“The manager of the theater will be furious.”
“You are to notify the box office without delay that sale of seats must stop.”
“Tell the manager just what has happened. Here is a check which I have made out for you. It is for five hundred dollars.”
“What’s this for?” asked the stage manager.
“To settle with the manager of the opera house and to pay bills here till I return.”
“It’s a check on a Denver bank, and it’s for five hundred dollars. I don’t think I can get it cashed in this place, Mr. Merriwell. You have plenty of ready money. You had better give me some of that.”
Just a bit of color added its flush to Frank’s cheeks.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Havener,” he said, “I have not plenty of ready money at the present time.”
“I know what I told you. I said I was carrying several hundred dollars with me so that I’d not get in a tight corner.”
“I have disposed of that money since coming to Atchison.”
“Disposed of it?” he muttered as if he did not understand.
“Yes. I have none of it handy now. For myself, I have less than a hundred dollars, which I was carrying on my person, but that will be enough for the present.”
“Remarkable!” exclaimed Havener. And then, all at once, a singular expression came over his face. “It isn’t possible that what they are saying about Hodge is true?” he exclaimed. “You don’t mean to admit that——”
“I do not mean to admit anything of the sort!” Merry cut in, without waiting for him to finish. “Vance was here with his unpleasant hints and suggestions. I will make that check good.”
“By getting the name of the hotel proprietor on the back of it.”
“I know that Mr. Kent Carson, who knows the proprietor of this house very well, has vouched for me here, and the word of Kent Carson goes anywhere in Kansas or Colorado.”
“If that’s right, you are lucky. I believe I understand why you are determined to follow Hodge up. I hope you catch him, Mr. Merriwell. I didn’t think it of him!”
“That is the kind of talk I do not like,” declared Frank, sharply. “I have a favor to ask of you.”
“I shall be glad to grant it, you may be sure of that.”
“You are to inform the company that I have left five hundred dollars with you to keep things straight and as a guarantee that I will return.”
“But you are not to say that I left you a check for five hundred dollars. You are to let them infer that I left the cold cash. Do you understand?”
