Chapter XXXIX: Conclusion

“You what!” gasped Randall, staring. “You’re joking with me!”

“Not a bit of it,” said Merry. “I suppose Bully persuaded you to dope me?”

“Well, he had a little to do with it,” admitted Randall, too proud to cast the blame where it rightly lay. “I can only apologize, Chip, and you----”

“Why, old man, forget all about it!” exclaimed Merry, catching the other about the shoulders and turning toward the door. “There was nobody damaged in any way except Bully.”

He broke off suddenly, and laughed.

“Look here, Bob! He tried to make you the goat to put me out of the way, see? He probably figured that Southpaw Diggs could handle either one of us, but without the double shoot Fardale would get pounded. Then he got hold of that stuff by accident and it laid him out. Except for that, you might still be under suspicion of stealing Hostetter’s money! It was only his being doped that really saved you!”

“That’s right, Merry!” and Randall’s eyes flashed. “I believe he’d have let me suffer for it, too, the cowardly cur! Look here, old man, will you take my hand and accept my apologies?”

“Great Scott, how often do you want me to tell you so?” returned Chip, with mock despair. He wrung the Southerner’s hand heartily.

“Now let’s get out into the open air. I’m about ready for something to eat, if you want to know it!”

They left the building behind and started across the campus for the barracks. It still being some time before assembly and mess. As they neared the barracks, they were approached by a tall figure neatly clad in a dark-blue suit. He gave them a keen glance, then stopped them quietly.

“This is Mr. Merriwell, isn’t it?”

Merry flung him a look, and started.

“Hello! It’s Green--or I should say Diggs!”

“Yes, Southpaw Diggs,” and the other smiled as he held out his hand. “I just want to congratulate you on winning a remarkably fine game, Merriwell--one of the best I ever saw, in fact. If you’d only consider big-league work and----”

“No, thanks,” said Merry. “I’ve had a sample of professional ethics this afternoon, when you and your friends masqueraded as amateurs. That’s one reason, though I don’t blame you as I do Colonel Carson.”

“What can a fellow do when he needs the money?” and Diggs shrugged his shoulders good-naturedly.

“He can get busy and make it cleanly,” retorted Chip, watching the other. With a quick impulse he added: “And if he’d cut out the booze, Diggs.”

Diggs flushed and his eyes kindled. Then he smiled again and nodded.

“Right you are, Merriwell, and I know you mean me. Well, I’m only twenty-four, and if I brace up I’d have a few years ahead of me of baseball. I’ve been thinking it over, and, to tell you the truth, I’ve not had a drink for a good while. I was testing my nerves out on you fellows to-day, for one thing.”

“I hope they suited you?” said Merry.

“Oh, mine were all right until you pulled that last bag of tricks. Well, so long, son, and good luck go with you!”

“And the same to you, Diggs,” said Merry earnestly.

He walked on with Randall, neither speaking. At the door of the barracks they came upon Clancy and Billy Mac, who immediately met them with wide grins.

“Buried the hatchet, you two?” queried Clan.

“I think so,” said Chip. “By the way, I’d like to ask a special favor of you fellows, sight unseen. Will you grant it?”

“Surest thing you know,” returned Clancy.

“Anything you want, old man,” said Billy Mac.

“Well, I’m thinking of proposing Bob for captain in my place, and I want you two fellows to second it. How does it strike you?”

Clancy looked at Randall, and grinned.

“Sure,” he said. “Only I’ll give you a run for your money, Bob, because I’m going after that job myself. I’ll second you, just the same.”

“Same here,” said Billy. “But I guess I can see right now where Carrot-top Clancy gets snowed under about two miles! Shake, Cap Randall!”

Merry smiled.

THE END.

No. 233, the next title of the MERRIWELL SERIES, is entitled “The Merriwell Company.” This story, from the pen of Burt L. Standish, has to do with several of the most prominent characters in this popular series of books.

