what"s the matter-every one of you is stuck on him! I saw that right away. And it always happens that way. Wherever he goes, the girls get all broke up over him, and then flock around him. Well, he"ll find there is one girl who doesn"t care a cent for him-so there!"
"At least, f.a.n.n.y, you might treat him decent," protested Mabel.
"I will, for I won"t have anything at all to say to him after this. I hope that will satisfy you. If Wallace Hegner would put on the gloves with him, and give him a good thumping, it would help take the conceit out of him. But Mr. Merriwell, the great Yale athlete, would be far too shrewd to stand up in front of Hegner for a bout."
CHAPTER x.x.x-FRANK EXPRESSES HIS OPINION
The members of the Fairmount Athletic Club, of Philadelphia, were mainly lads under twenty years of age. There were a few older members in the club to keep everything straight and see that it was run all right, but the club was organized and conducted for the advantage of lads from fifteen to twenty-one.
Not a few of the members were sons of wealthy parents, but it was not necessary for a fellow"s parents to be rich in order that he might become a member. Rich men contributed liberally to the support of the club, which made it possible for the regular fees and dues to be light, and youngsters whose parents were quite unknown, but who were regarded as "all right" themselves, obtained admission to the club.
Although great precaution had been exercised not to let in any one who would be objectionable, it was impossible to exclude all objectionable parties, for, after getting in, some of the members showed traits of character which their best friends had never dreamed they possessed.
Gambling in the clubrooms was prohibited, but cards, billiards and pool were permitted. There was a fine bowling alley, and the gymnasium was fitted up splendidly with all needed apparatus. In the reading-room were all the late magazines and papers, among which were the leading sporting publications. There also was a good library of books, containing volumes treating of sports and athletics. On the walls were pictures of famous amateurs, of matches, contests and races, of all sorts, and of the members of the club who had made records.