Part 20 (1/2)

”Sure,” he said, looking at a figure in the upper left-hand corner, ”that came from station 'D,' on the corner of Spruce and Elm Streets.”

The boys thanked him and hurried out. The address the operator had given them was nearly a mile away, and they broke into a run. As they went along they noticed that the houses lining the streets began to wear a very tumble-down aspect, and to thin out more and more.

”This is a rotten neighborhood,” panted Bert; ”we must be getting pretty near the edge of the town.”

They had almost reached their destination when, as they pa.s.sed a particularly ramshackle building with a saloon on the ground floor, they became conscious of a terrific hubbub going on within. There was a sound of shouting and blows, and every once in a while the whole crazy building would fairly rock as some heavy body crashed against the walls from within.

Even as Bert and d.i.c.k stood watching in amazement, a m.u.f.fled shout arose above the general uproar that they both recognized. ”That was Tom's voice for a million!” yelled Bert, and without another word the two friends made a dash for the door that evidently led to the floor above.

Without hesitating to find out whether or not it was locked they crashed against it. Their combined weight acted like a battering ram and the door, torn from its hinges, fell inward. They rushed up the rickety stairs in great bounds and, cras.h.i.+ng through another door that barred their way, found themselves precipitated into the midst of a fierce struggle.

On the floor four men were locked in a deadly grapple. The meager furniture of the room was splintered and broken, and the whole place looked as though a cyclone had struck it. With a yell Bert and d.i.c.k plunged into the struggle.

And now the odds were more even. Instead of three to one they were now three to three, and the tide of battle began to turn. Bert and d.i.c.k tore Tom's a.s.sailants away from him and he staggered to his feet. He was battered and bruised, but still full of fight. ”Come on, fellows, wade into them,” he shouted hoa.r.s.ely. His tried and true comrades needed no second bidding, and now began a battle compared to which the other seemed mild. The three thugs who had been trying to overpower Tom were brutal fighters, and withal were men of muscle. But it did not take long to decide which side would win. The three friends, every fighting instinct in them aroused, and the l.u.s.t of battle hot within them, fought with a fury and concentrated power that nothing could withstand.

Slowly they forced the thugs across the room, planting blow after blow with deadly effect. Their opponents gave ground steadily, unable to withstand the terrific punishment meted out to them. Suddenly the one nearest the door made a dash for it, and the others followed suit. The three comrades started in hot pursuit, but reached the street only to see the last of their erstwhile antagonists disappearing around the nearest corner, and Bert called a halt.

”No use chasing them,” he said, when they had gotten their breath a little. ”They know the neighborhood and we don't, and the chances are we'd never catch them. We licked 'em good and proper though, didn't we?”

”That was _some_ sc.r.a.p, all right,” said d.i.c.k with a long whistle, ”and we didn't get off scot free, either. My left eye feels as though a coal wagon had fallen on it.”

”It looks it, too,” said Bert with a wry grin; ”we're all marked up a little, but I'll bet that bunch of roughnecks will remember us for a little while to come. But how did they come to get you, Tom? Tell us all about it.”

Tom then told them about receiving the note, and getting into the automobile. ”After that,” he said, ”there's not much to tell. It was dark, and I didn't notice what kind of a neighborhood that rascally chauffeur was taking me into. After a while he stopped and opened the door, telling me we had arrived at Dave's house. As I stepped out those three 'bad men' jumped on me. One of them pressed a rag soaked in chloroform over my face, and I went to sleep almost before I had a chance to fight. When I came to I found myself in that room, with one lowbrow on guard. I waited until my head cleared a little, and then I sailed into him. The noise of the s.h.i.+ndy brought up the other two, and then the argument got pretty hot. There's no doubt but what they'd have won the decision soon, too, if you fellows hadn't happened to b.u.t.t in just as you did. I couldn't have held out much longer against odds like that.”

”Yes, it is rather lucky,” agreed Bert; ”we weren't a minute too soon.”

”How did you learn where I was?” inquired Tom.

Bert then told him how they had discovered the slip of paper containing the note to him, and gave a brief outline of his and d.i.c.k's actions after discovering it.

”Pretty good detective work,” said Tom admiringly. ”Sherlock Holmes would better look out for his laurels.”

Meanwhile they had been walking back toward the college, and with the aid of a street car were not long in reaching it.

As they were crossing the campus, they met Reddy.

”For the love of Hivin,” exclaimed the trainer, as he caught sight of their swollen faces, ”what in the world have you been doin' anyway? You haven't been lambastin' each other, have ye?”

”Not exactly,” said Bert, and then proceeded to give the trainer a detailed account of the recent happenings. Reddy listened attentively, and when Bert finished made no reply at once. After a thoughtful silence, he said: ”Well, it's something of a mystery, Wilson, but one thing is certain--without Henderson the team would have been so crippled that we wouldn't have had a chance in the world of winning, and I have an idea that the bunch connected with Mike's place, where he was held prisoner, have a pretty big interest in our winning or losing, in a money way. And the two facts put together may come pretty near giving the correct answer.”

”I imagined it might be something of the kind,” said Bert; ”I wonder what chance there is of bringing the scoundrels to justice.”

”You'll bet we'll do everything possible,” said Reddy grimly, ”but now, you'd better pack Henderson off to bed, and Trent had better put a bit o' beefsteak on that damaged 'lamp' of his! This afternoon we start for New York, and we want everybody fit.”

CHAPTER XV

THE DASH FOR THE GOAL

”The day, the important day, Big with the fate of Cato and of Rome,”