* * * * *

NICK CARTER STORIES

New Magnet Library

_Not a Dull Book in This List_

ALL BY NICHOLAS CARTER

Nick Carter stands for an interesting detective story. The fact that the books in this line are so uniformly good is entirely due to the work of a specialist. The man who wrote these stories produced no other type of fiction. His mind was concentrated upon the creation of new plots and situations in which his hero emerged triumphantly from all sorts of troubles and landed the criminal just where he should be--behind the bars.

The author of these stories knew more about writing detective stories than any other single person.

Following is a list of the best Nick Carter stories. They have been selected with extreme care, and we unhesitatingly recommend each of them as being fully as interesting as any detective story between cloth covers which sells at ten times the price.

If you do not know Nick Carter, buy a copy of any of the New Magnet Library books, and get acquainted. He will surprise and delight you.

_ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_

901--A Weird Treasure
902--The Middle Link
903--To the Ends of the Earth
904--When Honors Pall
905--The Yellow Brand
906--A New Serpent in Eden
907--When Brave Men Tremble
908--A Test of Courage
909--Where Peril Beckons
910--The Gargoni Girdle
911--Rascals & Co.
912--Too Late to Talk
913--Satan’s Apt Pupil
914--The Girl Prisoner
915--The Danger of Folly
916--One Shipwreck Too Many
917--Scourged by Fear
918--The Red Plague
919--Scoundrels Rampant
920--From Clew to Clew
921--When Rogues Conspire
922--Twelve in a Grave
923--The Great Opium Case
924--A Conspiracy of Rumors
925--A Klondike Claim
926--The Evil Formula
927--The Man of Many Faces
928--The Great Enigma
929--The Burden of Proof
930--The Stolen Brain
931--A Titled Counterfeiter
932--The Magic Necklace
933--’Round the World for a Quarter
934--Over the Edge of the World
935--In the Grip of Fate
936--The Case of Many Clews
937--The Sealed Door
938--Nick Carter and the Green Goods Men
939--The Man Without a Will
940--Tracked Across the Atlantic
941--A Clew from the Unknown
942--The Crime of a Countess
943--A Mixed-up Mess
944--The Great Money-order Swindle
945--The Adder’s Brood
946--A Wall Street Haul
947--For a Pawned Crown
948--Sealed Orders
949--The Hate that Kills
950--The American Marquis
951--The Needy Nine
952--Fighting Against Millions
953--Outlaws of the Blue
954--The Old Detective’s Pupil
955--Found in the Jungle
956--The Mysterious Mail Robbery
957--Broken Bars
958--A Fair Criminal
959--Won by Magic
960--The Piano Box Mystery
961--The Man They Held Back
962--A Millionaire Partner
963--A Pressing Peril
964--An Australian Klondike
965--The Sultan’s Pearls
966--The Double Shuffle Club
967--Paying the Price
968--A Woman’s Hand
969--A Network of Crime
970--At Thompson’s Ranch
971--The Crossed Needles
972--The Diamond Mine Case
973--Blood Will Tell
974--An Accidental Password
975--The Crook’s Double
976--Two Plus Two
977--The Yellow Label
978--The Clever Celestial
979--The Amphitheater Plot
980--Gideon Drexel’s Millions
981--Death in Life
982--A Stolen Identity
983--Evidence by Telephone
984--The Twelve Tin Boxes
985--Clew Against Clew
986--Lady Velvet
987--Playing a Bold Game
988--A Dead Man’s Grip
989--Snarled Identities
990--A Deposit Vault Puzzle
991--The Crescent Brotherhood
992--The Stolen Pay Train
993--The Sea Fox
994--Wanted by Two Clients
995--The Van Alstine Case
996--Check No. 777
997--Partners in Peril
