Tip Top Weekly No. 80: Frank Merriwell as 'Anchor' — page 29: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

FRANK MERRIWELL AS ANCHOR. a? ‘“No, you don’t!’ he exclaimed hotly, catching the fellow by the arm .and giy- ing him a smashing blow on the side of the head. Hearing the rumpus, Hili came run- ning around the corner just in time to meet the two as they were staggering along. He promptly gave the scoundrel a rattling series of blows that dropped him to the floor half stunned. *SCome in here,’ called Frank, and the other students. came crowding into the rooin. “Let's kick him to death!’ exclaimed one, excitedly. The students were so angry that they might have put this suggestion into exe- cution if Frank had not called a halt. ‘*Rind a cord,’’ he said, ‘‘and bind this fellow hand and foot; then we'll notify the comnittee of arrangements and go on with the tug of war.”’ A cord was quickly found, and the man was tied so thoroughly that there was no possibility that he could escape. Then, while Frank and the others were getting ready for the tug, Hill looked up the committee of arrangements and explained | the situation. It may be said in passing that the mat- ter aroused a great deal of indignation on all sides, and that an investigation was made, which resulted in showing that the man Frank had captured was a common gambler, and that there were several others who had put up a great deal of money on Princeton, and then taken every means they possibly could to bring about Princeton’s victory. : He could do this only by disabling | Princeton’s adversaries. It was found that attempts had been made to injure _both Harvard and Cornell inen as well as those from Yale. Two or three of the gambler’s con- federates were found in the hall and put under arrest, and the next morning they were taken to police court on a charge of malicious mischief, for wach they were | ‘severely punished. As it was perfectly. certain that no Princeton had man had any hand in the matter, or any knowledge of it other than had been given to the managers by the Yale team, nothing was said about it at the time, for. uevesy DOny was anxious that - down at the same instant. the tug of war between Yale and Prince- ton should be pulled on its merits. The master of ceremonies announced that an accident had happened to Yale's anchor, and that Merriwell would take his place, with Rattleton as substitute on the rope. here was a good deal of dismay at this. in the Yale rauks,, for although every- bedy had confidence in Frank, all knew that a change in the makeup of a team at the last moment is likely to he disastrous. Nevertheless, Merriwell was greeted with a big cheer when he went out to the floor and wound the end of the rope around his belt. He put Rattleton on the further end of the line, and moved Taylor up to his own old position. There was then a breathless moinent, while both sides waited for the pistol shot. When it came, the eight men went It was evident that the Princeton team had observed the success of the Yale men in dropping, and had determined not to let them get an advantage in that way. The ribbon stood exactly at the chalk mark, and the first few secunds of violent pulling failed to budge it more thana hair’s breadth in either direction. The great audience stood up and cheered as they had not done since the evening began. It was a delight to see two teams of strong young nien so ev enly matched in strength and skill. On the Yale side there was fear in spite of the enthusiastic cheering that Merri- well’s weight would be agaist them in the end, and not a few called attention to the fact that the Yale team had already — pulled once, while Princeton was per- fectly fresh. These things were thought of, too, on the ‘Princeton side, and .that made the wearers of the orange more confident. As in the former pull, there was a short period of rest after the first tug. The anchors eyed each other warily, and the men lay on the rope, crossing their legs over it, and waiting for the signal to tug again. Frank saw the Princeton anchor whist: pering to the man jn front of him. “Tf that’s a command to pull,” he: thought, ‘‘it’s given | too openly, and it’s COMIC OOO SS (C(O)