CHAPTER XVI.
THE VEILED WOMAN.
As may be understood, the members of Frank's company were individuallyand collectively delighted with the apparent success of the play andtheir efforts. Perhaps Agnes Kirk was the only one who complained. Shewas not at all pleased by the notices she obtained.
Frank immediately secured a supply of Denver papers and, marking thenotices, mailed them to the managers of theaters and the editors ofpapers along the route "True Blue" was to follow.
Then he had typewritten copies made of extracts from these notices,which he added to his collection of press notices already manufacturedfor advertising purposes, and sent them on to his advance agent, who hadbeen out on the road several days.
Frank knew how to work every point to the best advantage, and he did notlose anything. He was tireless in his efforts, and it was wonderful whatan immense amount of work he accomplished. No one knows how much he cando till he makes the test.
Hodge aided him as far as possible, and Frank found Bart a valuableassistant. Hodge was fully as eager as Merriwell for the play to be agreat success.
Frank had opened with the piece under its original name in Puelbo, andit had met disaster there. He vowed that he would return to that placewith the play and make a success of his engagement. He engaged theleading theater in the city for three nights, being obliged to pay inadvance for it, as the manager had no confidence in the revised play.
Frank had been working the papers of the city. One of them was edited bya remarkably genial gentleman by the name of Osgood, and this editor hadseen in the original play material for a strong piece. He admiredMerry's pluck in opening the second time in that city, and he literallyopened the columns of his paper to Frank, who telegraphed down extractsfrom the Denver papers as soon as the notices appeared.
The house in Puelbo was to be well "papered" the first night, but was todepend entirely on the drawing qualities of the play for the audience onthe following two nights.
Frank was making a great hustle to get away from Denver, and he wasreturning from the theater to his hotel, after seeing the last of thespecial scenery moved to the railroad station, when a heavily veiledwoman stopped directly in his path. As he was walking hastily, he nearlyran against her.
"I beg your pardon, madam!" exclaimed Frank, lifting his hat. "Veryawkward of me."
"Not at all," she said, in a low voice, that was not unpleasant norunmusical. "You were hurrying, and I stopped directly in your way. I amthe one who should beg to be excused."
"Not at all," he hastened to say. "I assure you that it was entirely onaccount of my awkwardness."
He was about to pass on, but her gloved hand fell on his arm, and shesaid:
"I wish to speak with you, Mr. Merriwell."
"You know me?" exclaimed Frank, surprised.
"Indeed, I do. Why should I not? All Denver knows you to-day."
"Am I so famous as that?" smiled Merry. "I fear you flatter, madam."
"It is not flattery. You must not doubt my sincerity."
"Very well, I will not; but you must speak hastily, for I have a trainto catch in an hour and thirty minutes, and I haven't too much time toattend to all I have to do."
"But you must give me a little of your time--you really must," she said,persuasively, putting her hand on his arm again. "If you will come withme--please do!"
"Where?"
"Oh, I know a nice, quiet place, where we can talk."
Somehow Frank did not like her words or manner. A feeling that there wassomething wrong about her came over him.
"Really, you must excuse me," he said. "I have not the time to goanywhere to talk. If you have anything to say to me, you can say ithere."
"Now, don't be obstinate. You'll not regret it if you come."
"But I do not even know who you are. That veil----"
"If you come, I may remove the veil," she murmured.
Frank drew back, so that her hand fell from his arm.
"Madam," he said, "you have placed me in a very awkward position. I donot like to appear rude to a lady, but----"
"Of course you do not, and so you will grant my request. It is a smallmatter."
"But not to me, for my time is valuable just now. I am ready to hearanything you have to say, but you must say it here."
"Would you keep a lady standing on the street?" she exclaimed, with aslight show of resentment. "I cannot say all I have to tell you in aminute."
"And I have explained that I cannot spare time to talk over anything formore than a few moments. I think you will have to excuse me. Good-day."
He lifted his hat and started to pass on, but again she placed herselfsquarely in front of him, to his great annoyance.
"Mr. Merriwell," she said, "I have seen you on the stage, and I admireyou greatly. You will not be rude to one of your admirers, I know. Youare far too gallant for that."
It was plain she sought to cajole him by flattery, and that was thesurest way to repulse him.
"Is it possible she is one of those foolish women who fall in love withactors?" Frank asked himself.
Somehow she did not seem like that. There was nothing of the giddy,gushing girl about her. He could not see her face, but her figure wasthat of a matured woman, and he judged that she must be twenty-fiveyears old, at least. It seemed, too, that there was a purpose in herwords and movements.
But Frank resolved on action, for he had found that it was useless towaste words talking to her. He made a quick move to one side and passedher, intending to hasten away.
Barely had he done so when she flung her arms about his neck andscreamed loudly!
Frank was astounded by this unexpected move of the veiled woman.
