ement the alarmed sophomores broke and scattered
before the oncoming freshmen.

Crash!

The timber struck the gate, bursting it open instantly, and the
triumphant freshmen swarmed into the park, cheering wildly.

"Hurrah for 'Umpty-eight!" yelled Bandy Robinson, turning a handspring.
"We are the boys to do 'em!"

"Hurrah for Frank Merriwell!" shouted Harry Rattleton, his face beaming
with joy. "It was his scheme that did it."

"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!" roared the freshmen. "'Rah! 'rah! 'rah!"

Then Frank felt himself lifted to the shoulders of his enthusiastic
admirers and carried to the home plate of the ball ground, where the
freshmen cheered again and again.

The sophomores were filled with rage and chagrin.

"That was the blamedest trick I ever heard of in all my life!" declared
Andy Emery. "We weren't looking for anything of the kind."

"And we have Merriwell to thank for it!" snapped Evan Hartwick. "He's
full of tricks as an egg is full of meat."

"By Jawve!" said Willis Paulding, who had managed to keep out of harm's
way during the entire affair. "I think somebody ought to do something to
that fellaw--I really do, don't yer know."

"Suppose you try to see what you can do with him," grinned Tad Horner.
"You ought to be able to do something."

"Aw--really you will hawve to excuse me!" exclaimed Willis in alarm. "I
hawdly think I could match his low cunning, don't yer understand."

"Oh, yes, I understand," nodded Horner, significantly. "It takes a man
to go up against Merriwell."

"I hope you don't mean to insinuate--"

"Oh, no!" interrupted Tad. "I have said it."

"Eh? I hawdly think I understand, don't yer know."

"Think it over," advised the little soph as he turned away.

It is probable that Bruce Browning was more thoroughly disgusted than
any of his friends.

"Confound it!" he thought. "If I'd stuck to that fellow and done him up
anyway he wouldn't have been able to carry out this trick. If he is
given any kind of a show he is bound to take advantage of it."

Bruce felt like fighting.

"I'm going in there and lick him," he declared. "I will settle this
matter with Merriwell right away."

But some of his friends were more cautious.

"It won't do," declared Puss Parker.

"Won't do?"

"No, sir."

"Why not?"

"It might be done under cover of a rush, but a single fight between a
soph and a fresh under such public conditions would be sure to get them
both in trouble."

"I don't