Tip Top Weekly No. 118: Frank Merriwell, Engine Wiper — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

4 TIP TOP WEEKLY. CHAPTER II. THE BULLY MEETS HIS MATCH. It was a clean Knock-out blow, de- livered with marvelous skill and swift- ness. The strange youth had not waited au instant before avenging the insult be- stowed upon him. The wipers gasped for breath and showed their excitement, while the en- giueers came hurrying toward the scene of the trouble. ‘“‘Now there'll be blazes to pay!’ whispered one man, his eyes betraying his fear. ““Mart’ll kill him!” ‘‘In a minute! Look out for Old Slugs! He’s gittin’ up!” The dazed and astounded wiper was sitting up. He looked at the youth in bewilderment. The visitor was calinly removing the tobacco from-his shirt with a dainty white handkerchief. ‘*Did—did he hit me?” bruiser. “‘Yes, I hit you, you scum!’’ rang out the clear voice of the visitor. ‘If you will get up, PIl take great pleasure in hitting you again!’ One of the machinists got hold of the arm of the youth, and found it hard as iron. He whispered in the stranger’s ear: ““VYou’d better get out! That’s Old Slugs, and he’ll kill you! He’s dead nutty when he’s mad.” ‘Thank you,’’ said the visitor, quietly. “Don’t worry about me. That?’ll be all right.’? “You took hun by surprise before. Next time—-—”’ ‘*Next time I shall hit him harder.” The wiper scrambled to his feet, snarl- ing savagely. He leaped backward as he got up, in order to be beyond the reach of the fearless youth, who seemed ready to come at him. asked the WAR BUTTONS FREE TO ALL READERS, ‘Now,’ he grated—‘‘now Pll smash ye!’ Then he rushed at the other. With the grace of a fawn and the agility of a cat, the young man avoided the rush, and he planted a swinging blow under the ear of the wiper, sending the latter whirling and staggering away. But the infuriated man quickly recov- ered and came at the stranger once more. This time he did not make such a fierce rush, but closed in as if he would prevent the youth from dodging. The stranger laughed in the face of “Old Slugs,’ as the wiper was often called. It was a peculiar laugh, and it added to the anger of the man. “Laugh, drat ye!’ he snarled. ‘‘I’ll make ye laugh outer t’other side of yer mouth pretty quick!” ‘‘Marvelous!’? smiled the youth, as, with uplifted hands, he slipped to one side and darted under the wiper’s. arm like a flash, ‘‘You surprise me, sir!” Still snarling, Slugs whirled about and let out with his left for the head of the nimble visitor... The blow was neatly ducked, and the stranger countered on” the wiper’s wind. A grunting puff came from the lips of Old Slugs, but he managed to avoid the youth’s straight drive for his jaw. At the same time, he realized that, had he not escaped, the blow must have been a knock-out. Such pugilistic skill on the part of the boyish-looking visitor was astounding, but still the wiper felt confident that lie would be able to end He fight with a sin- gle blow. Within a very few seconds he discov- ered that it was almost impossible to get in that blow. Only once had he been able to hit the stranger, and that was a glanc- ing blow that simply seemed to put the youth on his mettle. Go DOC S (S(O)