998--Nick Carter’s Clever Protégé
999--The Sign of the Crossed Knives
1000--The Man Who Vanished
1001--A Battle for the Right
1002--A Game of Craft
1003--Nick Carter’s Retainer
1004--Caught in the Toils
1005--A Broken Bond
1006--The Crime of the French Café
1007--The Man Who Stole Millions
1008--The Twelve Wise Men
1009--Hidden Foes
1010--A Gamblers’ Syndicate
1011--A Chance Discovery
1012--Among the Counterfeiters
1013--A Threefold Disappearance
1014--At Odds with Scotland Yard
1015--A Princess of Crime
1016--Found on the Beach
1017--A Spinner of Death
1018--The Detective’s Pretty Neighbor
1019--A Bogus Clew
1020--The Puzzle of Five Pistols
1021--The Secret of the Marble Mantel
1022--A Bite of an Apple
1023--A Triple Crime
1024--The Stolen Race Horse
1025--Wildfire
1026--A _Herald_ Personal
1027--The Finger of Suspicion
1028--The Crimson Clew
1029--Nick Carter Down East
1030--The Chain of Clews
1031--A Victim of Circumstances
1032--Brought to Bay
1033--The Dynamite Trap
1034--A Scrap of Black Lace
1035--The Woman of Evil
1036--A Legacy of Hate
1037--A Trusted Rogue
1038--Man Against Man
1039--The Demons of the Night
1040--The Brotherhood of Death
1041--At the Knife’s Point
1042--A Cry for Help
1043--A Stroke of Policy
1044--Hounded to Death
1045--A Bargain in Crime
1046--The Fatal Prescription
1047--The Man of Iron
1048--An Amazing Scoundrel
1049--The Chain of Evidence
1050--Paid with Death
1051--A Fight for a Throne
1052--The Woman of Steel
1053--The Seal of Death
1054--The Human Fiend
1055--A Desperate Chance
1056--A Chase in the Dark
1057--The Snare and the Game
1058--The Murray Hill Mystery
1059--Nick Carter’s Close Call
1060--The Missing Cotton King
1061--A Game of Plots
1062--The Prince of Liars
1063--The Man at the Window
1064--The Red League
1065--The Price of a Secret
1066--The Worst Case on Record
1067--From Peril to Peril
1068--The Seal of Silence
1069--Nick Carter’s Chinese Puzzle
1070--A Blackmailer’s Bluff
1071--Heard in the Dark
1072--A Checkmated Scoundrel
1073--The Cashier’s Secret
1074--Behind a Mask
1075--The Cloak of Guilt
1076--Two Villains in One
1077--The Hot Air Clew
1078--Run to Earth
1079--The Certified Check
1080--Weaving the Web
1081--Beyond Pursuit
1082--The Claws of the Tiger
1083--Driven from Cover
1084--A Deal in Diamonds
1085--The Wizard of the Cue
1086--A Race for Ten Thousand
1087--The Criminal Link
1088--The Red Signal
1089--The Secret Panel
1090--A Bonded Villain
1091--A Move in the Dark
1092--Against Desperate Odds
1093--The Telltale Photographs
1094--The Ruby Pin
1095--The Queen of Diamonds
1096--A Broken Trail
1097--An Ingenious Stratagem
1098--A Sharper’s Downfall
1099--A Race Track Gamble
1100--Without a Clew
1101--The Council of Death
1102--The Hole in the Vault
1103--In Death’s Grip
1104--A Great Conspiracy
1105--The Guilty Governor
1106--A Ring of Rascals
1107--A Masterpiece of Crime
1108--A Blow for Vengeance
1109--Tangled Threads
1110--The Crime of the Camera
1111--The Sign of the Dagger
1112--Nick Carter’s Promise
1113--Marked for Death
1114--The Limited Holdup
1115--When the Trap Was Sprung
1116--Through the Cellar Wall
1117--Under the Tiger’s Claws
1118--The Girl in the Case
1119--Behind a Throne
1120--The Lure of Gold
1121--Hand to Hand
1122--From a Prison Cell
1123--Dr. Quartz, Magician
1124--Into Nick Carter’s Web
1125--The Mystic Diagram
1126--The Hand that Won
1127--Playing a Lone Hand
1128--The Master Villain
1129--The False Claimant
1130--The Living Mask
1131--The Crime and the Motive
1132--A Mysterious Foe
