Tip Top Weekly No. 118: Frank Merriwell, Engine Wiper — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

TIP TOP WEEKLY. . : 47 ““You must be a mascot, Mr. Merri- well,”’ laughed the laine boy, as they all sat together one evening. ‘Please don’t call me Mr. Merriwell any more,’’? requested Merry. know iy first name. Call me by that.” “Oh, it doesn’t seem right!” ‘Tt will please me far better.”’ “Thén we-will try, eh, sister?” The girl smiled. : ““Ves,’? she said. ‘‘Frank is a beauti- ful name, and it seems so well suited to him. Yes, we will call him that if he really wishes ts to.”? | | “T do, and I will call you Nellie and Jack. Ihopeitistrue that I am your mascot, and there may be something in it, for my friends who have stuck to me have all had good luck.”’ -**Rortune has been against. usa long time,’ said the aed ‘“Bver since mother died.” Tell me sethething of yourselves,” : | urged Frank. ‘‘How long have you peen alone in the world?” ‘CAlmost two years now. Father was. an invalid the last of his life, and so all the money he had saved was used in car- ‘ing for him. Mother did not: live long after he went away. She. loved him so! Her heart was broken, and if it had not been for leaving us, I think she would have been glad to go.”” “But have you no relatives?” . _ “No néar relatives who care anything for us. Mother had a brother, but we do not know where he is now.”’ “But we feel that we have found some one in you who is almost as near and ‘dear as a relative,’’ said the girl. - ~The absolute loneliness of the brother and sister affected Frank, and he resolved to do everything in his power to brighten — their lives. Thus it came about that he was so ofteh with them. He took satis- faction in playing upon the guitar, and CALL YOUR FRIENDS ATTENTION TO OUR PREMIUMS—SEE PAG SVou he regretted’ to discover that his work — was beginning to stiffen his fingers. Having made this discovery, he bought © @ preparation to use on his hands to keep them from growiny stiff. Among the engineers was one by the name of Joe Hicks, a man with a coal- black mustache and a- sullen face. Hicks drank a great deal, but -he was one of the best engineers on the road, and he managed to keep his. job. He was surly when he was not well filled with liquor, and brutal when he had been drinking. The wipers, with the exception of Old Slugs, who was back at-work, was afraid of Hicks. ‘Not one of them liked the job of cleaning his engine, for a speck of dirt left anywhere brought a growl. | And it happened before a week was out that Frank was put onto Etick ’sene | gine. The engineer had not left the round- house when Merry began work. On his way out he patsed and stared at Frank. “Herel? he growled; = are you doing ?”’ ‘Cleaning this engine, sir.’” ‘Who told ye “to??? “Mr. Ganzell.”’ That was the name of the foreman. ‘“‘Ganzell’s a fool! there!’? Frank kept at work. “Get away from there, I tell ye! yp snarled Hicks. ‘‘Don’t you hear what I say??? o §VWes?? “Well, why don’t ye mind?” ‘‘ Because you are not the foreman.”’ ‘The foreman be—blowed. That’s my “ 9 engine; Irun her. I’m not going to have. Get. a greenhorn plugging round her. away, now! If you don’t, Pil——”’ (OW hat a ’ ‘Frank turned and looked the wan 32. Get away from — SO Imi 6}(0)(0) S CO