"She's crazy!"
That was the thought that flashed through Merry's mind.
He realized that he was in an awkward predicament, and he attempted towhirl about.
The woman was very strong, and, having taken him by surprise, she nearlythrew him down. To save himself, he caught hold of her.
"Help!" she cried.
Some men came running up.
"Madam," said Frank, hurriedly, "are you demented? What is the meaningof this?"
"You wretch!" she blazed. "Oh, you cowardly scoundrel, to assault a ladyon the public street in broad daylight!"
"Surely you are----"
"I saw him do it!" declared a little man, with red whiskers. "I saw himassault you, madam."
"Call an officer!" palpitated the woman. "Quick, before he gets away!"
"He shall not get away," declared a big man with a crooked eye,glowering at Frank. "If he tries it, I'll attend to him!"
"Looks like a would-be masher," piped a slim man, with a very long neck,ducking and nodding his head in an odd manner. "He should be taught alesson."
One or two others expressed themselves in a similar manner.
Frank had thought of making a break and hastening away, but now he sawit would not do, for he would have a howling mob at his heels theinstant he attempted such a move. He realized it would seem cowardly torun away in such a manner, and would look like a confession of guilt,which caused him to decide to stay and face it out, even though thepredicament was most embarrassing.
"Gentlemen," he said, looking squarely at them, and seeming to pay verylittle attention to the mysterious woman, even though he was perfectlyon his guard, not knowing what move she might make next, "I trust youwill give me a chance to explain what has happened."
"Explain it in the police court," growled the big man with a crookedeye. "That's the proper place for you to make your explanations."
"The judge will listen to you," cried the slim man, his head bobbing onhis long neck, like the head of a crane that is walking along the edgeof a marsh.
"Don't attempt to escape by means of falsehoods, you rascal!" almostshouted the little man with the red whiskers, bristling up in a savagemanner, but dodging back the moment Frank turned on him.
"Gentlemen, I have been insulted by this fellow!" c
ame from behind thebaffling veil worn by the woman. "He is a low wretch, who attacked me ina most brutal manner."
"We will see that you are protected, madam," assured the little man, hisred whiskers seeming to bristle like porcupine quills, as he dodgedround Frank and placed himself on the opposite side of the veiledunknown. "Madam," he repeated, "I will see that you are protected--Iwill!"
"You are very kind," she fluttered; "but where is the officer? Thereaction--the shock--the weakness!"
"Permit me to offer you any assistance possible," gallantly spoke a manin a sack coat and a silk hat, stepping forward and raising the latterpiece of wearing apparel, thereby disclosing a shining bald spot on thetop of his head, which he covered as quickly as possible, evidentlyhoping it had escaped the woman's notice. "You are in a city, my dearlady, where insults to the fair sex never go unpunished."
He attempted to smile on her in a pleasant manner, but there was a sortof leer in his eyes and around his sensual mouth that betrayed his truecharacter plainly enough.
The woman did not accept his arm which was half tendered, but she made agreat show of agitation and distress, which affected the variouswitnesses.
"It's a shame!" piped the man with the long neck and the bobbing head.
"It's an outrage!" blustered the little man with the bristling whiskersand savage manner.
"It's most unfortunate!" murmured the gallant man with the silk hat andsack coat.
"It's a bad break for Mr. Masher!" ejaculated the big man with thecrooked eye and glowering look.
Frank smiled; he could not help it, for he was impressed by the comedyof the affair, despite the unpleasantness of the situation he was in atthat moment.
"This would be good stuff for a scene in a play," he thought, and hemade a mental note of it.
Then he turned to the woman.
"Madam," he said, "what have I ever done to you that you should attemptto injure me in this manner?"
"Don't let him speak to me, the scoundrel!" she entreated, appealing tothe men.
"But it is no more than fair that you should answer me," persistedMerry. "I do not know you; I have not even seen your face. Will you notlift your veil and permit me to see your face, so that I may know whohas brought me into this unpleasant position?"
"He adds to his insults by requesting me to expose my identity on thestreet after such an affair as this!" she almost sobbed. "He woulddisgrace me! He would have my name in all the newspapers!"
"Reprehensible!" purred the gallant man.
"Terrible!" cackled the man with the bobbing head.
"Dastardly!" exploded the individual with the red whiskers.
"Criminal!" grated the giant with the crooked eye.
And they all glared at Frank--at least all of them but the one with thecrooked eye. It is possible that he, also, glared at the supposedoffender, but he seemed to be glaring at a white horse on the oppositeside of the street.
Repressing his laughter with difficulty, Merry said:
"I assure you, gentlemen, I never saw this lady, to my knowledge, beforea few minutes ago, when she stopped me on the street, and----"
Again the woman screamed.