1133--A Missing Man
1134--A Game Well Played
1135--A Cigarette Clew
1136--The Diamond Trail
1137--The Silent Guardian
1138--The Dead Stranger
1140--The Doctor’s Stratagem
1141--Following a Chance Clew
1142--The Bank Draft Puzzle
1143--The Price of Treachery
1144--The Silent Partner
1145--Ahead of the Game
1146--A Trap of Tangled Wire
1147--In the Gloom of Night
1148--The Unaccountable Crook
1149--A Bundle of Clews
1150--The Great Diamond Syndicate
1151--The Death Circle
1152--The Toss of a Penny
1153--One Step Too Far
1154--The Terrible Thirteen
1155--A Detective’s Theory
1156--Nick Carter’s Auto Trail
1157--A Triple Identity
1158--A Mysterious Graft
1159--A Carnival of Crime
1160--The Bloodstone Terror
1161--Trapped in His Own Net
1162--The Last Move in the Game
1163--A Victim of Deceit
1164--With Links of Steel
1165--A Plaything of Fate
1166--The Key Ring Clew
1167--Playing for a Fortune
1168--At Mystery’s Threshold
1169--Trapped by a Woman
1170--The Four Fingered Glove
1171--Nabob and Knave
1172--The Broadway Cross
1173--The Man Without a Conscience
1174--A Master of Deviltry
1175--Nick Carter’s Double Catch
1176--Doctor Quartz’s Quick Move
1177--The Vial of Death
1178--Nick Carter’s Star Pupils
1179--Nick Carter’s Girl Detective
1180--A Baffled Oath
1181--A Royal Thief
1182--Down and Out
1183--A Syndicate of Rascals
1184--Played to a Finish
1185--A Tangled Case
1186--In Letters of Fire
1187--Crossed Wires
1188--A Plot Uncovered
1189--The Cab Driver’s Secret
1190--Nick Carter’s Death Warrant
1191--The Plot that Failed
1192--Nick Carter’s Masterpiece
1193--A Prince of Rogues
1194--In the Lap of Danger
1195--The Man from London
1196--Circumstantial Evidence
1197--The Pretty Stenographer Mystery
1198--A Villainous Scheme
1199--A Plot Within a Plot
1200--The Elevated Railroad Mystery
1201--The Blow of a Hammer
1202--The Twin Mystery
1203--The Bottle With the Black Label
1204--Under False Colors
1205--A Ring of Dust
1206--The Crown Diamond
1207--The Blood-red Badge
1208--The Barrel Mystery
1209--The Photographer’s Evidence
1210--Millions at Stake
1211--The Man and His Price
1212--A Double-Handed Game
1213--A Strike for Freedom
1214--A Disciple of Satan
1215--The Marked Hand
1216--A Fight with a Fiend
1217--When the Wicked Prosper
1218--A Plunge into Crime
1219--An Artful Schemer
1220--Reaping the Whirlwind
1221--Out of Crime’s Depths
1222--A Woman at Bay
1223--The Temple of Vice
1224--Death at the Feast
1225--A Double Plot
1226--In Search of Himself
1227--A Hunter of Men
1228--The Boulevard Mutes
1229--Captain Sparkle, Pirate
1230--Nick Carter’s Fall
1231--Out of Death’s Shadow
1232--A Voice from the Past
1233--Accident or Murder?
1234--The Man Who Was Cursed
1235--Baffled, But Not Beaten
1236--A Case Without a Clew
1237--The Demon’s Eye
1238--A Blindfold Mystery
1239--Nick Carter’s Swim to Victory
1240--A Man to Be Feared
1241--Saved by a Ruse
1242--Nick Carter’s Wildest Chase
1243--A Nation’s Peril
1244--The Rajah’s Ruby
1245--The Trail of a Human Tiger
1246--The Disappearing Princess
1247--The Lost Chittendens
1248--The Crystal Mystery
1249--The King’s Prisoner
1250--Talika, the Geisha Girl
1251--The Doom of the Reds
1252--The Lady of Shadows
1253--The Mysterious Castle
1254--The Senator’s Plot
1255--A Submarine Trail
1256--A War of Brains
1257--Pauline--A Mystery
1258--The Confidence King
1259--A Chase for Millions
1260--Shown on the Screen
1261--The Streaked Peril
1262--The Room of Mirrors
1263--A Plot for an Empire
1264--A Call on the Phone

