Morgan has scooped Richard and proposes to hold him hard and fast until he can bring you to terms."
"I think very likely such is his plot," nodded Merry.
"He ought to be shot!" exploded Brad. "It was a whole lot unfortunate that the ruffians who carried him off did not keep him."
"How do you think the trick was done?" questioned Wiley.
"I haven"t decided yet," admitted Frank. "But I feel sure my brother is nowhere in this vicinity now. It"s my object to see Morgan again without delay."
With this object in view Merriwell lost no further time in riding straight toward Prescott. When the town was reached he set out immediately to find Morgan, having first told Brad to see Felicia and do his best to soothe her fears.
Felicia was waiting. She started up as the Texan tapped on her door.
"There, there, child!" exclaimed Mrs. Jones, who was still with her.
"Sit down and keep quiet. I will see who it is."
When the door was opened and Buckhart entered, Felicia cried out to him:
"d.i.c.k--you have found him?"
"Well, not exactly that," said the Texan; "but I opine Frank will find him pretty quick now."
The girl was greatly disappointed.
"Then you know what has become of him?" she asked.
"I opine we do," nodded Buckhart.
"He is safe?"
"You bet he is. He is all right, Felicia. We know well enough that he isn"t hurt a bit."
She seized his hands.
"Tell me," she pleaded, "tell me all about it."
Brad was placed in an awkward position, and he felt that it was necessary to draw on his imagination.
"Why, there is not a great deal to tell," he said. "I reckon d.i.c.k"s horse must have stumbled and thrown him. It stunned him some, of course.
Then there were some gents what happened along and picked him up, and that"s about all."
She looked at him in doubt and bewilderment.
"But I didn"t see any one. Why didn"t I see them?"
Buckhart coughed behind his hand to get a little time for thought.
"Why, these yere gents I speak of," he said, "were afraid to be seen, for they have been up to some doings that were not just exactly on the level. That being the case, they took him up all quietlike and stepped into the chaparral with him, and doctored him, and fixed him O. K. Of course, they will want to be paid for that little job, and that"s why they are keeping him. You leave everything to Frank. He will settle with them and bring d.i.c.k back as sound as a nut. You hear me chirp?"
Having made this statement, the Texan felt greatly relieved. He had managed to get through it some way, although it was a hard strain on him. Still, Felicia was not entirely satisfied, and her fears were not fully allayed.
"If these men are bad men," she said, "won"t they harm d.i.c.k some way?"
"Ho! ho! ho!" laughed Brad. "What a foolish notion to get into your head, Felicia. Whatever good would it do them to harm him? What could they make out of that? It"s up to them to take the best care of him, so Frank will feel like coughing up liberal when he settles. You can see that easy enough. So don"t worry over it any more."
"No, don"t worry over it any more, child," put in Mrs. Jones. "Just go to bed. The strain on you has been severe, and you must rest."
"Oh, I"m afraid I can"t rest until I see d.i.c.k! Don"t you think I may see him soon? Don"t you think Frank will bring him here right away?"
"Oh, mebbe not," said Brad. "It may take some time, for Frank thought likely d.i.c.k had been carried to Goodwin, or Bigbug, or some place. You see, we didn"t find out just where they had taken him. All we found out was that he had been taken somewhere and was all right. You let Mrs.
Jones tuck you in your little bed, and you just close your peepers and get to the sleeps. That"s the best thing for you to do."
Fearing she might suspect that he had not stuck by the truth if she questioned him further, Brad now made the excuse that he had to hurry away, and quickly left the room. In the meantime Frank had been searching for Morgan. He fully expected to find Morgan without trouble, and in this he was not disappointed. The money king was talking with Thomas Kensington in the hotel bar.
"I beg your pardon, Mr. Kensington," said Merry. "If I"m not interrupting an important matter, I"d like a word or two with this man."
Morgan lifted a hand.
"You will have to excuse me, sir," he said. "I am quite busy now."
"On the other hand," said Kensington, "we have finished our business.
Mr. Morgan followed me here and wished to talk of mining matters. I am in no mood to discuss such matters to-night."
He bowed to Frank and turned away.
Morgan gave Merriwell a defiant look.
"I cannot waste my time on you, young man," he said. "It"s altogether too valuable."
"You have wasted considerable time on me in the past, and I have been compelled to waste some on you. This night has brought matters to a climax. I know your game; but it will fail, just as every trick you have tried has failed. I have a few words to say to you. My brother is missing."
"What"s that to me? I care nothing about your brother."
"Yet you attempted not so very long ago to hold him as a hostage. It was your scheme to force me into dealing with you by holding my brother a prisoner in the hands of your ruffians."
"Be careful, young man! Don"t accuse me of anything like that! If you do, I"ll----"
"You"ll what?" demanded Merry, grim as flint and cold as ice. "Now, what will you do, Macklyn Morgan?"
"I"ll make you smart for it!"
"It"s about time you learned, sir, that your threats have no effect on me whatever. As I have said, my brother is missing. If he is not in Prescott to-morrow morning, it will be the worse for you. Do you know how I dealt with Milton Sukes? Do you know that I investigated his business methods and found out about his crooked dealings, so that when I was ready to expose him he was driven desperate? Macklyn Morgan, are you immaculate? Do you mean to tell me that your career as a maker of millions has been unspotted? Do you mean to tell me that you never have been concerned in any crooked schemes? I know better, Morgan. I know how a man like you makes his money. As I dealt with Sukes, so I will deal with you! I will investigate. I will learn the truth, and then I will expose you. To-day you may be concerned in several questionable projects. If those schemes are rotten, the world shall know it. I shall take hold of this thing in earnest, and I"ll do for you what I did for Sukes."
"That"s a threat on my life!" cried Morgan, turning to the others who were near. "Gentlemen, I call on you to bear witness that this man has threatened my life."
"You know better, sir, I have threatened nothing but your crooked business. Your life is safe as far as I am concerned. But you will see that my brother is in Prescott to-morrow, or I"ll hold you up for the inspection of the whole country and show people what a thoroughbred scoundrel you are! That"s all I have to say to you, sir. Good night."
Frank turned his back on Morgan and walked out of the room.