"Will you listen to his base falsehoods?" she cried, with a show of thegreatest indignation and distress. "He is trying to disgrace me stillfurther by asserting that I stopped him on the street--stopped him! Asif a lady would do such a thing!"
"The idea!" squawked the man with the long neck, his head seeming to bobfaster than ever, as if it sought to express by its excited movementsthe indignant emotions his tongue could not utter.
"My dear lady, I would not remain here to be thus insulted," declaredthe gallant man, bending toward her, and endeavoring to summon a look ofconcern to his treacherous countenance.
"He should be placed in irons!" blurted the fierce-appearing little man,his red whiskers seeming to work and squirm with intense excitement andanger.
"He ought to have his head broken!" roared the big man, his crooked eyestill seeming to glare at the white horse in a most terrible and awesomemanner.
Others of the assembled crowd murmured to themselves in a most indignantmanner, all seeming to regard Frank as the offender.
Frank took out his watch and looked at it.
"Gracious!" he mentally exclaimed, "time is flying. If this keeps upmuch longer, I'll not reach Puelbo to-day."
"Now he shows his anxiety and concern," said a voice in the crowd.
"He's beginning to be frightened," said another voice.
"He's anxious to get away," said a third.
"But he can't get away," said a fourth.
"This is all very interesting," thought Frank; "but it is decidedlyunpleasant."
"Waal, whut in time's sake is goin' on here, I'd like ter know?" cried avoice that was familiar to Frank, and a tall, lank,countrified-appearing youth came up to the outskirts of the crowd, stoodon his tiptoes, and peered over.
It was Ephraim Gallup, and he saw Frank.
"Waal, darned if it ain't----"
Merry made a swift movement, clapping a finger to his lips, and Gallup,usually rather slow to tumble to anything, understood him at once,relapsing into silence.
"Let me git in here where I kin see the fun," he said, and he elbowedthe people aside as he forced his way through the crowd.
It did not take him long to reach the center of the throng, although anumber of persons were indignant at his manner of thrusting them asideor stepping on their feet.
"Whut's up?" he asked. "Ef there's anything goin' on, I kainder want tosee it."
"This young masher has insulted this lady!" explained the man with thebobbing head.
"Sho!" exclaimed Gallup. "Yeou don't say so, mister! Waal, I ams'prised!"
"He has treated her in an outrageous manner!" added the man with theagitated and fiery whiskers.
"I do declare!" ejaculated Ephraim. "I'd never thought it of him, bythutter!"
"The lady requires protection," declared the gallant man with themismated wearing apparel.
"Yeou don't tell me!" gasped the Vermonter, his surprise seeming toincrease. "Ain't it awful!"
"But the fellow needs a lesson!" rasped the man with the eye thatpersisted in looking in the wrong direction. "I think I'll hit him onceor twice."
"My gracious!" fluttered Gallup. "Hev ye gotter hit him real hard? Don'tyeou s'pose he might hit back?"
"Let him try it!" came fiercely from the giant.
"Be yeou goin' to hit where ye're lookin'?" asked the country youth."Cause ef yeou be, I'd advise that man with the wart on his nose tomove."
At this the man who owned the wart dodged with a suddenness thatprovoked a titter of laughter from several witnesses.
Ephraim was adding to the comedy of the affair, and Frank bit his lipsto keep from laughing outright, despite his annoyance over being thusdetained.
The big man with the crooked eye flourished his fists in the air in amost belligerent fashion, and instantly Merriwell gazed at him sternly,saying:
"Be careful, sir! You are imperiling the lives of everyone near you, andyou may strain yourself."
"That's right, by gum!" nodded Gallup, whimsically. "Yeou may warp oneof them air arms, flingin' it araound so gol-darn permiscuous like."
"Here comes an officer!"
Somebody uttered the cry.
"It is high time!" exclaimed the little man, trying to soothe hisagitated whiskers by pulling at them.
"It surely is," croaked the lank individual, his head bobbing withrenewed excitement.
"Madam, the law will give you redress," bowed the gallant man, againtaking off his silk hat and again clapping it on suddenly, as if abreath of cool air on his shining pate had warned him of the exposure hewas making.
"Oh, why didn't the officer stay away a minute longer, so I might havethumped him!" regretfully grunted the fighting man with the misdirectedeye.
The policeman came up and forced his way through the crowd, demanding:
"What does this mea
n? What is happening here?"
"A lady is in trouble," the bobbing man hastened to explain.
"In serious trouble," chirped the bewhiskered man.
"She has been insulted," declared the gallant man.
"By a masher," finished the man with the errant eye.
"Where is the lady?" asked the officer.
"There!"
All bowed politely toward the masked woman.
"Where is the masher?" was the next question.
"There!"
Their scornful fingers were leveled straight at Frank Merriwell.
Frank Merriwell's New Comedian; Or, The Rise of a Star Page 17