"If you want any trouble here," he said, hoarsely, "I'll attend to you. I can do that very well."
Ephraim looked at him, began to smile, broke into a grin, and burst into a shout of laughter.
"Haw! haw! haw!" he roared. "I couldn't fight with yeou ef I wanted to, fer I'd think yeou didn't mean me all the time, but that yeou really ought to be fightin' with some other feller yeou was lookin' at. Yeou're the funniest toad in the hull puddle!"
"I'll arrest the whole lot of you!" threatened the policeman. "Quit that business! Come along to the police station if you want to make any complaints."
"Madam, I presume you will make a complaint against this fellow," indicating Frank.
"I certainly shall," she promptly answered; "for it is my duty to teach him a lesson."
"Permit me to accompany you," urged the gallant man.
"You are very kind," she said; "but I think I can get along. I will follow at a distance."
"All right," nodded the officer, once more gripping Merriwell's collar savagely. "March, sir!"
And then they started toward the station.
The bobbing man, the little man, the cock-eyed man, and the gallant man formed behind. Then the crowd fell in, and away they went, with the mysterious veiled woman following at a distance.
"This is a gol-darn outrage!" fumed the Vermonter, speaking to Merry. "Whut be yeou goin' to do abaout it?"
"I shall have to do the best I can," answered the unfortunate youth, quietly.
"But yeou won't be able to start for Puelbo with the rest of the people."
"It is decidedly unfortunate, but I hope to get off in time to join the company before the first performance to-morrow night."
"I hardly know. The woman stopped me and insisted that I should go somewhere to talk with her. I explained that my time was limited, but that seemed to make no impression on her. When I tried to get away she flung her arms around me and screamed. That brought a crowd together, and then she declared I had assaulted her."
The policeman on the other side of Frank laughed in ridicule. Although he said nothing, it was plain he took no stock in Frank's story.
"Larf!" grated Gallup, under his breath. "Yeou think yeou know so gol-darned much that----"
"Hush!" warned Frank. "I do not wish you to get into trouble. You must inform the others what has happened to me."