In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the books listed below will be issued during the respective months to New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance promptly, on account of delays in transportation.

To be published in July, 1929.

1265--Nick Carter’s Convict Client
1266--The House of the Yellow Door
1267--Nick Carter’s Round-up

To be published in August, 1929.

1268--A Masterly Trick
1269--For a Madman’s Millions

To be published in September, 1929.

1270--The Four Hoodoo Charms
1271--The Man in the Auto

To be published in October, 1929.

1272--The Jeweled Mummy
1273--The Vanishing Emerald

To be published in November, 1929.

1274--A Live Wire Clue
1275--The Vampire’s Trail

To be published in December, 1929.

1276--The Crimson Flash
1277--The Vanishing Heiress

* * * * *

BOOKS THAT NEVER GROW OLD

Alger Series

Clean Adventure Stories for Boys

The Most Complete List Published

The following list does not contain all the books that Horatio Alger wrote, but it contains most of them, and certainly the best.

Horatio Alger is to boys what Charles Dickens is to grown-ups. His work is just as popular to-day as it was years ago. The books have a quality, the value of which is beyond computation.

There are legions of boys of foreign parents who are being helped along the road to true Americanism by reading these books which are so peculiarly American in tone that the reader cannot fail to absorb some of the spirit of fair play and clean living which is so characteristically American.

In this list will be included certain books by Edward Stratemeyer, Oliver Optic, and other authors who wrote the Alger type of stories, which are equal in interest and wholesomeness with those written by the famous author after whom this great line of books for boys is named.

_ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_

By HORATIO ALGER, Jr.

1--Driven from Home
2--A Cousin’s Conspiracy
3--Ned Newton
4--Andy Gordon
5--Tony, the Tramp
6--The Five Hundred Dollar Check
7--Helping Himself
8--Making His Way
9--Try and Trust
10--Only an Irish Boy
11--Jed, the Poorhouse Boy
12--Chester Rand
13--Grit, the Young Boatman of Pine Point
14--Joe’s Luck
15--From Farm Boy to Senator
16--The Young Outlaw
17--Jack’s Ward
18--Dean Dunham
19--In a New World
20--Both Sides of the Continent
21--The Store Boy
22--Brave and Bold
23--A New York Boy
24--Bob Burton
25--The Young Adventurer
26--Julius, the Street Boy
27--Adrift in New York
28--Tom Brace
29--Struggling Upward
30--The Adventures of a New York Telegraph Boy
31--Tom Tracy
32--The Young Acrobat
33--Bound to Rise
34--Hector’s Inheritance
35--Do and Dare
36--The Tin Box

In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance promptly, on account of delays in transportation.

To be published in July, 1929.

37--Tom, the Bootblack
38--Risen from the Ranks

To be published in August, 1929.

39--Shifting for Himself
40--Wait and Hope

To be published in September, 1929.

41--Sam’s Chance
42--Striving for Fortune

To be published in October, 1929.

43--Phil, the Fiddler
44--Slow and Sure

To be published in November, 1929.

45--Walter Sherwood’s Probation
46--The Trials and Triumphs of Mark Mason
47--The Young Salesman

To be published in December, 1929.

