The carriage door was flung open, and, in another moment, Abe would have been thrust in. Just then an athletic lad dashed at Jarvis and struck him a heavy blow behind the ear, causing him to stagger. “Drop that boy, you whelp!” rang out a clear voice. “What are you trying to do?” Jarvis clung to Abe, but managed to draw a pistol. “Interfere with me, will you, you fool!” he snarled. Then the pistol spoke, and Chester Arlington, who had attempted to save Abe, dropped to the ground. But Arlington was not alone. Several other boys had witnessed the encounter, and with shouts they charged on the man. Somehow Abe managed to struggle from Jarvis’ hands and plunge beneath the carriage. The sound of the pistol had caused the horses to begin prancing, and with a fierce oath Jarvis yelled at the driver and leaped into the carriage, slamming the door behind him. The driver cracked his whip, and away went the horses. The wheels did not pass over the hunchback, for he was between them, and he seemed unhurt when the cadets picked him up. Not so Chester Arlington. The bullet had grazed his head and rendered him unconscious. Blood was flowing down the side of his face, and the horrified boys believed he had been killed. When a doctor examined the injury, however, it was found that the bullet had grazed Chester’s skull, but there was no reason why the wound should be serious. Indeed, Arlington recovered rapidly, and among the first to congratulate him on his bravery in attacking Abe’s enemy single-handed was Dick Merriwell. Although a number of the cadets had attempted to follow the closed carriage, it dashed away at a furious pace and the boys were distanced. The sheriff in Fardale was notified and requested to secure Abe’s assailant, if possible. Although the officer did his best to comply, Jarvis managed to hide until nightfall, when he escaped from Fardale. On the following day Frank Merriwell arrived. When he heard what had taken place, Merry shook his head and expressed great regret that Abe’s enemies had not been captured. “I am afraid we have not seen the last of them,” he declared. “If what Bial Keene tells me is true, they are almost certain to give Abe further trouble.” “Why should they?” innocently questioned the hunchback. “I have never done anything to them. Why should they hurt me?” “My dear boy, Keene has discovered that you are the rightful heir to a rich estate. He expects soon to clear up the entire mystery. He is now certain that this man Jarvis, the man with the ice-cold hand, is your own uncle, who long years ago had you kidnapped from your home by scoundrels, and he supposed that you had been put out of the way forever. Leave everything to me, Abe, and to Bial Keene. We will baffle your enemies, and some day you shall possess the riches that are rightfully yours.” THE END.