Frank Merriwell's Champions Part 23

"Say," he called, "is there any good, hot tea or coffee?"

"Plenty of it," a.s.sured Merriwell.

"Gimme a cup-quick!"

Bruce found a seat at the table, and Frank ordered a cup of tea to be brought. Then, while Rattleton and Mulloy were condoling with Browning over his misfortune, Merriwell gave the waiter a tip to bring a cup of cracked ice with the tea, but to place it beside Frank's plate.

The waiter obeyed the order, and soon the tea, boiling hot, was before Browning. Bruce was so eager to swallow something hot that he caught it up and gulped down nearly half of it. Then he uttered a roar of dismay.

"Confound it!" he cried, as soon as he could speak. "That tea has taken the skin off all the way down! I'm parboiled inside! Oh, great Caesar!"

"You wanted it hot," said Rattleton. "The waiter brought it hot, so you could cool it to suit yourself."

"That ought to break up your chill," laughed Frank.

Browning groaned.

"I wish I'd never seen Arkansas!" he declared. "We'd been all right if Merriwell hadn't tried to carry out his scheme of riding through the eastern part of the State. I caught the ague in those howling swamps, and goodness knows when I'll get rid of it!"

"Vot you vants to done," said Hans, "is to froze dot ague oudt. Uf you sot yourselluf down mit an ice-houses in und stayed there elefen or nine hours, you shook all der ague away britty queek. Yaw!"

"Oh, yes!" grunted the afflicted lad. "That is a fine scheme! All you need is a pill box and a few brains to become a first-cla.s.s doctor. I don't think!"

He tried to cool his tea so that he could drink it. After a time, he was able to sip it. Then Frank caught Harry's eye, and made a signal that Rattleton understood. Immediately Harry engaged Browning's attention.

Bruce sat the cup of tea down a moment, and Frank quickly exchanged it for the cup of cracked ice.

After a bit, the big fellow took the cup by the handle, and, feeling sure the tea must be cool enough for him to drink with impunity, lifted it and took a mouthful of the fine cracked ice.

If possible, that gave Bruce a greater shock than he had received from the scalding tea. Some of the ice slipped down his throat, and with a shout of rage, the big fellow sprang up from the table and rushed from the room, his blankets flopping about his heels.

And all those jolly, heartless jokers at the table shouted with laughter once more.

CHAPTER XV-A BOXING MATCH

That afternoon, the Yale lads were invited down to the combined clubhouse and boathouse of the Blue Cove boys. They went along in a body, Browning having recovered sufficiently to make one of the party.

The boathouse was built over the edge of the water, and a wing of it served as a clubroom. The regular eight-oar racing boat lay high and dry on her brackets, and the visitors inspected her with interest.

"What do you think of her, Merriwell?" asked Kent Spencer, rather anxiously.

"She's all right," nodded Frank. "It is plain she is a new boat, and made from an up-to-date model."

"We bought her last season. She is the first really good boat we ever owned, and that is how we happened to win the champions.h.i.+p from Alexandria. She cost us a pretty sum, but we more than made it up on the race."

The final words were murmured into Frank's ear, and Merriwell understood that, although betting on the races was forbidden, the Blue Cove lads had found a way to win some of the money Alexandria was so willing to stake on her crew.

"Our old boat was too wide in the waist," Spencer explained. "She could not slip through the water as easily as this one. I presume this may be improved upon, but I can't see how."

"Nor can I," confessed Frank. "If you do not win the race this season, it is certain the boat will not be the cause of your defeat."

Besides the large boat, there was a four-oared sh.e.l.l, also new and handsome. This attracted no little attention and admiration from the Yale lads.

When the boats had been inspected, the visitors were invited into the clubroom, which they found comfortably furnished, with large windows, which could be opened to let the cool air sweep through the place.

Everything about the place was clean and in perfect order.

"It is an ideal summer clubhouse," declared Frank, as he looked about admiringly.

There were two large tables, upon which were papers and sporting magazines. About the tables were strong but cheap hardwood or rattan chairs. All around the room ran a stationary settee against the wall. On the walls were pictures, nearly all of a sporting character. There was a picture of a yacht race, besides imaginative pictures of a football match and a game of baseball. A prominent picture was that of a great single-scull rower. There were also pictures of bicycle races.

One thing Frank noticed with intense satisfaction. There were no pictures of professional sports and prize fighters.

"Now, fellows," cried Jack Diamond, "what do you think of Virginia and Virginia boys?"

And from the Yale crowd came a shout of:

"They're all right!"

The Blue Cove boys did what they could to make the visitors comfortable, and a general jolly afternoon was spent. For amus.e.m.e.nt, Hans and Ephraim were induced to don the gloves and have a bout.

"Vot you pet you don'd knocked me oudt der virst roundt in, Efy?"

grinned the jolly Dutch lad. "You oxpect I peen a holy derror der cloves mit, eh?"

"Gol darned ef I know anything abaout ye!" answered the Vermonter, as he stuffed his long fingers down into the gloves. "All I want is plenty of room, an' there ain't enough in here, b'gos.h.!.+"

"Yaw, you gif me blenty uf rooms," urged Hans. "Vy you don'd come der odder part uf der puilding indo, hey?"

"That'll suit me. Come on."

So out they went into the room where the boats were kept.

"You want to look out for the slip," said Spencer. "You might fall into the water, and--"

He did not say more, for he saw Frank violently shaking his head, and tumbled to the fact that Merriwell did not want the boxers warned against the opening by which a boat could be rowed into that very room.

Ephraim seemed to feel lively and belligerent as soon as he pulled on the gloves, for he pranced around Hans, making furious feints and chuckling:

"Oh, jeewhiskers! ain't this goin' to be a reg'lar darn picnic! We'll have heaps of fun thumpin' an' punchin' each other, Dutchy."

"Yaw," grinned Hans, but with a sudden expression of dubiousness, "it peen goin' to be so much fun as nefer vas. Vot you pet on der game? Vot you pet you don'd lick me? I know I can let you done dot, und I pet von tollars on him. Uf you got der nerfe, you pet me dot."

"Don't talk about betting, but come an' see me!" cried Ephraim, still prancing about and flouris.h.i.+ng his arms.

"Oh, you peen in a pig hurry, don'd id," cried Hans. "Vale, look avay oudt!"

Then he made a rush at Ephraim, who simply straightened out one of his long arms, permitting the Dutch boy to run against his glove.