48--Andy Grant’s Pluck
49--Facing the World

* * * * *

NOW IN PRINT

By EDWARD STRATEMEYER

98--The Last Cruise of _The Spitfire_
99--Reuben Stone’s Discovery
100--True to Himself
101--Richard Dare’s Venture
102--Oliver Bright’s Search
103--To Alaska for Gold
104--The Young Auctioneer
105--Bound to Be an Electrician
106--Shorthand Tom
108--Joe, the Surveyor
109--Larry, the Wanderer
110--The Young Ranchman
111--The Young Lumberman
112--The Young Explorers
113--Boys of the Wilderness
114--Boys of the Great Northwest
115--Boys of the Gold Field
116--For His Country
117--Comrades in Peril
118--The Young Pearl Hunters
119--The Young Bandmaster
121--On Fortune’s Trail
122--Lost in the Land of Ice
123--Bob, the Photographer

* * * * *

By OLIVER OPTIC

124--Among the Missing
125--His Own Helper
126--Honest Kit Dunstable
127--Every Inch a Boy
128--The Young Pilot
129--Always in Luck
130--Rich and Humble
131--In School and Out
133--Work and Win
135--Haste and Waste
136--Royal Tarr’s Pluck
137--The Prisoners of the Cave
138--Louis Chiswick’s Mission
139--The Professor’s Son
140--The Young Hermit
141--The Cruise of _The Dandy_
142--Building Himself Up
143--Lyon Hart’s Heroism
144--Three Young Silver Kings
145--Making a Man of Himself
146--Striving for His Own
147--Through by Daylight
148--Lightning Express
149--On Time
150--Switch Off
151--Brake Up
152--Bear and Forbear
153--The “Starry Flag”
154--Breaking Away
155--Seek and Find
156--Freaks of Fortune
157--Make or Break
158--Down the River
159--The Boat Club
160--All Aboard
161--Now or Never
162--Try Again
163--Poor and Proud
164--Little by Little
165--The Sailor Boy
166--The Yankee Middy
167--Brave Old Salt

* * * * *

175--Fighting for Fortune By Roy Franklin
176--The Young Steel Worker By Frank H. MacDougal
177--The Go-ahead Boys By Gale Richards
178--For the Right By Roy Franklin
179--The Motor Cycle Boys By Donald Grayson
180--The Wall Street Boy By Allan Montgomery
181--Stemming the Tide By Roy Franklin
182--On High Gear By Donald Grayson
183--A Wall Street Fortune By Allan Montgomery
184--Winning by Courage By Roy Franklin
185--From Auto to Airship By Donald Grayson
186--Camp and Canoe By Remson Douglas
187--Winning Against Odds By Roy Franklin
188--The Luck of Vance Sevier By Frederick Gibson
189--The Island Castaway By Roy Franklin
190--The Boy Marvel By Frank H. MacDougal
191--A Boy With a Purpose By Roy Franklin
192--The River Fugitives By Remson Douglas

* * * * *

READ

When you want real recreation in your leisure hours, read! Read the STREET & SMITH NOVELS!

They are the cheapest and the most interesting reading matter published in America to-day. No jazz--no sex--just big, clean, interesting books. There are hundreds of different titles, among which you will find a lot of exactly the sort of reading you want.

So, when you get tired of rolling around in your Lady Lizzie or listening to the blah-blah of your radio, hie yourself to the nearest news dealer, grab off a copy of a good detective, adventure or love story, and then READ!

Read the STREET & SMITH NOVELS. Catalog sent upon request.

Street & Smith Corporation

79 Seventh Avenue New York City

* * * * *

Transcriber’s Notes:

Burt L. Standish is a pen name for William George “Gilbert” Patten.

Punctuation has been made consistent.

Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

End of Project Gutenberg's Frank Merriwell's Diamond Foes, by Burt L. Standish