Mike Hogan a pair of black eyes! I'll
never be satisfied till I have done him the worst kind of a turn.

"I heard you chaps talkin', and it struck me that we might pull together
to do him dirt. That's why I came right in. What do you say to it?"

The boys looked at each other, and then they nodded approval.

"You'll do," said Harris. "You may prove a very valuable man for us."

CHAPTER V.

WHAT A HAIR CAN DO.

At his first opportunity to get away from recitations the following day
Frank took Diamond and Rattleton and hastened down to the stable to find
out how Nemo was coming along.

Grody, who had just saddled a horse for a gentleman, met Frank, and the
expression on his face was anything but reassuring.

"Well, how is the pony this morning?" asked Merriwell, anxiously.

"Just as lame as he were, sir," answered Grody. "I've been tryin' to
find out what it were that happened to him, but I can't, sir."

"Did you take him to the shoer the first thing this morning and have his
feet examined, as I directed?"

"I did that, sir."

"And what did the shoer say?"

"He located the lameness in the same foot what we said were lame, sir,
and he took off the shoe, but he said as how it were all right, and no
fault of the shoeing. He didn't know but a nail might have gone too
deep, sir, but he found that were not it."

This was anything but satisfactory, and Frank showed it by his face.

"Well," he said, "you know I told you to summon Dr. Cobb, if it proved
something beyond the shoeing."

"And that were what I done, sir."

"And the doctor could not tell what ailed the horse?"

"The doctor has not come yet, sir. He were busy when I send the message
to him, but he said---- Here he is now, sir."

A rig drew up at the door, and a short, stubbed, red-bearded man stepped
out. This man entered the stable with a quick step and called to the
hostler:

"Well, Grody, did you telephone me?"

"Yes, sir, I did, sir," said the hostler, quickly.

"Important case, you said?"

"Yes, sir, very important."

"Where's the horse?"

"I'll bring him right out, sir."

The hostler hastened to do so, and Dr. Cobb looked keenly at Nemo.

"Walk him around," directed the doctor.

Grody obeyed.

"Just a bit lame," commented the doctor. "It may be a slight strain. It
doesn't seem to be much."

"But it grows worse when he is taken out on the road," said Frank. "It
was very bad yesterday afternoon."

The doctor glanced a