to last
her a while."

"Go on."

"The last ball game of the series between Yale and Harvard comes off
next week?"

"It does."

"Yale has won one, and Harvard one."

"That is right."

"Yale stands a right good chance of winning the deciding game?"

"She is pretty sure of winning."

"And I have a pot of dust on Harvard. I can get odds that Yale will win,
so I can stake more money."

Frank fancied that he saw the stranger's game, and he felt his anger
rising rapidly; but, with a great effort, he held himself in control,
and pretended that he did not understand.

The boy looked the man over from head to heels. He was making a study of
the unknown. Already he had decided by the man's appearance and language
that he was a Westerner, or wished to be considered such. Frank was not
absolutely certain that the fellow was not masquerading as a man from
the West.

As Merriwell remained silent after the stranger's last statement, he
went on:

"If there is any way of knowing as how Harvard will win, I can stake my
rocks on her, and pull off a good thing."

Still Frank was silent.

"You can see that plain enough, can't you, youngster?" demanded the man,
seeming to grow impatient and restless before the lad's steady, piercing
gaze.

"Any one should be able to see that," was the cold answer.

"Then all I've got to do in order to make a stake is to fix it so that
Harvard is dead sure of winning."

"How can you fix it?"

"I don't see but one way."

"How is that?"

"Make it worth something to the Yale team to throw the game to Harvard.
I can afford to do that, I reckon; but I've got to find the right man to
do the trick."

Frank's jaws seemed to grow square and hard, and there was a dangerous
fire in his eyes. The stranger did not appear to discern this, however,
for he went on:

"It rather strikes me that the pitcher has the best chance to do the
little turn I want done, and that's why I've come to you. Now, don't go
off half-cocked! Hold hard, and hear me chirp. Every young fellow at
college needs money, and they need a right good bit of it, too. I don't
allow that you are any exception. Now, I reckon I can show you how you
can make a smart bit of a pile and do it dead easy. Nobody but you and
me will ever know you did it at all, and there isn't any danger that
we'll preach about it--none whatever."

"Make a square statement as to what you want," commanded Frank, finding
it difficult to keep his voice