ank
Merriwell's face!

CHAPTER XVIII.

RAINS' CHALLENGE.

Bascomb's movement had been noted by the spectators, and a cry of
astonishment and warning broke from many lips.

"Look out!" shouted Bart Hodge.

Frank had seen the movement, and he needed no warning.

Like a flash, he ducked to the right, and Bascomb's bare fist missed
his face and shot over his shoulder.

At the same instant Frank countered with his left, striking the big
fellow on the chin, and hurling him backward with force enough to send
him reeling.

Leaping forward, Merriwell followed up his advantage, and Bascomb
received two terrible blows, one of which knocked him down as if he had
been struck by a cannon ball.

Then Frank flung off both his gloves, his face flushed, and his eyes
flashing, as he exclaimed:

"Two can play at your game, fellow! If you want to try a round with
uncovered knuckles, pick yourself up and come on!"

Snarling like a wounded dog, Bascomb scrambled to his feet; but here
the spectators surged between the two, Rains catching hold of the big
plebe, while Hodge grasped Merriwell.

"Easy, Frank!" warned Bart. "Are you crazy? You know what it will
mean if you fight in the gym. Rhynas has noticed it now--he's coming."

"Confound that fellow!" muttered Frank. "I don't often get started
this way, but it was such a dirty trick that----"

"Never mind, now. Keep still, or Rhynas will hear."

"Let me get at him!" Bascomb had snarled. "I will beat the life out of
him!"

"Stop! stop!" said Rains, swiftly. "You are making a fool of yourself!
You can't fight here!"

"Can't I? Well----"

"No, it is against the rules. If you press this, you will be expelled,
for the affair will be investigated, and it will be proved that you
bared your hand, and Merriwell was forced to do so to defend himself."

"Oh, I could hammer him!"

"Well, there is plenty of time. Steady, now! Here is the professor.
He has scented a row. Can't you play cool, and pretend it was a joke?
Quick!"

Then Frank was surprised to see Bascomb come forward, laughing in a
sickly way, as he said:

"You're pretty flip with your hands, Merriwell, and that's right. I
hope you won't lay up anything against me because I lost my glove. I
was so excited that I didn't know it was gone."

It was on Frank's tongue to give Bascomb the lie, but, for once in his
life, Hodge was the cooler of the two, and he warned his friend by a
soft pressure on