the mysterious stranger.

The unknown seemed to be watching Merriwell, for he whirled about and
hastened away the moment Frank started in his direction.

"Oh, I want to get my hands on that fellow!" grated Frank.

The man did his best to escape, but Merriwell was close after him. The
stranger hurried along a street, and Frank broke into a run. Then the
unknown glanced over his shoulder, and started to run himself.

"Hold on!" commanded Frank.

That made the stranger run the faster.

Frank followed, but could see nothing of the person he was pursuing.

"He must have dodged into a doorway," decided the lad. "No--here is
where he went, down this alley."

The mouth of a dark alley was before him, and he plunged into it. He did
not go far before he decided that further pursuit was folly, and he
turned back.

"He's slippery," muttered the boy; "but I'll catch him some time, if he
continues to shadow me."

Dark forms appeared at the mouth of the alley, and a hoarse whisper came
to Merriwell's ears:

"He went in here, and the alley is blind, so he can't get out. Do
him--and do him dirty!"

For all that Frank had been often in desperate peril, something about
this situation chilled him to the heart. The uncanny darkness, the
unknown alley, his creeping foes coming down upon him, possibly with
deadly intent, all served to make him feel weak and helpless for the
moment.

There are times when the bravest heart shrinks with dread, and, for all
that Frank was a lad with remarkable nerve, it is not strange that he
felt a thrill of fear at that moment.

It is claimed that men have lived who "never knew the meaning of the
word fear," and it is possible that this may be true; but in case they
ever were placed in situations of extreme peril, such persons must have
been lacking in some of the essential elements that compose a human
being. We think of them as deficient in certain ways, wanting in the
finer qualities, and naturally coarse and brutish.

It is the person who experiences fear and conquers it by his own
determination to do so who is the greatest hero.

One of the bravest generals America has produced, a man who had the
reputation of being utterly fearless, once was asked if he ever had been
afraid while in battle. "No, sir," was his reply, "never in battle; but
sometimes just before going into an engagement, I have felt it necessary
to keep my teeth clinched to prevent my heart from jumping out of my
mouth."